Deadline: 15 August 2019

The United States Embassy in Tirana has announced a DemocracyCommission Small Grants Program which is administered by the Public Affairs Section, supports initiatives of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaged throughout Albania.

The small grants program is for non-governmental activities that promote grassroots democracy. Thus, it is very important to explain how the project promotes democracy. Projects, which provide a direct social service, such as services to individuals with disability, do not meet strict D.C. guidelines. Rather, projects should include democracy building aspects such as: public awareness, respect for human rights and advocacy for the targeted groups, establishment and preservation of the rule of law and democracy, economic reform, environmental clean-up, the strengthening of the NGO sector, the reconciliation of disputes, and better journalism, etc.

Variety of Fields

• Anti-corruption
• Good Governance
• Investigative Journalism
• Human Rights/Minority Rights
• Empowerment of Women and Youth,
• Combatting Human Trafficking
• Electoral Reform

Funding Information

The program intends to award grants in the amount starting from $30,000 to $50,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• Organizations may only submit one proposal per program.
• Grants are made on a one-time basis. A successful applicant may re-apply for a second grant, but the second proposal must be for a distinctly different project than the first project funded by the Democracy Commission.
• Organizations are eligible to receiving funding from this program not more often than once in two years.
• U.S. organizations and individuals are not eligible for grants under the program.
• The application requires a clear description of the activity for which grant funds are being requested and a budget proposal broken down by expenditure category; otherwise it will not be considered.
• Democracy Commission does NOT fund projects such as the following:
  • Fund-raising campaigns
  • Humanitarian assistance projects
  • Scientific research projects
  • Projects that duplicate existing projects being implemented by an organization
  • Projects submitted by for-profit, commercial organizations
  • Projects that support partisan political and/ or religious activity
  • Conferences and individual trips abroad
  • Trade activities

Evaluation Criteria

• The Democracy Commission will assess the following when evaluating grant proposals:
• The project proposal demonstrates that the organization has sufficient expertise, skills and human resources to implement the project.
• The organization demonstrates that it has a clear understanding of the underlying issue that the project is aiming to address and is able to articulate it with specificity and clarity.
• The organization has consulted relevant resources, experts and potential partner organizations during the project’s design phase.
• The organization has identified appropriate beneficiaries or target groups in a way that maximizes project outputs and outcomes and the project has a clear focus and manageable scope.
• The project’s idea and approach are innovative, yet capable of being completed with the program period. Proposed project activities must be concrete, detailed, and supported by a reasonable work plan.
• The project’s budget is well-organized, detailed and reasonable. There are no budget lines labeled “miscellaneous expenses.” Entertainment and alcoholic beverage expenses are not included in the budget. The budget demonstrates that the organization has devoted time to plan for and assess actual expenses associated with the project instead of providing rough estimates.
• The organization has clearly articulated how it will assess and measure its own performance throughout the project implementation phase using concrete quantitative and qualitative assessment tools.
• The project proposal describes clearly the approach that will be used to ensure maximum sustainability of the project’s results after its completion.
• Past performance, including U.S. government funded grants, indicates reliability, responsible use of resources, and an ability to follow through with project aims.

How to Apply

Applicants can apply via given website.

For more information, please visit https://al.usembassy.gov/education-culture/local-grants-program/