The European Commission (EC) is offering grants to strengthen the contribution of civil society towards gender equality and more inclusive socio-economic development in Congo.
Program Objectives and Priorities
The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:
Improve and strengthen the skills and intervention capacities of women’s and youth organizations in particular, and CSOs in general, in the design and implementation of socio-economic development actions that integrate gender equality.
Promote initiatives carried out by civil society which facilitate the structuring of associative movements of young people, women and minorities with a view to their participation in public affairs and their improved access to economic, social and cultural rights.
The priorities of this call for proposals are:
The development of a map of civil society organizations in the different departments of the country;
Support for strengthening the structuring of organizations working on issues related to gender equality as well as actions aimed at advocating for the adoption and implementation of inclusive public policies;
Actions aimed at strengthening the organization and functioning of CSOs of young people, women and Congolese minorities as well as their commitments in initiatives aimed at their implications in the design and implementation of social and economic public policies;
Support for initiatives that build the capacities of association leaders on gender equality and their capacities to formulate and propose inclusive development strategies to public decision-makers;
Actions that contribute to the professionalization and economic autonomy of young people, women and minorities;
Initiatives that contribute to the emergence of association leaders active in taking into account gender equality in public policies at local and national levels;
Actions that promote the networking of associations working to take into account mainstreaming of gender equality in development strategies.
Funding Information
The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 3,900,000.
Lot 1 (implementation in the northern departments of the country, including Likouala, Sangha, Cuvette and Cuvette Ouest): EUR 1,300,000
Lot 2 (implementation in the departments of the center of the country, in particular Plateaux, Pool, Lekoumou and Brazzaville): EUR 1,300,000
Lot 3 (implementation in the southern departments of the country, notably Bouenza, Niari, Kouilou and Pointe Noire): EUR 1,300,000
Lot 1
Maximum Amount: EUR 1,300,000
Minimum Amount: EUR 1,100,000
Lot 2
Maximum Amount: EUR 1,300,000
Minimum Amount: EUR 1,100,000
Lot 3
Maximum Amount: EUR 1,300,000
Minimum Amount: EUR 1,100,000
Duration
The initial planned duration of an action may not be less than 36 months nor exceed 48 months.
Place of Performance
The actions must be implemented in the Republic of Congo.
Eligibility Criteria
Lead Applicant(s)
To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
be a legal entity;
have no profit motive;
belong to one of the following categories of organizations: non-governmental organization;
be established in6 a Member State of the European Union or the other eligible countries;
be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and the affiliated entity(ies) and not act as an intermediary.
The lead applicant established in the Republic of Congo may act either individually or with one or more co-applicants.
The lead applicant whose place of establishment is not the Republic of Congo must act with at least one co-applicant established in the Republic of Congo.
Co-applicant(s)
Co-applicants take part in drawing up and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those borne by the lead applicant.
Co-applicants must meet the same eligibility criteria as apply to the lead applicant itself.
Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.
In addition, it should be noted that contracts cannot be awarded or signed with applicants on the EU restrictive measures lists.
Affiliated entities
The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with one or more affiliated entities.
Only the following entities can be considered affiliated to the lead applicant and/or co-applicant(s):
Only entities that have a structural link with the applicants (the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
This structural link mainly encompasses two notions:
control on annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
Entities affiliated with an applicant can therefore be:
entities controlled directly or indirectly by the applicant (subsidiaries or first-tier subsidiaries) or controlled by an entity itself controlled by the applicant (sub-subsidiaries or second-tier subsidiaries). This is valid for the other control levels;
entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Similarly, they may be entities controlling a company controlling the applicant;
entities with the same level of direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies);
membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as, for example, a network, federation or association of which the proposed affiliated entity is a member, or the applicant is a member of the same entity (for example, a network, a federation or an association,) than the proposed affiliated entity.
