Enhancing the Resilience of Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership (ERICS-EaP)

A resilient and dynamic civil society is a fundamental requirement for the sustenance of pluralistic liberal democracies. However, this critical role has rendered civil society increasingly susceptible to attacks. The escalating erosion of democratic values, the deepening of social divides, and the encroachment of political authoritarianism are undermining the efficacy and vitality of civil society across the EU. As a result, for at least the past decade, there has been a discernible tightening of the space available for civil society to operate in.

Furthermore, the emergence of new geopolitical and security challenges in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region significantly underscores the importance of this neighborhood for the stability, security, democracy, and prosperity of Europe as a whole. The EaP countries have long suffered from conflict, corruption, weak democratic institutions, authoritarian tendencies, and oppressed civil societies, which the latter have continuously tried to counter-act. In the coming years, we anticipate additional instability and disruption as political tensions escalate, frozen conflicts reemerge, and relations deteriorate in the Eastern Partnership region and at international level, putting more pressure on civil society actors as a stabilizing factor.

In response to these developments, the ‘Enhancing the Resilience of Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership’ (ERICS-EaP) project funded by the European Commission and led by the Transatlantic Foundation (TF), in cooperation with the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation program of the German Marshall Fund of the United States addresses the challenges faced by civil society in all of the six EaP countries.

The central objective of the ERICS-EaP project is to foster inclusive, resilient, and democratic societies across the Eastern Partnership region. This involves enhancing the capabilities of civil society entities and bolstering their involvement in the processes of democratization, reform, and recovery within the EaP countries. This is achieved by strengthening civic society organizations and initiatives and empowering their representatives in all endeavors.

ERICS-EaP aims to achieve the following four objectives:

To improve the financial and resource base of civil society in the region.
To provide key segments of regional civil society with targeted capacity-building for improved outreach, impact, visibility, accountability, and management.
To enable civil society to effectively embed with citizens, communities, and constituencies and to link them to all layers of government.
To enhance regional and international cooperation and exchange through civil society platforms and networks.

Open Call for Applications

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Travel Grants for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)

The Transatlantic Foundation (TF), in cooperation with the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation program of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, is launching a dedicated call for proposals for individual travel grants aimed at fostering regional networking, exchange, and cooperation among Civil Society Organization (CSO) representatives, civic activists and leaders, informal groups representatives from the six Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries. This initiative complements our program (Enhancing the Resilience of Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership (ERICS-EaP)) by providing opportunities for CSO representatives, civic activists and leaders, informal groups representatives to actively engage in existing regional networks, forums, and cooperative endeavors.

Call objectives:

Facilitate participation of CSO representatives, civic activists and leaders, informal groups’ representatives in ongoing regional networking activities.
Facilitate the exchange of ideas, best practices, and knowledge sharing among civic actors across the EaP region.
Increase the visibility of civil society initiatives within the Eastern Partnership.

Scope:

BST will award 50 travel grants over the course of the next two years and a half of maximum 1,500 EUR each to enable CSO representatives, civic activists and leaders, informal groups’ representatives to participate in existing regional networking events, forums, and cooperative initiatives.
The grants are intended to support travel expenses incurred by civil society representatives for active participation in this type of activities and events.

Eligibility Criteria

CSO representatives including leaders, staff, volunteers, civic activists and leaders, informal groups’ representatives based/active in one of the six EaP countries (exception: exiled CSOs).
CSO representatives, civic activists and leaders, informal groups’ representatives actively engaged in the organization’s activities and capable of contributing meaningfully to regional networking events.
The participation of the CSO representatives, civic activists and leaders, informal groups’ representatives should contribute to the goals and development of their organization.

Application Process

Interested CSOs representatives, civic activists and leaders, informal groups’ representatives are invited to submit applications in response to this call for proposals by filling out in detail the following form and by attesting the official invitation to the event (please provide an invitation letter of email).

Submission Deadline

You can submit proposals continuously, and they should be sent to [email protected].

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Relevance to the objectives of the call.
Potential impact and contribution to regional networking and cooperation capacity of the represented civic entities.
The timeliness and purpose of the convening.
Budget justification and cost-effectiveness.

Grant Terms

Each selected CSO representative will receive a travel grant to cover approved expenses related to their participation in the regional networking activity.
Grant recipients will be required to submit a brief report detailing their participation and outcomes achieved following the completion of the activity.

Strengthening Organizational Resilience of Georgian CSOs

The Transatlantic Foundation (TF), in cooperation with the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation program of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, is launching a dedicated call for proposals for Georgian CSOs to bolster their capacity to withstand and adapt to the current and future challenges. The primary goal is to support strategic investments in areas that are essential for the long-term resilience of CSOs.

Areas of Support

CSOs can apply for funding to support a variety of resilience-building activities, including but not limited to:

Staff Security and Well-being: Initiatives to ensure the physical and mental health and safety of staff members.
Digital Security and IT Equipment: Upgrading IT infrastructure and enhancing cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data and communications.
Expert Consultants: Accessing expert advice and consultancy services to navigate legal, financial, and strategic challenges, as well as programmatic and activity-based ones.
Legal Support: Covering costs associated with legal services to protect the organization against potential legal threats.
Communication: Strengthening communication strategies and tools to improve outreach and advocacy efforts.
Other types of support: To sustain ongoing activity.

Funding Details

Each grant will cover investment costs that are often not fundable within regular project grants. This financial support aims to help CSOs consolidate or establish critical infrastructure necessary for their operational robustness and sustainability.

The grants are in the amount of 10,000 EUR covering a project duration of maximum 4 months.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the grant, CSOs must:

Demonstrate operational connection to Georgia or be registered in Georgia before August 2024.
Demonstrate a clear need for the proposed funding and its relevance to enhancing organizational resilience.

Application Process

Interested CSOs are invited to submit applications in response to this call for proposals by filling out in detail the following forms

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Relevance and urgency of the need.
Feasibility and clarity of the project plan.
Potential impact on organizational resilience.
Cost-effectiveness of the proposed budget.

Submission

Proposals should be submitted by e-mail to [email protected] by July 22. Please include "CSO Resilience Grant Application - [Your Organization's Name]" in the subject line.