Call for Proposals to Enhance the Role of Civil Society as Governance & Development Actors in Zambia

Deadline: 10-Feb-2025

The European Commission (EC) is seeking proposals to enhance the role of Civil Society as Governance and Development Actors.

Objectives 

• LOT 1: Promote Civic Rights and Civil Society Engagement
  • The global objective of this lot is:
    • To strengthen a democratic space that is inclusive, participatory and empowered, as well as to reinforce a viable, independent civil society in Zambia.
  • The specific objective of this lot is:
    • Enhance public participation and free and independent engagement in the definition and implementation of the country’s development agenda with a special focus on promoting transparent and accountable governance.
  • The priorities of this lot are:
    • Improved ability of civil society to uphold and promote rights and enhanced civic space;
    • Enhanced CSOs’ participation in governance processes such as implementation of the Access to Information (ATI) law and youth participation in electoral processes;
    • Strengthened capacity of local CSOs to engage effectively with vulnerable groups (minorities, women, young people and persons with disabilities) and promote their rights while paying attention to gender equality.
• LOT 2: Support Implementation of the Children’s Code Act
  • The global objective of this lot is:
    • To promote and protect rights of children in Zambia.
    • The specific objective of this lot is to:
      • Promote grassroots participation, including interfaces between local level challenges and national policies on the implementation of the Children’s Code Act.
  • The priorities of this lot are:
    • Promote impactful, inclusive and sustainable CSO sector leadership on the rights of children as espoused in the Children’s Code Act;
    • Support participatory processes with local communities to ensure children’s voices and concerns are heard and considered in decision-making processes;
    • Strengthen dialogue and education around traditional practices and customs that support harmonization of customary law with statutory law around child rights and protection.

Funding Information

• Indicative allocation of funds by lot:
  • Lot 1 – EUR 1,428,500
  • Lot 2 – EUR 1,428,500.
• Size of grants
  • Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
    • Minimum amount: EUR 600,000
    • Maximum amount: EUR 714,250.

Duration

• The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 36 months nor exceed 42 months.

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 established in a Member State of the European Union or in Zambia or in any other countries and;
    • Be a specific type of organisation such as: a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) at local and national levels 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)
  • If the lead applicant is an indigenous Zambian CSO, it must act with co-applicant(s) of any nationality eligible under this call for proposals;
  • If the lead applicant is non-Zambian, it must act with one or more eligible co-applicant(s) of which at least one must be Zambian.

Ineligibility Criteria

• The following types of action are ineligible:
  • Actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences and congresses;
  • Actions concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses;
  • Actions which consist exclusively or primarily in capital expenditure, e.g. land, buildings, equipment and vehicles;
  • Actions which discriminate against individuals or groups of people on grounds of their gender, religious beliefs or lack of them, or their ethnic origin;
  • Action where financial support to third parties is the main purpose of the action; and
  • Actions supporting political parties.

For more information, visit EC.