ACF's work continues as planned: first calls for proposals are being prepared
Although the launch of the Active Citizens Fund (ACF) on 24 March was postponed due to the coronavirus COVID-19, work on the fund's first calls for proposals has not stopped. The first calls were and are still scheduled for the second quarter of 2020. in its turn, the launch event, which was intended to introduce the fund's activities and support programs in Latvia, will not take place in person. This information will be presented at the online seminar, together with the first calls for proposals.
"Although we initially planned to announce the first call for proposals at the end of April, COVID-19 has introduced changes. Thinking about how to support the NGO sector during this time, we have re-planned the competition calendar, increasing the amount of money and the number of competitions to be announced by July / August,” informs Kristīne Zonberga, Director of Civic Alliance‑Latvia and Chair of the Executive Board of ACF.
In total, this year the Active Citizens Fund for strengthening Latvian civic society will allocate a little more than 4 million euros. At the end of April / beginning of May, calls for proposals for more than 3 million euros for civic initiatives and participation activities will be announced. In the first half of the summer, another 1 million euros will be allocated for capacity building activities of civic society organizations.
"We plan to announce the first two calls for proposals at the beginning of May. The first call will focus on long-term up to 4 years projects with a strategic impact. It will be announced in Democracy Culture and Human Rights programs. The total support per project - 105 000 euros. The second call will focus on smaller and short-term actions for the implementation of urgent initiatives to ensure the representation of interests and civic activities. The implementation period of such activities will last for up to 1 year with a total amount of up to 10 000 euros per project. If these two calls are focused on initiatives and participation, then after the submission is finished, in the beginning - middle of the summer, applications for capacity building projects will be open. Until then, it will be clear how to strengthen organizations,” explains Inese Siliņa, ACF's Director.
However, it is not yet possible to determine the exact dates of the calls, as the documentation is being prepared and coordinated with the EEA / Norway Financial Mechanism Office in Brussels. Also, the development of the IT system for project submission continues. Besides, it should be noted that due to the COVID-19 impact, the various coordination processes with the Office in Brussels may currently be delayed.
Also, until the first calls for proposals the web page www.activecitizensfund.lv will be supplemented with useful information for project applicants. Follow the news on the website and facebook.com/AktivoIedzivotajuFonds.
The Latvian Active Citizens Fund belongs to the family of 13 Active Citizens Funds. Its activities are financed by the EEA/Norway Financial Mechanism, i.e., taxpayers of Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. The objective of the fund is to strengthen civil society and empower active citizenship and vulnerable groups.
