European Union: Support Tunisian CSOs to Play an Active Role in Local Development

Deadline: 7 October 2019

The European Union (EU) is seeking proposals to Support Tunisian CSOs to Play an Active Role in Local Development.

The program aims to develop the capacity of Tunisian CSOs through innovative financing and support mechanisms, so as to enhance their role as actors of local economic and social development and the impact of their actions. Two priorities are particularly targeted through this action: youth employment, which still presents a big challenge for Tunisia and equal opportunities, especially for women.

Objectives

The general objective of this call for proposals is to contribute to the sustainable and inclusive economic development of Tunisia.

The present call for proposals has the specific objective (s): to support CSO actions to finance projects with economic, social and environmental impact implemented by associations, private sector operators (in particular social entrepreneurship), and relevant student initiatives, notably through the establishment of a set of innovative financing mechanisms (repayable advances, honor loans, grants, etc.).

Priority

This call for proposals has priority (s): The creation of jobs and the development of entrepreneurial actions for young people and especially for women are the priorities of this call for proposals.

Funding Information

Any grant requested under this Call for Proposals must be between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

minimum amount: 1.800.000 EUR
maximum amount: 1.800.000 EUR

Eligibility Criteria

Lead Applicant
- To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
  - to be a legal person and
  - have no profit and
  - belonging to one of the following categories of organization: non-governmental organization and
  - be established in Tunisia, in a Member State of the European Union or the European Economic Area
  - “For British applicants: Please note that the eligibility criteria must be respected throughout the duration of the grant. Unless otherwise provided by sectoral eligibility rules, in the event of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union during the grant period in the absence of an agreement with the EU guaranteeing in particular that UK applicants continue to be eligible, applicants will no longer receive funding from the EU (while continuing, if possible, to participate) or will be required to leave the project on the basis of Article 12 “Termination of the contract” (modification of the beneficiary’s legal status )”. This obligation does not apply to international organizations.
  - be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant (s) and the entity or affiliated entities, and not act as an intermediary.
- The lead applicant may act either individually or with one or more co-applicants in accordance with the following requirements.
- If the applicant is not established in Tunisia, he must have one or more co-applicants, at least one of whom is established in Tunisia.
Co-Applicant (s)
- If the applicant is not established in Tunisia, he must have one or more co-applicants, at least one of whom is established in Tunisia.
- The co-applicants participate in the preparation and implementation of the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those borne by the lead applicant.
- Co-applicants must meet the same eligibility criteria as those applying to the lead applicant itself.
Affiliated entity (ies)
- The lead applicant and his co-applicant (s) may act with one or more affiliated entities.
- Only the following entities may be considered affiliated to the lead applicant and / or the co-applicant (s):
  - Only entities that have a structural link with the applicants (the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
  - This structural link mainly encompasses two notions:
    - control, within the meaning of Directive 2013/34 / EU on annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
      - Entities affiliated with an applicant may therefore be:
        
        entities controlled directly or indirectly by the applicant (subsidiaries or first-tier subsidiaries) or controlled by an entity itself controlled by the applicant (sub-subsidiaries or second-tier subsidiaries), and this is valid for other levels of control ;
        
        entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Similarly, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
        
        controlled entities, directly or indirectly, at the same level as the applicant (sister companies).
    - membership, that is, the applicant is legally defined as, for example, a network, federation or association of which the proposed affiliated entity is a member, or the applicant is a member of the same entity (for example, a network, federation or association, …) than the proposed affiliated entity.