Strengthening Regional Links 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 through multilateral cooperation among regional-level organizations that promote democratic developments in the Black Sea region.

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 with a total budget of €30,000 to €40,000 that are initiated by consortia of at least three civil society organizations and/or independent media organizations, legally registered in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, or Ukraine, and should cover at least three countries.

Priority will be given to projects that:

  1. Empower citizens and civic groups to take an active role in addressing community challenges, and monitor government and local public administration;
  2. Diversify sources of accurate information through fact-checking efforts, enhance the professionalism of journalists, increase information literacy among audiences, and counter 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.

Successful awards are expected to start March 1,, 2022, and end by August 31, 2022; all final reports should be submitted by September 30, 2022.   

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 information and communications technology tools.

Application Process

Proposals will be received on an ongoing basis; the first deadline is January 3, 2022.

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].