Call for Proposals: “New or scaling up of Countering Violent Extremism evidence-based Projects”

Deadline: 2-Oct-23

Hedayah has announced a call for proposals under STRIVE Global Programme-Phase II for new or large-scale evidence-based projects to counter violent extremism in the Western Balkan, South Caucasus and MENA regions.

STRIVE Global Programme-Phase II responds to the ongoing threat of global terrorism and the need for effective responses that ameliorate, rather than exacerbate, the threat. The Mission Statement is to reduce the risk of radicalisation leading to violent extremism through resilience building of vulnerable communities and individuals to recruitment and radicalisation techniques whilst continuing to respect human rights and international law.

The STRIVE Global Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by Hedayah, has provided assistance to governments and civil society organisations (CSOs) to implement activities as outlined in their respective countries National CVE Strategies and Action Plans.

Objectives

• The global objective of this call for proposals is to build the capacity of local CSOs and government entities to design and implement impactful interventions in line with their respective CVE National Strategies and Action Plans to prevent radicalisation leading to violent extremism, and recruitment to terrorism and facilitate the de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration processes of foreign terrorist fighter returnees and their family members.
• The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:
  • To strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations and government entities to prevent and counter radicalisation leading to violent extremism and terrorism, and increase collaborative engagement of both parties.
  • Utilise existing research covering the CSOs country of implementation on issues related to preventing and countering violent extremism as a basis for project design, and/or utilising successful previous projects implemented as a base to scale up.

Priority Issues

• The priorities per country of this call for proposals are:
  • Albania
    • Support to local safety mechanisms and other local referral mechanisms
      • Develop of a comprehensive referral system mechanism, including institutional procedures and protocols, to address specific cases of children/youth facing any kind of vulnerability; to make the referral system mechanism operational involving the Local Safety Councils/School Security Councils, and other local referral mechanisms, and institutionalisation of the system.
    • Religious leaders and Strategic Communications
      • The project should target religious leaders of multiple faiths and equip them with the sufficient strategic communications knowledge and tools to empower them to counter any form of extremism that they may encounter within their community.
      • The communications should seek to empower these leaders to identify individuals vulnerable to extremism and counter- narratives, online and offline, or to identify the early signs of extremism.
      • Projects should be designed carefully to target a specific audience, within the context of religious leaders, and through the most effective means of reaching this audience. Ideally, there would be a feedback system to ensure the messages are reaching the intended audience and are achieving change.
  • Republic of North Macedonia
    • Institutionalise early warning referral mechanisms
      • During the first phase of the STRIVE programme, a project was funded which developed a referral system which supports frontline workers through mentoring to identify and work with vulnerable youth. The referral system was set-up to include steps for referring students with different levels of vulnerability to different mechanisms.
      • During the first phase, 116 direct beneficiaries (frontline workers) in high schools in Skopje, Polog and Northwest region were mentored. Going forward, Hedayah is seeking proposals to fully institutionalise the implementation of the referral system.
      • Proposals can seek to bolster the referral system in areas where is in existence or nationwide.
    • Gamification of extremist prevention education
      • Similarly, during the first phase of the STRIVE programme, an interactive cartoon was developed to strengthen community resilience by using serious game as an innovative educational tool.
      • The serious game which will provide an opportunity for “role play” in which one player will play the game from different perspectives, understanding different aspects, and motives, threats of different characters.
      • Hedayah would like to develop the concept of gamification of PVE awareness for children or young adults. Alternative interactive formats would be accepted.
  • Georgia
    • Far-right extremism and preventing extremism
      • Drawing on existing research on far-right extremism or identifying groups vulnerable to far-right extremism, projects should seek to counter far-right extremism and/or violent extremism.
      • Using research specific to Georgia as well as international best practices on P/CVE, projects should aim to clearly define the target group (age, location, gender or other) to design a well-suited initiative to tackle the needs of the target group and their push/push factors leading to this specific type of extremism.
      • The project design can be any form (a series of training, activities, product-based or other), and it should be impact orientated with measurable results identified in the project design.
    • Media literacy and countering fake news
      • Information campaigns to improve the public’s ability to critically read online media and to counter fake news.
      • Media literacy can improve the public’s ability to assess media and to reflect on information which could lead to the polarisation of society.
      • Media literacy projects are evidenced to present a long-term prevention measure for extremism.
      • Media literacy campaigns can focus on any type of extremism prevalent in Georgia including far-right and Islamophobia.
      • Similarly giving people the tools to breakdown myths and biases in fake news will help unite individuals of different cultures and religions.
  • Tunisia
    • Proposals for projects can seek to address any of the following issues:
      • Promoting socio-economic initiatives for vulnerable youth.
      • Preventing extremism through education and culture in youth.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 600,000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.
• Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
  • Minimum Amount: EUR 50,000
  • Maximum Amount: EUR 100,000

Duration

• The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 6 months nor exceed 18 months.

Location

• Actions must take place in in one of the following regions and countries:
  • Western Balkans: Albania, Republic of North Macedonia
  • South Caucasus: Georgia
  • MENA: Tunisia

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant(s)
  • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person established in any of the countries mentioned above and
    • be non-profit-making and
    • be a civil society organisation, including non-governmental non-profit organisations with headquarters in any of the countries mentioned above 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 and
    • have a strong background working at grass roots level.
  • The lead applicant may act individually or with co-applicant(s).
• Co-applicant(s)
  • 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.
  • Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.
  • If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant(s) (if any) will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together with the Grantee).
• Affiliated entities
  • The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies). Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to co-applicant(s):
    • Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
    • This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
      • Control on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
        • Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
          • Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
          • Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
          • Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
      • Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association,) as the proposed affiliated entities.

For more information, visit Hedayah.