Deadline: 18 December 2019

The Romanian Fund for Social Development (FRDS), as Program Operator for the “Local Development, Poverty Reduction and Inclusion of Roma” Program (Local Development), funded from the 2014-2021 EEA and Norwegian Grants, has announced a Call for Project Proposals “Increasing inclusion and enabling Roma”.

Funding Information

• In total, the amount allocated to the call is 16,000,000 Euros;
• Service provision projects – 10,000,000 Euro;
• Projects to develop the capacity of existing / after-school / day-care centers that work with a high percentage of Roma children and young people – 3,000,000 Euro;
• Empowerment projects – € 3,000,000.

Objectives

Projects funded under the present call shall contribute to meeting one or more of the following objectives of the call for proposals:

• Increasing the access and quality of sectorial or integrated services for Roma, in the following sectors: social assistance, education, employment, health and housing;
• Consolidating the capacity of existent educational / after school / day care centres working with a high percentage of Roma children and youth, with priority of those previously funded under the RO10 Programme Children and Youth at Risk and Local and Regional Initiatives to Reduce National Inequalities and to Promote Social Inclusion”, funded by EEA Grants 2009-2014 (Small grant scheme “Local”);
• Projects will aim at supporting existing functional centres, by adding value to the quality of serviced provided to the target groups, in order to increase their impact and to strengthen sustainability. A minimum of 5 centres will have to be targeted in each project;
• Empowering Roma people, especially Roma women, youth, experts and leaders. In the framework of the present call, empowerment of Roma people is considered as the process of expansion of their assets and capabilities both at individual level (health, education, housing etc) and at collective level (ability to organise and mobilise to take collective action for solving their problems) in order to participate in, negotiate with,
  influence, control and hold accountable institutions that affect their lives;
• Combating all forms of discrimination of Roma people. The call will support projects that will promote respect of rights of Roma people, fight against anti-Gypsysm, stereotypes and harassment, at the same time increasing the awareness on intercultural approaches (collecting and promoting experiences on groups of Roma, cultures, languages etc).

Targeted Groups

Depending on the thematic allocation in which they are submitted, the projects will be addressed to the following target groups :

• Roma people and families in situations of vulnerability, risk or facing various forms of socio-economic exclusion;
• Roma people, especially women and young Roma, with low levels of awareness about rights and participation in community life;
• Roma experts and leaders;
• Specialists / volunteers in the fields of education, health, employment, social services, public administration,
• NGO sector, involved in providing services to Roma people;
• Members of the community belonging to the majority population.

Priorities

Priority is given to:

• Projects implemented in rural or urban disadvantaged areas with over 30% of Roma population, identified as such in a specific statement issued by the local authority from each implementation area;
• Projects that address a need at national level, if the case.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible applicants are non-governmental organizations, public entities and associations of local authorities;
• The recommended duration of the projects is between 12 and 36 months.

Eligible Activities 

• They will be focused on providing integrated services (obtaining identity documents, educational services, employment services, health services, improving living conditions); providing information to Roma people, especially Roma women and young people, on ways to assert their rights, ways to access public services; developing the individual capacities of Roma people;
• Activities to increase the responsibility and the capacity of public authorities and institutions to be more inclusive; activities that promote the capacity of local Roma organization; training of staff and volunteers working with Roma people; awareness-raising campaigns on anti-discrimination issues, targeting the majority population, to promote respect for Roma rights, the fight against anti-Gypsyism, stereotypes and harassment; exchanges of good practice in the field of project with entities from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Eligible Country: Romania

For more information, visit https://frds.ro/index.php?id=147