Call for Proposals: STEP UP Capacity Fund

Deadline: 9-Nov-23

Through the Step Up Fund, the Dutch Council for Refugees (DCR) is supporting local and national NGOs to improve refugee protection and inclusion at the borders of Europe.

Objectives Step Up Fund: Capacity Development of NGOs

Through this call for proposals DCR aims to support a maximum of 8 projects of NGOs in Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland and, Spain. The support is for projects that are aimed at developing the NGOs capacity to work for the protection and inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees.
For DCR the objective is also to develop new partnerships and networks with NGOs across Europe.
Note: They understand capacity development to be an investment in the effectiveness and sustainability of an NGO, and will consider projects that are aimed at organizational, knowledge and strategic development, development of new projects and programs and trying out new working methods. Projects could for example be aimed at improving: working with volunteers, legal aid to asylum seekers and refugees, social counseling of refugees, stepping up lobby and advocacy or fundraising strategies or building coalitions with other NGOs.

Funding Information

Proposals need to be accompanied by a budget proposal with a maximum of 10.000 EUR.
Projects can have a maximum duration of 1 year – shorter is also possible – and should take place between December 2023 and November 2024.

Linking, learning and Capacity-Building by the Dutch Council for Refugees

The selected NGOs will – if they like – be offered capacity-building support by Dutch Council for Refugees in the form of training or twinning. Together with the selected projects who are interested in receiving this support, they will work out a modest tailor-made capacity-building session/program, for example in areas such as advocacy, legal aid, working with volunteer or fundraising.
The group of selected NGOs will also regularly meet in online meetings to share experiences, and the group will be invited for a joint work visit to the Netherlands in spring 2024 to meet and inspire each other, and visit field operations in the Netherlands

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be registered non-profit organizations in either Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland or Spain.
Non-profit organizations that work at national or local levels in these countries are eligible for the Step Up Fund.
Applicants should already work on issues related to refugee protection and inclusion.
Applications must address the objectives outlined above: only projects that focus on capacity-development will be accepted.
Only applications in English will be accepted.

Selection Criteria

Impact on NGO-capacity: The proposal must clearly identify the challenge (/capacity-need) of the organization and how the proposed project is expected to sustainably impact the organization’s capacity to work for refugee protection and inclusion in the country after the project finishes.
- Relevance: The proposal should explain why it is relevant for the current situation for asylum seekers and refugees in the country.
- Concrete results: The proposal must set out concrete and realistic results it will aim for.

For more information, visit DCR.