Call 1: Empower civil society to promote the rule of law, participative democracy, and good governance, and to defend civic space and media freedom

The grant opportunity is titled "Call 1: Empower civil society to promote the rule of law, participative democracy, and good governance, and to defend civic space and media freedom." It is part of the CERV-2024-CITIZENS-VALUES program, focusing on civil society organizations engaged in protecting and promoting Union values, specifically through an intermediary model that provides financial support to third parties.

The total funding available is €1,128,100. The opening date for submissions is March 12, 2025, and the deadline for applications is June 12, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The grant is associated with the EU-funded project named PLATO, which stands for "Protecting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law through an open civic space."

The evaluation process for applications consists of two phases:

1. **Phase 1** involves an administrative and eligibility check where applications are assessed for compliance with established criteria. Only those meeting the requirements will proceed to Phase 2.

2. **Phase 2** is a technical evaluation conducted by two impartial evaluators. It is mandated that at least one evaluator is external to the managing organizations, Bodossaki Foundation and the NGO Support Centre, to ensure impartiality. Applications must achieve a minimum average score of 60 points to move forward, and if there is a significant discrepancy in scoring, further evaluation may occur.

A final selection process will see at least 10% of the shortlisted applications undergo a legal eligibility check. The Selection Committee is responsible for reviewing and ranking applications based on scores and comments, with the capability to adjust rankings to ensure alignment with program objectives. Notably, at least 30% of the total budget is reserved for smaller organizations working on project implementation.

The opportunity aims to empower civil society organizations in the EU to advocate for governance and civic space, with an emphasis on co-funding requirements potentially being necessary.

The submission platform for proposals is specified as OPEN CALLS - BODOSSAKI FOUNDATION, and applicants are encouraged to be well-prepared to meet the outlined criteria and deadlines.

The grant opportunity is titled "Call 1: Empower civil society to promote the rule of law, participative democracy, and good governance, and to defend civic space and media freedom." It falls under the topic CERV-2024-CITIZENS-VALUES - Call for proposals for civil society organisations active on protecting and promoting Union values: call to intermediaries (giving financial support to third parties).

The opening date for submissions is March 12, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is June 12, 2025, at 17:00 (Brussels time). The deadline model is single-stage. The total funding available is 1,128,100.00 €.

The project acronym is PLATO, and the full name of the EU-funded project is Protecting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law through an open civic space. The grant agreement number is 101186120.

The evaluation process comprises two phases:

Phase 1: Administrative and Eligibility Check. In this phase, each project application will be assessed for compliance with administrative and eligibility criteria. Only applications meeting these requirements will proceed to the next phase.

Phase 2: Technical Evaluation. Eligible applications will be evaluated by two impartial evaluators appointed by the Consortium members. At least one evaluator will be independent (external) to the Bodossaki Foundation and the NGO Support Centre, selected through an open call. All evaluators must sign a declaration of no conflict of interest regarding the applications they assess. Each evaluator will independently score the application based on predefined Evaluation Criteria. The final evaluation score will be the average of the two individual scores. To move forward, an application must achieve a minimum average score of 60 points. If the score difference between the two evaluators exceeds 30% of the higher score, a third independent evaluator will be appointed by the Bodossaki Foundation and the NGO Support Centre. In such cases, the final score will be the average of the two closest scores.

Final Selection Process: At least 10% of the shortlisted applications will undergo a legal eligibility check for the lead applicants and partners. The Selection Committee will review the ranked applications based on their scores and evaluator comments. While rankings will generally be maintained, the Committee may adjust them in justified cases to ensure alignment with the programme’s objectives. Additionally, the Selection Committee will allocate at least 30% of the call budget to support small organisations implementing small grant projects. The Committee will also determine the amount of financial support for each third party, based on the submitted project budget, with adjustments made only if the evaluators deem proposed activities necessary. The Selection Committee’s decision is final and cannot be changed.

The link to the proposal submission platform is OPEN CALLS - BODOSSAKI FOUNDATION.

In summary, this grant opportunity, under the PLATO project, aims to empower civil society organizations to promote the rule of law, participative democracy, good governance, and the defense of civic space and media freedom. It is a call for intermediaries to provide financial support to third parties working on these goals. The total funding available is 1,128,100.00 €, and the application deadline is June 12, 2025. The evaluation process involves administrative and eligibility checks, followed by a technical evaluation by impartial evaluators. A selection committee will review the applications, and at least 30% of the budget will be allocated to small organizations implementing small grant projects.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is specifically targeted towards civil society organisations, particularly those active in protecting and promoting Union values. The call also mentions support for small organisations implementing small grant projects. The call is aimed at intermediaries (giving financial support to third parties).

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is cascade funding, which involves grants distributed to third parties through intermediaries.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required. However, it mentions "lead applicants and partners," suggesting that multiple organizations can be involved in a project, either as a single applicant or as a consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The text does not explicitly specify the geographic eligibility. However, the call is related to Union values and is managed by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, suggesting that the beneficiary scope is likely within the EU or countries associated with EU programs.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: rule of law, participative democracy, good governance, civic space, media freedom, and protection and promotion of Union values.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the call is related to Union values and managed by the European Commission, implying a focus on the EU region.

Project Stage: The call is aimed at supporting projects that empower civil society, suggesting that the projects are likely in the development or implementation stage. The mention of "small grant projects" implies that some projects may be at an earlier stage.

Funding Amount: The total funding available is €1,128,100.00. The text also mentions that at least 30% of the call budget will be allocated to support small organisations implementing small grant projects, implying that individual grants will vary in size.

Application Type: The application type is an open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants.

Application Stages: The application process comprises two distinct phases: an administrative and eligibility check, and a technical evaluation. There is also a final selection process involving a legal eligibility check and review by a Selection Committee. So there are at least 3 stages.

Success Rates: The text does not provide specific success rates.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This opportunity is an open call for proposals under the CERV-2024-CITIZENS-VALUES program, aimed at empowering civil society organizations to promote the rule of law, participative democracy, good governance, and to defend civic space and media freedom. The call, managed by the Bodossaki Foundation and the NGO Support Centre, is part of the EU-funded PLATO project ("Protecting democracy, human rights and the rule of law through an open civic space"). The total funding available is €1,128,100.00. The call is specifically targeted towards civil society organisations, particularly those active in protecting and promoting Union values, and acts as an intermediary by providing financial support to third parties. The application process involves two main phases: an administrative and eligibility check, and a technical evaluation. A Selection Committee will review the ranked applications and allocate funding, with at least 30% of the budget reserved for small organizations implementing small grant projects. The opening date for submissions is March 12, 2025, and the deadline is June 12, 2025, at 17:00 (Brussels time). The evaluation process includes assessment by impartial evaluators, with a minimum score of 60 points required to move forward.