European Commission: Aid Programme for Turkish Cypriot Community

Deadline: 22-Jul-24

The European Commission has launched a call for proposals to support civil society in enhancing trust, dialogue, and cooperation and in promoting European Union values and standards through actions that contribute to promoting the reunification of Cyprus.

Objectives of the Programme and Priority Issues

• The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals are:
  • To increase the capacities of CSOs in the TCc to achieve the targets of the European Green Deal. This specific objective will be addressed by Lot 1 – Environmental actions.
  • To promote dialogue and collaboration among the Cypriot communities via confidence building measures and joint actions by civil society organisations across the divide. This specific objective will be addressed by Lot 2 – Bi-communal confidence building actions.
  • To encourage civil society in the TCc to pursue meaningful socio-economic change by participating in decision-making, influencing changes and fostering sectoral and cross-sectoral cooperation at local and EU level. This specific objective will be addressed by Lot 3 – Strengthening civil society in the TCc.
  • To especially encourage diversification of EU funding to CSOs who have not previously benefited from EU grants in the TCc. This specific objective will be addressed by Lot 4 – New applicants.
• The priority(ies) of this call for proposals is/are:
  • Lot 1 – Environmental actions – priorities.
    • Actions should specifically be designed to bring together the Cypriot communities around island-wide issues related to environment, including but not limited to biodiversity conservation, marine protection; environmental protection; climate action; sustainable agriculture; sustainable production and consumption; circular economy and resource efficiency.
  • Lot 2 – Bi-communal confidence building actions – priorities. 
    • Actions should specifically be designed to increase bi-communal interaction between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, including, but not limited to the topics of human rights, social policy and dialogue, anti-discrimination, building integrity and media freedom.
  • Lot 3 – Strengthening civil society in the TCc – priorities. 
    • Actions should specifically be designed to strengthen the impact of civil society in the TCc, including, but not limited to the topics of human rights, health, social policy and dialogue, anti-discrimination, building integrity and media freedom.
  • Lot 4 – New applicants – priorities.
    • Actions should specifically be designed to increase organizational capacity, effectiveness, sustainability, transparency and accountability of those CSOs in the TCc, who have not previously benefited EU funding, thereby enabling a greater CSO involvement and impact in public life and actions in the ‘public’ interest in the TCc and across Cypriot public life in particular, but not limited to topics of human rights, social policy and dialogue, health, anti-discrimination, building integrity and media freedom.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 2 250 000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.
• Indicative allocation of funds by lot:
  • Lot 1 – Environmental actions: EUR 500,000
  • Lot 2 – Bi-communal confidence building actions: EUR 500,000
  • Lot 3 – Strengthening civil society in the TCc: EUR 950,000
  • Lot 4 – New applicants: EUR 300,000
• Size of grants
  • Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
    • Lot 1
      • Maximum Amount (EUR): 125,000
      • Minimum Amount (EUR): 100,000
    • Lot 2
      • Maximum Amount (EUR): 125,000
      • Minimum Amount (EUR): 100,000
    • Lot 3
      • Maximum Amount (EUR): 200,000
      • Minimum Amount (EUR): 100,000
    • Lot 4
      • Maximum Amount (EUR): 100,000
      • Minimum Amount (EUR): 40,000

Duration

• The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 12 months nor exceed 30 months.

Types of Activity

• Types of activity which may be financed under this call (list is not exhaustive):
  • Capacity building, trainings, coaching, counselling, mentoring, community of practice, capability building, etc.,
  • Studies, sectoral analyses, needs assessments, research-related activities, questionnaire drafting, data collection and analysis activities, field and site visits, organization of online and/or in-person surveys, purchase of scientific equipment necessary for conducting the research, participation in congresses/seminars/conferences, publication in journals, dissemination events, etc.,
  • Policy research, gaps and needs analyses, opinion surveys, monitoring and watchdog activities including manuals on best practices related to the priorities of the Call.
  • Community based awareness campaigns, activities facilitating dialogue, consultation and discussion between different stakeholders and people on the island, organisation of conferences and public debates involving decision makers, representatives and communities on the island,
  • Organization of meetings, seminars, conferences, gatherings, hackathons, competitions, other public and stakeholder involvement activities.

Location

• Actions must take place in Cyprus, as described:
  • For lots 1, 3, and 4, actions must take place in the Turkish Cypriot community and optionally in the areas under the control of the government of the Republic of Cyprus.
  • For lot 2, the action shall take place mandatorily in both, the Turkish Cypriot community, and the areas under the control of the government of the Republic of Cyprus.
• If relevant to the description of the action, some of the activities may take place in another territory or a country. However, these shall be considered exceptional and must not constitute a major part of the action.

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 a civil society organization and
    • be established in the Turkish Cypriot community (for all lots) or in Cyprus (for lot 2) 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.
  • In addition to the categories referred to in Section 2.1.1, the following are however also eligible:
    • In Lot 4 the lead applicant must be an eligible organization that has not previously benefited from EU grants, i.e. acted as grant beneficiary in the past civil society calls in the following TCc Calls: CS4, CS5, CS6, CS7, CS8 and anti-trafficking Call, HR6 and HR7 and directly awarded grants; either as lead applicant and/or as co-applicant financed under the Aid Regulation.
• Co-applicant(s)
  • All applications in Lot 2 must include minimum one applicant from each of the 2 communities of Cyprus (Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot).
  • While not mandatory, the inclusion of co-applicants in other lots is highly encouraged, especially from the two communities of Cyprus (Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot) or Member States of the European Union.
  • 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 himself.
  • In addition to the categories referred the following are however also eligible:
    • Entities established in a Member State of the European Union or on the territory of a Member State of the European Economic Area or on the territory of Candidate Countries for Accession to the European Union.
  • Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.
  • If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant(s) (if any) will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together with the coordinator)
• 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 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.

For more information, visit EC.