Call for Proposals: Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV)

Deadline: 06-Jun-24

The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) is seeking applications for Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV).

This is a call for proposals for EU action grants in the field of European Remembrance under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value Programme (CERV). The call is launched in accordance with the 2023-2024 Work Programme and will be managed by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).

Objectives

Supporting projects aimed at commemorating defining events in modern European history, including the causes and consequences of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, and at raising awareness among European citizens, of their common history, culture, cultural heritage, and values, thereby enhancing their understanding of the Union, its origins, purpose, diversity, and achievements and of the importance of mutual understanding and tolerance.

Themes and Priorities

Proposals are encouraged to serve the implementation of EU policies and more precisely to serve the implementations of actions included in the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life 2021-2030, EU anti-racism action plan for 2020-2025, EU Roma strategic framework on equality, inclusion and participation, and No place for hate: a Europe united against hatred.
Across the different priorities, an overarching aim is to promote a more nuanced understanding of historic events by integrating a gender perspective when examining them. Looking through a gender-lens at history can highlight the role, representation and perspective of groups and individuals of all gender and promote a more holistic and gender-sensitive understanding of history. To this end, applicants are advised to explain in their proposals from whose perspective history is narrated, whose experiences are attributed importance and whose experiences are omitted. Applicants are also advised to ensure meaningful participation of their target groups, taking into account gender differences and to ensure that they present measures to avoid the reproduction of stereotypes and prejudices in their proposals.
Each project application under the call must address only one of these topics representing a specific priority:
- CERV-2024-CITIZENS-REM-TRANSITION – Democratic transition, (re-)building and strengthening society based on the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights
  - Projects under this priority should focus on the transition from authoritarian and totalitarian rule to democracy in different European countries, their similarities and differences and the lessons retained for the future about how to defend and sustain EU values such as democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights. At the same time, projects can also explore the means of historical justice, be it through trials, restitution or amnesty.
- CERV-2024-CITIZENS-REM-HOLOCAUST – Strengthening the remembrance of the Holocaust, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity to reinforce democracy in the EU
  - Projects under this priority should focus on specific crimes such as the Holocaust, totalitarian crimes or other 20th century crimes like genocides, war crimes and crimes against humanity and should analyse how these crimes were organised, which actors were involved and how they were committed.
  - Projects under this priority are encouraged to find new ways of remembering and educating about these crimes to protect society against resurging threats of hatred, antisemitism, racism, xenophobia, antigypsyism and LGBTIQ-phobia.
  - Projects can focus on countering Holocaust distortion, trivialization, and denial as well as digitalising historical material and testimonies of witnesses for education and training purposes. These projects are encouraged to work as well with young people, together with other generations, in order to transmit the memory of events
- CERV-2024-CITIZENS-REM-HISTMIGRATION – Migration, de-colonisation and multicultural European societies
  - Projects under this priority can also deal with common European experiences of migration that can be linked to a multitude of events such as wars, transition moments, colonisation and de-colonisation, economic impacts, persecution, or others.
- CERV-2024-CITIZENS-REM-EUINTEGRATION – European integration and its defining achievements
  - The projects under this priority should explore and promote to all generations the defining moments and reference points of European integration, its history, and how these changes have in practice affected the daily lives of Europeans. Projects can focus on specific rights granted in the European Union such as freedom of movement, on specific achievements such as a common currency, or on defining moments such as accession of countries. Testimonies of witnesses could be a particular valuable resource for making the experience tangible and provide an intergenerational perspective.

Funding Information

The estimated available call budget is EUR 14 000 000
- Specific budget information per topic mentioned below:
- Topic 1 — CERV-2024- CITIZENS-REM-TRANSITION
  - EUR 1.510.000
- Topic 2 — CERV-2024- CITIZENS-REM-HOLOCAUST
  - EUR 8.880.000
- Topic 3 — CERV-2024- CITIZENS-REMHISTMIGRATION
  - EUR 2.060.000
- Topic 4- CERV-2024- CITIZENS-REMEUINTEGRATION
  - EUR 1.550.000
They reserve the right not to award all available funds or to redistribute them between the call priorities, depending on the proposals received and the results of the evaluation.

Eligible Activities

Projects are expected to:
- Link different types of organisations to create synergies (between non-profit, local, regional and national administration, academia and memorial and learning site with educational institutions),
- Develop different types of activities (training activities, publications, online tools, (provenance) research, non-formal education, public debates, exhibitions, awareness-rising, collection and digitisation of testimonies, innovative and creative actions, etc.), also by using new methods of teaching and new technologies;
- Establish and conduct trainings for rights defenders, civil servants, members of the judiciary, law enforcement officials and policymakers;
- Provide opportunities for inter-generational exchanges between witnesses and future generations;
- Involve people from different target groups and gender, including, where possible, people facing racism, antisemitism, antigypsyism or other forms of discrimination and intolerance.
Projects should have a European dimension and preferably be implemented on a transnational level (involving the creation and operation of transnational partnerships and networks).
Projects’ design and implementation are expected to promote gender equality and non-discrimination mainstreaming. This includes a gender analysis, mapping potential different needs of and impact on women and men as well as integrating a gender equality perspective in the design of the activities.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible, the applicants (lead applicants “Coordinator”, co-applicants and affiliated entities) must:
- For lead applicants (i.e., the “Coordinator”): be non-profit legal entities (public or private bodies) or an international organisation.
- For co-applicants: be non-profit or for profit legal entities (public or private bodies). Organisations which are for profit may apply only in partnership with public entities, private non-profit organisations or with international organisations.
- be formally established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
  - EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
  - non-EU countries:
    - countries associated to the CERV Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature.
Other eligibility conditions:
- Activities must take place in any of the eligible countries.
- The EU grant applied for cannot be lower than EUR 50 000.
- Projects can be either national or transnational.
- The application must involve at least two applicants (lead applicant and at least one co-applicant, not being an affiliated entity or associated partner).