EU Global Call for Proposals: European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) Program 2018

Deadline: 21 December 2018

The European Union (EU) is currently accepting proposals from eligible organisations for its European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) program 2018 to support civil society in protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms worldwide.

Program Lots and Objectives

• LOT 1: Support to LGBTI Human Rights Defenders and their organisations working in areas where LGBTI persons are most at risk of discrimination
  • The specific objectives of Lot 1 are:
    • to protect LGBTI Human Rights Defenders1 (HRD) and their organisations from threats in short, medium and long-term, and support their preventive security;
    • to build the capacities of LGBTI human rights defenders and their organisations in supporting local initiatives, grassroots and nascent movements, encouraging the creation of LGBTI alliances and networks and engagement with new allies in most at risk situations;
    • to strengthen advocacy work at local, regional and international level by LGBTI human rights defenders and organisations, including , including legislative and policy reforms, as well as awareness raising about discrimination against and violation of human rights of LGBTI persons;
    • to support LGBTI human rights defenders and organisations for better strategic litigation, reporting and documentation on cases of SOGI discrimination, and targeted capacity building of police and law enforcement agencies;
• LOT 2: supporting the fight against the death penalty
  • Specific objectives are defined in line with the EU Guidelines on the Death Penalty1, as follows:
    • To support legal reform in order to abolish the death penalty, establish a moratorium and/or restrict the use of the death penalty;
    • To enhance respect of the right to a fair trial and of minimum standards for those facing the death penalty in line with the EU Guidelines on Death Penalty and the Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty (Economic and Social Council Resolution 1984/50);
    • To enhance capacities and raise awareness of legal professionals, judicial and administrative actors, local civil society, youth, media and other relevant stakeholders on the death penalty;
    • To improve transparency and access to accurate information on the death penalty.
• LOT 3: supporting civic activism and participation by leveraging digital technologies
  • The specific objectives of Lot 3 are to improve the capacity of civil society and citizenry to:
    • Support freedom of expression and a diversity of public opinion and representation, and countering illegal hate speech online, particularly in times of societal stress or crisis (Voice and Participation)
    • Counter disinformation, promote reliable independent sources, and facilitate access to information for ordinary citizens on public issues (Transparency)
    • Advocate for accountability in service delivery and the management of public funds (Accountability)

Funding Information

• Lot 1:
  • minimum amount: EUR 500,000
  • maximum amount: EUR 2,000,000
• Lot 2:
  • minimum amount: EUR 500,000
  • maximum amount: EUR 1,500,000
• Lot 3:
  • minimum amount: 1,000,000
  • maximum amount: 2,500,000

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
  • be a legal person or an entity without legal personality or a natural person and
  • be non-profit-making and
  • be a specific type of organisation such as:
    • civil society organisations or an association of civil society organizations, including non-governmental non-profit organisations and independent political foundations, community-based organisations, indigenous peoples’ organisations, disabled persons organisations and private-sector non-profit agencies, institutions and organisations and networks thereof at local, national, regional and international level;
    • National Human Rights Institutions, Ombudspersons;
    • universities;
  • 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.
• For-profit organisations may also be eligible in exceptional and duly justified cases. Indeed, in situations where registration or receipt of foreign funding as non-profit organisation is made very difficult or might put the entity in danger, civil society organisations may be obliged to register as for-profit organisations to continue operating in the field of human rights. The validity of the justification will be examined by the Evaluation Committee.
• International public-sector organisations set up by international agreements, specialised agencies set up by such organisations and other organisations assimilated to such international organisations (i.e. the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) are not eligible under this call for proposals. United Nations agencies are not eligible under this call for proposals.
• No nationality restriction applies to lead applicants and, if any, to co-applicants and affiliated entities.
• Potential applicants may not participate in calls for proposals or be awarded grants if they are in any of the situations
• 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.
• Affiliated entities
  • 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.

How to Apply

In order to apply for the grants, applicants have to register themselves in PADOR, an on-line database via given website.

For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2zxEb2s and download the guidelines.