Deadline: 20-Jan-23
The Balkan Media Assistance Program to Foster Organizational Readiness While Advancing Resilient Development (BMAP Forward), funded by USAID and implemented by Internews as a part of the PROGRESS Human Rights Support Mechanism, is opening a call for Joint Advocacy Grants.
As Western Balkan countries orient themselves toward EU integration, these countries require ongoing social transformation in areas such as democratization, strengthening rule of law and freedom of expression and combatting gender-based violence.
The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected progress toward reforms of these fragile countries, which were already struggling to strengthen democratic institutions, enshrine the rule of law and protect media freedom. Open or implicit authoritarian inclinations are ever more present in the region. Freedom House’s 2022 Freedom in the World report classified Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia as only “partly free” and “transitional or hybrid regimes” in terms of media freedom.
USAID’s BMAP Forward project is offering a grant pool for media organizations, media industry associations and Civil Society Organizations based in the five Western Balkan countries to establish regional cooperation or support regional advocacy initiatives that address shared problems impacting independent media.
The first topics covered under this grant pool will be related to the legal and operating environment for independent media, including issues of safety and security and media freedom. In its quest for creating an enabling media environment, BMAP Forward welcomes project ideas which will advocate for the protection of physical and online safety of journalists (especially female journalists) and reduce legal restrictions on media in the region.
Advocacy is crucial to raise awareness and provide direct responses to threats to media safety and freedom, building upon monitoring and analysis of evolving trends. It can take the form of direct advocacy, advocacy missions on the ground and awareness-raising campaigns, whereby all activities mutually enrich each other.
Funding Information
- Grant amount: up to $10,000.00
- Duration: 3-9 months.
Eligible Projects
- The projects may include advocacy activities related to topics as follows:
- Research, media monitoring, monitoring of the work of regulatory bodies and functioning of the legal framework;
- Improvement of conditions for physical and online safety of journalists;
- Research, monitoring, reporting, writing policy recommendations to address coverage of gender-based violence in the media and/or the safety of female journalists;
- Developing and/or effectuating early warning mechanisms;
- Strengthening media integrity;
What Costs Can the Fund Cover?
- These grants will cover costs of labor, services, materials, and supplies needed for project implementation. All proposed budgets will undergo a detailed review process by Internews staff prior to approval.
- Examples of eligible costs under this grant call:
- Time of staff members/consultants working on the proposed project
- Applicable fringe benefits (income tax, health insurance)
- Materials and supplies needed to complete the project
- Services needed to complete the project
- Local and cross-border travel associated with project implementation.
Eligibility Criteria
- The fund for Joint Advocacy Grants is open for collaborations of two or more media organizations, media industry associations and Civil Society Organizations based in the five Western Balkan BMAP Forward countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia), including BMAP Forward Key Media Partners eager to create joint initiative and come up with advocacy ideas.
- The fund is available for cross-border collaborations of registered entities.
For more information, visit BMAP.