Deadline: 31 August 2017
Civil society organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia in partnership with journalists, their associations, networks, media organizations and journalists’ trade unions are currently inviting applicants for its small grants programme “Protecting Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression in the Western Balkans”.
The objective of the small grants programme is to amplify advocacy efforts undertaken by local, national and regional civil society actors in collaboration with journalists and media organizations and to set topics of media freedom and journalists’ safety on mainstream agenda in the Western Balkans region.
Program Lots
The programme is divided into two lots:
- LOT 1 – Regional actions, which are expected to include participants from at least 3 out of 5 project WB countries. Average size of grants is 30 000 – 40 000 EUR with a co-financing rate of 10%. Indicatively, a total of 5 regional grants will be disbursed contingent on sufficient applications of high quality.
- LOT 2 – National actions, which are expected to include participants within a given country. Average size of grants is 5 000 – 10 000 EUR with a co-financing rate of 10%. Indicatively, a total of 10 national grants will be disbursed, contingent on sufficient applications of high quality.
Priorities
- To support projects which effectively tackle problems and obstacles faced by journalists who are under various forms of pressure.
- To support projects which focus on pressures on human rights activists whose freedom of speech is jeopardized.
Grant Information
- The total value of the small grants programme is 267 000 EUR, to be disbursed to 15 grantees (5 larger regional projects and 10 smaller national projects).
- The time frame for the implementation of the supported projects is October 1, 2017 – August 31, 2018.
Eligibility Criteria
- Lead applicant: Lead applicants for both regional and national grants need to be local, national or regional civil society organizations, required to act in partnership with either a locally, nationally or regionally present media organisation, or a team of independent media professionals (journalists).
- In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- be a legal person registered at least 12 months before this call is launched
- be non-profit-making
- be a specific type of civil society organisation such as: association, foundation, private non-profit institution, social cooperative/non profit cooperative, registered umbrella association, journalists’ association, journalists’ trade union as well as networks when they are registered as civil society organisation.
- be registered in one of the five eligible countries(mentioned below)
- be able to prove (in Application form) that in last 12 months they have been actively working on issues covered by this Call for proposals.
- In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- Co-applicants: Obligatory co-applicants:
- local, national or regional media organisations, public or private (under condition they do not derive profit from the Action) or
- journalists participating as natural persons, teams of independent media professionals, informal journalists’ groups (there is no requirement for a specific form of registration, can act as natural persons)
- media associations, journalists’ associations or registered networks (includes all registered forms as for lead applicant: association, foundation, private non-profit institution, social cooperative/non profit cooperative, registered umbrella association; journalists’ associations, unions and networks
- have to be registered, or citizens (in case of natural persons) in 5 eligible countries
How to Apply
Interested applicants must download the application form and submit it via email at the address given on the website.
Eligible Countries: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo.
For more information, please visit Small Grants Programme.