Deadline: 20 June 2015
Open Society Initiative for Europe (OSIFE) is currently inviting eligible non governmental organisations to submit proposals that contribute to a concrete structural or institutional change in discrimination affecting Roma communities and individuals, and to describe how such a change could contribute to reducing negative attitudes and behaviors in the longer run. OSIFE will support initiatives which aim to achieve impact in one or more of the prioritized areas. Proposals can put forward projects, general costs, capacity building and institutional strengthening of civil society organizations or networking opportunities.
Eligible Countries
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden
Priority Areas
This call aims to support innovative approaches addressing the problems arising in one or more of the following areas:
- Discrimination in access to public services and in housing, including direct discrimination, like the refusal of Roma tenants, and indirect discrimination, for example linked to the lack of recognition of a certain type of housing, systematic evictions disregarding regulations, ghettoization, and the establishment of segregated camps.
- Discrimination by state actors and public policies, including the lack of anti-discrimination laws and policies or the incorrect implementation thereof; the lack of collection of equality data disaggregated by ethnic, racial, or religious backgrounds; discrimination of Roma by law enforcement officials (such as ethnic profiling and discriminatory checks) and police abuse; and the criminalization of Roma, or of poverty when it is particularly affecting Roma.
- The full access to and enjoyment of civil and political rights including issues linked to the ability to move freely within the EU, the repeal of laws indirectly targeting Roma (e.g., the 1969 law in France), the lack of official documents, and nondiscriminatory access to citizenship for statelessness persons (or a proper legal status for asylum seekers).
- Victims-centered monitoring and reporting of hate crimes to raise awareness on the reality of anti-Gypsyism and push decision makers to deal with this problem effectively.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be legally constituted non-governmental organizations.
- The applicant must be non-profit-oriented and can include associations of professionals, trade unions, university clinics, informal coalitions led by a member with legal entity, re-granting entities, etc.
- Organizations with a proven track record in previous related work and with previous experience working on Roma issues are particularly welcome.
- The applications from networks, coalitions or re-granters that could work with the small grassroots organizations directly are encouraged, particularly those who demonstrate how the grant will also support in-direct capacity building for the partners involved.
- The applicant must be legally established in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden. Proposals coming from other Western European countries will be considered; however they need to be follow-up actions on the activities already implemented in the countries or exhibit particularly innovative components. Pan-European or transnational partnerships covering the above mentioned countries are welcome.
- Individual researches and scholarships will not be supported.
Project Duration & Grant Size
- Projects’ duration can vary in between six months and two years.
- The minimum amount is 10,000 USD and the maximum one is 200,000 USD.
How to Apply?
- Applicants must fill out the template for short concept papers, which is available online and submit it via the OSF Grants Portal.
- The concept note should explain the goal, major activities, outreach and communications plan, and budget for the proposed project in U.S. Dollars.
- Applications can be submitted either for projects above 25,000 USD or for less than 25,000 USD.
- For the applications for less than 25,000 USD, the concept notes can be submitted in English, French, Spanish, or Italian (as long as a budget and a summary in English are provided). Applications for more than 25,000 USD can only be submitted in English.
- Short-listed applicants with projects above 25,000 USD will be requested to submit more details at a later stage.
For more information about this opportunity, please visit Open Society Foundation.
