Democracy Commission Small Grants Program

Description

1) Objective

This program supports NGO efforts to develop grassroots democracy and viable civil society in BiH. This program aims to improve the institutions of government and increase a sense of civic identity in BiH society. Proposals that go beyond awareness building to create behavior change and action will be particularly competitive. The Commission welcomes proposals that are creative and will lead to citizen engagement. This program aims eventually to result in strong, credible government institutions that are accountable to the citizenry, citizen engagement in grass roots democracy, and self-identity as citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Projects should deal with one of the following themes

• Anti-corruption, in particular projects that engage citizens in anti-corruption advocacy initiatives, encourage corruption-exposing investigative journalism, expand corruption reporting mechanisms, or seek to improve legislation related to corruption.
• Democratic political processes, in particular projects that advocate for more transparent and accountable institutions and more involvement by citizens in civic life, with special attention paid to projects that focus on the 14 key priorities for EU membership.
• Countering misinformation and promoting moderate voices, in particular projects that encourage fact-based citizen and media dialogue on priority social and political issues; improve media literacy and the ability of BiH citizens to detect misinformation in traditional media and on social media; and counter hate speech and extremist rhetoric in public discourse.
• Supporting vulnerable and marginalized populations in BiH, in particular projects that promote the rights and inclusion in society of migrants/refugees/displaced persons, the Roma community, people with disabilities, the LGBTQI+ community, and other minority groups.

2) Eligibility

Eligible are Non-governmental, non-profit organizations (including think tanks, civil society organizations), educational institutions and independent media organizations that are based and legally registered in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

3) Location

Actions must take place in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

4) Budget

The budget for single project proposals for the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program should not exceed USD 50,000.

5) Application

The deadline for submission of the Democracy Commission Small Grants proposals /supporting documentation is 8 March 2024.