EWMI ACCESS: Public Policy and Accountability Grants (PPAG) Program for Georgian CSOs

Deadline: 7 December 2016

The East-West Management Institute (EWMI) Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS) project is seeking applications for its Public Policy and Accountability Grants (PPAG) program for Georgian CSOs. PPAG program focuses on increasing government accountability on national level policy issues and supports:

Think tanks to conduct policy research, analysis, and advocacy
Watchdog organizations to monitor and report on existing policy implementation, or if necessary, advocate for evidence-based changes in policies, legislation or procedures
CSOs and CSO-led coalitions to raise public awareness and mobilize citizen support for emerging policy issues.

Main topic of the program is supporting Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration and countering Anti-Western Disinformation.

Funding Priorities

Projects supporting conducting policy research and advocacy.
Projects increasing citizen awareness and engagement and effectively countering the anti-western disinformation.

Grant Information

EWMI ACCESS will award a maximum of four grants of up to $50,000 USD under this RfA.
The duration of project activities for the two kinds of projects described above should not exceed 18 months and 12 months, respectively

Eligibility Criteria

Think tanks, watchdog and other types of CSOs, CSO coalitions or coalitions between CSOs and media organizations in Georgia are eligible to submit proposals for the PPAG program. The applicant organization or organizations must be legally registered in Georgia. Applicants should meet the following criteria:
- Have at least two years of operational experience. As a rule, EWMI ACCESS will not provide “start-up” funding, although EWMI ACCESS may make an exception if sufficient evidence is presented to show that the organization’s directors and experts have adequate prior experience and the organization is filling a niche that has been underserved in the past.
- Have a governance structure that ensures proper rotation of leadership and delegation of power, including at least a Board of Directors, a Chairperson, and an Executive Director. The same individual should not hold the position of the Board Chairperson and the Executive Director, unless the size of the organization precludes this separation. If the above criteria are not met, the applicant must submit a proposed reform process that will work towards meeting these standards.
- Have a transparent system of bookkeeping that is in compliance with Georgian legislation and International Accounting Standards (IAS). If such a system is not in place, the grantee must work closely with EWMI ACCESS to ensure that accurate expense reports are prepared and a transparent bookkeeping system is put in place.
- Must not be a debtor, must have cancelled any debt to the state, or have arranged for debt collection prior to receiving the first disbursement of EWMI ACCESS grant funds.
- Must operate as an independent, non-politically affiliated organization.
Civil servants, political appointees, members of the current parliament, staff of public broadcasting companies, and/or leaders of political parties cannot participate in a grant project as a director. In most cases, these individuals are also excluded from being grant-remunerated participants in projects.
EWMI ACCESS gives preference to organizations with a strong record in policy research, analysis, and/or monitoring; high institutional capacity; and in-house expertise relevant to the proposed project.