RYCO Second Call for Proposals: Empowering Civil Society Organizations in Western Balkans

Deadline: 25 January 2019

Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) has announced a second call for proposals to support and empower civil society organizations and secondary schools to implement activities in the areas of regional youth cooperation, mobility and exchange; and enabling environment for regional youth cooperation.

The objective of this call for proposals is to contribute to the process of reconciliation in the region of the Western Balkans by increasing youth mobility and intercultural dialogue, as well as creating an enabling environment for regional youth cooperation. RYCO wants to empower young people for setting the course to a better society in the Western Balkans.

Priority Areas

• Priority area 1: Regional youth cooperation, mobility and exchange
  • Specific Objective 1: Intercultural Learning and Dialogue Young people engage in intercultural learning and dialogue with their peers from the diverse communities within their Contracting Parties and across the Western Balkan region.
  • Specific Objective 2: Dealing with the Past Young people address their differences concerning the region‟s past and challenge inherited narratives through guided processes in a safe environment.
• Priority area 2: Enabling environment for regional youth cooperation
  • Specific Objective 3: Policy Influencing The legislative and political environment is increasingly supportive of reconciliation and intercultural learning, and of the implementation of youth mobility and exchange both within and among Contracting Parties in the Western Balkan region.
  • Specific Objective 4: Youth Participation Young people participate in decision-making processes that shape their local communities as well as social and political development of their respective society and the Western Balkan region.
  • Specific Objective 5: Strengthening Capacities Individuals and institutions are better equipped to play key roles in accompanying and guiding young people towards above mentioned specific objectives 1-4.

Funding Information

• The overall financial envelope for this call is EUR 1.000.000.
• Indicative allocation of funds by lots:
  • Priority Area 1: EUR 550.000
    • LOT 1: EUR 200.000 for secondary schools projects from EUR 10.000 to EUR 20.000
    • LOT 2: EUR 150.000 for CSOs projects from EUR 10.000 to EUR 15.000
    • LOT 3: EUR 200.000 for CSOs projects from EUR 15.000 to EUR 35.000
  • Priority Area 2 – EUR 450.000
    • LOT 1 EUR 100.000 for secondary schools projects from EUR 10.000 to EUR 20.000
    • LOT 2 EUR 100.000 for CSOs projects from EUR 10.000 to EUR 15.000
    • LOT 3 EUR 250.000 for CSOs projects from EUR 15.000 to EUR 35.000

Duration

The duration of the project must be a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 9 months. All project activities must take place until 31 May 2020.

Location

All the project activities financed by RYCO must take place in the Western Balkans 6 contracting parties (WB6): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for a grant, the applicant must:
  • be a legal entity, and
  • be non-profit-making CSO established in one of the WB6 (mentioned above), a minimum of one year prior to the launch of this Call for Proposal or be a secondary school (private or public), established in the WB6, a minimum of one year prior to the launch of this Call for Proposal and
  • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the projects with the partners, not acting as an intermediary
• Acknowledging the differences in legislations of the WB6, in cases where public schools are facing administrative barriers to apply for and administrate grants directly, they encourage them to form a partnership with a CSO eligible under the above-mentioned criteria. CSOs will be the lead applicant of the project proposal and will serve as the financial manager of the project, while the school still remains responsible for the overall management and implementation of the activities. In this case, the project proposal must fall under LOT 1. The grant funds will be directed to the CSO.
• Potential applicants may not participate in calls for proposals or be awarded grants if they are in any of the situations indicating that they are bankrupt, subject to insolvency or winding-up procedures; where their assets are being administered by a liquidator or by a court; where it is in an arrangement with creditors; where their activities are suspended; or where they are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for under national laws or regulations; they are in breach of its obligations relating to the payment of taxes or social security contributions, in accordance with the law of the contracting party in which they are established. CSOs that employ or are represented/overseen by members of RYCO statutory bodies (i.e. Governing Board or Advisory Board) are not allowed to apply for this Call for Project Proposals. These applications will be subject to conflict of interests and rejected.

How to Apply

The Application (Grant Application Form in Word format, Budget Form in Excel format, Supporting Documents scanned in PDF format) should be submitted via email at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit https://www.rycowb.org/?page_id=180