Deadline: Ongoing Opportunity
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) is pleased to invite proposals for grants as part of its ongoing project to safeguard civic freedoms and address democratic backsliding that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this context, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) seeks to support civil society organizations (CSOs) in the Indo-Pacific in undertaking forward-looking projects focused on:
- strategies for addressing COVID-19 authoritarian policies, including reviewing and repealing emergency measures;
- activities to promote civic freedoms-oriented best practices around emergency, disaster response, and pandemic policies; and
- efforts to highlight the innovative work of civil society in advocating against COVID-19 related encroachments on fundamental freedoms, as well as civil society’s critical role in COVID-19 response.
Objectives
In support of these objectives, applicants may select from a broad range of activities designed to achieve the grant’s objective, including, but not limited to:
- Identifying points of leverage and specific strategies to repeal emergency and rightsimpacting COVID-19 measures, and planning concrete activities to achieve these objectives;
- Researching and analyzing COVID-19 related technology, such as contact tracing apps and surveillance tools, and preparing advocacy activities to roll back the use of technologies that violate privacy and other freedoms, while promoting rightsrespecting alternatives for crisis management;
- Developing toolkits, publicity materials, multimedia, or digital campaigns to highlight and promote the work of civil society in resisting authoritarian COVID-19 governance while continuing to provide critical services;
- Conducting research, fieldwork, or case studies to compare best and worst-case scenarios and practices around pandemic governance response, with recommendations for how to better address crises while respecting civic freedoms;
- Organizing national and/or regional convenings to disseminate successful civil society advocacy strategies to resist closing civic space stemming from COVID-19 approaches over the past two years;
- Identifying regional best practices for ensuring avenues for participation in public affairs during COVID-19, and developing recommendations for the institutionalization and wider adoption of such practices;
- Organizing national and/or regional dialogues with governments to advocate for best practices and reforms governments can undertake to create more enabling civil society environments.
Topics
In five pages or less, please describe your proposal. The proposal should address the following topics:
- Identify a clear opportunity for CSOs or civic space in the COVID-19 era and explain how the proposed initiative will take advantage of this opportunity.
- Provide an overview of the proposed initiative and explain how it will assist other CSOs in overcoming, easing, or navigating COVID-19-related civic space challenges, including specific activities and anticipated outcomes.
- Describe applicant’s experience implementing similar activities proposed in this call.
- Identify CSOs, government bodies, and other stakeholders that will be engaged in the activities outlined in the application.
- Provide a proposed activity plan with specific goals and a timeline, recognizing that grant activities must be completed within a six-month period.
Funding Information
Grants of up to $45,000 USD are available for up to six-month long projects.
Eligibility Criteria
Open to any non-profit organization based in the Indo-Pacific region. Organizations must have already applied for and received a UEI (unique entity ID) number in order to be eligible for this grant.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the following factors:
- Compliance with eligibility requirements and application procedures (including active UEI).
- Demonstrated commitment of the applicant to improving civic space.
- Quality of proposed project, including the project’s innovations, the proposed methodology/design, and 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 enhance civic space.
- Proposed budget and value for money.
- Inclusion of reasonable indicators to measure project success.
For more information, visit Call for Proposals.
