Open Call for Proposals - INSPIRED

Call for Proposals

Technical and Financial Support for implementing community-based media and democracy literacy activities following the OWIS methodology

1. Objectives of the call for proposals

The overall objective of this call for proposals is to empower Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Moldova with the necessary skills to effectively engage in civic education and democracy literacy activities, particularly targeting youth and marginalized groups. This includes supporting them in analysing information to combat disinformation and promoting informed citizenship using documentaries for civic education based on the OWIS methodology .

The specific objective is to support media and democracy literacy, along the electoral cycle, in Moldovan communities to foster informed engagement, civic education and active participation in the elections with a primary focus on youth engagement.

2. Scope of the support programme

Technical support

Selected organisations will be capacitated with One World in Schools (OWIS) methodology, developed by People in Need, and equipped with the proper tools via using interactive education techniques, presenting documentary films to enhance media literacy and foster democratic values among various communities. Through this programme, trained CSOs will be able to further support citizens to analyse information against disinformation threats and embrace informed citizenship amidst digital transformation.

People in Need (PIN) is a non-profit organisation striving to build a world where people are not restricted by a society devoid of freedoms, poverty, lack of opportunity or discrimination. Its belief is that the world can be a better place for people suffering from poverty, injustice or inequality. People in Need plays an active role in achieving a more inclusive and sustainable global development. More information about PIN Moldova is available at https://moldova.peopleinneed.net

Financial support

Selected organisations will receive financial support in the form of grants managed by People in Need Moldova in the modality explained below

3. Grants modalities

The funding amount for each proposal is up to EUR 10,000.

The projects should last between 6 and 12 months and be implemented starting January 2024.

The grant recipients will sign a contribution agreement (grant contract) with PIN. As selected organisations will be exempted from VAT from the costs incurred within this grant, the budget proposal should contain the planned costs excluding VAT.

4. Eligible activities and priorities of the call

Below please find the example of types of activities that are eligible for funding. The list is neither exhaustive nor cumulative. Additional types of activities may be considered, provided they align with the objectives of this call for proposals. These examples are offered as suggestions to inspire potential applicants and guide their project design.

The following types of activities are eligible for funding:

● Screening films that promote critical thinking and social justice, followed by discussions and debates, promoting human rights awareness.

● Engaging youth centres and rural communities in documentary-based activities on media and democracy literacy;

● Conducting workshops to develop critical thinking, media literacy, and digital citizenship skills using the documentaries as a starting point for discussion; Facilitate critical thinking and informed discussions on key themes in each documentary.

● Organising multi stake holder and intergenerational debates in communities around democratic processes and values; Help viewers recognize bias and understand how it affects narratives in documentaries and other media

● Guiding citizens to identify and debunk fake news and misinformation with enhanced media literacy capacity;

● Empowering participants to create digital stories, provide digital courses to share experiences and perspectives regarding civic engagement, democratic values.

● Supporting youth critical thinking in addressing local issues and promote social change;

● Fostering youth political and civil engagement by creating platforms that encourage civic participation, dialogue, and leadership development.

● Organizing mock elections and voter education campaigns to promote civic participation. (e.g., a policy debate or election) in which participants are assigned roles such as policymakers, journalists, and citizens. Understand how documentaries influence viewers' opinions and social behaviour and organize a debate on whether and how documentaries shape public discourse and behaviour.

● Engaging participants in social theatre, where they act out scenes from the documentary's themes, exploring issues, fostering deeper understanding through role-play and interactive discussions.

The priority for this call is to raise media and democracy literacy among Moldovan communities through the 2025 election period in the Republic of Moldova. The following priorities will enhance the relevance of proposals:

● Proposals that include public awareness campaigns aimed at educating citizens about the dangers of disinformation and the importance of media literacy will be highly valued.

● Complementarity with ongoing initiatives is encouraged to ensure a coordinated approach. Projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to youth engagement and civic participation will be prioritized.

● Projects should have a clear plan for sustainability, including strategies for long-term impact and institutional capacity building.

● Projects should prioritize the inclusion of marginalized groups, such as young people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ youth, and youth from rural areas.

● Projects should promote gender equality and empower young women and girls.

The following types of activities are ineligible for funding:

• Actions that focus primarily on individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences, or congresses;

• Actions which relate solely or mainly to individual scholarships for studies or training courses;

• Actions that support political parties or candidates during elections;

• Retroactive financing for projects that are already in progress or have been completed;

• Projects that provide exclusive benefits to individuals or restricted groups of individuals will not qualify for funding.

• Environmentally harmful projects will not receive funding, and the purchase of equipment is only permissible if it is directly linked to the implementation of the project.

5. Application and selection process

The following provides an overview of the application and selection process from the publication of the guidelines to the start of implementation.

5.1 Indicative timeline

- Opening of the call Friday15 November 2024

- Online information session Friday 22nd November 2024; 14:00 Chișinău time (link here: ZOOM link Meeting ID: 890 6488 9661 Passcode: 831933)

- Deadline to submit proposals Wednesday, 4th December 2024; 23:59 Chișinău time

- Evaluations of the proposals 5 - 13 December 2024

- Negotiation, finalisation and award 16 - 24 December 2024

- Indicative implementation period of grants 2 January 2025 - 30 November 2025 (from 6

to 11 months within this period)

- PIN’s capacity development training on OWIS methodology January 2025

5.2 Full application submission

The application period is open immediately and will close on Wednesday, 4th December 2024; (23:59, GMT+3, Chișinău time). The full application package is composed of:

● Annex A Grants Application Form;

● Annex B Budget Form;

● Confirmation of the organization's registrations

● Sworn Statement.

Applications should be sent to concurs.moldova@peopleinneed.net Applications must be submitted in English, Romanian or Russian languages.

5.3. Eligibility, evaluation and award procedure

5.3.1 Administrative compliance

● All applications will undergo an administrative check that establishes whether the information required by the online application form has been provided. Applications will be assessed through the administrative compliance criteria described below: The application package is received complete, in line with section 5.2 above. The organisation must be an NGO registered in Moldova and provide a certificate of registration.

● The organisation must be able to sign a grant agreement with PIN.

● The organisation is not already a beneficiary of a grant within the INSPIRED Moldova project.

● The organisation must not be in political party affiliation, nor in any of the exclusion criteria, such as conflict of interest, adverse audit opinion by the organisation’s own auditors or its donors’ auditors, participation in a criminal organisation, corruption, fraud, terrorist activities, money laundering or terrorist financing, child labour and other forms of modern slavery or human trafficking, any illegal activity, being bankrupt or subject to insolvency or winding-up proceedings or similar arrangements, professional misconduct or unfair procurement processes, and an outstanding level of debt that could put grant funds at risk.

5.3.2 Technical evaluation

The Evaluation Committee will then assess the administratively compliant applications against the criteria listed below:

• Organizational Capacity - max points 20

(Years of existence; Financial volume in the past year; Team size and structure; Presence of permanent human resources; Experience in managing similar-sized projects relative to the requested grant size)

• Organizational Experience in the field - max points 20

(Civil Society participation etc.)

• Relevance of the Project Proposal - max points 20 

(Alignment with Action and FSTP; Expected participant/target groups reach; Stakeholder involvement, including local authorities)

• Financial Component - max points 20

(Cost-effectiveness)

• Performance and Sustainability - max points 20

(Environmental impact; Citizen awareness of civil society participation in policy dialogue; multi-stakeholder dialogue and partnership development; Originality and innovation) 

Total Score 100

5.3.3 Final evaluation & award decision

Based on the above evaluation scoring, as decided by the PIN evaluation committee, applicants will receive an official response with the outcome of their application.

If selected for funding, a few additional documents may have to be completed by the applicant as part of the due diligence process. Once all comments have been addressed and additional information and documents have been provided, a contribution agreement will be signed between the applicant and PIN.

6. Background information

INSPIRED Moldova is an EU-funded project running from 2024 to 2027 which aims to contribute to creating an enabling environment for civil society in Moldova by empowering civil society organisations (CSOs) to actively engage in policy discussions at all levels. Building on the momentum generated by the EU accession process, the project facilitates policy dialogue processes on the enabling environment for civil society and relevant plans and programmes stemming from the accession negotiations. Recognising the importance of prioritising democracy building in the EU's new methodology on the fundamentals first accession criteria, the initiative will strengthen the capacities of CSOs to act as catalysts for democracy both at national and local level and in the digital sphere.

The project will foster inclusive and participatory processes to improve public participation, particularly by promoting the involvement of underrepresented groups and women in Moldova. By empowering Moldovan civil society through technical and financial support, the project aims to strengthen their influence on national policies and accelerate the country's EU integration. This involves engaging CSOs in policy-making processes at the national, local, and digital levels. The project encourages dialogue and collaboration with public authorities to ensure that civil society becomes a key actor in promoting democracy in Moldova.

The call for proposal related to output 3, which seeks to curate, disseminate, and apply digital toolkits for democracy, equipping CSOs with essential digital resources and expertise to effectively engage citizens and participate in policy dialogue.

7. Notice

This call for proposals is made possible by the financial support of the European Union. Its content represents the sole responsibility of the INSPIRED Moldova project, financed by the European Union. The content of the call for proposals belongs to People in Need Moldova and does not necessarily reflect the vision of the European Union.

The project is implemented by a Consortium of six organisations, among which the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), Center for Policies and Reforms (CPR Moldova), the National Assistance Centre for NGOs in Moldova (CONTACT), People in Need (PIN), the European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA), and Democracy Reporting International (DRI).