Regional Program

The Black Sea Trust’s (BST) Regional Program seeks to encourage civic entities to develop projects that promote cooperation and stability within the Black Sea region.

For more than sixteen years, the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation (BST) has made regional programs a core focus of its mission.

The BST Regional Program is designed to support civic organizations in fostering cooperation, stability, and collaboration across the Black Sea region. With the support of key donors such as USAID and the European Commission, BST amplifies regional perspectives on key challenges facing Black Sea countries, and provides a platform for dialogue, policy, and strategy at the European and transatlantic level.

Beneficiaries of these regional programs include a diverse range of stakeholders, from civil society organizations (CSOs) and informal groups to civic activists, media practitioners, academia, and think tanks. This broad engagement reflects BST's firm commitment to promoting democratic development and cross-border collaboration throughout the Wider Black Sea region.

Civic entities from the Wider Black Sea region, are eligible to initiate projects (Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova).

*Please note that projects involving only Romanian and Bulgarian organizations are not eligible for funding.

Open Call for Applications

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Empowering Youth through Capacity Building, Collaboration, and Peace Initiatives

The Black Sea Trust (BST) for Regional Cooperation, a program of the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States, is announcing a call for proposals to support regional capacity-building initiatives aimed at empowering youth and youth-led organizations. For 2024-2026, BST seeks to enhance existing youth networks in Armenia and Georgia, facilitate new ones, and support peace-building initiatives in the South Caucasus through dialogue-based approaches.

Objectives and eligible activities

Objective 1: Regional Capacity-Building - Support initiatives that empower marginalized youth (e.g., girls, youth with disabilities, displaced youth, LGBTQI+ youth).

Under this objective the following indicative activities shall be eligible, but not limited to:

Workshops and Trainings tailored to the needs of youth-led organizations on: project management, advocacy strategies and promotion/campaigning, digital literacy, leadership and communication, participation of youth in decision-making processes (local, national and regional);
Networking and Peer Learning: Build networks for peer learning, inclusive of youth with disabilities.
Online Resources: Provide access to resources for active participation in democratization processes.
Media Skills and Digital Hygiene: Promote internet security, prevent cyber-bullying, and enhance media literacy.
Critical Thinking and Resilience: Improve discernment of credible information sources.

Objective 2: Fostering Regional Networks - Expand or create youth-led networks in Armenia and Georgia

Under this objective the following indicative activities shall be eligible, but not limited to:

Enhance Democratic Understanding: Use of non-formal education, cultural exchanges, community development projects, and interactive workshops.
Youth Engagement Forums: Facilitate youth interaction with decision-makers, policymakers, businesses, and experts.
Peer Support Networks: Support mutual support of disenfranchised and vulnerable youth, including LGBTQI+, women, and minorities.

Objective 3: Youth-Led Peace Efforts - Support peace-building initiatives

Under this objective the following indicative activities shall be eligible, but not limited to:

Dialogue Spaces: Create spaces for dialogue where youth can explore shared histories, challenge stereotypes, and build bridges towards understanding and reconciliation;
Peace and Reconciliation Workshops: Address historical grievances and promote reconciliation using positive messaging to promote tolerance and understanding.
Cultural Exchanges: Support creative and artistic expressions of cross-cultural cooperation, promoting peaceful coexistence and foster mutual engagement.

Funding Details

Grants varying from $20,000 to $30,000 will be awarded for a duration of six to twelve months.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to receive an award under this call for proposals, applicants must fulfill the following conditions:

Civil society organizations, civic initiatives or informal groups (unregistered), civic activists (individuals), and human rights defenders from Georgia or Armenia as well as independent media (outlets and practitioners) that carry out their activity in Georgia or Armenia or both and are youth-oriented and/or youth-driven.
The applicants should submit their proposal/s in tandem or consortium that includes at least one civil society actor from both countries.
Show a clear need in line with the objectives of this call and its relevance to youth programming.

Application Process

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

To apply, please submit your proposal via email to [email protected] with a cc to [email protected] using the subject line "Empowering Youth Initiative Proposal”.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Relevance and urgency of the need.
Feasibility and clarity of the proposed activities.
Measurable outputs, outcomes and impact on youth activities.
Realistic and cost-effective budget.
Integration of USAID’s Positive Youth Development principles in project design and implementation.

Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis from September 1, 2024, to March 1, 2025 and will be reviewed in three grant evaluation cycles: November 2024, January 2025, and March 2025.

*This call for proposals is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Its contents are the sole responsibility of GMF and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID.