The Municipality Center Sarajevo in Partnership with the United Nations Development Program announces public call for civil society organizations/non-governmental organizations to submit project proposals as Part of the project Regional Program of Local Democracy in the Western Balkans (ReLOaD2).
The subject of the Public Call is to strengthen partnership relations between civil society organizations and LGUs by building awareness of the usefulness of mutual cooperation and encouraging sustainable dialogue, all with the aim of providing better services to the local community. The activity is carried out as part of the ReLOaD2 project, financed by the European Union (EU), and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in six countries of the region, namely: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia.
The overall goal of the project is to strengthen participatory democracy and EU integration in the Western Balkans, by empowering civil society and encouraging young people to actively participate in the decision-making process, as well as improving the stimulating legal and financial environment for civil society.
The specific goal of the project is to strengthen partnerships between local authorities and civil society in the Western Balkans, by expanding the successful model of transparent project financing of CSOs (LOD methodology) from the budget of local self-government units, aimed at greater civic participation and youth participation in decision-making processes and improvement of service provision in local communities.
The general goal of this call is to further strengthen partnership relations between civil society organizations and LGUs by building awareness of the usefulness of mutual cooperation and encouraging sustainable dialogue, all with the aim of providing better services to the local community.
Thematic Areas
The following thematic areas were prioritized within the framework of the public call: Informal Education
Support for projects to improve the inclusive preschool education of children with developmental disabilities and the importance of early intervention;
Informing/educating parents of Roma children about the obligation and need to include children in preschool/school upbringing and education;
Culture
Promotion of culture, creative and artistic creativity in the area of the municipality of Centar Sarajevo;
Intergenerational cooperation through diversity of cultural content;
Projects that affirm and promote modern art;
Environment Protection
Protection of the environment and raising environmental awareness through environmental education and activism;
Involvement of children and young people in activities of environmental protection and planting of urban greenery;
Raising awareness about animal protection;
Sports
Projects that affirm recreational, amateur sports and new sports disciplines;
Implementation of sports techniques in the rehabilitation of persons (children and adults) with disabilities and psychosocial disorders;
Projects that contribute to the inclusion of all categories of the population in the sports and social sphere of life, with the aim of strengthening the sports spirit as an important aspect in the development of a healthy lifestyle;
Projects that affirm the forgotten games of childhood;
The Young
Projects that raise awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of social networks as well as their impact on young people and the prevention of cyber violence among young people and children;
Projects that educate the population about the prevention of addictive diseases, games of chance (bookmakers) and the like;
Support for projects that contribute to improving the position of young people – through the organization of trainings/workshops in order to promote volunteerism, community work, teamwork, the importance of social and economic inclusion;
Projects that educate young people about traffic safety and the prevention of traffic accidents;
Projects that contribute to supporting children and young people at risk of unwanted behavior, as well as improving the mental health of children and young people;
Supporting projects that contribute to the development of skills and economic empowerment of young people;
Projects that contribute to the stimulation of cultural and creative creativity of children and young people with disabilities;
Projects that contribute to encouraging the cultural and creative creativity of young people;
Projects that contribute to increasing the technological and IT literacy of young people.
Funding Information
The value of project proposals to be awarded under this call must be between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
minimum amount: 10,000.00KM
maximum amount: 50,000.00 KM
One civil society organization can submit several project proposals within one or more public calls, with the maximum amount of funds that can be allocated for the implementation of projects to one civil society organization during the total duration of the ReLOaD2 project being 120,000.00 KM.
Duration
The duration of projects can be from 6 (six) to 8 (eight) months, in the period from April 2024 to November 2024.
Types of Projects
The projects that will be selected for financing should be prepared in accordance with the public call, i.e. to the specified priority strategic areas expressed through the topics of the public call . CSO projects should be created in response to specific needs in local communities and for specific target groups identified by the project.
Projects should consist of independent operational activities with clearly formulated operational objectives, target groups and planned outcomes.
Projects should be integrated as a methodological set of activities, designed to achieve certain specific goals and results within a limited time frame.
Regular CSO activities of the applicant and/or partner will not be financed through this public call. This refers to a standard set of CSO activities that occur each year (eg participation of sports clubs and/or prominent athletes in league competitions, traditional tournaments, registration fees for referees, etc.). If the CSO writes a project for activities with a new group of users and in accordance with the mentioned topics, e.g. a free soccer school for boys or girls from socially disadvantaged categories can be financed by public invitation.
If during the duration of the project it is expected that income will be generated from some project activity, it is necessary to specify how this income will be disposed of, that is, to propose who will be the beneficiaries of this part in the local community. In order to be considered, the project should have a textually described section on how to direct the income generated within the project, in order to avoid individual profit and ensure the benefit of the project for the community.
Location
Projects must be implemented exclusively in the area of the municipality of Centar Sarajevo and for the residents of the municipality of Centar Sarajevo. In exceptional cases, it is allowed to carry out certain activities on the territory of another LGU if there are objective reasons for this, which are stated in the project proposal.
Eligibility Criteria
Participation in this public call is open, on equal grounds, to all formally registered CSOs (association/association or foundation), in accordance with the applicable legal regulations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In order to apply for the public call, applicants must:
be a formally registered CSO in accordance with applicable legal regulations (association/association or foundation).
Potential applicants cannot participate in the call or receive grants if they do not submit a signed and scanned statement of eligibility with the project proposal.
This public call is not open to branches of foreign and international associations, foundations and other non-profit organizations registered and operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Applicants will be excluded from participation in the call or from the awarding of grants if, at the time of the call for submission of project proposals, they are:
subjects of conflict of interest (eg employees of partner LGUs who at the same time hold executive or managerial roles in CSOs);
provided false information or failed to provide necessary information;
tried to obtain confidential information, influenced the evaluation committee or the authorized party for contracts during the evaluation process of the call for submission of project proposals.