Strengthening Regional Links and Transition Sharing in the Wider Black Sea Region

Call for Project Proposals Funded by the European Commission

 
Program Description

In response to the democratic challenges in the Wider Black Sea region, the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation (BST) is launching a new call for proposals that aims to increase the efficiency of civil society to promote an open, transparent, and inclusive system of governance.

This call is part of the Strengthening Regional Links and Transition Sharing in the Wider Black Sea Region action run by the Transatlantic Foundation and funded by the European Union. The project aims to support civil society groups, independent media outlets, and journalists from the countries in the Wider Black Sea Region and the new EU member states.

Eligibility

Under the current call, BST will support proposals that fall under one of the following thematic areas:

  1. Multilateral cooperation between organizations at regional level that promote democratic developments in the Black Sea region.

Under this thematic area, proposals of six to twelve months, with a total budget of €20,000 to €35,000 are eligible. Priority will be given to projects that:

  1. Empower citizens and civic groups to take on an active role in addressing community challenges, and monitor government and local public administration
  2. Diversifying sources of accurate information through fact-checking efforts, enhancing the professionalism of journalists, increasing information literacy among audiences, and countering anti-Western and anti-liberal disinformation
  3. Address critical policy issues, including through investigative journalism and community organizing, such as anti-corruption efforts, social injustice, energy, migration, and regional security

Under this thematic area, project proposals should be initiated by consortia of at least three CSOs and/or independent media organizations, legally registered in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, or Ukraine and should cover at least three countries.

  1. Bilateral exchanges between organizations from the Black Sea region and new EU member states

Under this thematic area, proposals of three to nine months, with a total budget of €7,500 to €15,000 are eligible. Priority will be given to projects that:

    1. Address democratic challenges and governance processes in the respective countries and regions (such as disinformation, nationalist tendencies, corruption, weakness of media), as well as sectoral issues such as energy
    2. Advocate for short term action against immediate threats
    3. Educate citizenry on current and potential democratic evolutions, and educate international community on developments in the respective countries, regions or on specific issues
    4. Enhance sharing of expertise and success stories through exchanges between the two regions, particularly among CSOs, local leaders, youth and journalists

Under this thematic area, project proposals should be initiated by CSOs and independent media organizations with proven track record, legally registered in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, or Ukraine and should include partnerships with at least one counterpart from new EU member states (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia).

Due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, applicants are encouraged to take into consideration international and national travel restrictions and make use of modern ICT (Information and Communications Technology) tools.

Application Process

Proposals will be received on an ongoing basis, the first deadline being May 20th, 2021.

To submit a project proposal, organizations must complete the forms below, in English only:

Project proposals must be sent to [email protected]. Only proposals submitted using these forms will be taken into consideration.

For more information, please email us at [email protected].