Call for Belarusian CSOs | Constituency and Influence for Reform
Please note the application deadline has been extended to 22 October 2022
The NHC is inviting Belarusian civil society organizations (CSOs), to participate in the “Constituency and Influence for Reform” project which:
- Work/ed in the areas of women’s right, anti-corruption and environmental protection in Belarus;
- Were legally registered before in Belarus; or are registered in the country they are residing; or have intention to get registered in the country they are located;
- Have/ had at least 2 years experiences in the areas of women’s rights, anti-corruption and environmental protection.
6 organisations will be selected to receive the following:
- Training and mentoring in the area of advocacy, communication, and fundraising/crowd-funding;
- Sub-granting for up-to 6000 EUR to implement their own projects lasting up to 6 months;
- Emergency fund to cover following necessary costs: legal assistance (lawyers’ costs); trial observation (travel + accommodation); ultimate case possible medical and psychological assistance; necessary IT equipment and necessary safety/protection equipment.
About the project
The objective of the Constituency and Influence for Reform project is to strengthen CSOs’ communication, advocacy and crowdfunding capacity, striving to advance good governance and operational security in Belarus. This edition of the project directly targets CSOs working on women’s rights, anti-corruption or environmental protection in Belarus.
The role of civil society in all target countries has proven to be critical in defending democratic progress and mending governance deficiencies in the past. Furthermore, stimulating greater appreciation of human rights issues by domestic constituencies, including financial contribution in the form of crowdfunding, is a vital yet little-applied long-term strategy for CSOs promoting women’s rights, fight against corruption, and environmental protection. Through this project, the growing influence and leverage of society as a whole will be further strengthened in all target countries. The project will seek possible windows of opportunities for CSOs to safely engage with the government, either at national or local level, principally on issues of women’s rights, anti-corruption, and environmental protection. To this end, in each country, the NHC will organize trainings, provide small grants, and arrange coaching support to enable a group of CSOs to conduct campaigns and effectively reach broader audiences and political actors in Belarus.
The overall objectives of the Constituency and Influence for Reform project are:
- Strengthening the communication and advocacy capacity of civil society organizations, which have worked in the three above mentioned areas, increasing their base of supporters, financial sustainability and quality of governance that enable them to continue their activities.
- Advancing the use of strategies to influence the policies of local and national authorities, and apply international and national standards, procedures and situational tactics of civil society.
- Increasing the operational security of civil society and its sustainability.
How to participate
To participate in the competitive selection:
- download and fill in the application (in Belarussian);
- send the application in electronic form by 23:59, 22 October 2022 to the address nhc@protonmail.com
Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
For questions regarding the project or the application procedure, please contact hrdprogramme.nhc@protonmail.com by October 16, 2022.
Application and selection process
Criteria by which applications will be evaluated:
- Previous experience and current activity plan- 20%;
- Relevance of training needs of CSO staff to the project objectives (communication, advocacy, and fundraising/crowdfunding) – 20% of the total assessment;
- Motivation to participate in the project – 20% of the total score;
- Ability/capacity to implement the project – 10% of the total assessment;
- Realism, relevance, innovation of the project idea – 30% of the total score.
All CSOs that scored at least 60% form an overall rating will be considered. Each CSO in the overall ranking also has a mark on belonging to the thematic area (according to the application). The winners of the selection will be six CSOs with the highest scores in each thematic area: women’s right, anti-corruption and environmental protection.
The results of the competitive selection will be announced no later than October 10, 2022 by e-mail specified in the applications.
Read more about the call here: Call for Applications (BY) Call for Applications (EN)
Application form (BY)
