Call for Proposals: Protecting and Expanding Civic Space in Italy

Deadline: 30-Jun-25

The Civitates has launched a new call for proposals to support civil society organisations in Italy that work to uphold democratic values, defend the rule of law, and promote civic participation.

Goals

• The specific objectives of the call center on two main goals:
  • Defending and protecting civil society and the space for people’s participation in civic life; challenge and resist efforts to restrict space for civil society
  • Opening and expanding the space for civic action: strengthen civil society organisations so that they are more resilient, able to adapt challenges, create new alliances, invest in new ways of engaging with people and reach new audiences.

Objectives

• To support these objectives, applicants have a variety of activities to choose from to achieve the grant’s goals, including, but not limited to:
  • Monitoring and data gathering and analysis of trends related to civic space (e.g. Legal restrictions, attacks, intimidation, police violence, etc.)
  • Awareness-raising and advocacy on behalf of groups under threat
  • Campaigns that mobilize the public against restrictive laws and other interventions that curtail civic engagement and mobilization
  • Actions to shift narratives and foster values that support civil society & civic participation in public debates
  • Actions toward expanding civil society and space for civic life to include a broader range of actors and underrepresented groups
  • Testing new ways of organising and building stronger constituencies of support for civic engagement.

Funding Information

• Civitates will provide project funding for one year (with potential no-cost extension) in a maximum amount of 30.000 EUR to selected grantees. The grant covers project costs relevant to and reflective of the planned activities.

Eligibility Criteria

• Civitates is seeking civil society organizations registered as non-profits and based in Italy that have a proven track record of work for the participation of civil society and democratic values in the country. Civitates regards an organization as a “key” actor if the organization:
  • has a proven track record of defending fundamental human rights and civic freedoms,
  • is well connected to civil society networks and movements working across a broad range of societal issues,
  • has a well-developed methodology to engage with and mobilize citizens,
  • has achieved significant results (at local/regional/national level) with demonstrable impact,
  • Civitates welcomes applications from groups leading or working with coalitions and networks. Organizations with a clear commitment to connect marginalized communities to broader civil society coalitions may be also considered.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Political party-affiliated organizations are not eligible to apply for their support.

Evaluation Criteria

• Organizational commitment: the organisation, including its leadership, is committed to defending/protecting and opening/expanding civic space beyond the timeline of the proposal.
• Relevance: how the planned work of the organisation reflects on the challenges and opportunities concerning civic space and rebuilding citizens’ trust and participation in civic life.
• Capacity: the organization has a solid assessment of its capacity as well as its partners’ capacity building needs to implement its plans.
• Contextual analysis: the organisation has a strong understanding of the current trends impacting civic space in Italy and has a solid interpretation on their implications for emerging opportunities for change.
• Partnerships and target audience: the proposal identifies relevant partners and networks/constituencies/communities to defend and expand civic space and re-engage citizens in civic life. The proposal reflects how issues of marginalized communities might be addressed.
• Tools and methods: the planned methods of development are well planned and adjusted to the goals of the organization.
• Results, and impact: the expected results and impacts are clear and measurable.
• Diversity, equity and inclusion: organization’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion concerning the representation of different social groups within the team, and addressing the situation of marginalized groups most impacted by restrictions and attacks throughout the project.
• Budget: the planned budget and its items are relevant and reflect priorities of the organisation.

For more information, visit Civitates.