Deadline: 30-Jun-24
The SOS Malta announces an open rolling call for NGOs for the outcome “Enhanced collaboration between beneficiary and donor state entities involved in the Programme.”
The objectives of the EEA and Norwegian Grants are to contribute to the reduction of economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area and to strengthen bilateral relations between the donor states and the beneficiary states.
The Active Citizens Fund (ACF) is established under the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 and has a total budget of € 200 million that is granted by the Donor States of the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism – Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – to 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics.
The Active Citizens Fund recognises the fundamental role that the civic sector plays in ensuring democratic governance, human rights and social cohesion across Europe. ACF Malta also reflects the firm recognition of the sector’s role as a fundamental building block of democratic governance, human rights and social cohesion across Europe. ACF Malta, thus, financially supports citizens’ initiatives to boost collaboration, education and further development of the capacities of the civic sector.
Objectives
The overall objective of the ACF Malta Programme is to strengthen active citizenship and civil society and empower vulnerable groups.
The four areas supported by the ACF Malta Programme under this objective are:
- Democracy, active citizenship, good governance and transparency.
- Human rights and equal treatment through combating any discrimination.
- Social justice and inclusion of vulnerable groups.
- Environment and climate change.
Call Priorities
The main aim of the bilateral cooperation initiatives is to strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of NGOs in Maltese civil society. Priority will be given to areas of concern that will actively contribute to the overall objective of the ACF Programme in Malta, such as civic engagement (especially among youth); promotion and protection of human rights; watchdog and advocacy roles of the civil society sector (focusing especially on how to influence policy-makers and cooperate with local authorities); empowerment of vulnerable groups (with a focus on migrants); gender equality (especially women empowerment) and activities combatting gender based violence.
Each supported initiative shall contribute to at least one of the outcomes.
Supported activities (shall include but not be limited to):
- Visits that have the aim of deepening partnerships through specific common activities.
- Internships.
- Networking, exchange, sharing and transfer of knowledge, technology, experience and best practice.
- Visits by NGO experts / experts from Donor States entities to Maltese NGOs and vice
- Versa for training / coaching purposes; and
- Attendance to or organisation of conferences and workshops with a concrete impact on bilateral partnerships and relations.
Funding Information
- The total available funds to be distributed as grants under this call are €70,000.
- Bilateral Cooperation Initiatives can be supported up to a maximum rate of 100% of the eligible costs, with a minimum grant of €5,000 and a maximum grant of €15,000.
Outcomes
This call is for bilateral cooperation initiatives between Maltese NGOs and entities in the Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) that support the following outcomes of the ACF Malta Programme:
- Outcome 1 Increased support for human rights and social inclusion.
- Outcome 2 Increased citizen participation in civic activities.
- Outcome 3 Enhanced capacity and sustainability of civil society.
Bilateral cooperation initiatives are intended to support activities that enhance relations between Maltese NGOs and entities in the Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and contribute to the overall objective of the Active Citizens Fund.
Eligibility Criteria
- This call is open for NGOs that are registered in Malta and are compliant with the Office of the Commissioner of Voluntary Organisations in partnership with at least one entity from one of the Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).
- Maltese NGOs must be enrolled and compliant with the Commissioner of Voluntary Organisations and in compliance with the Maltese Voluntary Organisations Act. Applicants shall have to provide proof that they are legally registered in Malta by providing a copy of their VO Certificate. They must also meet the following criteria:
- They are a non-governmental organisation (NGO), i.e., a non-profit, voluntary organisation established as a legal entity, having a non-commercial purpose, independent of local, regional and central government, public entities, political parties and commercial organisations. Religious institutions and political parties are not considered to be NGOs.
- They meet the following principles:
- Have members who do not have any direct commercial interest in the outcome of the work of the organisation 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 is to further the specific interests of its members only.
- Are non-profit, being organisations 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 a means to support its mission and values.
- Are voluntary in nature, formed voluntarily by groups or individuals and usually involving an element of voluntary participation in the organisation.
- 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 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 organisations.
- Abide by the principles of democratic values and human rights.
- Applicants shall be directly responsible for the implementation of the initiative for which they are seeking a grant and must not act merely as intermediaries.
- Only sole applicants may apply from Malta (this call is not open to partnerships between NGOs registered in Malta).
For more information, visit SOS Malta.