Deadline: 5 January 2020

Euro-Mediterranean Foundation is seeking applications for its Standard Grants Program with an aim to provide flexible financial assistance to regional, national and local human rights NGOs and institutes as well as individuals who promote, support, protect and monitor the observance of human rights in the South-Mediterranean region.

The Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support to Human Rights Defenders (EMHRF) is an independent regional foundation led by human rights defenders and experts in the affairs of the Arab region and acting for local human rights defenders, groups and NGOs from the region.

The Foundation was established and registered as a Danish foundation in 2004 by EuroMed Rights, a network comprising of more than 80 human rights organisations and defenders from the region, following a feasibility study that acknowledged the need for creating a flexible financial instrument to cover funding gaps for independent civil society actors.

The Foundation’s prime responsibility is to support human rights organisations and defenders in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Israel.

Criteria

• • Identity of the applicant
    • The grants are aimed at civil society actors, regardless of their gender, in consideration of their activities aimed at promoting and protecting universal rights and freedoms of third parties – acting individually or as part of a group – and using peaceful means.
    • All the individuals, groups or entities, who are identified by their commitment to improve the protection of all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights as prescribed in, among others, International Human Rights Conventions, are eligible for support from the Foundation without any prerequisites other than the purpose and autonomous nature of their activities.
    • In the context of its support actions, specific attention is paid to groups considered to be especially vulnerable and in need of special assistance because of the scope of their action (isolated regions) or because of the nature of the rights they defend (minorities, marginalised youth and women, etc.).
  • Nature of the proposal
    • Proposals are assessed as eligible when they are dealing with fundamental rights and freedoms as they are universally affirmed, address protection needs, and innovative or sensitive issues at the local or national level and target marginalised and vulnerable persons.
    • The Foundation gives priority to cover the core costs of civil society actors, as they are fundamental to strengthen their operational capacities and to open sustainability prospects.

• Necessity of the request
  • The applicant is facing risks or working within a difficult context, and no other donor has agreed to support the request (or it only receives occasional support for project but no core funding that would help sustaining its/his/her activity).
• Approach of the applicant
  • The applicant collaborates with other civil society actors, and the performances and usefulness of the activities have been recognised by the communities served and by external partners.
  • A significant consideration will also be placed on innovative means, as alternatives to traditional activities, to reach out to the youths (cultural, artistic and media activities as examples).

For more information, visit http://emhrf.org/standard-grants/