The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) – an international organization promoting an enabling legal environment for civil society, freedom of association, and public participation around the world – is inviting applications from civil society organizations (CSOs) for Lifeline grants to support short-term, discrete advocacy initiatives that seek to support civil society law reform. Grant amounts may not exceed $20,000.
ICNL is part of the civil society consortium led by Freedom House implementing Lifeline: the Embattled CSO Assistance Fund. This call for applications is issued pursuant to the Lifeline Fund.
The Small Grants Program is open to civil society organizations engaged in civil society legal reform. A civil society organization (CSO) is defined as a group of two or more activists. It does not need to be officially registered but must be able to document its history of activism. The Lifeline supports a variety of CSOs, many of whom conduct advocacy, promote and protect human rights, and/or act in a watchdog capacity.
Applications will be evaluated based on the following factors:
- Compliance with eligibility requirements and application procedures;
- Demonstrated commitment of applicant to promoting the right to associate or civil society law reform (e.g., through past or present experience as a lawyer, academic, government official, or civil society organization leader working on these issues);
- Quality of proposed project, including the significance of the issue, the proposed methodology/design, feasibility of the project (e.g., activities are targeted to achieve stated results, and anticipated results are realistic and attainable);
- Likelihood that the proposed project will alleviate threats and restrictions against civil society;
- Proposed budget and apparent value for cost; and
- Proposal includes reasonable indicators to measure project success.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until all grant funds are awarded. For more information, visit this link.
