Core Grants for Civil Society Organizations in the MENA Region

Deadline: 17-Sep-23

The Minority Rights Group is accepting applications from human rights and minority rights nonprofit organizations based in Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco and Palestine for core grants.

As part of the project Minorities, Accountability and Civic Space (MACS), the core grants aim to enable grassroots social organizations to improve the organizational infrastructure of organizations to allow them to operate efficiently and hence allow them to advance their work in democracy and human rights.

These grants are available for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that want to invest in their organizational development, organizational infrastructures or to effectively develop their institutional capacity.

Funding Information

• The amount available for each grant is up to 11,000 euros.
• The duration of the grant may last between 12-18 months.

Eligibility Criteria

• For your application to be considered, applicants must:
  • Be a human rights or minority rights organization.
  • Be a non-for-profit civil society organization (official registration is not necessary).
  • Be based in one of the project countries: Lebanon, Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia.
  • Be a community-based organization and/or an NGO that has a track record of working with disadvantaged ethnic, religious, or cultural minorities or marginalized groups such as migrants, refugees, LGBTI, or persons with disabilities, and rooted in these marginalized communities.
  • Be committed to involving various minorities and other marginalized communities in their broader activities.
  • Must have basic skills in project management, risk management and financial management.
  • Be an organization that has no public debt, complies with anti-corruption measures, and proves absence of conflict of interest.
  • Have the ability to receive funding, either through their own organization or an agreed upon alternative arrangement which aligns with approved protocol.

Selection Criteria

• Organizations will be selected based on their demonstrated need for institutional capacity building and infrastructural development.
• A thorough explanation of the needs of the organization that the core grant is aimed to address.
• The proposal should demonstrate clearly how this grant will increase the organizational capacity, efficiency, and function of the organization.
• The proposal should have a clear logic explained through; stated objectives, outcomes, and implementation strategy.
• Clearly justifying a budget that represents value for money and efficiency.
• The proposal should show how the grant will ensure the sustainability of the organization even after the intervention is over.
• The proposal should highlight how the organization ensures gender and minority rights mainstreaming in its work.
• Intersectional aspects of the organization’s target groups will be considered.
• The granted organizations must commit to the following if accepted for this grant:
  • Must have undertaken the organizational capacity assessment questionnaire prior to applying for the grant. If not, the organisation, if accepted, commits to completing the organizational capacity assessment questionnaire.
  • Must commit to undergoing institutional capacity training.
  • Must commit to engage their employees in the organizational mentoring program.
  • Must commit to attending the in-country workshop and meeting for sub-grantees.

For more information, visit Minority Rights Group.