On 4th March 2025, an online info-session was held for the call for Action Grants for Supporting the 2025 Local Elections. The event attracted representatives from over 60 civil society organisations (CSOs), who had the opportunity to learn about the requirements and criteria of this Call for proposals. The overall objective of this Call for proposals is to contribute to the strengthening of democracy in Republic of North Macedonia through improved electoral process with a focus on its enhanced transparency, credibility and inclusiveness.
During the first part of the info-session, the objectives of the call, expected results, available financial resources, eligibility criteria, and application process defined in the Guidelines were presented. The application form, budget, and other required documents were also explained. In the second part, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and receive clarifications and answers.
A key point of interest for participants was the eligibility criteria. One of the questions raised was related to the requirement to complete four online training courses available on the online CSOs’ ACADEMY (https://rcgo.mk/akademija/). These courses are pre-recorded and can be accessed at any time. To be eligible to apply, CSOs need to complete the following four training courses:
- Project Planning and Proposal Writing (6 modules, spread over 2 weeks; a new module is released every other day)
- Public Relations for CSOs (3 modules, spread over one week; a new module is released every other day)
- Good Governance in CSOs (1 module, approximately 10 minutes in duration)
- Transparency and Accountability of CSOs (1 module, approximately 12 minutes in duration)
In addition to the completed training courses, organisations need to fill out the Organisational Capacity Self-Assessment Tool. Applicants are not required to submit additional proof that they meet these two eligibility criteria.
Attendees of the session also asked about the criteria regarding the organisation’s proven experience in election observation and support. To meet this criterion, the organisation needs to have at least one initiative, activity, or project supporting local/parliamentary/presidential elections, or supporting the electoral process, or ensuring the respect of voting rights. Regarding the question of whether the experience of individual members of the organisations as election observers during local elections would be considered relevant, it was answered that the participation of members will only be recognized if those members can prove they were engaged as representatives of the organisation in the electoral process.
Some of the questions were related to the criteria for eligible and ineligible costs. It was emphasised that expenses for compensating civil servants or other personnel employed/engaged in the public administration at the central and/or local level are ineligible costs under this Call for proposals. More details about the eligible and ineligible costs can be found in the Guidelines, Section 2.1.3 – Eligibility of Costs.
Organisations that were unable to attend the session can send their questions related to this Call for proposals to the following email: [email protected], with the subject line: Question regarding Call for proposals Ref. 08-20/1-2025. The deadline for questions is 20th March, 2025, at 17:00 (Macedonian time). Answers to the submitted questions (including those raised during this info session) will be published on www.rcgo.mk no later than 28th March 2025.
The Action Grants for Supporting the 2025 Local Elections are launched under the project “EU Support to the Civil Society Resource Centre – Phase 2”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the National Civil Society Development Foundation – Civic Resource Centre, the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation, Media Plus Štip, and the Association for Democratic Initiatives Gostivar.
