Civil Society Organisations as Actors in Governance and Development

Description

1) Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is to strengthen Bhutanese CSOs as independent actors of good governance and development in order to contribute to an inclusive, participatory, empowered, and independent civil society.

The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

1. Support the engagement of CSOs’ with the Bhutanese Parliament in:
-providing capacity building in key thematic areas e.g. inclusion, good governance, transparent public finance management, public participation and citizen engagement, accountability etc;
-providing support in accessing processes, provision of recommendations and potential practical support in implementation the Parliament’s work such as public hearings;
-providing opportunities for dialogue on key legislative, representational and oversight issues between CSOs and Parliament
– providing mechanism for learning and information sharing between Parliamentarians and between more experienced Parliaments of the Europe Union and the region;

2. Strengthen the capacity of CSOs in:
– engaging in work pertaining to good governance, democracy thereby contributing to the development of relevant public policies.
– gaining improved knowledge of research, innovation, design, implementation and evaluation of projects and policies.
– developing sustainable business models and diversify their funding.
– building collectives and/or strengthening existing platforms to be able to speak in a unified voice.
– contributing to evidence based policy-making through improved research, data collection and analysis skills.

3. Improve engagement of CSOs with the media in:
– amplifying collective voice and participation;
– facilitating behavioural change, social mobilization and advocacy on key development issues;
– articulating how the SDGs are being contributed to by the CSOs and
– demonstrating positive impact of CSO engagement on development policies

2) Eligibility

In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and (3) be a specific type of organisation such as: non-governmental organisation, a civil society organisation or a civil society organisation association and (4) be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.

3) Location

Actions must take place in Bhutan.

4) Budget

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is €3,500,000. Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the minimum €300,000 and maximum €500,000. Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the minimum (70%) and maximum (80%) percentage of total eligible costs of the action. The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 24 months nor exceed 48 months.

5) Application

The concept note together with the declaration by the lead applicant must be submitted online via PROSPECT. The deadline for the submission is 2 February 2023.