Deadline: 3 April 2020
Bodossaki Foundation, in consortium with SolidarityNow, acting as the Fund Operator (FO) for the EEA Grants Programme “Active Citizens Fund” in Greece (ACF) has announced the present open call for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) project proposals which addresses the expected outcome “Increased support for Human Rights”.
The overall objective of the Programme is the strengthening of civil society and active citizenship and the empowerment of vulnerable groups and it is based on the common values of respect of human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and the respect for human rights including rights of persons belonging to minorities.
The projects that will be selected will aim at strengthening advocacy and raising awareness on human rights issues; monitoring human rights violations and supporting the victims; educating citizens, organisations and civil servants on human rights issues and strengthening collaboration of CSOs with Media in order to promote human rights.
Human rights are defined as the inherent rights of all people regardless of nationality, gender, place of residence, origin, color, religion, language or any other condition as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations. Among these, it is the right to life, freedom and nationality, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the right to work and education, the right to food and housing, and the right to take part in governance. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms, without distinction of any kind.
Funding Information
This is the fourth open call for this Programme, with an allocated amount of € 2,494,600.
Activities
- Advocacy campaigns related to the promotion of human rights
- Watchdog initiatives for the defence of human rights
- Awareness-raising initiatives to promote respect and understanding around human rights
- Recording of human rights violations
- Educational activities around human rights issues
- Training activities for human rights issues (targeted to e.g.: civil servants, NGO field staff, the media)
- Partnerships between NGOs and media to raise awareness or tackle specific concerns around human rights and human rights violations
- Support to victims of human rights violations, aiming at empowering them and informing them about their rights
Outcomes
The output indicators established for this Outcome are:
- Number of advocacy campaigns carried out on Human Rights
- Number of awareness-raising activities on human rights issues carried out
- Number of people reached through awareness-raising activities on human rights
- Number of NGOs registering and reporting human rights violations
- Number of people trained on human rights
- Number of civil/public servants participating in capacity building initiatives on human rights
- Number of partnerships forged between NGOs and media on human rights issues
- Number of NGOs providing services to victims of human rights violations
- Number of human rights violations documented by NGOs
Eligible Applicants
- Eligible applicants are NGOs (CSOs) that are established in Greece and fall within the following definition:
- “A non-profit voluntary organization established as a legal entity, having a non-commercial purpose, independent of local, regional and central government, public entities, political parties and commercial organizations. Religious institutions and political parties are not considered NGOs”. Eligible applicants shall abide by the principles of democratic values and human rights.
- More specifically, eligible candidates must meet the following general conditions:
- Are non-profit organizations that have not been created nor operate to generate personal profit. Although they may have paid staff and may engage in revenue generating activities, they do not distribute profits to their members nor to their board. Where revenue-generating activities are undertaken, these should not represent the purpose of the NGO but should be solely a means to support its mission and values;
- Have members who do not have any direct commercial interest in the outcome of the work of the organizations or of its commercial activities and should not pursue the commercial or professional interests of their members. This requirement therefore excludes trade and professional associations, where the aims and purposes of the association are to further the specific interests of its members only;
- Are voluntary in nature, formed voluntarily by groups or individuals and usually involving an element of voluntary participation in the organization;
- Act in the public arena and for the public good on concerns and issues related to the well-being of people, groups or society as a whole;
- Have some degree of formal or institutional existence, unlike informal or ad hoc groups, involving formal statutes or other governing document(s) defining their mission, objectives and scope;
- Have transparent structures and an elected chair / board, and are accountable to their members and donors;
- Are independent of local, regional and national government and other public authorities,
- Are independent of political parties and commercial organizations.
- Political parties and religious organizations, social partners or profit-distributing cooperatives are not considered NGOs and are not eligible.
- Social enterprises are not considered NGOs and are not eligible.
For more information, visit https://www.activecitizensfund.gr/en/open-call/increased-support-for-human-rights/