Ukraine: Civil Society Resilience and Sustainability against COVID- 19

Deadline: 30-May-21

European Commission’s German Marshall Fund of the United States is calling project proposals for Civil Society Resilience and Sustainability against COVID- 19 to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian civil society organizations (CSOs) and independent media in countering the negative impact of the outbreak on society.

This call is part of the COVID-19: Civil Society Resilience and Sustainability regional action run by IREX/ERIM Europe and funded by the European Union. The project aims to support civil society, independent activists, and independent media to continue their work throughout and after the coronavirus pandemic.

Thematic Areas

Under the current call, BST will support proposals that fall under one of the following thematic areas:

• Lot 1: Civil Society-led Mobilization of Social Support: 
  • Cooperation of the CSOs with local authorities, businesses and IT companies, educators and scientists, and independent media in supporting groups affected by the coronavirus crisis.
  • Strengthen the capacity of solidarity projects initiated during the pandemic, such us volunteer networks, CSR initiatives that brought together employees, CSOs staff, public officials, etc.
  • Develop solutions to open more effective communication channels between authorities, CSOs, businesses, citizens regarding the coronavirus crisis
  • Empower community-led organizations and initiatives to lead COVID-19 prevention and control efforts. This might refer to creation and functioning of community self-help groups, initiation of community hubs, etc.
• Lot 2:
  • Advancing Independent Media: Under this line they are funding two types of projects:
    • Continued supply of accurate information about the further evolution of the crisis and its impact on different spheres of society;
    • Debunking fake news through factchecking and exposing cases of disinformation—a special focus will be placed on information about Eastern Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic. These proposals should take into consideration current developments under the crisis, such as vaccination, pandemic fatigue, etc.
  • Exchange and Cooperation Grants
    • shared expertise between CSOs in different regions of Ukraine on how to develop appropriate strategies to effectively cope with a very different future operating environment
    • strengthening the capacity of the regional and national networks to be an active stakeholder in the regional and national fora related to their areas of activities
    • create coalitions and networks to propose policies and laws that benefit the vulnerable groups most affected by the coronavirus crisis
  • Government Oversight
    • oversight of public procurement procedures, investments in the health sector, subsidies, and economic aid
    • alternative public policies drafted to contain the crisis and mitigate its economic and social effects
    • monitor restrictions to human rights, media freedom, personal privacy. This could be directly related to increased use of digital surveillance tools.

Funding Information

• Lot 1: projects up to EUR 20,000
• Lot 2: projects up to EUR 25,000
• The minimum duration of a project is 6 months, and the maximum duration is 12 months.
• The award ceiling for each lot may only be exceeded by exceptional projects. Proposals under EUR 10,000 will not be taken into consideration.

Eligibility Criteria

• Project proposals should be initiated by civil society organizations legally registered in Ukraine and should limit their geographic scope to Ukraine.
• Under the thematic area, Advancing Independent Media, the call includes independent media organizations.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2RmUMTW