Deadline: 23 December 2013
Open to: civil society representatives from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Tajikistan and Tunisia in collaboration with Polish NGOs
Grant: USD $9,500 – $22,500 (small grants) or USD $32,000 – $96,000 (large grants)
Description
Support for Democracy is a programme of Solidarity Fund PL financed within the framework of the Polish development cooperation programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland since 2012. Support for Democracy encompasses projects of Polish non-governmental organisations which, in cooperation with local partners, start common initiatives aimed at supporting pro-democratic transformations in societies which, due to the political systems they are embedded in, are not able to determine their own fate. This applies especially to countries whose political systems include only few elements commonly regarded as democratic, as well as to countries undergoing systemic transformation.
The objective of the Programme is to provide support for pro-democratic institutions and democracy in countries included in the DAC/OECD list of beneficiaries of development aid and marked as “partly free” or “not free” in the Freedom in the World report by implementing projects of Polish non-governmental organisations.
Solidarity Fund PL, a Polish democracy support agency registered as a non-governmental organization, provides grants to support Polish NGO projects for the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Northern Africa and Burma/Myanmar.
Projects must be implemented on the ground in-country and may include elements implemented in Polish. The thematic priorities of the contest include:
A. Civil Liberties in the rule of law
- Strengthening the rule of law, supporting civic initiatives, cooperation of state institutions and civil society in the implementation of good practices of public institutions;
- Expanding citizens’ access to reliable and objective information, thanks to the development of independent media, especially the electronic;
- Support for people / organizations victimized politically support the monitoring and advocacy activities of human rights organizations;
- Fair elections, actions to increase the transparency of the procedures and practices of the election.
B. Support for young leaders of transformation and democracy
- Increase youth participation in the transformation of the system, the formation of democratic institutions, democratic culture and citizenship among young people, civic education;
- Leaders support system transformation.
C. Strengthening the capacity of local communities and civil society
- Strengthening local government and local democracy, good governance in local administration, mechanisms of social dialogue and consultation;
- Supporting the activities of non-governmental organizations working for the development of civil society, think tanks, independent trade unions, independent media, especially civil.
Eligibility
Solidarity Fund PL is now accepting grant applications from Polish NGOs working for the promotion and advancement of human rights, an independent media, the rule of law and other democratic goals. The grants may be awarded to non-governmental organisations registered in Poland, working in cooperation with local partners from the target countries.
Civil society representatives from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Tajikistan and Tunisia are encouraged to establish cooperation with Polish NGOs and apply for grants for joint initiatives in the framework of the “Support for Democracy” program!
Grant
The grants will vary from USD $9,500 – $22,500 (small grants) or USD $32,000 – $96,000 (large grants). The overall financial envelope of this call is USD $1,454,000
The SF financial support will not exceed 95 percent of the total eligible costs of the project.
Application
The deadline for applications is 23 December 2013. Before applying please read the Frequently Asked Questions (in Polish) HERE carefully. Apply using the online registration website HERE.
Questions about the program may be directed to granty@solidarityfund.pl. For more information, please read the details in Polish HERE.
