Grants for Grassroots CSOs Promoting EU Fundamental Rights and Values

Deadline: 20-Sep-24

Minority Rights Group Europe (MRGE), along with PILnet, has partnered together on the Minorities, Accountability, Rights, Independence and Organizational Development (MARIO) project to build a supportive environment for grassroots Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) engaged in the promotion and protection of EU values.

Objectives

• They aim to select, provide financial support, and build the capacity of grass-root CSOs representing vulnerable groups, with annual grants.
• They do it to increase the resilience of grassroot CSOs. They do it to advance the protection, promotion minority rights and awareness of EU fundamental rights. They are seeking to support smaller, rural organizations with grants to build a supportive environment for small CSOs engaged in the promotion of democratic values, minority inclusion and rights across Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia.

Funding Information

• They aim to select, provide financial support, and build the capacity of grass-root CSOs representing vulnerable groups, with annual grants of €15.000.

Results of Sub-Grants

• Through the sub-grants they will be funding projects which aim to achieve the following objectives and results:
  • CSOs representing minority groups are equipped with the tools to meaningfully engage in awareness raising on EU Fundamental Rights and values
  • Minority CSOs and stronger and more sustainable though financial support of the grants
  • Increased knowledge and understanding of EU fundamental values among minority communities
  • Strengthen community capacities to hold local and national authorities (and other duty-bearers) to account through application of national and European human rights mechanisms
  • Minority communities are more aware of EU fundamental rights and its effect on their life
  • Decision makers better understand minority concerns and make some moves towards improving policy.
  • Media coverage, campaigns and research as grant activities raises minority concerns in general public

Eligible Activities

• Local accountability projects i.e., community-local authority problem solving workshops and dialogues
• Activities that investigate, address, or publicise gaps or failures in the rule of law
• Projects that contribute to democratic participation, including civic responsibility education projects, and advocacy with local authorities or relevant political parties for inclusion of minorities
• Legal capacity projects and campaigns that build communities’ legal capacity to access justice mechanisms to achieve their rights i.e., direct legal advice, mediator training, legal support involving violation of the rights of minorities.
• Local advocacy projects and campaigns that give voice to local minority (and majority) concerns and support policy changes to address challenges and failings.
• Watchdog and monitoring activities
• Organisation of civic platforms and civic dialogues linked to rights, coalitions and partnerships among CSOs and minority CSOs
• Research, data collection, producing evidence/reports for advocacy, strategy and planning meetings, monitoring and publications to influence local policy and decision-making
• Trainings of community members on their rights and/or anti-discrimination measures
• Creative communications campaigns, and awareness raising initiatives.
• School activities and awareness raising to minority youth on their rights
• CSOs awarded the MARIO grant can apply for an additional 5.000 EUR: the Peer Review Grant aims to support peer exchange and learning among project participants. The Peer Learning Grant will enable grantees to visit other grantees’ projects and organisations to gain insights, learn from innovative practices, and reflect on their own project’s progress. These visits will involve 1-2 project staff members traveling.

Eligibility Criteria

• In ordered to be considered eligible, organizations interested in applying must:
  • be registered legal entities, to be non-profit making organisation and civil society organisation, have a bank account, be established and active in the target countries;
  • prove having no public debt, comply with GDPR, anti-corruption measures and prove absence of conflict of interest;
  • demonstrate their commitment and compliance to EU fundamental rights and values;
  • have a balanced gender composition or community members represented within their internal leadership and team structure (desirable, not mandatory);
  • be a small, local, rural, grass-root CSO representing the rights of minority and vulnerable groups, including minority/community led organisations, and have a close working relationship with and the trust of one or more disadvantaged ethnic, religious or linguistic community (including migrants and refugees);
  • be able to demonstrate basic project management skills;
  • have strong links with relevant minority communities and have the means in place to remain in contact with and effectively consult and involve the community/ies they are working with.

For more information, visit Minority Rights Group.