Deadline: 13-Mar-23

The European Commission (EC) is offering grants to support the EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE) program.

Objectives

• The four specific objectives for Lot 1, which should contribute to the Global Objective of the EU SEE, are:
  • To coordinate and lead a coherent and comprehensive EU funded, CSO-based, system for enabling environment
  • To strengthen civil society’s ability to detect and address changes to civil society’s enabling environment, as well as their ability to coherently and consistently monitor and analyse the enabling environment over time
  • To strengthen civil society’s core capacities in prioritised areas to increase their ability to uphold and promote an enabling environment
  • To strengthen civil society’s ability to exchange knowledge, engage with donors and policy makers at all levels on, and advocate efficiently for, an enabling environment
• The specific objectives for Lot 2 that should contribute to the Global Objective of the EU SEE are:
  • To strengthen civil society’s ability to adapt and react to changes in their operating environment, prevent further deterioration of, and contribute to upholding and improving, an enabling environment
  • To contribute to and actively support a coherent and comprehensive EU funded, CSO led, system for an enabling environment.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 50 000 000.

• For LOT 1:
  • minimum amount: EUR 30 000 000
  • maximum amount: EUR 30 000 000
• For LOT 2:
  • minimum amount: EUR 20 000 000
  • maximum amount: EUR 20 000 000
• Duration: The initial planned duration of all actions shall be 72 months.

Outcomes

• The EU SEE functions as a coherent, well-coordinated, system where each component adds value to the system, whilst avoiding overlaps and inefficiency.
• A coherent, global EU SEE Monitor and Early Warning Mechanism for the enabling environment for civil society, is established and implemented, and results are available and disseminated at all levels.
• A coherent, global EU SEE Flexible Support Mechanism, is established and implemented, allowing for timely and appropriate action to prevent deterioration, support positive developments and/or adapt to changes in the enabling environment
• Civil society ability to adapt to changes in, prevent deterioration of, and support positive developments in an enabling environment in EU SEE Countries has been demonstrably improved.
• Civil society’s ability to exchange knowledge and engage with donors and policy makers on, and advocate efficiently for, an enabling environment has been demonstrably improved at all.

Eligible Activities

• Activities under Lot 1 must include:
  • Activities pertaining to role as Global Lead of the EU SEE, including but not limited to set up and hosting of SEE Secretariat, reporting to an EU SEE Advocates groups
  • Activities pertaining to the establishment and management of EU SEE Network
  • Activities pertaining to the development of, and implementation of actions required for, the EU SEE Monitor and Early Warning Mechanism including the EU SEE Index
  • Activities pertaining to the publication and dissemination of results of the EU SEE Monitor and Early Warning Mechanism on a continuous basis, as well as in-depth analysis and reporting (annual and as relevant) at global level; and support for in-depth analysis and reporting by SEE Network Members in partner countries
  • Activities pertaining to the production and dissemination of structured guidance to EU SEE Network Members as well as targeted guidance for SEE Network Members as justified by early warnings/changes in the environment
• Activities under Lot 2 must include:
  • Activities pertaining to the development and establishment of a EU SEE Flexible Support Mechanism (FSM) for EU SEE Country CSOs
  • Activities pertaining to management of the EU SEE FSM through rapid and flexible financial support to third parties for the following categories of support:
    • Activity based support for preventive and/or early response activities to prevent deterioration of the enabling environment and/or contribute to and support of positive developments of the same.
    • Organizational support for CSOs to prepare for and/or adjust to the changes in the enabling environment (including capacity for innovation and learning, short- and long-term institutional support, technical and financial capacity strengthening etc.).
  • Activities pertaining to the provision of continuous thematic and technical support to applicants and recipients of FSTP in the application process and during implementation. This can include, but is not limited to, support that is provided to improve their approach, proposal, reporting (monitoring, narrative, budgeting and financial reporting skills etc.) etc.
  • Activities pertaining to opportunities for applicants and grantees to connect with other recipients of FSTP in order to strengthen networking and opportunities for peer-to-peer learning.
  • Activities pertaining to coordination with EU Delegations in respective country of action to ensure complementarity to country programs of any/all grants given.
  • Activities pertaining to coordination and articulation with EU Initiatives for Human Rights Defenders and their organisations.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead Applicant(s)
  • Under both lots, in order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person and
    • be non-profit-making. Please note that for-profit organisations may also be eligible in exceptional and duly justified cases and
    • be a non-governmental civil society organisation (CSO), or a global umbrella organisation of non-governmental civil society organisations an
  • be established in one of the eligible countries or territories
  • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity (-ies), not acting as an intermediary.
  • To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant for Lot 1 must furthermore have:
    • Significant experience of leading projects or programmes involving multiple CSO actors, implemented at global, regional and country level,
    • Significant experience of coordination of global or multi-regional network/-s of CSOs, and/or of leading a consortium of CSOs with multi-regional or global coverage,
    • Significant thematic expertise and proven experience in the promotion and protection of an enabling environment for civil society.
  • All proposals under Lot 1 must furthermore demonstrate that applicants (lead- and co-applicant/- s) in between them/jointly have:
    • Significant experience of developing methodology to monitor significant aspects of an enabling environment for civil society, and of implementing this methodology globally,
    • Significant experience of strengthening CSO coalitions and networks to share information and knowledge, lessons learnt, and strategies, and develop common positions and participation in joint actions, including through digital platforms,
    • Significant experience of research, awareness raising, and evidence based advocacy related to aspects of an enabling environment for civil society, at global, regional and country level,
    • Significant experience of support to civil society capacity development at a global or multi-regional scale within one or more of the prioritised areas for the call,
    • Significant experience of grant management for civil society actors through financial support to third parties.
  • To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant for Lot 2 must furthermore have:
    • Significant experience of developing methodology for, and implementation of, grant management of flexible grants for civil society actors in EU SEE partner countries, through financial support to third parties, at a global or multi-regional scale,
    • Significant thematic expertise and proven experience in the promotion and protection of an enabling environment for civil society.
    • All applicants (lead- and co-applicant/-s) under Lot 2 must furthermore demonstrate that in between them/jointly they have:
    • Significant experience of support to civil society addressing aspects of an enabling environment,
    • Significant experience of support to civil society at global, regional or country level in terms of support for project management (developing technical strength on project formulation, implementation, financial management, monitoring and evaluation etc.).
• Co-applicant(s)
  • The lead applicant for both Lots must act with at least 1 co-applicant (minimum) to benefit from collective operational capacity and ensure the provision of relevant thematic and geographic expertise.
  • Co-applicant/-s participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
  • Co-applicant/-s must equally satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself with regards to criteria.
  • Each member of a partnership must have a precise and clearly identified role in the implementation of the project. A partnership should be composed in such a way as to allow the achievement of the project objectives in the most effective and cost-efficient manner.
  • Co-applicant/-s must sign the mandate form.
  • If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant/-s will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together with the coordinator).
  • Applicants included in the lists of EU restrictive measures at the moment of the award decision cannot be awarded the contract.
• Affiliated entities
  • The lead applicant and its co-applicant/-s may act with affiliated entity(ies).
  • Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to coapplicant(s):
    • Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
    • This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
      • Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
        • Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
          • Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
          • Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
          • Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
      • Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association,) as the proposed affiliated entities.
  • The structural link shall as a general rule be neither limited to the action nor established for the sole purpose of its implementation. This means that the link would exist independently of the award of the grant; it should exist before the call for proposals and remain valid after the end of the action.

Ineligible

The following are not considered entities affiliated to an applicant:

• Entities that have entered into a (procurement) contract or subcontract with an applicant, act as concessionaires or delegatees for public services for an applicant,
• Entities that receive financial support from the applicant,
• Entities that cooperate on a regular basis with an applicant on the basis of a memorandum of understanding or share some assets,
• Entities that have signed a consortium agreement under the grant contract

For more information, visit EC.