Civic Power – Anchor Grantees (Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and France)

Civic Power – Anchor Grantees (Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and France) is sponsored by Civitates (King Baudouin Foundation). This call supports civil society organizations in selected EU countries (Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and France) to protect and expand civic and democratic space, particularly at key social and political moments.

Call for proposals: Protecting and Expanding Civic Space in Europe - Civitates Civic Power Protecting and Expanding Civic Space in Europe Civitates starts its new cycle of grant-making for 2024-2026 by launching two new open calls to support civil society organisations in Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and France, and in Austria. Photo by Sandra Seitamaa. Creative Common License.

Civic Power – Anchor Grantees (Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and France) Civitates envisions democracy in Europe being strengthened by an independent civil society powered with the resources, constituencies and capabilities to protect and expand civic space and mobilise support for democratic principles, particularly at moments of emerging opportunity and threat.

Therefore, Civitates announces a call for proposals open to civil society organisations registered in Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and France . With this call Civitates aims to build the readiness and power of civil society in the selected European Union countries to protect and expand civic and democratic space , particularly at key social and political moments.

Civitates seeks to support civil society to anticipate transformative moments which present opportunities and threats for civic space and enable it to develop and implement strategies to address these. Civitates sees a need to support civil society to build the capabilities needed to meet such opportunities .

This can help broader civil society to understand the emerging threats to their space but also enable coalitions in countries where that threat has already clearly manifested to prepare for social and political events that help them to push back against the trend. Civitates would be looking to support at least one anchor group in each country to lead this work.

Anchor grantee will be given flexible, core support up to 120,000 EUR over two years. For more information on eligibility and selection criteria as well as the project, please carefully read the full proposal available here . Applications can only be submitted through NEF’s Optimy portal accessible here .

Any submission by email will not be considered. The deadline for application is 18 August 2024, 6 PM (CET). Applicants will be notified of the results of the call in November/ December 2024.

You can access all document for the call: Budget template 2025-2026 Due diligence questionnaire (updated on 20/06/2024) We have compiled an Frequently Asked Question (FAQ), which is available here . To help future applicants, an info session was held on June 17, 2024 from 11-12 PM . A recording of the webinar is available below: Photo by Jon Tyson.

Creative Common License. Civic pow er – Project Grant Although Austria boasts an established civil society and CSO sector, civic space reports warns about the declining environment for diverse civil society participation. There is an increasingly hostile atmosphere towards independent CSOs in Austria, characterised by smear campaigns, restrictions on public participation, and funding cuts.

This has led to the legitimacy of CSOs and civil society sector is being increasingly questioned. Civil society advocates for improvements in civil dialogue, the creation of a supportive environment, and acknowledgment of the vital role of civic actors.

Despite a deteriorating operating environment, independent civil society actors continue their efforts to safeguard civic space and human rights, push back against restrictive measures, and highlight best practices and better alternatives to closing environments.

Therefore, Civitates announces a call for project proposals open to civil society organisations registered in Austria in order to support efforts to build democratic cultures and support civil society and civic participation.

The specific objectives of the call centre on two main goals: Defending and protecting civil society and the space for people’s participation in civic life ; challenge and resist efforts to restrict space for civil society Opening and expanding the space for civic action : strengthen civil society organisations so that they are more resilient, able to adapt challenges, create new alliances, invest in new ways of engaging with people and reach new audiences Civitates aims to support up to 6 projects for one year ( with potential no-cost extension) in a maximum amount of 25.

000 EUR to selected grantees. The grant covers project costs relevant to and reflective of the planned activities. For more information on eligibility and selection criteria as well as the project, please carefully read the full proposal available here .

Applications can only be submitted through NEF’s Optimy portal accessible here . Any submission by email will not be considered. The deadline for application is 18 August 2024, 6 PM (CET).

Applicants will be notified of the results of the call in November/ December 2024. You can access all document for the call: Due Diligence questionnaire (updated on 20/06/2024) We have compiled an Frequently Asked Question (FAQ), which is available here . To help future applicants, an info session was held on June 17, 2024 from 12-1 PM .

A recording of the session is available below: Call for Proposals: Protecting and Expanding Civic Space in Italy FAQ: Protecting and Expanding Civic Space in Italy FAQ: Making online spaces safer, more trustworthy and inclusive