Deadline: 25-May-25
The Embassy of Finland in Beirut supports Lebanese civil society initiatives for development through the Funds for Local Cooperation (FLC).
The funds are channeled through Lebanese civil society organizations to complement the bilateral cooperation of Finland.
Priority Areas
- The 2025 Call for Proposals is looking for projects falling under two priority areas:
- promoting the rights of people belonging to the most vulnerable groups (especially the LGBTIQ+ -community and Palestinian refugees)
- strengthening inclusive, peaceful and democratic societies
Funding Information
- The Embassy’s Fund for Local Cooperation for 2025 is 2,40,000 euros in total, which will be divided between 1-4 projects, depending on the received proposals. The maximum project budget is 1,00,000 euros with a maximum duration of 12 months.
Eligible Projects
- The FLC seeks to promote the activities of local civil society for the implementation of projects with a clear aim. Projects carried out under FLC funding strengthen the civil society and its members in Lebanon and support institutional and private-sector actors in projects with verifiable development impacts.
- Projects carried out under FLC funding must always be classified as development aid (including, for example, projects that support business partnerships) in accordance with the OECD/DAC ODA criteria.
Eligibility Criteria
- The FLC is available for Lebanese non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other local non-profit civil society actors, such as: science and technology communities, universities and other educational and research institutions, independent media, public bodies and cultural institutions (for example, museums, libraries and theatres), chambers of commerce and commercial associations, organisations engaged in the promotion of export and investment, businesses, cooperatives, interest groups of companies and employees or foundations.
- Only local actors are eligible to apply.
Ineligibility Criteria
- FLC funding cannot be granted:
- to Finnish non-governmental organisations (separate application through the MFA unit in question)
- for projects of friendship associations in Finland (separate application through the MFA unit in question)
- to Finnish government agencies or public bodies (separate application through the ICI instrument)
- to Finnish municipalities (separate application through the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities)
- to Finnish businesses
- to the government, ministries or municipalities of the host country
- to an unregistered association or organisation (however, taking into consideration the special circumstances in the host country)
For more information, visit Finland Abroad.