Granturi și Finanțări

Request for Grant Applications

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS IN MOLDOVA
Project: Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighborhood (BREN) II
Call type: Open competition 

1. Background & Strategic Objectives

For its upcoming project cycle, BREN II will adopt a revised thematic focus aligned with evolving UK strategic priorities relating to regional stability, resilience, and emerging security challenges. Greater emphasis will be placed on strengthening human security and supporting actors operating in increasingly complex and sensitive environments, including in relation to information-related challenges where appropriate. The intention is to ensure that interventions remain relevant, targeted, and responsive to the evolving regional context. 

The UK-funded Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood (BREN II) programme supports civil-society action aimed at strengthening human security across the Eastern Neighbourhood, particularly for women and other underrepresented groups.

For 2026 - 2027 in Moldova, every project must address at least one thematic priority below and apply a resilience, information integrity, and public trust approach.

Thematic Priorities for Moldova

1. Women, Peace and Security (WPS) -support initiatives that increase the meaningful participation of women, underrepresented groups, and vulnerable communities in peace and security decision-making processes. This includes locally driven efforts to strengthen inclusive governance and institutional accountability, engagement with local and central authorities on the implementation of WPS frameworks, and initiatives that promote the active role of women and girls in shaping security and justice outcomes at community and national levels, including through civic dialogue, community engagement, and public-interest communication initiatives.
2. Locally Driven Peacebuilding and Community Resilience - projects should focus on locally driven peacebuilding, including responses to crisis-related challenges facing communities. This includes supporting community-led initiatives that address sources of tension such as polarisation and fragmentation, including through inclusive dialogue, community engagement, and collaboration with trusted civic information providers. Projects should also strengthen the capacity of local actors to prevent, manage, and respond to conflict and instability. Particular emphasis should be placed on inclusive approaches that bring together diverse groups and contribute to sustainable peace at the local level.

3.     Public Trust and Inclusive Engagement - projects should focus on promoting public trust and engagement between citizens and security and law enforcement institutions. This includes supporting dialogue, transparency, accountability mechanisms, and inclusive public communication approaches that strengthen the relationship between communities and state security actors, particularly among vulnerable and underrepresented groups including women and girls. Activities may also support collaboration between civil society, community actors, and civic information providers to encourage informed and constructive public engagement on issues related to security and public safety. Activities should aim to build confidence in institutions, reduce barriers to engagement, and contribute to more inclusive and rights-respecting approaches to public safety.

4.     Civil Society Capacity and Partnerships - projects should focus on strengthening the resilience of civil society organisations, civic information providers, and other public-interest actors to external pressures, including harassment, legal threats, and operational restrictions. This includes supporting organisational security, adaptive capacity, and knowledge exchange among CSOs and civic information providers facing challenging operating environments, as well as fostering partnerships, coalitions, and cross-sector collaboration to enhance collective resilience, coordination, and public engagement.

Across all thematic areas, proposals should demonstrate how Gender Equality, Social Inclusion and conflict-sensitive approaches will be integrated into project design and implementation. Particular consideration should be given to the meaningful participation of women, youth and underrepresented or vulnerable groups, including in local decision-making, community engagement and resilience-building processes.

Eligible Activities

IWPR will consider projects that concentrate on one or more of the following:

• Production of materials – development of research, analytical reports, educational resources, and communication or media outputs.
• Advocacy and policy engagement– engagement with government, local authorities, and community institutions to promote evidence-based policy dialogue and reform. 
• Awareness-raising and public outreach– campaigns, events, and initiatives to promote public understanding and engagement on key issues.
• Community engagement– initiatives aimed at building knowledge, skills, and participation among vulnerable and underrepresented groups (including women, minorities, IDPs, and youth). 
• Capacity strengthening– organisational development, including training, mentoring, and technical support for civil society organisations, civic information providers, and relevant stakeholders.           

Strongly encouraged to apply

• Groups outside Chisinau, especially in border regions
• organisations operating in the Gagauzia region and the Security Zone
• Newly formed organisations

Joint applications

Partnerships are welcome, particularly those that:

• Link capital-based and regional CSOs
• Combine different areas of expertise
• Pair CSOs with media organisations

3. Organisational Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate:

• Respect for democratic values and human rights
• Commitment to information integrity and ethical standards

• Ability to identify, analyse, and mitigate risks
• Transparent project and financial management
• Willingness to learn and share with peer grantees
• Impartiality, with no partisan or politically focused programming
• A clear sustainability plan for post-grant impact

4. Application Package

Email  the following documents (email subject: BREN II-ABPG-2026-MLD-[Org Acronym]) to iwpr-en@iwpr.net:

1. Application Form(max 10 pages) 
2. Detailed Budget(Excel) 
3. Annexes

o           Registration certificate

o           Latest financial statement (audited or unaudited)

o           Organisational chart / staffing list

o           Safeguarding policy or signed commitment

5. Evaluation & Selection

There will be a two-stage evaluation process of applications. In the first stage, applications will be shortlisted by IWPR based on the following criteria: 

IWPR may request clarifications from the organisations in the shortlisting stage. Proposals with a score of at least 5points will be submitted to the selection panel for full review. 

Final Selection

The selection panel, which consists of representatives from IWPR and the UK Embassy in Moldova, will assess proposals based on the set criteria as described in the below table. Applicants with the highest scores will be selected for funding. Funding will be contingent on vetting processes. 

6. Application Process & Timeline

Interested organisations should complete and submit application and budget forms to iwpr-en@iwpr.net.

Applications may be submitted in English or Romanian (English preferred; language choice does not affect award decisions).

Please find the application templates here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s7eFX1fs2auQogkmVhoKff54rsu_7AI5?usp=sharing

We encourage narrative and financial proposals to be written and prepared by organisational staff. Where AI is used, please indicate when and where this is used; we request this is kept to a minimum and used in an ethical and responsible manner.

Questions? Contact our Moldova Country Coordinator tatianachebac@iwpr.net . Replies will be provided until 2 June 2026.

An information session about this grant call will take place on 29 May, 12:00, you can register through the following link  https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/8hNnUj1_R362mTb6yIy2CQ

7. About IWPR & BREN II

The Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) is an international non-profit that builds peace and democracy through free media and empowered civil society.

The Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood II (BREN-II) project is implemented by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) and funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

We look forward to receiving your innovative proposals that advance resilience, information integrity, and public trust in Moldova.