The European Commission has opened its call for applications for projects that fall within the Strategic Partnerships for Capacity Development of Civil Society Organizations in the Eastern Partnership. The deadline for this opportunity is 5th of September 2019 and the maximum amount an organization can apply for is between 600,000 and 1,400,000 Euros, depending on the lot.
In this article, we give you some tips on how to apply for this opportunity.
The EU Funding program for the Eastern Partnership is focused on the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, and the Russian Federation. The target group for such partnerships is organizations with significant experience in providing support (including financial) to civil society organizations, either in one of the Partnership countries or across the Eastern Neighborhood region.
To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must be a legal person, be non-profit-making, and be a civil society organization. Furthermore, the organization needs to have at least 3 years of proven experience in CSO capacity building activities in at least three countries from the Eastern Partnership and the Russian Federation. The organization also needs to have recent experience in awarding and managing grants to CSOs.
The call for proposals is divided into different lots per types of civil society actors. Framework Partnership and Specific Grant Applications must target one or two of the following lots:
Lot 1: Capacity building of CSOs in at least 3 countries of the Eastern Partnership and the Russian Federation
Lot 2: Capacity building of CSOs in Ukraine
For Lot 1, the minimum amount one organization can apply for is 750,000 Euros, the maximum 1,400,000 Euros. For Lot 2, the grant floor is 600,000 Euros, the grant ceiling 800,000 Euros.
Framework partners will be selected in order to, jointly with the EU, advance the role of civil society as governance actors in the Eastern Partnership, either through the country or regional actions.
The specific objectives of this call for proposal are:
Within this call for proposals, the EU is aiming to select a total of up to 12 strategic partners and conclude Financial Framework Partnership Agreements with organizations that through their vision and actions, including financial support to third parties:
Specific Grants will be awarded to selected Framework Partners in order to:
The majority of the action must take place in countries of the Eastern Partnership and the Russian Federation.
The application process for this opportunity consists of two phases. In the first phase, the emphasis is put on the eligibility criteria, in the second phase on the proposal itself. Both parts must be submitted until the deadline 5th of September 2019.
Applications will be accepted through the Platform PADOR of the European Commission. Make sure that you register there early enough, as the process can be quite complicated.
During the first phase, strategic partners will be selected on the basis of their Framework Partnership applications, and their partnership with the EU will be formalized through a Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA).
During the second phase, beneficiaries of a Specific Grant will be selected among the awarded partners of the first phase, on the basis of their Specific Grant applications. Specific Grant Agreements will provide financial support to implement an action in line with the objectives and terms of the strategic partnership, instrumental to reaching political priorities and objectives which are shared between the EU and its partners.
The EU has put out very detailed guidelines, so make sure to read them entirely and to understand them in their entirety.
The first stage of the application process is only focused on eligibility criteria, so it is mandatory that you fulfill all of them. Read carefully if you and all your partners would fulfill all criteria – if not, move on as you will not be able to participate.
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Eva is based in Germany and has worked for nearly a decade with NGOs on the grassroots level in Nepal in the field of capacity development and promotion of sustainable agricultural practices. Before that, she worked in South America and Europe with different organizations. She holds a Ph.D. in geography and her field of research was sustainability and inclusion in development projects.
Gostaria de saber se as Organiza coes Comunitárias de Base Moçambicanos podem concorrer fundos europeias?
Dear Carlito: The opportunity is open to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, and the Russian Federation only.