Deadline: 30-Apr-22
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 stemming 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 around:
- 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
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 other restrictive COVID-19 measures in light of the omicron variant, 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 rights-respecting 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 COVID19 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 convenings to share best practices employed by governments that successfully addressed COVID-19 while protecting civic freedoms.
Funding Information
Grants of $25,000 – $45,000 USD are available for projects.
Eligibility Criteria
Open to any non-governmental organization based in the Indo-Pacific region. For this call, the Indo-Pacific includes most countries in Asia (East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia) and the Pacific Islands, but does not include Pakistan or Afghanistan.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the following factors:
- Compliance with eligibility requirements and application procedures.
- 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 https://www.icnl.org/wp-content/uploads/CAIP-Small-Grants-2022-Call-For-Proposals.pdf