Engaging Central Europe

Prompted by the growing regional challenges to democracy, GMF has renewed its direct support for civil society in Central Europe, the cradle of its democracy assistance work during the 1990s and early 2000s. It does so through a mix of grantmaking, capacity-building, and leadership development.
The Engaging Central Europe initiative supports democratic resilience and revival, media pluralism, electoral integrity, rule of law, civic education, citizen participation, and regional cooperation in the easternmost member states of the European Union and NATO. Operating with a small, dedicated team from across Central Europe and managed out of the GMF's Berlin office, this initiative fosters cooperation, exchange, and policy learning among actors committed to democratic values and European and transatlantic cooperation.
Jointly with partners from both sides of the Atlantic, Engaging Central Europe provides flexible support to civil society organizations, initiatives, and individuals that make a vital contribution to protecting and enhancing democracy in individual countries and across the region of Central Europe.
The initiative is built on the understanding that democracy and security in Central Europe are closely intertwined: only a democratic Central Europe will be a secure Central Europe.
Priorities
The work of GMF’s Engaging Central Europe (ECE) initiative is rooted in the belief that a strong and vibrant civil society is an essential prerequisite for pluralist liberal democracy, the rule of law, and the enjoyment of fundamental rights—three key values of the European Union and the Transatlantic community.
ECE provides grantmaking and capacity-building support to civil society organizations (CSOs) and initiatives in the eight Central European countries of Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
In its efforts to provide effective assistance to civil society and to strengthen democratic values in Central European societies, ECE prioritizes:
- strengthening CSOs’ management and advocacy skills, constituency building, and financial sustainability
- expanding civic activism and free media in peripheral and rural areas
- bolstering democratic participation, education, and deliberation, especially among young people, women, and vulnerable groups
- enhancing the resilience of civil society in shrinking spaces
- protecting fundamental rights, the rule of law, and electoral integrity
- fostering anti-corruption and transparency initiatives
- broadening regional networking among civil society in Central Europe and beyond
- improving analytical, policy, and advocacy work on civil society and democracy in Central Europe
Calls for Applications
Enhancing Innovative Forms of Public Participation
Public trust in government is dropping across Central Eastern Europe, while citizens disengage and lose interest in democratic processes. Insufficient transparency, lack of open governance, and too little accountability of public officials result in low levels of civic engagement.
For this reason, the Engaging Central Europe (ECE) program of The German Marshall Fund of the United States is launching a dedicated call for proposals. This funding opportunity aims to support civil society organizations (CSOs) in Hungary and Poland that encourage active citizenship and create innovative formats of offline or online public participation at the local, regional, or national level.
Eligibility
Under this call, ECE will support projects with a duration of 4 to 12 months. Grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 will be made available to CSOs fostering active citizen participation. CSOs must be legally registered in Hungary or Poland.
Priority will be given to projects that meet one or more of the following criteria:
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Offer innovative forms of online or offline participation
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Apply new tools and ways for CSOs to participate in decision-making and conduct oversight of allocation of resources
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Equip their target groups with knowledge or skills to act collectively
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Deal with or promote the topics of democratic accountability, transparency, open government
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Boost and innovate political or public engagement at the local, regional, or national level with special attention to participation in public deliberation, political decision-making, and implementation or monitoring of policy processes
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Reach out to new constituencies and respond to emerging needs for public participation
Applications will be evaluated and selected by experts affiliated with ECE within the frame of a single stage call. Applicants will be informed about the result of their proposal by the end of August. Successful applicants are expected to sign a grant agreement with The German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Evaluation
Selection criteria include:
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Relevance of the action
-
Quality of problems, needs, opportunities, and risks assessment
-
Feasibility of the goals, objectives, and timeframe
-
Synergies of proposed action with other publicly or privately funded actions, focused on avoiding duplication
-
Sustainability
-
Innovative approaches and lessons learned
-
Effective outreach/communication/advocacy strategy
-
Quality of the monitoring and evaluation plan, including data collection
-
Capability, organizational knowledge, and technical expertise of the applicant
-
Commitment to democratic values and fundamental rights
-
Relevance and cost-effectiveness of the action costs
Reference feedback will be requested in selected cases.
Application Process
Project proposals must be sent to [email protected] by June 30, 2023.
To submit a project proposal, organizations must complete the forms below, in English, Hungarian, or Polish. Only proposals submitted using these forms will be considered.
Access Hungarian and Polish translations of this call and the above application forms here:
Selected projects are expected to start as early as October 1, 2023.
To learn more about ECE’s ongoing grant-making program, civil society support, and democracy assistance work, please visit https://www.gmfus.org/grants/engaging-central-europe or email us at [email protected].
Advancing Networks and Mutual Learning among Civil Society Actors
Creating lasting change and effective advocacy for public good is unlikely to be achieved without close cooperation among civil society actors. Civil society is stronger by working together across geographical and topical delineations. To best leverage the strength of civil society organizations (CSOs), however, sustainable networks of joint action, exchange, and mutual learning need to be established and nurtured first.
For this reason, the Engaging Central Europe (ECE) program of The German Marshall Fund of the United States is launching a dedicated call for proposals. This funding opportunity aims to support networks of CSOs that facilitate the exchange of ideas, best practices, and lessons learned among a variety of regional civil society actors or conduct joint action at the regional, national, or international level with a lead applicant in Bulgaria, Hungary or Poland.
Eligibility
Under this call, ECE will support projects with a duration of 4 to 12 months. Grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 will be made available to CSOs fostering active citizen participation. CSOs leading the project must be legally registered in Bulgaria, Hungary or Poland but can involve organizations from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia or Romania.
Priority will be given to projects that meet one or more of the following criteria:
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Help establish networks of exchange between various civil society actors
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Reach organizations and initiatives active outside of big agglomerations
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Create sustainable avenues for mutual learning on a regional, national, or international scale
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Develop new connections among a diverse range of stakeholder
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Develop new forms of joint action at the regional, national, or international levels
Applications will be evaluated and selected by experts affiliated with ECE within the frame of a single-stage call. Applicants will be informed about the result of their proposal by the end of August.
Successful applicants are expected to sign a grant agreement with The German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Evaluation
Selection criteria include:
-
Relevance of the action
-
Quality of problems, needs, opportunities, and risks assessment
-
Feasibility of the goals, objectives, and timeframe
-
Synergies of proposed action with other publicly or privately funded actions, focused on avoiding duplication
-
Sustainability
-
Innovative approaches and lessons learned
-
Effective outreach/communication/advocacy strategy
-
Quality of the monitoring and evaluation plan, including data collection
-
Capability, organizational knowledge, and technical expertise of the applicant
-
Commitment to democratic values and fundamental rights
-
Relevance and cost-effectiveness of the action costs
Reference feedback will be requested in selected cases.
Application Process
Project proposals must be sent to [email protected] by June 30, 2023.
To submit a project proposal, organizations must complete the forms below, in English, Bulgarian, Hungarian, or Polish. Only proposals submitted using these forms will be considered.
Access Hungarian and Polish translations of this call and the above application forms here:
Selected projects are expected to start as early as October 1, 2023.
To learn more about ECE’s ongoing grant-making program, civil society support, and democracy assistance work, please visit https://www.gmfus.org/grants/engaging-central-europe or email us at [email protected].
Enhancing Online and Offline Forms of Citizen Participation in Public Deliberation and Democratic Processes
Program Description
Public trust in government is dropping across Central Europe, while citizens disengage and lose interest in democratic processes. Insufficient transparency, lack of open governance, and too little accountability of public officials result in low levels of civic engagement.
In contrast, civil society and the enabling infrastructures it creates are crucial to counter the negative trends of low public participation and political apathy, to foster civic engagement, and to ensure the equal enjoyment of fundamental rights and EU values in society as a whole.
For this reason, The Transatlantic Foundation (TF), in cooperation with the Engaging Central Europe (ECE) program of The German Marshall Fund of the United States, is launching a dedicated Call for Proposals. This funding opportunity aims to support civil society organizations (CSOs) with the objective to enhance online and offline citizen participation in public deliberation and decision-making processes in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Eligibility
The call is open to non-profit-making CSOs established in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The CSO must demonstrate compliance with the fundamental rights and values that the EU is founded upon, and a proven track record in fostering civic participation in the respective EU member states.
Natural persons are NOT eligible.
Under this call, TF will support short-to-medium-term projects with a duration of 6 to 24 months, with a budget ranging from EUR 10,000 to 25,000 for single-country projects and from EUR 10,000 to 40,000 for cross-border projects.
The available overall call budget is EUR 300,000. TF reserves the right not to award all available funds depending on the proposals received and the results of the evaluations.
Types of Eligible Activities:
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organization of inclusive online and offline participatory processes, frameworks, event series and other participatory formats
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organization of inclusive online and offline issue-driven or community-based dialogue formats or other deliberative platforms
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organization of civic platforms and civic dialogues, awareness raising, outreach, communication and public information campaigns through social media
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building coalitions and partnerships among CSOs, coordination and strategic cooperation between CSOs and other stakeholders, including public or private sector entities
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other online/offline forms of supporting civic engagement at the local, regional, or national level in public deliberation, political decision-making, and implementation or monitoring of policy processes
The project activities must take place in one or more of the targeted countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Cross-border activities with other EU member states may be considered as well.
Special emphasis must be given to the promotion and protection of rights and values under the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights as well as to a gender-inclusive approach at all levels of the proposed project implementation.
Organizations that engage individuals or groups in peripheral areas are especially encouraged to apply.
Application Process
Project proposals must be sent to [email protected] by July 15, 2023.
Call for proposals and application forms in Bulgarian
Call for proposals and application forms in Croatian
Call for proposals and application forms in Czech
Call for proposals and application forms in Hungarian
Call for proposals and application forms in Polish
Call for proposals and application forms in Romania
Call for proposals and application forms in Slovak
Call for proposals and application forms in Slovenian
Please use the call’s reference D2.6/D6-CfP-INT1 in the subject line of your application email.
To submit a project proposal, organizations must complete the forms below, in English or in one of the national languages.
Only proposals submitted using these forms will be considered.
Selected projects are expected to start as early as September 1, 2023.
To learn more about ECE’s ongoing grant-making program, civil society support, and democracy assistance work, please visit https://www.gmfus.org/grants/engaging-central-europe or email us at [email protected].
An information session for applicants will be held on June 8, 2023, at 12:00 noon. You may register for the event here.
Award Criteria
Project proposals will be evaluated based on a standard set of award criteria, including:
-
Relevance of the action (5 points)
-
Quality of problems, needs, opportunities, and risks assessment (4 points)
-
Feasibility of the goals, objectives, and timeframe (4 points)
-
Synergies of proposed action with other publicly or privately funded actions focused on avoiding duplication (3 points)
-
Sustainability (3 points)
-
Innovative approaches and lessons learnt (5 points)
-
Effective outreach/communication/advocacy strategy (4 points)
-
Quality of the monitoring and evaluation plan, including data collection (3 points)
-
Capability, organizational knowledge, and technical expertise of the applicant (3 points)
-
Commitment to EU values and fundamental rights (3 points)
-
Relevance and cost-effectiveness of the action costs (5 points)
The maximum score of a successful proposal is 42 points. The eligibility threshold is 25 points.
Applications will be evaluated and selected by experts affiliated with TF within the frame of a single stage call. Information on the evaluation results will be communicated to applicants and presented on this website in August 2023.
This Call for Proposal was published as part of the EU CERV program PROTEUS by the Transatlantic Foundation and is co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the Transatlantic Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
Supporting Civil Society Organizations’ Resilience in Shrinking Spaces
Program Description
Civil society is a key advocate and main bulwark of democracy, fundamental rights, and European values but its capacity and reach has become severely limited by the shrinking of space for it in several EU member states in Central Europe. Instead of enjoying a supportive environment, civil society organizations (CSOs) in these countries are often publicly intimidated and challenged by insufficient resources and legal attacks.
For this reason, the Transatlantic Foundation (TF), in cooperation with the Engaging Central Europe (ECE) program of The German Marshall Fund of the United States, is launching a dedicated Call for Proposals with the objective to support the organizational development and adaptation of watchdog, transparency, and inclusion CSOs in EU member states heavily affected by the shrinking space phenomenon, such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
Eligibility
The call is open to non-profit-making CSOs, established in Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. The CSO must demonstrate compliance with the fundamental rights and values that the EU is founded upon, and a proven track record in the protection of democracy, transparency, and human rights.
Natural persons are NOT eligible.
Under this call, TF will support short-to-medium-term projects with a duration of 6 to 24 months, with a budget ranging from EUR 10,000 to 25,000 for single-country projects and from EUR 10,000 to 40,000 for cross-border projects.
The available overall call budget is EUR 450,000. TF reserves the right not to award all available funds depending on the proposals received and the results of the evaluations.
Types of Eligible Activities:
-
organizational and operational development projects that aim at effective adaptation to the negative changes in the operational environment caused by the shrinking space phenomenon
-
trainings increasing the IT security skills of CSO staff
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trainings increasing the psychological and emotional resilience of CSO staff to intimidation and other forms of psychological pressure
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awareness-raising campaigns and coalition building that may help adaptation of CSOs to an operational environment characterized by shrinking space
The project activities must take place in one or more of the targeted countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. Cross-border activities with other EU member states may be considered as well.
Special emphasis must be given to the promotion and protection of rights and values under the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights as well as to a gender-inclusive approach at all levels of the proposed project implementation.
Organizations that engage individuals or groups in peripheral areas are especially encouraged to apply.
Application Process
Project proposals must be sent to [email protected] by July 15, 2023.
Call for proposals and application forms in Bulgarian
Call for proposals and application forms in Croatian
Call for proposals and application forms in Hungarian
Call for proposals and application forms in Polish
Call for proposals and application forms in Romanian
Please use the call’s reference D3.3/D16-CfP-INT6 in the subject line of your application email.
To submit a project proposal, organizations must complete the forms below, in English or in one of the national languages.
Only proposals submitted using these forms will be considered.
Selected projects are expected to start as early as September 1, 2023.
To learn more about ECE’s ongoing grant-making program, civil society support, and democracy assistance work, please visit https://www.gmfus.org/grants/engaging-central-europe or email us at [email protected].
An information session for applicants will be held on June 8, 2023, at 12:00 noon. You may register for the event here.
Award Criteria
Project proposals will be evaluated based on a standard set of award criteria, including:
-
Relevance of the action (5 points)
-
Quality of problems, needs, opportunities, and risks assessment (4 points)
-
Feasibility of the goals, objectives, and timeframe (4 points)
-
Synergies of proposed action with other publicly or privately funded actions focused on avoiding duplication (3 points)
-
Sustainability (3 points)
-
Innovative approaches and lessons learnt (5 points)
-
Effective outreach/communication/advocacy strategy (4 points)
-
Quality of the monitoring and evaluation plan, including data collection (3 points)
-
Capability, organizational knowledge, and technical expertise of the applicant (3 points)
-
Commitment to EU values and fundamental rights (3 points)
-
Relevance and cost-effectiveness of the action costs (5 points)
The maximum score of a successful proposal is 42 points. The eligibility threshold is 25 points.
Applications will be evaluated and selected by experts affiliated with TF within the frame of a single stage call. Information on the evaluation results will be communicated to applicants and presented on this website in August 2023.
This Call for Proposal was published as part of the EU CERV program PROTEUS by the Transatlantic Foundation and is co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the Transatlantic Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
Strengthening the Presence of Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Watchdogs in Peripheral and Rural Areas
Program Description
Increasing political polarization of societies and deepening urban-rural and regional cleavages have a profound impact on democratic politics. To foster equal rights and opportunities and good governance for citizens irrespective of where they live within a country, the Transatlantic Foundation, in cooperation with the Engaging Central Europe (ECE) program of The German Marshall Found of the United States, is launching a dedicated Call for Proposals. The objective of the call is to strengthen the presence of human rights and anti-corruption watchdog civil society organizations (CSOs) in peripheral and rural areas and to enhance advocacy for human rights and transparency in peripheries, along with stronger engagement of rural citizens in asserting their voices and rights, in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Eligibility
The call is open to non-profit-making CSOs established in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The CSO must demonstrate compliance with the fundamental rights and values that the EU is founded upon and have a proven track record in the protection of democracy, transparency, and human rights.
Natural persons are NOT eligible.
Under this call, TF will support short-to-medium-term projects with a duration of 6 to 24 months, with a budget ranging from EUR 10,000 to 25,000 for single-country projects and from EUR 10,000 to 40,000 for cross-border projects.
The available overall call budget is EUR 300,000. TF reserves the right not to award all available funds depending on the proposals received and the results of the evaluations.
Types of Eligible Activities:
-
awareness raising and outreach activities; communication and public information
-
organization of civic platforms and civic dialogues
-
building coalitions and partnerships among CSOs; coordination and strategic cooperation between CSOs and other stakeholders, including public or private sector entities
-
watchdog and monitoring activities
-
advocacy to influence local or regional policy and decision-making processes
-
organizational and operational development projects that aim at extending the presence and activities of established watchdog CSOs to peripheral and rural areas
The project activities must take place in one or more of the targeted countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Cross-border activities with other EU member states may be considered as well.
Special emphasis must be given to the promotion and protection of rights and values under the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights as well as to a gender-inclusive approach at all levels of the proposed project implementation.
Application Process
Project proposals must be sent to [email protected] by July 15, 2023.
Call for proposals and application forms in Bulgarian
Call for proposals and application forms in Croatian
Call for proposals and application forms in Czech
Call for proposals and application forms in Hungarian
Call for proposals and application forms in Polish
Call for proposals and application forms in Romanian
Call for proposals and application forms in Slovak
Call for proposals and application forms in Slovenian
Please use the call’s reference D4.3/D20-CfP-INT8 in the subject line of your application email.
To submit a project proposal, CSOs must complete the forms below, in English or in one of the national languages.
Only proposals submitted using these forms will be considered.
Selected projects are expected to start as early as September 1, 2023.
To learn more about ECE’s ongoing grant-making program, civil society support, and democracy assistance work, please visit https://www.gmfus.org/grants/engaging-central-europe or email us at [email protected].
An information session for applicants will be held on June 8, 2023, at 12:00 noon. You may register for the event here.
Award Criteria
Project proposals will be evaluated based on a standard set of award criteria, including:
-
Relevance of the action (5 points)
-
Quality of problems, needs, opportunities, and risks assessment (4 points)
-
Feasibility of the goals, objectives, and timeframe (4 points)
-
Synergies of proposed action with other publicly or privately funded actions focused on avoiding duplication (3 points)
-
Sustainability (3 points)
-
Innovative approaches and lessons learnt (5 points)
-
Effective outreach/communication/advocacy strategy (4 points)
-
Quality of the monitoring and evaluation plan, including data collection (3 points)
-
Capability, organizational knowledge, and technical expertise of the applicant (3 points)
-
Commitment to EU values and fundamental rights (3 points)
-
Relevance and cost-effectiveness of the action costs (5 points)
The maximum score of a successful proposal is 42 points. The eligibility threshold is 25 points.
Applications will be evaluated and selected by experts affiliated with TF within the frame of a single stage call. Information on the evaluation results will be communicated to applicants and presented on this website in August 2023.
This Call for Proposal was published as part of the EU CERV program PROTEUS by the Transatlantic Foundation and is co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the Transatlantic Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
Related Work
Past Calls
Enhancing the Participation of Minorities and Vulnerable Groups in Public Deliberation and Democratic Processes
People should enjoy equal rights and opportunities irrespectively of their racial or ethnic origin, of their sexual orientation, or of any disability. Yet political and social dynamics regularly challenge the participation of minorities and vulnerable group in political decisions and public life, often with far-reaching individual and social consequences to their lives. For this reason, the Engaging Central Europe (ECE) program of The German Marshall Fund of the United States is launching a dedicated Call for Proposal. This funding opportunity aims to support civil society organizations (CSOs) advocating the rights of minorities and vulnerable groups and engaging in projects to enhance the participation of minorities and vulnerable groups in public deliberation and democratic processes in Hungary and Poland.
Eligibility
Under this call, ECE will support short- to medium-term projects with a duration of 4 to 12 months. Grants ranging from $ 10,000 to $20,000 will be made available for CSOs with a proven track record in working with minorities and vulnerable groups. CSOs must be legally registered in Hungary or Poland.
Priority will be given to projects that:
-
Enhance public participation of minorities and vulnerable groups through awareness raising, advocacy, or educational campaigns.
-
Boost and innovate civic engagement of these groups at the local, regional, or national level with special attention to participation in public deliberation, political decision-making, and implementation or monitoring of policy processes.
-
Reach out to new constituencies, attract new activists, and respond to emerging needs.
-
Mobilize constituencies in a sustainable way.
-
Further cross-sectoral cooperation of CSOs and strengthen networks of pro-democratic actors.
Application Process
Project proposals must be sent to [email protected] by May 15, 2023.
To submit a project proposal, organizations must complete the forms below, in English, Hungarian, or Polish.
Only proposals submitted using these forms will be considered.
Call for proposals and application forms in Hungarian
Call for proposals and application forms in Polish
Selected projects are expected to start as early as September 1, 2023.
To learn more about ECE’s ongoing grant-making program, civil society support, and democracy assistance work, please visit https://www.gmfus.org/grants/engaging-central-europe or email us at [email protected]
Strengthening the Presence of Watchdogs in Peripheral and Rural Areas
The increasing political polarization of societies and the deepening urban-rural and regional cleavages have a profound impact on democratic politics. To foster equal rights and opportunities and good governance for citizens irrespectively where they live within a country, the Engaging Central Europe (ECE) program of The German Marshall Fund of the United States is launching a dedicated Call for Proposal. This funding opportunity aims to support civil society organizations (CSOs) that work as human rights and anti-corruption watchdogs in extending their activities beyond large urban centers and in strengthening their presence in peripheral and rural areas in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Poland.
Eligibility
Under this call, ECE will support short- to medium-term project proposals with a duration of 6 to 12 months. Grants ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 will be made available for CSOs with a proven track record in the protection of democracy, transparency, and human rights. CSOs must be legally registered in Bulgaria, Hungary, or Poland.
Priority will be given to advocacy, transparency, and human rights projects that:
-
Address the needs and issues of local citizens in peripheral or rural areas.
-
Conduct community building around participation, transparency, good governance, and human-rights-related local topics that may mobilize citizens in peripheral or rural areas.
-
Build bridges and facilitate joint action in multiethnic local communities.
-
Create or strengthen structures and networks for the sustainable presence of civic and watchdog CSOs outside of large urban centers.
-
Empower local human rights and advocacy activists in peripheral and rural areas in a sustainable way.
Application Process
Project proposals must be sent to [email protected] by May 15, 2023.
Call for proposals and application forms in Bulgarian
Call for proposals and application forms in Hungarian
Call for proposals and application forms in Polish
To submit a project proposal, organizations must complete the forms below, in English, Hungarian, or Polish.
Only proposals submitted using these forms will be considered.
Selected projects are expected to start as early as September 1, 2023.
To learn more about ECE’s ongoing grant-making program, civil society support, and democracy assistance work, please visit https://www.gmfus.org/grants/engaging-central-europe or email us at [email protected]
Enhancing Women’s Participation in Public Deliberation and Democratic Processes
Women and men should enjoy equal rights and opportunities. Yet political and social dynamics regularly challenge women’s participation in the making of political decisions, often with far-reaching consequences for women individually and collectively. For this reason, the Engaging Central Europe (ECE) program of The German Marshall Fund of the United States is launching a dedicated Call for Proposals. This funding opportunity aims to support civil society organizations (CSOs) advocating women’s rights and engaging in projects to enhance women’s participation in public deliberation and democratic processes in Hungary and Poland.
Eligibility
Under this call, ECE will support short- to medium-term projects with a duration of 4 to 12 months. Grants ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 will be made available to CSOs with a proven track record in fostering women’s participation. CSOs must be legally registered in Hungary or Poland.
Priority will be given to projects that:
-
Enhance public participation of women through awareness raising, advocacy, or educational campaigns.
-
Boost and innovate civic engagement of women at the local, regional, or national level with special attention to their participation in public deliberation, political decision-making, and implementation or monitoring of policy processes.
-
Reach out to new constituencies, attract new activists, and respond to emerging needs.
-
Mobilize constituencies in a sustainable way.
-
Further cross-sectoral cooperation of CSOs and strengthen networks of pro-democratic actors.
Application Process
Project proposals must be sent to [email protected] by May 15, 2023.
Call for proposals and application forms in Hungarian
Call for proposals and application forms in Polish
To submit a project proposal, organizations must complete the forms below, in English, Hungarian, or Polish.
Only proposals submitted using these forms will be considered.
Selected projects are expected to start as early as September 1, 2023.
To learn more about ECE’s ongoing grant-making program, civil society support, and democracy assistance work, please visit https://www.gmfus.org/grants/engaging-central-europe or email us at [email protected]