Deadline: 01-Sep-2024
The Transatlantic Foundation (TF), in cooperation with the Engaging Central Europe (ECE) program of The German Marshall Fund of the United States, is launching a dedicated request for proposals.
This funding opportunity aims to strengthen civil society watchdogs’ strategic litigation capabilities in Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.
In spite of the attempts of populists and illiberal leaders to undermine the independence of judiciary, domestic and international courts often provide the most effective fora to contest discriminatory laws, challenge the dismantling of checks and balances, enforce freedom of information, and resist authoritarian legal engineering. Strategic litigation is a key asset in the toolkit of human rights and anti-corruption watchdogs to pursue the protection of fundamental rights, transparency, and liberal constitutionalism with legal means.
Funding Information
- The available overall call budget is EUR 400,000. TF reserves the right not to award all available funds depending on the proposals received and the results of the evaluations.
- Under this call, TF will support short-to-medium-term projects with a duration of 6 to 12 months, with a budget ranging from EUR 10,000 to EUR 30,000 for single-country projects and from EUR 10,000 to EUR 40,000 for cross-border projects.
- Project co-financing in the form of own contribution or other non-EU grants is welcomed, but not mandatory. Administrative costs (i.e., utilities, accounting, and financial management) cannot exceed 7% of the total grant amount.
Eligible Activities
- Provide legal aid to marginalized communities and individuals affected by human rights violations.
- Strengthen the strategic litigation capabilities of organizations representing aggrieved parties and victims of human rights violations with systemic importance before courts.
- Strengthen the strategic litigation capabilities of organizations using freedom of information (FOI) laws in a strategic manner to maintain transparency and to assist citizens and CSOs in filing FOI requests and appealing against denials.
- Conduct workshops, seminars, or training to enhance CSOs’ legal expertise, with a special focus on available domestic, international, and European legal venues.
- Build complex communication and advocacy strategies around watchdogs’ existing litigation work.
Eligibility Criteria
- The call is open to CSOs and non-profit-making entities established in Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. CSOs applying must demonstrate compliance with the fundamental rights and values that the EU is founded upon as well as a proven track record in human rights or transparency.
- Natural persons and for-profit entities are not eligible. Further, applicants can neither be affiliated entity(ies), nor associates, nor contractors of TF.
Important Note
- Activities on strategic litigation can be supported limited to capacity building, awareness raising activities, training, mutual learning and exchange of good practices and analytical activities.
- Court actions and direct litigation activities are not eligible for support under this action.
- The project activities must take place in one or more of the targeted countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Cross-border activities involving other EU countries may be considered as well.
- Special emphasis must be given to the promotion and protection of rights and values under the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights as well as to a gender-inclusive approach at all levels of the proposed project implementation.
- Organizations that engage individuals or groups in peripheral areas are especially encouraged to apply.
For more information, visit GMFUS.