SMART Balkans Project: Regional Grants Program

Deadline: 30-Jun-23

The SMART Balkans Project is seeking concept notes for the Regional Grants Program.

Strengthening the capacity of CSOs in the region, through enhanced cooperation between civil society and government and through building regional partnerships at all levels to increase the influence of citizens in the decision-making process, will contribute to the desired change of creating peaceful and inclusive communities in the Western Balkans which will promote sustainable development of their societies.

One of the Smart Balkans objectives is for the project to support the Euro-Atlantic integration of the region and considering that European integration is not just individual objective of each project’s beneficiary countries, but of the region, the project aims to facilitate regional cooperation and networking towards that goal. For this purpose, SMART Balkan has designed the Regional grant scheme, although creating regional networks and partnerships will be stressed wherever possible.

Goal

• Overall objective of the SMART Balkans project is to contribute to strengthening participatory democracies and Euro Atlantic integrations in the Western Balkans by empowering civil society organizations and CSO networks for stronger and active role in creating peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

Objectives

Specific objectives of the SMART Balkans project are:

• Stronger, more sustainable, and vibrant CSOs in the six countries of the Western Balkans region.
• Developed strong regional partnerships between civil society organizations from the region of the Western Balkans themselves and with their EU counterparts and public authorities.
• Increased effectiveness of citizen influencing change through CSOs that advances Security and Stability and Governance in the Western Balkans region.
• Increased awareness of public on importance of active participation of civil society in major development initiatives in the region of Western Balkans.

Focus Areas

• Regional Grants are a funding mechanism for consortiums of minimum 3 CSOs from 3 countries, and / or formal or informal regional networks for projects related to Security and Stability, and Governance, with strong regional dimension.
• While the type of activities to support the above priority areas are to be proposed by the applicant, the following non-exhaustive list of thematic examples can be given:
  • Security and Stability
    • Preventing (combating) violent extremism and radicalization that leads to terrorism
    • Disinformation as a regional security threat
    • Arms trafficking
    • Human trafficking
    • Cybercrime as a destabilizer of security
    • The fight against regional organized crime
    • Prevention of money laundering
    • The fight against terrorism
    • Food security amid the armed conflict and climate change
    • The influence of the climate change on the security and stability in the region
    • Energy security
    • Enhancing (building/development of) local capacities for crisis management
    • Intercultural dialogue
    • Social cohesion, reconciliation and peace
    • Human security and gender equality
    • Reduction of all forms of violence with focus on violence among and against youth (cooperation with governmental institutions and mechanisms is strongly recommended)
    • Cyber security and cyber safety
    • Data privacy
    • Overseeing security institutions/monitoring the implementation of security and stability policies
  • Governance
    • Promoting digital literacy
    • Freedom of expression
    • Civil society participation in regional decision making processes
    • Fight against regional fake news/disinformation
    • Euro-Atlantic integration
    • Digitalization
    • Public administration reforms
    • Hidden economy
    • Corruption, including high level corruption

Funding Information

• Total amount available for distribution under this call is 17,296,200 NOK (approximately 1,695,705 EUR), for 9 grants, with individual award amount range from 912,000 NOK to 1,921,800 NOK (89,400 – 188,400 EUR).
• Duration of supported initiatives will be from 18 to 22 months.

Expected Results

• Developed strong regional partnerships between civil society organizations and institutions from the region of the Western Balkans.
• Developed strong regional partnership between CSOs and with their EU counterparts and public authorities.
• Increased effectiveness of citizen influencing through regional networking on Security and Stability and Governance in the Western Balkans region.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant and its partners must:
  • be a legal person and
  • be non-profitmaking and
  • be a civil society organization (CSO) or a formal or nonformal network of CSOs working on one or more thematic areas of relevance to this Call for Applications, excluding political, faith based and religious organizations as well as local branches of international organizations and
  • be established in one of six targeted countries and
  • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the project with their partners, not acting as an intermediary and
  • have as a minimum one year (i.e. 12 months) experience in the areas of this call under which the concept note is submitted. In case the lead applicant is a network of CSOs, this applies also to its members.
• Partners (co-applicants) must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant itself.

For more information, visit SMART Balkans Project.