ICNL seeking Proposals for “Strengthening Association and Assembly Rights in Africa”

Deadline: 29 February 2020

The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) is an international not-for profit organization that promotes an enabling legal environment for civil society, freedom of association, assembly and expression, and public participation around the world.

ICNL has provided technical, research and capacity-building assistance to support the reform of laws affecting civil society organizations (CSOs) in over 100 countries. They draw upon a worldwide network of partners and experts to produce innovative research and analysis on legal topics affecting civil society.

As part of its “Strengthening Association and Assembly Rights in Africa through the ACHPR Guidelines” program, ICNL is pleased to invite proposals to support innovative and impactful action by sub-regional civil society networks that engage with the ACHPR and other African Union institutions and mechanisms to use the Guidelines to promote and protect the fundamental rights of association and assembly in Africa, and to expand space or navigate restrictions. To achieve these program goals, ICNL will provide grants and technical assistance as needed.

Content of Proposal

In no more than five (5) pages, please describe your project proposal, which may address one or more of the following issues:

Conducting research on compliance of laws in the sub-region with the Guidelines;
Engaging in regional advocacy campaigns for legislative reform based on the Guidelines and other relevant legal instruments;
Undertaking innovative media and public outreach to increase awareness and use of the Guidelines;
Developing contextually appropriate data collection tools and monitoring systems to assess implementation of the Guidelines;
Developing educational tools, training material and other knowledge products to increase knowledge and understanding about the Guidelines;
Facilitating engagement with other stakeholders, e.g., state actors (such as CSO regulatory bodies, law reform commissions, legislators), national human rights institutions, the private sector, or regional human rights mechanisms to use the Guidelines to improve the operating environment for civil society.

This list is merely illustrative and ICNL strongly encourages applicants with innovative ideas and approaches not described above to apply.

The proposal should be structured strictly as follows:

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 a monitoring and evaluation plan);
The plan to sustain the impact of the project beyond the grant support;
Applicant’s experience in working on civil society legal reform, the rights to freedom of association, assembly, or expression, or other civic space related issues; and
Existing initiatives by the applicant or other entities dealing with similar or related issues and, where applicable, the plan for ensuring complementarity between the proposed project and existing initiatives.
A line-item budget (which does not count toward the 5-page limit for the proposal) that may include one or more of the following broad categories: (i) personnel; (ii) travel; (iii) supplies; (iv) program activities; and (v) other direct or indirect costs.

Eligibility Criteria

Proposals are welcome from any sub-regional CSO network based in and carrying out activities in Central Africa, Lusophone Africa, North Africa or West Africa. Each application may propose work in only one of these sub-regions.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on the following factors:

Compliance with eligibility requirements and application procedures;
Demonstrated commitment and track-record of applicant to protecting civic space and understanding of the ACHPR system;
Quality of proposed project, including:
- Level of innovation and potential impact or multiplier-effect of the project,
- The proposed methodology/design, an
- Project feasibility (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 in Africa;
Sustainability of the proposed project beyond the grant period;
Proposed budget and apparent value for money;
Inclusion of reasonable indicators to measure project success; and
Level of collaboration and inclusion in the project of other organizations within the applicant’s sector and/or across sectors.