The project “Critical thinking for mediawise citizens – CriThink” announces:
Call for support of local civil society organizations
Deadline for submission: July 15, 2019.
The project “Critical Thinking for mediawise citizens – CriThink” implemented by the Metamorphosis Foundation in partnership with EUROTHINK, and supported by the European Union, announces this application request to provide support for initiatives of local civil society organizations in partnership with media and other stakeholders, who will promote the creation of a culture of critical thinking by promoting media literacy.
The initiatives should be aimed at meeting the project objectives, through activities tailored to the needs at the local level in each of the 8 planning regions. The main goal of the project is to promote media literacy as a basis for preserving the right of citizens to have different opinions, by stimulating a culture of critical thinking, pluralism of opinions and democratic values. The specific goals of the project are:
- To encourage a culture of critical thinking by educating the general public about the harmful effects of media manipulation on democracy and European values.
- To increase the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) and the media to deal with media manipulation (including hate speech) by improving media literacy in conjunction with state institutions.
- To increase the demand from the citizens for greater accountability and responsibility of the media through public non-formal education, promotion of professional standards and international practices for protection of freedoms of opinion and expression.
- Within this first cycle of the small grants program of CriThink, it is planned to be awarded ten (10) grants in the amount of 6,000 to 7,000 euros, which will support projects intended for each of the 8 planning regions of the Republic of North Macedonia, whereby more than one grant may be awarded in one region.
The implementation period must not be longer than 6 (six) months. Applicants are not required to provide co-financing from other sources.
The Small Grants Program will support initiatives to stimulate a culture of critical thinking by promoting media literacy with the following activities from this indicative list (the list is not exhaustive, there is potential for support for other activities if they are found to be consistent with the goals of the project):
- Production of content for public education on the Internet and / or traditional media (radio, TV, press);
- Promotion of educational content through different types of media;
- Encouraging public debate on issues affecting media literacy and critical thinking;
- Engaging citizens to increase their demands for production of high quality media;
- Capacity building of local community members, including training, workshops and lectures;
- Online promotion through short videos, banners and other types of multimedia content;
- Enabling the citizens to use the competent state institutions / regulatory bodies, as well as the self-regulatory mechanisms of the journalistic profession for resolving the media manipulations;
- Strategic use of social media to reach a wider and / or targeted audience, including online advertising;
- Establishing cooperation and networking between different stakeholders for advocacy of media literacy at local and national level; education and business sector.
The grants are primarily intended for smaller CSOs to enable them to learn and assist in building their fundraising capacity and to subsequently participate in grant calls announced by the EU and other donors. Furthermore, it will be necessary to enter into a partnership with at least one medium.
The full call as well as the application forms are available at the following links:
- Call for support of local civil society organizations (pdf format);
- Budgeting guide (pdf format);
CSOs – candidates for projects that will be funded through the small grant program, will have to submit their applications in electronic format via e-mail, using the standard application package of the Metamorphosis Foundation, which includes the following components:
- Completed Annex 1: Application form in Macedonian language (word format);
- Scanned copy of the last page of the application form (stamped and signed);
- Completed Annex 2: Budget form, in Macedonian language (excel format);
- Completed Annex 3: Implementation time frame form, in Macedonian language (word format);
- Completed Annex 4: Form with a short description of the project in English (word format);
Additional attachments:
- Work CVs of the project team;
- Copy of registration document;
- Copy of Current Status from Central Registry, not older than 6 months;
- Annual work report and financial report for the previous year. If the organization according to Article 18 of the Law on Accounting of Non-Profit Organizations is not obliged to prepare a financial report, it is necessary to submit only a notification. In case one year has not passed from the day of registration, the organization is not obliged to submit an annual work report;
- Audit report for the previous year (optional);
- Information for partners: letters of support;
A fully submitted application will be considered the one that includes all fully completed forms and all additional attachments.
When filling in the Budget Form, it is necessary to take into account the rules given in the Budget Guidelines, as well as the fact that in cooperation with “Metamorphosis” and “EUROTHINK” all selected grantees will independently conduct a VAT exemption procedure on the basis of foreign donation to the Secretariat for European Affairs (SEA).
Deadline for application is July 15, 2019 until 4 pm, exclusively by e-mail to povik@crithink.mk.
Application forms must be completed in Macedonian, while Annex 4: The project short description form must be completed in English.
Applicants who will need clarifications or additional information about the call should submit questions by e-mail to povik@crithink.mk by June 28, 2019 until 4 pm, so that they can receive answers on time, before the deadline.
