Request for Applications (RFA)

Under Sida Funded Program No: RFA 002

Funding Opportunity Title: HUMAN RIGHTIVISM PROJECT

Announcement Type: Request for Applications (RFA)

Funding Opportunity Number: RFA 002

Issuance Date: 20 March 2023

Deadline for Questions: 7 April 2023

Info Session 31 March 2023

Deadline for Submission: 20 April 2023

Submit applications to: [email protected]

Request for Application Scope:

The Community Development Fund (CDF) is announcing a Request for Applications (RFA) for small grants to support civil society organizations working in the fields of Human Rights Education and Activism, as well as Documentation, Watchdog and Strategic Mitigation. These grants are intended to provide financial support to organizations that are actively engaged in promoting and protecting human rights, documenting and mitigating human rights violations focusing on human rights education for media, privacy data protection, and the empowerment of non-majority communities, particularly the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) communities. Through these grants, the CDF hopes to help these organizations gain access to the resources and support them in addressing the above mentioned issues.

The objectives of this RFA are divided into two SLOTS:

SLOT 1. Human Rights Education and Activism will award up to 5 grants in the amount of up to 10,000 Euro.

• To support grassroots civil society organizations to raise awareness on human rights and engage in initiatives that enhance active involvement of community members to address human rights issues that affect them, and improve human rights advocacy and protection, primarily of vulnerable groups including the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities and women, through improved access to human rights education and knowledge of available mechanisms and policies to enhance their access to basic services and opportunities, including access to formal education, information, government subsidies, employment, vocational training, free legal aid and preservation of cultural identity.
• Strengthen media knowledge on human rights and ways to apply that knowledge into investigative journalism that target human rights issues as well as educate civil society organizations and media on legal provisions and guidelines concerning the right to privacy and data protection.

SLOT2. Watchdog and Mitigation will award up to 5 grants in the amount of up to 6,000 Euro.

• To support grassroots civil society organizations in monitoring the implementation of relevant law and policy in the area of protection and promotion of human rights and produce a report to adress the gaps identified to serve as a basis for improvement in relevant human rights field as well as organizing public events to advocate for solutions that will help to mitigate the gaps identified in the monitoring findings.
• Identify, document and report human rights violations and the effects of those violations on individuals and communities, exploring the causes or developing strategies to protect and promote human rights. The report could also be used to inform legal cases and provide evidence for advocacy campaigns;

Organizations applying for the RFA under both SLOTS should tailor their proposed activities to reflect their own objectives, experience, and capacity. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that the RFA's objectives are met in a way that is tailored to the organization's unique needs, experience and capacities and may include the following:

• Awareness raising activities to facilitate informed consultation processes with relevant stakeholders;
• Strengthening civic involvement in the process of decision making at local level, including their involvement in local mechanisms for communities’ participation and representation;
• Targeted advocacy aimed to draw attention to particular issues and influencing the decision makers at local level;
• Improving inter-community relations through cooperation among different communities at local level initiatives that affect them;
• Supporting human rights education and awareness, documentation of human rights violations;
• Advancing the participation and empowerment of youth and women in grassroots initiatives;
• Capacity building of media to equip them with the necessary skills and resources to effectively report on human rights issues and create awareness of human rights;
• Produce reports that involve studying the effects of human rights violations on individuals and communities;
• Monitoring and reporting on implementation of policies that protect the rights of vulnerable and marginalized communities in the filed of education, healthcare, access to free legal aid and representation in decision-making processes.

Applicants can propose initiatives that address any one of the above areas, or more than one area. Applicants are encouraged to network with like-minded organizations and engage government institutions where useful to increase their impact and widen their reach; and where applicable to leverage various media platforms, including mainstream, social, and alternative media, to amplify the impact of their initiatives. Application should attempt to identify anticipated impact in terms of achieving changes in policies, practices, knowledge, attitudes and/or behaviors.

AWARD INFORMATION

CDF will be funding activities up to 8 grants up to 10,000 EUR. All award activities must have a period of performance of no more than up to 6 months. CDF may choose to fully fund or incrementally fund the selected application(s). The number of awards and amount of available funding are subject to change and CDF reserves the right to make no awards as a result of this RFA.

INFORMATION SESSION

A public information session will be held on March 31, 2023 at 14:00 PM through CDF and Human Rightivism Social media platform,: www.kcdf.org, www.kcdf.org/humanrightivism and https://www.facebook.com/HumanRightivism

It is essential that you visit our website www.kcdf.org/humanrightivism for the full Request for Application (RFA) or request it via email [email protected].