European Commission offering Grants to support Civil Society in Kazakhstan

Deadline: 16-Jun-25

The European Commission (EC) is offering grants to support an enabling environment for civil society and engaging CSOs in policy-dialogue and decision-making in the EU’s priority areas in Kazakhstan.

Objectives of the Programme and Priority Issues

• Human Rights and Democracy (HRD)
  • The global objective is to support the respect for human rights, democracy, rule of law, and individual privacy in the digital environment.
  • The specific objectives:
    • to contribute to the development of a regulatory framework, which guarantees freedom of access to information, protection of personal data and fundamental rights, and transparent environment for business operations through modern digital communication technologies.
    • to contribute to building a resilient information environment through actions against information manipulations, disinformation, and hate speech.
    • to protect the rule of law and civil society by improving legal and policy frameworks, enhancing advocacy efforts, and fostering inclusive democratic participation.
  • The priorities: human rights and democracy; rule of law; media freedom and open Internet access; digitalisation, including digital literacy, safety and security.
• The crosscutting priorities:
  • Human rights-based approach (HRBA)
    • The European Consensus on Development commits the EU and its Member States to implementing a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to development, encompassing all Human Rights as well as EU’s commitment to promote and protect human rights and democracy as enshrined in the Joint Communication and EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy for 2020-2024.
    • The Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) is the methodology that ensures that the EU’s external action is designed and implemented to contribute directly or indirectly to the realisation for human rights for all. The HRBA is in line with the principles of aid effectiveness and its integration will be fully taken into account when evaluating proposals. Actions must therefore incorporate the five working principles of the HRBA approach:
      • applying all human rights for all;
      • meaningful and inclusive participation and access to decision-making;
      • non-discrimination and equality;
      • accountability and the rule of law for all;
      • transparency and access to information supported by disaggregated data.
  • Gender equality and women’s empowerment 
    • Gender equality constitutes a fundamental human rights principle and a common value of the European Union through integrating the objectives of the 2021-2025 EU Gender Action Plan (GAP III), with a specific focus on the goal outlined in the NDICI-GLOBAL EUROPE on strengthening strategic dialogue on gender equality and women’s empowerment with CSOs, including women organisations, through the framework of the CSO Roadmaps, where the inclusion of women’s organizations is highly prioritised. The design of the action should give particular attention to gender mainstreaming to ensure a reinforced role of women as actors of change. Whenever possible, GAP III gender-sensitive and sex-disaggregated indicators and gender-analyses to inform the design of future actions shall be developed for all target groups. This priority will be taken into consideration when evaluating proposals.
  • Youth
    • The EU recognises youth as key actors of development. Civil Society is an important factor in promoting youth engagement and involving and/or representing youth and youth interests in key policy processes. The proposed actions should support youth organisations capacities and participation in a gender sensitive and responsive way, taking into account the different barriers and obstacles for male and female youth.
  • Digitalisation
    • The exponential spread and scale-up of digital technologies and services has profound global implications, creating opportunities for sustainable development and inclusive growth, but at the same time bringing new threats and challenges.
  • Environment Protection & Climate Change
    • Adequate consideration for environment protection and sustainable management of natural resources is to be ensured in the design and implementation of proposed actions.
    • The EU development policy pursues the objectives of EU external action, in particular those “of fostering the sustainable economic, social and environmental development of developing countries, with the primary aim of eradicating poverty. Promotion of environmental sustainability is therefore a fundamental component of EU development policy.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 2,200,000.
• Size of grants
  • minimum amount: EUR 550,000
  • maximum amount: EUR 550,000

Duration

• The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 36 months nor exceed 48 months.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
  • be a legal person and
  • be non-profit-making and
  • be a specific type of organisation such as: non-governmental organisation and/or their association, and
  • be effectively established in Kazakhstan or a Member State of the European Union, the European Economic Area, 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, and
  • have proven experience and field presence in Kazakhstan for at least two years since 01 January 2015.

For more information, visit EC.