Grants for civil society networks promoting the rights of religious minorities or freedom of religion and belief in the Middle East and North Africa

Proposal submissions

Organisations with a focus on human rights will be prioritised. Proposal submissions must demonstrate how their advocacy activities address and are directly related to:

a) supporting the rights of religious minorities and/or

b) promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion and belief 

Topic areas

Applicants can select one of the following topic areas to develop local or national level advocacy activities:

1. National advocacy campaigns to promote respect for the rights of religious minorities
2. Promoting religious minorities’ access to reparations
3. Challenging sectarianism, with reference to freedom of religion and belief

Points to note

• Proposals must clearly explain how they will approach the call through clearly outlined project objectives with concrete outcomes and outputs. Applicants should consider the sensitivities of developing a project proposal relating to religious minority rights and freedom of religion and belief in their country of choice.
• Ceasefire cannot transfer funds to Syria or Egypt due to legal and international restrictions. Applicants for projects focused on these countries must have access to an organisational bank account registered outside the country.
   

Terms of Reference

• The call covers project proposals to a maximum of 6,000 EUR.
• NGOs / CSO’s must develop applications jointly.
• Proposals must demonstrate how activities will work to develop networks at a national level.
• Project duration is a maximum of 6 months and must not exceed this in the project proposal.
• The project start date for this call is in November 2021 and this should be reflected in the proposal.

Applicant Criteria

• Be a minimum of 2 NGO’s / CSO’s applying jointly.
• Submit a cohesive proposal that meets both the term of reference and each organisations mandate.
• Have a commitment to human rights principles.
• Be dedicated to inclusivity by involving religious minorities in your community.
• Have a strong portfolio of successfully delivered projects.
• Have at least one registered NGO / CSO with access to an organisational bank account in the proposal.
• Applicants must submit evidence of a registered organisational bank account, otherwise they will not be considered.

Project Selection Criteria

• An original approach to addressing the protection and promotion of religious minorities and freedom of religion and belief.
• Clear project objectives with focused outcomes and outputs that demonstrate at least 2 concrete improvements at a national level.
• A well thought out plan outlining how to reach the target beneficiary.
• A thorough, clear, and reasonable budget in EUR.
• A balanced division of labour and activities for NGOs/CSOs applying.

Tips

• Think about how your activities focus on religious minorities or how they promote the right the right to freedom of expression and belief.
• Ask yourself: do your activities test new avenues to prevent/challenge discrimination against religious minorities or violations of freedom of expression and belief?
• Consider how your activities address intersectionality, by addressing the layered impact of other structural discrimination such as class, gender, or race/ethnicity.
• Get creative with the types of advocacy activities you propose; they can be seminars, research reports or any other activity that fits with the terms of the call.