Call for proposals: Regional Cooperation of Ukraine
In response to the security and humanitarian challenges posed by Russia's war in Ukraine, the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation (BST), a project of the German Marshall Plan of the United States, is launching a new call for project proposals to further support the response of civil society actors in the wider Black Sea region.
This call is part of the Strengthening Regional Links and Transition Sharing in the Wider Black Sea Region action run by the Transatlantic Foundation and funded by the European Union. The action aims to support civil society groups, independent media outlets, and journalists from the wider Black Sea Region countries and the new EU member states.
Eligibility
BST will support short-term proposals that demonstrate impact over a span of 3 to 4 months with a total budget of €20,000 to €25,000. Proposals must be initiated and implemented by consortia formed by at least two organizations: the leading one should be legally registered in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, or an EU country neighboring Ukraine (Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, or Poland); and at least one of the partner civil society organizations (CSOs) or independent media organizations should be legally registered in and operating within or outside Ukraine.
Proposals will address one of the following objectives:
1. Increasing the capacity of CSOs and media outlets to counter disinformation and inform the public about the war and its social, political, and economic ramifications across the region. Project proposals under this objective can, for example, offer support to:
- Independent media outlets and CSOs working with Ukrainian journalists who have relocated because of the war to produce quality media content and investigative journalism pieces about the war and its consequences
- Fact-checking and debunking initiatives in the region, as well as disinformation analysis that counteracts malign narratives in the context of the war and related effects, to offer a clearer picture of who the producers and consumers are and what types of sentiments they are exploiting
- Expert convening and trainings that increase awareness and knowledge of strategies employed by malign actors to instrumentalize the war, the economic downturn, and the energy crisis.
2. Increasing the capacity of CSOs and think tanks to develop social, political, and economic policy proposals addressing the challenges triggered by the war in Ukraine and the recovery and reconstruction efforts. Project proposals under this objective can, for example, offer support to:
- Working groups analyzing and providing policy inputs to governmental and EU institutions on key challenges regarding the resilience, recovery, and reconstruction of Ukraine
- Monitor and improve legislation, policy, and practices supporting Ukrainian refugees in receiving countries and provide social, political, and economic recommendations regarding integration strategies
- Expert convening and trainings that increase awareness and knowledge of the challenges triggered by the war in Ukraine and the recovery and reconstruction efforts
- Improving the capacity of emerging leaders from Ukraine engaged in resilience, recovery, and reconstruction to liaise with EU counterparts.
Application
Project proposals must be sent to blackseatrust@gmfus.org by December 1, 2022. In order to submit a project proposal, organizations must complete the forms below in English:
Only proposals submitted using these forms will be taken into consideration.
Selected proposals are expected to start as early as January 1, 2023.
Specific calls, such as the current one, represent additional efforts to address issues specific to CSOs in the wider Black Sea Region countries. To learn more about BST’s ongoing grantmaking program, please visit gmfus.org/bst-grantmaking.
For more information, please check https://www.gmfus.org/regional-cooperation-ukraine or email us at blackseatrust@gmfus.org.
