Deadline: 8-Aug-23
Together with the Association for Monitoring Equal Rights (AMER), the Netherlands Helsinki Committee is launching a call for proposals within the EU funded project “Together against discrimination: Building a civil society coalition to improve access to justice for victims of discrimination”.
Through this initiative, civil society will be supported and empowered in the protection and promotion of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, thus contributing to the opening of civic and democratic space. They focus on improving the civil society response to discrimination as a key condition for the protection and promotion of human rights in Turkey. In particular, they aim to strengthen the capacity of rights-based organisations in complaint handling in discrimination cases, strategic litigation, engaging with the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), and to facilitate networking and coalition building. These enhanced capacities contribute to more resilient Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and to the opening of civic, democratic and civil society space in Turkey.
As part of this wider initiative, this programme supports a sub-granting process with the main goal of strengthening civil society’s involvement in monitoring the functioning of National Human Rights Institutes (NHRIs) and to advocate and provide recommendations for the implementation of policy reform.
The Anti-Discrimination Grant Program has a primary focus on non-discrimination, looking not only at specific groups who are experiencing discrimination but also looking at how the response to discrimination in general can be improved, focusing on how civil society can play a role in handling complaints and bringing cases before NHRIs, in addition to developing advocacy against discrimination practices.
Objectives
- Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are well placed to challenge the barriers around access to legal and non-formal remedies in response to discrimination.
- This call will support CSOs aiming to build their experience in monitoring discrimination, outreach and complaint handling of victims of discrimination inter alia racial, ethnic and religious minorities, women, children, persons with disabilities, LGBTI+ and homeless people who more often experience intersectional discrimination.
- In this respect, the sub-grant programme will be an important tool that targets the needs of CSOs, providing them with resources to support victims of discrimination in establishing local coalitions among stakeholders, outreach and providing legal support to victims of discrimination.
- This call will also support actions to prevent all forms of discrimination by raising awareness among different groups, collecting and reporting data, using national mechanisms such as the Turkey National Human Rights Institution (TIFIEK) and Ombuds Institutions in Turkey.
- At the same time, AMER will offer capacity development for those organisations that receive funding for the above in the form of coaching activities. Sub-grantees will be required to follow a 1-day Result Based Management training on the grant procedure including finance and programme implementation and monitoring after contracts are signed. AMER’s project and communications assistant will also assist the CSOs that will receive a sub-grant in their outreach activities developing specific outreach campaigns per group that experiences discrimination.
- Organisations may work together with the others that receive funding within this call.
Funding Information
- A sub-grant programme of maximum 12 months and max. EUR 78.000 will be distributed with a maximum of 13.000 EUR per sub-grant for at least six grass-root projects which are designed and distributed to encourage cooperation between CSOs and Bar Associations or lawyers to combat discrimination and to advocate for more effective, independent human rights mechanisms.
- The sub-grant call will be open for applications for 30 days after the date of publication.
- At least six contracts will be awarded to grassroots projects which will focus on the cooperation of CSOs with Bar Associations or lawyers in the area of discrimination and advocacy for effective and independent human rights mechanisms.
Activities
- They seek to provide grants for activities that support advocacy and policy development in connection to the discrimination of vulnerable groups and the functioning of NHRIs. One aim is therefore to build and strengthen national consortia for agenda-setting.
- Applicants are required to propose their own activities that support them in setting their own agenda at the national level.
- Examples of activities are as follows:
- Networking among the local actors to tackle discrimination
- Monitoring and reporting discrimination cases, outreach to persons who experience discrimination and complaint handling
- Legal support for submitting applications to N H Rls or other related institutions
- Possibility to hire lawyers or cooperate with Bar Associations to assist victims of
- Possibility to hire lawyers or cooperate with Bar Associations to assist victims of discrimination to advocate for their rights
Target Countries and Regions
- Proposed projects should target CSOs in Turkey.
- The focus will be given to those that also address vulnerable groups in the earthquake-affected region.
- Proposals can be country-wide or limited to certain regions.
Eligibility Criteria
- This call for proposals is open to non-profit-making Civil Society Organisations or consortia of non-profit-making Civil Society Organisations with the status of a legal person, established in Turkey. The following structures cannot apply under this programme:
- cooperatives, non-profit small scale-business entities, professional organizations, chambers, workers’ and employers’ unions, chambers of commerce and industry, other professional organizations, their federations and confederations, universities, research institutes, public administration institutions, state agencies, local or regional authorities, political parties, universities or organisations affiliated with political parties.
- Applicant CSOs can cooperate with other organizations; bar associations, universities, and professional chambers. However, within the scope of the project, these organizations cannot benefit from the grant except for meeting expenses, travel expenses and/or per diems.
- In case of consortia, the main applicant will be responsible for the overall implementation of the action.
- Applications should provide evidence of the following:
- Registration status as a non-profit organisation registered under national legislation
- Experience with managing budgets of similar size
- Each CSO can submit more than one application under this call for proposals; however, an applicant cannot benefit from more than one grant under this call for proposals. A leading applicant can be a co-applicant in another application.
For more information, visit Netherlands Helsinki Committee.