Deadline: 17 September 2019

The European Union (EU) has announced “Grant Scheme for Civil Society Support Programme – III” to empower CSOs in terms of their structures and participation capacities to decision-making processes and networking skills.

The global objective of this call for proposals is to support the development of civil society through more active democratic participation in policy and decision-making processes.

Priorities Area

The priorities of this call for proposals are:

• To improve organisational and institutional capacities of CSOs and encourage partnership among CSOs;
• To promote active citizenship and/or participation of CSOs to decision-making processes at local, national or international levels and;
• To support the improvement of the legislative environment for active citizenship.

The proposed projects should fall into at least one of the priority areas mentioned above.

Size of Grants

Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

• minimum amount: EUR 60.000
• maximum amount: EUR 100.000

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
  • be a legal person, and
  • be non-profit-making, and
  • be established in a Member State* of the European Union  or Turkey or an eligible country according to the IPA Regulation , and
    • *For British applicants: Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant. Unless sector-specific eligibility rules provide otherwise if the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, you will cease to receive EU funding (while continuing, where possible to participate) or will be required to leave the project on the basis of Article 12.2 of the General Conditions (Annex G-II) of the grant agreement.
  • 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, and
  • be a CSO , from Turkey (associations; foundations; federations/confederations of associations/ foundations; cooperatives ) or
  • be a CSO from EU Member States or other eligible countries except Turkey (associations; foundations; federations/confederations of associations/foundations; entities established as not-for-profit  companies/charitable organizations; cooperatives10).
• Potential applicants may not participate in calls for proposals or be awarded grants if they are in any of the situations.
• Co-applicant(s)
  • Co-applicants 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-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
• Affiliated entities
  • The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with an affiliated entity(ies).
  • Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to co-applicant(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 an 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.

How to Apply

• Concept notes must be submitted in a sealed envelope by registered mail, private courier service or by hand-delivery (a signed and dated certificate of receipt will be given to the deliverer) at the address given on the website.
• Concept notes sent by any other means (e.g. by fax or by e-mail) or delivered to other addresses will be rejected.

For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/2GdfQU0