ABOUT
The ad hoc support grants are aimed to provide rapid funding to CSOs from our region to address immediate challenges affecting their civic space, or to provide support for unique, innovative actions that contribute to positive actions to promote the civic space.
Organizations from the Western Balkans struggling with shrinking civic space in their country, facing pressure to their integrity, incidences of hate speech, hostile attacks to organizations, or trying to react towards the changes of a law that affects their work, etc, can apply to the ongoing open call.
The Hub is offering different types of support and has a pool of experts available who can provide assistance for developing response advocacy campaigns, legal support, financial consultancy, audit support, communication and outreach so CSOs can promptly respond to immediate needs or challenges.
The HUB also aims to support CSO initiatives aimed to bring positive actions for further promoting the civic space. Innovative uptakes for reclaiming civic space, exploring collective powers of different groups (young people, women and vulnerable groups) to transform their communities, outreach and reclaiming voices and organizing regional events for sharing the experience and lessons learned among the CSOs in combating the restrictions of civic space, may be supported by the Hub.
The first call for Ad-Hoc Grant Support supported 18 successful initiatives before it`s closing in December 2021.
BCSDN published the second call for Ad-Hoc Grant support in March 2022, which stopped receiving applications until 1 September 2022.
The third call for Support to Research and Regional Knowledge Exchange for Promoting Civil Society Enabling Environment in the Western Balkans has been published in April 2023 and was receiving applications until the 1st of June 2023.
Guidelines for applicants
Application form
Ad-hoc grants are a flexible support that aims to support concrete needs. Therefore, it follows a simplified and accelerated review procedure to ensure timely response to the respective need.
If you are facing a pressure situation and you are uncertain of the support you can get, feel free to contact our office at any time at regionalhub@balkancsd.net, so that we can support you in the application process.
- Awarded Grants:
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In July 2020, BCSDN has published the Call for ad-hoc support grants offering rapid funding to CSOs, platforms and organisations, operating in the Western Balkan region to address immediate challenges affecting their civic space, or to provide support for unique, innovative actions that contribute to positive actions to promote the civic space.
The Call is open until 1 September 2022.
So far, ad-hoc grants were awarded to 18 organizations from the WB region (see table below), referring to both streams of support defined with the Call: immediate need and innovative uptakes to the fight for reclaiming civic space. All projects contribute to the overall objective of the Regional CDS Hub that is to strengthen regional cooperation to promote civic space in the Western Balkan countries.
Name of the Grantee Project Title Purpose of the action Budget awarded (EUR) Organic Agriculture Association, Albania
LET’S SPEAK UP, NOW – SAVE THE LAST WILD RIVER IN EUROPE
Inducing a public debate aiming to cancel concessions for hydropower plant on Vjosa river and officially declare it National Park, thus saving many rivers in Balkans named Blue heart of Europe. 7.400,00
Tek Bunkeri, Albania
MOCI – Mobile Open Culture and Innovation Balkans
Formation of a cross-sectoral regional network of actors to create and protect civic spaces in rural areas for peer-support and co-creation of shared resources under the MOCI platform. 9.530,00
Centar za građanske slobode-CEGAS, Montenegro
Regional Conference: A Decision to amend the rule of unlawfulness
Improved, more reliable and accurate national registers (Register of Residence and Stay, Register of Montenegrin Citizens and Register of Voters) as a basis for the rule of law. 9.400,00
European Law Students’ Association-ELSA Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Protecting the freedom of assembly in Sarajevo Canton: new draft law in the light of international and European standards
Advancing the state freedom of assembly as fundamental freedom in Sarajevo Canton by advocating changes in the draft law to make it easily accessible for citizens and CSOs and contributing to improvements in the civil dialogue and cooperation between CSOs and public institutions. 6.410,00
Eco-team, Montenegro
Steps towards sustainable development of energy sector in Montenegro
Influencing public opinion and policy process for further development of the energy sector in Montenegro by preparing socio-economic analysis for the operation of the thermal energy complex Pljevlja, serving for public campaigning and advocating a position in the process of preparing the National energy and climate plan in the country. 7.000,00
CSO Forum of civic action FORCA Požega, Serbia
Support for the independent CSO information platform “For the breath of the province”
Organization of regional conference to connect CSOs, which due to lack of space in conventional media have launched local information services as a mechanism for expanding dialogue and spreading the CSOs’ influence in the local community, thus becoming innovators in accessing communication with the environment in which they operate. 10.000,00
- Ad-Hoc Support Funding Mechanism:
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The funding available under this instrument can be provided once an application submitted to the open call for proposals is approved. The following types of grants are offered under the call: experts’ missions and regional events.
Expert missions: The use of identified expert’s support (experts can be individuals or private entities) can be funded in a case where an organization from the WB region requested peer advice and exchange of experience on a specific civic space topic: e.g. opinion of a new law, support in advocacy strategy, support in improving internal accountability mechanisms, support in the organization of a campaign, etc. Direct funding of an expert or other societal actors such as media, research institutes, think tanks, universities, that will provide the needed expertise for supporting the CSOs in times of crisis is also eligible.
Regional events: Regional gatherings of CSOs, civil society actors, and their constituencies will be encouraged to interact and to share their problems and solutions (ideas), promote their causes, learn together, and establish consensus on their needs and the priorities that must be acted upon in the short, medium or long term. The regional gatherings can be both in line with the immediate needs stream or innovation stream of the support.
- Who Can Apply?
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All types of individual CSOs, networks of CSOs, platforms, associations, foundations, including non-governmental, not for profit, coalitions, partnerships, networks, sectoral or thematic interest groups, media outlets, research institutes, think tanks, informal, or registered in at least one of the countries of the Western Balkan region- Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Republic of North Macedonia.
- Areas of Support
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The Ad- Hoc Support Instrument aims to address some of the following issues:
- To advance the state of fundamental freedoms (freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly);
- To improve civic dialogue and the cooperation between civil society and public institutions;
- To improve the legal framework and practices concerning the financial viability of civil society;
- To encourage broader CSO and multi-stakeholder coordination and cooperation for promoting civic space;
- To support resources mobilization for promoting civic space;
- To improve the trust in CSOs by introducing diversity and inclusion and accountability mechanisms and standards for CSOs work in the WB region, including the Dynamic Accountability approach of the Global Standard for CSO Accountability.