Call for Proposals: Support to Civil Society to improve Governance and Accountability in Lebanon

Deadline: 3-May-21

The European Commission (EC) is inviting eligible entities for support to Civil Society to Improve Governance and Accountability in Lebanon.

The Call for Proposals aims to contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):

• Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms
• Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels;
• Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. Furthermore, the action also supports achievement towards
• Encourage public, public-private and civil society partnerships as well SDG 5.5. Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

Objectives

• The global objective of this call for proposals is to improve governance and promote reform in Lebanon.
• The specific objective of this call for proposals is to enhance the role of civil society actors as active pillars in enhancing governance, accountability and transparency in Lebanon.

Priorities

The priorities of this call for proposals are:

• Strengthening the internal governance, organizational and institutional capacity of CSOs, mainly networks/coalitions/platforms, to contribute effectively and efficiently to the implementation of the 3RFand to be better equipped as an independent actor in the reform process
• Engaging CSOs in monitoring reform agenda, preventing and fighting corruption.
• Promoting a more strategic, inclusive, structured and sustainable collaboration and dialogue among CSOs and between CSOs, EU Delegation  and the Government on sectors related to reform, recovery, and reconstruction as well as the SSF and CEDRE priorities;
• The cross-cutting priorities of this call for proposals are:
  • Gender equality: Gender equality constitutes a fundamental human rights principle and a common value of the European Union.
  • Rights-based approach: Actions must incorporate the five working principles of the RBA approach and to engage with citizens and communities in an inclusive manner in each phase of the project cycle.
  • Youth engagement: Young people should be engaged in monitoring the implementation of the 3RF, participating in reform processes and assume leadership roles.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR2 800 000.
• Size of grants:
  • Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
    • minimum amount: EUR2 800 000
    • maximum amount: EUR2 800 000
    • 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: 90% of the total eligible costs of the action.
      • Maximum percentage: 95% of the total eligible costs of the action

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 organization such as: Member State Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, citizens groups, community-based organizations, platform/coalition representing public interest, advocacy organizations, women’s and youth organizations, research organizations, academic institutes, think tanks, education institutions, independent foundations and
    • be established in a Member State of the European Union or in Lebanon (for at least 3 years prior to the publication of this call) or in an ENI (European Neighborhood Instrument) Partner Country 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)
  • 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.
  • If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant(s) (if any) will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together with the coordinator)
• Affiliated entity(ies)
  • 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, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU 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.

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