FOREST

Call for Applications: Strengthening Civil Society Organizations in Hungary and Slovakia - FOREST 

FOREST Pályázati felhívás   

FOREST Výzva na podávanie prihlášok 

The Transatlantic Foundation, in cooperation with the Alternative Communities Association (AKE) in Hungary and Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia (PDCS), invites civil society organizations (CSOs) and informal groups from Hungary and Slovakia to apply for participation in its new resilience-building and capacity-development program. 

This program, part of the FOREST project, is designed to strengthen CSOs and informal groups of civic activists facing increasing legal, financial, psychological, and digital pressure, and to help them remain resilient, impactful, and sustainable. 

Selected CSOs/informal groups will receive: 

• Mentoring support over 7 months from experienced professionals (about 2 hours per month).
• 3 one-day in-person trainings on legal compliance, crisis communication, and psychological resilience.
• A digital security toolkit and the opportunity to regularly test progress. 
• National and cross-border peer-learning and networking opportunities. 
• Participation in 1 national networking event and 1 transnational conference. 
• A study-visit to a peer organization.  

We will support each CSO/informal group in five key areas. You will have the opportunity to choose which topics you want to dive deeper into during your mentoring sessions. 

1. Legal Compliance and Operational Resilience 

We will support you to stay up to date with the most recent national regulations concerning CSOs to prepare for legal risks and to strengthen internal processes, ensuring you are legally secure and institutionally strong.  

2. Digital Security 

Our program will assist you in building up your digital security, so that you can be confident when it comes to handling data or avoiding cyberattacks.  

3. Psychological Resilience 

We will provide a resilience workshop to promote mental well-being among team members working under pressure.  

4. Crisis Communication  

We will help you prepare for crises and develop strong response strategies. 

5. Fundraising and Financial Sustainability 

We offer hands-on support for fundraising, including tips on how to write winning project proposals. 

The program will be conducted in national language, with translation provided at international meetings. 

Individual training sessions are open to various employees and volunteers from a single organization or civic group. 

Registration for the program is open until October 20, 2025. Access the registration form via the link below: 

Jelentkezési űrlap – FOREST program   

Prihláška – FOREST program   

Do you want to know more?  

We will host an online information session to introduce the program and to answer your questions about the application process: 

In Hungarian: 

Date: October 2, 2025 
Time: 11:00 CET 
Register HERE  

In Slovak: 

Date: October 2, 2025 
Time: 14:00 CET 
Register HERE  

Who can apply? 

We welcome applications from CSOs/informal groups based in Hungary or Slovakia that: 

• Work on topics such as human rights, social inclusion, civil rights and civic participation
• Are committed to EU values (for example, democracy, the rule of law, gender equality, anti-discrimination).
• Want to build resilience in any or all five program areas.
• Wish to engage in mentoring, training, and peer learning. 

Priority will be given to CSOs/informal groups that: 

• Are small or medium-sized.
• Operate in rural areas and regional centers.
• Are women-led or women-focused.
• Represent vulnerable or minority groups. 

Selection Criteria 

Each application will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 

• Alignment with the program’s goals (5 points).
• Clear definition of needs (10 points).
• Commitment to EU values (5 points). 

Total: 20 points  

Bonus points may be awarded based on: 

• If you work in rural areas (2 points).
• If you work in non-capital city/ies (1 point).
• If your organization works on the topic of gender equality (1 point).
• If your organization works with minority groups (1 point).
• If you are woman-led (1 point). 

Total bonus: 6 points 

Timeline 

• Applications open: September 17, 2025
• Deadline to apply: October 20, 2025, at 12:00 (noon) CET.
• Selected participants notified: First week of November 2025.
• Kick-off event: Second half of November 2025 (exact date to be announced). 

To apply, please fill out the online form by clicking on the link below:  

Jelentkezési űrlap – FOREST program   

Prihláška – FOREST program   

In case you have any questions, please contact us at: [email protected] 

Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia (PDCS) is a CSO providing education, capacity-building and facilitation services, consultancy, and counselling in the fields of conflict resolution, support for social dialogue, civic participation, and the development of civil society in Slovakia and abroad. PDCS’s mission is to educate people and activists to foster public participation. Since its founding in 1991, PDCS has focused on civil society development through training programs for CSOs and community leaders, contributing to civic actors’ strategic development, sustainability, self-financing, and fundraising.

The Alternative Communities Association (AKE) was founded in 1998 in Debrecen, a city in eastern Hungary. Its mission is to support community development in the region, to provide creative space and infrastructural support for civic activism, and to foster public participation while protecting democratic values. AKE primarily conducts fieldwork with local civic communities, supports youth and public participation, and provides capacity-strengthening for small-to-medium-sized CSOs. AKE manages the Baross16 community space in Debrecen, where approximately ten informal groups meet regularly.

In 2021, AKE became one of the founding members of the Aspect Group, the largest civil society coalition in Hungary, uniting CSOs from outside the capital, Budapest.