Deadline: 10 April 2020
The European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) has announced a call for proposals to support national advocacy actions on the right to free assembly in Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, and Ukraine.
The right to free and peaceful assembly is an indispensable element of democracy and a healthy civil society. Recent years have seen a new era of mass protests, but also an increase in practical restrictions to the right in the Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries. Under its Monitoring the Right to Free Assembly project, ECNL supports its informal network of local partners to monitor local laws, observe protests, research emerging issues and report and take action against legal and practical challenges affecting the freedom of assembly.
In 2020, to support local partners engage in research and action that advances legal reform processes and improves existing practices, ECNL is inviting proposals from applicants who would like to engage in national advocacy actions designed to promote and protect the freedom of assembly in their countries.
ECNL is particularly interested in proposals that include outreach to a broader range of stakeholders (i.e. judges, members of Parliaments, Ombudsman or other national human rights institutions municipalities, women and youth) and/or aim to identify emerging areas affecting assembly rights in the given countries, such as use of new technologies, impact on climate activism, social movements or civil disobedience. They strongly encourage applicants to apply with innovative ideas and approaches that will increase understating of existing and new trends and help formulate action to protect the freedom.
Examples of activities that could be supported under this program include:
- Applied research;
- Awareness raising campaigns, social media campaigns;
- Analysis of problematic proposals/legislation/practices;
- Planning and execution of advocacy campaigns;
- Roundtable discussions, workshops, events;
- Activities aiming to educate politicians, journalists, etc.;
- Coalition building;
- Any other activities that promote the right to free assembly.
The following activities will not be supported under the current program:
- Organization of one-off events;
- Activities which aim to raise a profit;
- Activities supporting a specific political party;
- Donations for charitable causes;
- Religious activities;
- Buying of land, real estate, vehicles;
- Provision of loans or payment of interest on loans;
- Reconstruction of offices;
- Health treatment or operations abroad.
Funding Information
Grant amounts are not fixed, but successful grant applications may range up to $10,000.
Eligibility Criteria
This call is open to domestic civil society organizations working at the national or sub-national level in one of these countries: Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, Ukraine. The action should be designed with a combination of activities to achieve the results.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the following factors:
- Compliance with eligibility requirements and application procedures;
- Quality of proposal, including broad outreach to different stakeholders, relevant issues addressed, innovative methods used, feasibility, and likelihood of success;
- Proposed budget and apparent value for cost;
- Demonstrated experience and expertise related to the issues and activities proposed;
- Demonstrated capacity to exercise responsible stewardship of received funds.
For more information, visit https://ecnl.org/call-for-grant-proposals/