Deadline: 30 July 2019
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) is currently seeking proposals to protect online freedoms in Iraq. They hope to support civil society organizations (CSOs) that defend against regulatory restrictions on digital platforms, online searches, or other online activities.
ICNL is inviting proposals from Iraq-based CSOs that seek to protect the freedoms of expression and association online. In particular, they seek to support work to ensure that new laws regulating online activity protect these rights.
Type of Activities
The types of activities that ICNL can support include (but are not limited to):
- Advocacy campaigns to amend or defeat restrictive laws, regulations, and policies;
- Multi-stakeholder meetings to discuss draft laws or policies or form coalitions;
- Trainings or technical assistance to build the capacity of government officials and civil society to draft and adopt a draft law that complies with international standards;
- Trainings or technical assistance to mobilize CSOs to advocate against restrictive legislation;
- Public awareness campaigns about the importance of protecting online freedoms; or
- Dialogues and policy debates at the local, regional, or national level.
This list is merely illustrative and ICNL strongly encourages applicants with innovative ideas and approaches not described above to apply.
Application Instructions
To apply for a grant, applicants must submit the following items in English or Arabic:
- Application coversheet;
- Proposal (no more than five pages);
- Resumes/CVs of leading project staff;
- Background information about the applicant organization or educational institution (e.g. website links or informational materials);
- Line item budget (from $5,000-$10,000)
Content of Proposal
Proposals should be no more than five pages and should include the following information:
- A description of applicant’s proposed project;
- Applicant’s experience in working on legal reform, freedom of expression, the regulatory environment for online activity, or other civic space related issues;
- Existing initiatives by the applicant or other entities dealing with similar or related issues. Where applicable, the plan for ensuring complementarity between the proposed project and existing initiatives;
- An overview of the proposed project, including a description of proposed activities, outputs, and outcomes;
- The proposed activity plan and timeline for the project;
- Specific goals, their feasibility, and how results will be measured (including monitoring and evaluation plan);
- The plan to sustain the impact of the project beyond the grant support.
Please also attach a line-item budget (which does not count toward the 5-page limit for the proposal).
Eligibility Criteria
This initiative is open to civil society organizations from Iraq.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the following factors:
- Compliance with eligibility requirements and application procedures;
- Demonstrated commitment of applicant to promoting a regulatory environment for online activity that complies with international standards;
- Quality of proposed project, including the innovativeness of the proposal, the proposed methodology/design, feasibility of the project (e.g. activities are targeted to achieve stated results, and anticipated results are realistic and attainable);
- Likelihood that the proposed project will advance the protections for the freedoms of expression and association online;
- Sustainability of the proposed project beyond the grant period;
- Proposed budget and apparent value for money; and
- Inclusion of reasonable indicators to measure project success.
How to Apply
Interested applicants can apply by completing the application coversheet and submitting it, along with all required documents by email at the address given on the website.
For more information, please visit http://www.icnl.org/programs/global/fellowship/index.html
