Deadline: 25-May-23
The European Commission (EC) through its Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme is providing grants for promoting rights and values by empowering the civic space.
Objectives
- In line with the Charter Strategy and following up to the Charter Report 2022 on a thriving civic space for upholding fundamental rights in the EU, projects under this priority should promote rights and values by empowering civil society actors to work together at the local, regional and national levels on the fields covered by the programme. Projects should also help creating a channel of communication with the EU level to report on the state of the civic space in their countries and voice their concerns.
- More specifically, projects could create a systematic and comprehensive monitoring system to regularly and consistently monitor the environment in which civil society organisations work in the national contexts, building on the Fundamental Rights Agency indicators about the shrinking civic space and of internal organisations’ data, and in particular of breaches of CSOs and rights defenders’ fundamental rights.
- Projects could also support and enhance the protection of CSOs, their members and rights defenders working to protect and promote EU values under attack.
- Transnational partnerships with mutual learning possibilities for partners in several EU Member States are particularly encouraged to apply, as well as networks of relevant actors at national level such as National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), Equality bodies, Ombuds-institution and the national Charter Focal Points.
Funding Information
- The available call budget is EUR 16 000 000.
- The check will normally be done for all coordinators, except:
- public bodies (entities established as public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations
- if the project requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000.
- Duration Projects should normally range between 12 and 24 months (extensions are possible, if duly justified and through an amendment).
Expected Impact
- Promoting rights and values by empowering the civic space
- Increased awareness about the state of play on civic space in the EU Member States based on sound evidences and comparable indicators;
- Strengthened relations and creation of networks among the participants protecting the civic space at local, national and European level, and between them and the national and European authorities;
- Increased dialogue about the civic space, with an increment of public attention to it, and developed positive narratives towards CSOs and rights defenders protecting and promoting fundamental rights, rule of law and democracy.
- More protected CSOs, their members and rights defenders working in a safe environment;
- Increased reporting of attacks faced by the targeted actors and more prompt and targeted response.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to be eligible, the applicants (lead applicants “Coordinator”, co-applicants and affiliated entities) must:
- For lead applicants (i.e. the “Coordinator”): be non-profit legal entities (private bodies)
- For co-applicants: be non-profit or profit legal entities (public or private bodies). Organisations which are profit-oriented may apply only in partnership with private non-profit organisations;
- be formally established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
- Activities must take place in any of the eligible countries (EU Member States);
- The EU grant applied for cannot be lower than EUR 75 000;
- The project can be either national or transnational; the application may involve one or more organisations (lead applicant “Coordinator” and coapplicants).
- Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register — before submitting the proposal — and will have to be validated by the Central Validation Service (REA Validation). For the validation, they will be requested to upload documents showing legal status and origin.
- Other entities may participate in other consortium roles, such as associated partners, subcontractors, third parties giving in-kind contributions, etc.
- Specific cases
- Natural persons — Natural persons are NOT eligible (with the exception of selfemployed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legal personality separate from that of the natural person).
- International organisations — International organisations are eligible. The rules on eligible countries do not apply to them.
- Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons
- EU bodies — EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) can NOT be part of the consortium.
For more information, visit EC.