Call for Applications to Support Civil Society Organisations in the Republic of Moldova

Deadline: 28-May-2024

The European Commission is inviting applications to support Civil Society Organisations in the Republic of Moldova to act as key contributors to the democratic and economic transformation of the country.

The current Call for proposal is financed under the EaP Civil Society Facility for Resilient and Inclusive Societies for 2023-2024. Its main objective is to contribute to inclusive, resilient and democratic societies in the Eastern Partnership region, in which the part specifically dedicated to the Republic of Moldova for 2023 is EUR 4 million.

The Call rolls out the EU support to Civil Society Organisations’(CSOs) initiatives in the framework of the Roadmap for engagement with Civil Society in the Republic of Moldova, for the period 2021-2027. The Roadmap outlines three priorities for engagement with civil society: (1) Promote a conducive environment for CSOs, good governance and strengthening democratic institutions – CSO participation in developing and monitoring the implementation of public policies, increasing the transparency and accountability of central and local administrations; (2) Strengthen CSOs participation in the reform process in the various sectors foreseen in the EU Moldova Association Agenda and Moldova’s effective use of EU assistance; (3) Enhance the role of Civil Society as a community development actor and service provider to the citizens.

In addition, the Call will support Moldovan CSOs including grassroots and smaller organisations to strengthen their financial situation through support to third parties, as they often lack the capacity to apply directly for EU funding. The financial support to third parties planned in this Call will allow smaller organisations to develop their capacities, influence and strengthen the dialogue and participation interfaces in decision-making between civil society and public authorities (both at local and national level).

Objectives and Priorities

• This action aims to strengthen inclusive, resilient and democratic society by capacitating CSOs to participate meaningfully in socio-economic development of the country, implementation of reforms, accountability of institutions, ensuring fair and equal opportunities for all.
• The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals are: 
  • Lot 1: To strengthen the engagement of Civil Society Organisations in improving access to labour market for unemployed vulnerable men and women with care responsibilities (parents/legal guardians) through provision of inclusive active employment programmes and enhanced access to childcare services in local communities;
  • Lot 2: To strengthen the engagement of Civil Society Organisations in providing inclusive and equal development opportunities through afterschool activities and social care for children in local communities.
• The priorities of this call for proposals are to increase the role of civil society organisations including grassroots organisations; to provide support to the National Employment Agency to improve the offer of vocational and educational training and employment opportunities for vulnerable families in local communities; creation and development of (public or social) nurseries and educational centres for children in local communities in order to support employment of men and women with care responsibilities; support the implementation of the social protection and labour market reforms launched by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection with a focus on genuine social and economic integration of marginalised persons including people with disabilities, Roma etc.
• All actions should be gender sensitive and rights-based. The actions should address crosscutting issues related to gender-equality, environmental practices, inclusion of people with disabilities and minority groups.  All actions should be in line with the social protection and labour market reforms initiated by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. Applicants are encouraged to set up strong partnerships with the Ministry.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 4,000,000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.
• Indicative allocation of funds by lot:
  • Lot 1: EUR 3,000,000
  • Lot 2: EUR 1,000,000
• If the allocation indicated for a specific lot cannot be used due to insufficient quality or number of proposals received, the contracting authority reserves the right to reallocate the remaining funds to the other lot.
• Size of grants
  • Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
    • Lot 1: minimum amount: EUR 2,900,000; maximum amount: EUR 3,000,000
    • Lot 2: minimum amount: EUR 950,000; maximum amount: EUR 1,000,000
  • Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the action:
    • Minimum percentage: 50 % of the total eligible costs of the action.
    • Maximum percentage: 95 % of the total eligible costs of the action

Ineligible Actions

• The following types of action are ineligible:
  • actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences and congresses;
  • actions concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses;

Location

• Actions must take place in the Republic of Moldova, including in the Transnistrian region.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant
  • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person and
    • be non-profit-making and
    • be a specific type of organisation such as: non-governmental organisation, public sector operator, local authority, international (inter-governmental) organisation as defined by Article 156 of the EU Financial Regulation and
    • be established in a Member State of the European Union or Republic of Moldova or any other eligible countries as stipulated in the basic act NDICI-GE. This obligation does not apply to international organisations and
    • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.
• Co-applicant(s)
  • The lead applicant must act with at least 2 co-applicants.
  • Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
  • Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
• Affiliated entities
  • The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).

For more information, visit European Commission.