http://www.coe.int/documents/22041/994584/COE-Logo-Fil-BW.png/bb17a17e-5308-4fc0-929d-5c4baf3ab99d?t=1371222816000

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Support to local CSOs to combat stigmatization of vulnerable groups to the Republic of Moldova

VC 2925 - APPLICATION FOR GRANT SUPPORT TO VULNERABLE GROUPS, REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA – 2022/1

Project

„Enhancing Diversity and Equality in the Republic of Moldova“

Awarding entity

Council of Europe

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Funding

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands

Duration

Projects shall be implemented by 30 November 2022.

Reporting requirements shall be completed by 30 December 2022.

Estimated starting date

01 June 2022

Issuance date

21 April 2022

Deadline for applications

18 May 2022


TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.       INTRODUCTION.. 3

II.     BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE PROJECT. 3

III.   BUDGET AVAILABLE. 3

IV.   REQUIREMENTS. 3

1.     General objective. 3

2.     Means of action. 3

3.     Implementation period. 3

4.     Target stakeholders. 3

5.     Budgetary requirements. 4

6.     Further to the general objective, preference will be given to: 4

7.     The following types of action will not be considered: 4

8.     Funding conditions: 4

9.     Reporting requirements: 4

V.     HOW TO APPLY?. 5

1.     Documents to be submitted: 5

2.     Questions. 5

3.     Deadline for submission. 5

4.     Change, alteration and modification of the application file. 6

VI.   EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURE. 6

1.     Exclusion criteria: 6

2.     Eligibility criteria: 7

3.     Award criteria. 7

VII. NOTIFICATION OF THE DECISION AND SIGNATURE OF GRANT AGREEMENTS. 7

VIII.          INDICATIVE TIMETABLE. 7

Appendices:

-   Appendix I - Application Form

-   Appendix II - Provisional budget (Template)

-   Appendix III - Template Grant Agreement (for information only)

HOW TO APPLY?
• Complete and sign the Application Form (See Appendix I)
• Attach a provisional budget (using the template reproduced in Appendix II)
• Attach the other supporting documents:
- Work plan;
- CV of project manager(s).

• Send these documents in electronic form (Word .and/or PDF) to the following e-mail address: tenders.antidiscrimination@coe.int 
• Emails should contain the following reference in subject: VC 2925 - APPLICATION FOR GRANT SUPPORT TO VULNERABLE GROUPS, REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
• Applications must be received before 4 May 2022 (at 23:59 CET).

 

I.                   INTRODUCTION

This call for proposals is launched in the framework of the Council of Europe project “Enhancing diversity and equality in the Republic of Moldova”. The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and implemented by the Council of Europe, as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2021-2024. It aims to fund specific measures to favour inclusion and combat negative stereotyping and stigmatization of vulnerable groups, and/or raise awareness against hate speech targeting these groups, including in the current context linked to the conflict in Ukraine.

There is  the urgency  of reinforcing preventive and inclusion measures for such groups, especially when outside the formal social security schemes offered by the authorities.

Project proposals shall aim to produce an added value to the Council of Europe work in combating discrimination and hate speech and favouring inclusions in the present circumstances.

II.                BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE PROJECT

The purpose of the Project is to develop a system of support among local public and civil society actors to protect the rights of vulnerable groups (LGBTI, women, ethnic and religious minorities, people with physical and mental disabilities, amongst the others) against hatred and hate crimes.

In particular, it aims to:

1.       Enhance advocacy with national stakeholders on the importance of a legal instrument to better address hate crime (i.e. law 301) in Republic of Moldova and provide support to its implementation

2.       In cooperation with national authorities, to develop the capacity of local authorities’ relevant services to protect vulnerable groups from hatred and hate-motivated violence, with a focus on rayons and municipalities

3.       To develop the capacity of the Police to respond to discrimination, hate speech and hate crime and become a community actor that enhances community cohesion, diversity and tolerance including by forming a pool of trainers and by developing confidence building measures with civil society organisations

4.       To increase the knowledge of NGOs representing vulnerable groups of their rights, and enhance their action against hatred and hate motivated violence, as well as public awareness on hate crime.

Project partners include institutions of the Republic of Moldova, primarily the General Police Inspectorate, the Equality Council, civil society organisations, local authorities and other relevant stakeholders.

III.             BUDGET AVAILABLE

The indicative available budget under this call for proposals is in total 32.000 Euros (thirty-two thousand Euros). The Council of Europe intends to award two grants of a maximum amount of 16.000 Euros each.

Subject to availability of funds and extension of the Project initial duration, the Council of Europe reserves the right not to award all available funds, and/or to redistribute the available funds in a different manner depending on the project proposals received and on the outcome of the call for proposals.

IV.              REQUIREMENTS

1.      General objective

The grants will fund activities aimed at supporting inclusion and combat negative stereotyping and stigmatization of vulnerable groups, and/or raise awareness against hate speech targeting these groups, including in the current context linked to the conflict in Ukraine, the concrete follow-up on recommendations on issues of inequality, challenges to social inclusion and discrimination at local level which were addressed by monitoring bodies of the Council of Europe, in particular  the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), and, where applicable, those of the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) and  those of the Committee of Experts of the European Charter for the Regional and Minorities languages (ECRML). . For further information, please refer to section IV.6 of this Call. 

Projects designed could address the following issues:

·         Promotion and protection of the right of vulnerable persons in the local communities including issues related to impaired access to health, adequate accommodation, facilities and social services;

·         Combating hate speech and hate motivated violence, notably stigmatization of vulnerable groups and their increased exposure to violence.

2.      Means of action

Projects should include specifically tailored activities aiming at supporting the implementation and/or follow-up at local level on findings and recommendations of the last report on the Republic of Moldova of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-commission-against-racism-and-intolerance/republic-of-moldova as well as, where applicable, of the Opinion of the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) and  of the Committee of Experts of the European Charter for the Regional and Minorities languages (ECRML).

Activities should reflect how the applicant understands its role in combating discrimination and the additional challenges to social inclusion due to the refugee crisis circumstances. 

3. Implementation period

The implementation period of the projects should start on 1 June 2022 (see indicative timetable under VIII. below) and shall not extend beyond 30 November 2022 (6 months).

Reporting requirements shall be completed by 30 December 2022 at the latest.

Projects completed prior to the date of submission of the applications will be automatically excluded. As regards projects started prior to the date of submission of the applications, or prior to the date of signature of the grant agreement, only those costs incurred after the date of submission of the grant application can be eligible (provided the agreement concerned so provides).

4. Target stakeholders

Projects should target in particular the following key stakeholders:

-          Civil society organisations

-          Vulnerable groups, including the refugees fleeing from Ukraine

-          General population

The above list is not exhaustive, and projects may propose to target other relevant stakeholders, while keeping in mind the general objective of the Project.

5. Budgetary requirements

Project proposals shall be accompanied by a draft budget (See Template Budget, in Appendix II) amounting to a maximum of 16,000 Euros (sixteen thousand Euros), that can be awarded by the Council of Europe.

Each grantee is expected to contribute approximately 10% to the overall project budget, in addition to the funds allocated by the Council of Europe.  Each Grantee is  required to contribute to the project either by way of its own resources or by contribution from third parties. Co-financing may take the form of financial or human resources, in-kind contributions or income generated by the action or project.

In case visibility/work with media is not the focus of the project, selected CSOs are expected to allocate certain financial amount from the grant for the purpose of implementation of defined visibility activities.

6. Further to the general objective, preference will be given to:

Projects/actions:

·         Combining multiple forms of discrimination and/or group of persons targeted by hate speech (e.g. against Roma, LGBTI persons, women, etc.);

·         Supporting initiatives and actions that promote and encourage fighting discrimination such as on ground of ethnic or national origin, and enhancing intercultural dialogue, mutual respect, understanding and cooperation among all persons living in a local community;

·         Linking with local level existing strategies in the above-mentioned areas (anti-discrimination, Roma, LGBTI persons, combating hate speech and hate motivated violence) or supporting the preparation of such strategies;

·         Incorporating gender mainstreaming elements and paying particular attention to the interplay between discrimination on gender ground and discrimination on other grounds, such as ethnicity, nationality and language; projects should have a strong link with Council of Europe work in the field of inclusion and anti-discrimination.

·         Including list of visibility activities that should be implemented through the grant, aiming to promote tolerance, among general public - public has access to fact-based/well-researched information on anti-discrimination and/or ethnic minorities and/or sexual minorities (and their rights) and/or on hate speech. Based on this it can make a positive connotation with issues linked to the vulnerable groups in society;

·         Stimulating media interest and increasing the number of media reports aimed at increasing awareness related to the promotion of tolerance, combating hate speech and discrimination; providing visibility of the contribution of the CoE support to “Enhancing of diversity and equality in Moldova”.

7. The following types of action will not be considered:

·         Projects/actions providing financial support to third parties (re-granting schemes);

·         Projects/actions concerning only or mainly individual scholarships for studies or training courses;

·         Projects/actions supporting political parties.

8. Funding conditions:

The funds for each grant should in principle be distributed as follows:

·         80 % will be paid to the Grantee or the Lead Grantee in case of a consortium when the Grant Agreement between the Parties is signed;

·         the balance will be paid to the Grantee or the Lead Grantee in case of a consortium based on actual expenditures incurred, and after the presentation and acceptance by the Council of Europe of the final narrative and financial reports for the Grant implementation.

9. Reporting requirements:

·         narrative reporting requires a full narrative report on the use made of the grant and a copy of the register of the persons present during each of the activities, including names and signatures of participants;

·         financial reporting requires in particular a statement in the currency in which the Grant Agreement will be concluded (Euros or local currency), in English, stating the payments made for the implementation of the activities, certified by the responsible financial officer of the Grantees, accompanied by “appropriate original supporting documents” (see below). The Council of Europe reserves the right to ask for summary translations of invoices into English. If for legal reasons the original documents must be retained by the Grantees, certified copies must be submitted with the financial statement.

“Appropriate original supporting documents” refers to signed contracts, invoices and acceptances of work (for all transactions), payment authorisation for all transactions should also be provided in case the Grantees use such practice, and reliable evidence of payment (authorised payment order and bank statement).

As regards round tables/conferences, presenting “appropriate original supporting documents” requires presentation of a programme indicating the title, dates, venue, and agenda of the event; the names of persons facilitating the event, a signed list of participants, the contracts with the owner of venue of the event (e.g. hotel) for the rent of premises, food and beverages of participants, invoices from the owner of the venue of the event for the above services, and a report on the results of the event (see narrative reporting above).

As regards consultancy services, presenting “appropriate original supporting documents” requires presentation of evidence of the outputs produced, contracts with experts and consultants containing a specific description of services to be carried out, invoices produced after the works have been performed and delivered (the specialities of the consultants shall correspond to the nature of activities for which they are contracted).

As regards travel fees/lodging of experts and participants, presenting “appropriate original supporting documents” requires presentation, where relevant, of contracts with a travel agency for travel fees and lodging, invoices of the travel agency indicating destinations, dates, ticket costs, and names of the travelling persons, a programme of the event indicating the names of the experts and signed lists of participants.

The above description is not comprehensive. Any doubt regarding the interpretation of the notion of “appropriate original supporting documents” should lead the Grantee or the Lead Grantee in case of a consortium to consult the Council of Europe.

V.                 HOW TO APPLY?

1.      Documents to be submitted:

Each application shall contain:

·         the completed and signed Application Form (See Appendix I);

·         a provisional budget (using the template reproduced in Appendix II);

·         the other supporting documents: work plan, organogram of the unit implementing the proposed project and the CV of project manager(s).

Applications that are incomplete will not be considered.

2.      Questions

General information about the project “Enhancing diversity and equality in the Republic of Moldova” can be found on the website of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau: https://www.coe.int/en/web/chisinau/enhancing-diversity-and-equality

Other questions regarding this specific call for proposals must be sent at the latest 5 days before the deadline for the submission of proposals, in English and shall be exclusively sent to the following address: [email protected] with the following reference in subject: VC 2925 – QUESTIONS APPLICATION FOR GRANT REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA.

3.      Deadline for submission

The application form, completed and signed by al Grantees, together with the supporting documents, must be submitted in electronic form (Word and/or PDF) to the following e-mail address: [email protected]. Emails should contain the following reference in subject: VC 2925 - APPLICATION FOR GRANT SUPPORT TO VULNERABLE GROUPS, REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Applications must be received before 18 May  2022 (at 23:59 CET). Applications received after the above mentioned date will not be considered.

4.      Change, alteration and modification of the application file

Any change in the format, or any alteration or modification of the original application file, will cause the immediate rejection of the application concerned.

VI.              EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURE

The projects presented will be assessed by an Evaluation Committee composed of three staff members of the Council of Europe.

The procedure shall be based on the underlying principles of grant award procedures, which are transparency, non-retroactivity, non-cumulative awards, not-for-profit, co-financing and non-discrimination, in accordance with Rule 1374 of 16 December 2015 on the grant award procedures of the Council of Europe.

The applicants, and their projects, shall fulfil all of the following criteria:

1.      Exclusion criteria:

Applicants shall be excluded from the grant award procedure where they or, in the case of legal persons, their owner(s) or executive officer(s):

a. have been sentenced by final judgment on one or more of the following charges: participation in a criminal organisation, corruption, fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing, terrorist offences or offences linked to terrorist activities, child labour or trafficking in human beings;

b. are in a situation of bankruptcy, liquidation, termination of activity, insolvency or arrangement with creditors or any like situation arising from a procedure of the same kind, or are subject to a procedure of the same kind;

c. have received a judgement with res judicata force, finding an offence that affects their professional integrity or constitutes a serious professional misconduct;

d. do not comply with their obligations as regards payment of social security contributions, taxes and dues, according to the statutory provisions of the country where they are established;

e. are an entity created to circumvent tax, social or other legal obligations (empty shell company), have ever created or are in the process of creation of such an entity;

f. have been involved in mismanagement of the Council of Europe funds or public funds.

By signing the Application Form, applicants shall declare on their honour that they are not in any of the above-mentioned situations (See Appendix I, Item <X>).

The Council of Europe reserves the right to ask applicants at a later stage to supply the following supporting documents:

-          for the items set out in paragraphs a), b), c) and f), an extract from the record of convictions or failing that an equivalent document issued by the competent judicial or administrative authority of the country where the applicant is established, indicating that these requirements are met;

-          for the items set out in paragraph d), a certificate issued by the competent authority of the country of establishment.

2.      Eligibility criteria:

In order to be eligible for a grant, an applicant must:

·         be legally constituted as a non-governmental organisation in the Republic of Moldova;

·         be entitled to carry out the activities described in its project proposal on the territory of the Republic of Moldova;

·         have been active for at leastthree years in the field of human rights/anti-discrimination;

·         have sufficient financial capacity (stable and sufficient sources of funding) to maintain its activity throughout the period for which the grant is awarded and to participate by way of its own resources (including human resources or in-kind contributions);

·         have sufficient operational and professional capacity, including staff, to carry out activities described in  its project proposal;

·         have a bank account.

Multiple applications are not allowed and shall lead to the exclusion of all applications concerned.

3.      Award criteria

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

·         the relevance and added value of the project with regard to combating stigmatization of vulnerable groups to the Republic of Moldova (35%)

·         the extent to which the action meets the requirements of the call (35%);

·         the quality, accuracy, clarity, completeness and cost-effectiveness of the application and the estimated budget (30%).

VII.           NOTIFICATION OF THE DECISION AND SIGNATURE OF GRANT AGREEMENTS

On completion of the selection process, all applicants will be notified in writing of the final decision concerning their respective applications as well as on the next steps to be undertaken.

The selected Grantees will be invited to sign a Grant Agreement (See Appendix III, for information only), formalising their legal commitments. Potential applicants are strongly advised to read the draft contract, in particular its requirements in terms of payment and reporting.

VIII.        INDICATIVE TIMETABLE

Phases

Indicative timing

Publication of the call

21 April 2022

Deadline for submitting applications

10 May 2022

Information to applicants on the results of the award procedure

18 May 2022

Signature of the grant agreements

25 May 2022

Implementation period

1 June 2022 – 30 November 2022

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