More than EUR 9 million funding for NGOs through the Active Citizens Fund Romania

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Active Citizens Fund Romania launches 5 calls for projects with a total value of more than EUR 9 million for non-governmental organisations in Romania, as part of the EEA and Norway Grants 2014 – 2021.

The 5 calls for projects are part of the second Round of calls for proposals, the last one of the programme. They contribute to the overall objective of the Active Citizens Fund, to support and strengthen civil society and active citizenship and to increase the capacity of vulnerable groups. At the same time, the calls seek to enhance bilateral relations with organisations in the donor states Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

The calls launched today cover a wide range of areas and activities, as follows:

  • Call #2 – Civic education and engagement
  • Call #3 – Civic activism and advocacy
  • Call #5 – Strategic support for human rights and equal treatment
  • Call #7 – Advocating for social inclusion of vulnerable groups
  • Call #8 – Development of rural interethnic communities

Special attention will be paid to areas considered of major importance in Romania: environment and climate change; gender equality and gender-based violence; the infringement of human rights and discrimination against Roma; Roma empowerment and inclusion.

The eligible applicants are exclusively non-governmental and non-profit organisations (NGOs) legally established in Romania. Partnership with other non-governmental organisations (which may come from the same field of activity or other complementary areas) and other stakeholders (local or central authorities, companies, other public or private entities) are strongly encouraged. Also, partnerships with entities from donor states Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are encouraged.

The total budget of the 5 calls is EUR 9,333,591. Projects will be funded in the form of a grant (non-reimbursable financing),following a selection process. Several types of grants are available for this round, ranging from EUR 50,000 to 150,000.

The application process opens on February 17, 2021 and takes place exclusively online on the platform https://finantaripublice.fdsc.ro until April 20, 2021. Additional details about each call, as well as the programme are available on the website www.activecitizensfund.ro/en/apeluri. In order to support NGOs choose the most suitable call for their initiatives, the Fund Operator offers a map of calls, available at http://activecitizensfund.ro/en/harta-apelurilor.

A series of information sessions will take place online during March-April for those organisations interested in applying for funding; details will be available soon on the programme’s communication channels. Launched in June 2019, the Active Citizens Fund Romania has the largest budget for civil society under the EEA and Norway Grants 2014-2021, with a total allocation of 46,000,000 Euro. 10 calls for projects have been launched so far, counting over 700 applications, out of which 135 projects worth 22,929,347 Euro have been selected for funding. The total demand for funding coming from the projects that were submitted was more than 100 million Euro. The programme organizes regular information sessions and various other online workshops for organisations interested in applying, which are communicated on both www.activecitizensfund.ro and www.facebook.com/acfromania. The Fund Operator for the programme is the Consortium composed of the Civil Society Development Foundation, Romanian Environmental Partnership Foundation, Resource Center for Roma Communities, PACT Foundation and Frivillighet Norge.

The Active Citizens Fund Romania programme is funded through the EEA Grants 2014-2021. The overall objective of the Grants is to reduce economic and social disparities, and to strengthen bilateral relations between 15 beneficiary countries and the Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). The programme is administered by a consortium composed of Civil Society Development Foundation, Romanian Environmental Partnership Foundation, Resource Center for Roma Communities, PACT Foundation and Frivillighet Norge, acting as Fund Operator designated by FMO – Financial Mechanism Office of the EEA and Norway Grants. The objectives of the Active Citizens Fund Romania are to strengthen civil society and active citizenship and to empower vulnerable groups. With a total allocation of 46,000,000 euro, the programme pursues a long-term development of the civil society sector sustainability and capacity, stepping up its role in promoting democratic participation, active citizenship and human rights, while strengthening bilateral relations with organizations from the Donor States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.