Unfortunately, civic space is under threat in the Western Balkans and polarisation is on the rise. Activists and organisations that advocate for social change increasingly find themselves at the receiving end of various forms of hostility and pressure. This particularly affects those who challenge the status quo head-on, whether they do so through a principled stance on dealing with the past issues, by trying to break ethnic and ideological bubbles or by protecting essential liberties such as media freedom.
To stay active and impactful in such a context, organisations need to be strong internally and ready to adapt. Yet this is often hard to achieve as operational pressures pile up and make it difficult to find time and resources to invest in internal development. This is why we have been providing institutional development support in the Western Balkans since 2014. In these uncertain times, PeaceNexus believes that it is critical to continue investing in organisations and initiatives geared towards social cohesion. Under this call, we want to continue providing brave organisations and initiatives with the breathing space and resources to get stronger internally. We believe that our process support can be catalytic in helping organisations adapt to changing circumstances.
Through our organisational development support, we wish to partner with actors which contribute to the quality and intensity of collaboration across ethnic lines, and which enable regional mobility and reconciliation. We are also keen to support organisations able to mobilise others, including youth, in support of responsible dealing with the past processes. Through conflict sensitivity support, we will also support actors which do not necessarily have a focus on reconciliation but are interested in contributing to social cohesion and countering polarisation through their broader mandate. In both areas of support, we work with partners to help them overcome internal challenges that hinder their effectiveness and ability to reach their own goals.
if you are interested in applying, please browse the following sections and consult this detailed Overview of the Call.
Selected applicants will be supported through a tailored process of internal strengthening focusing either on Conflict Sensitivity (support area 1) or Organisational Development (support area 2).
PeaceNexus (PN) support will take the form of a small grant of up to 40’000 CHF (average 25’000 CHF) to cover external expertise and process costs (for example for meeting costs, fees of specialised consultants, capacity development investments). In addition, two PN staff members will provide accompaniment to selected organisations throughout the partnership, including by providing advice, feedback or brainstorming about solutions. Once you are a PN partner, you will also be invited to regional peer-learning events with other PN partners and will be able to request external coaching if you need it. A phase of PN support lasts approximately 1 year and the majority of PN partners are supported for several years.
We do NOT offer project nor core funding.
The list of eligibility criteria is included below under section IV of the Overview document of the Call, but in brief we are looking for applicants who are:
Under this call, applications from Bosnia & Herzegovina are particularly welcome.
Grassroots initiatives and networks which are not registered are also able to apply.
This application process consists of two parts, this webform and a word application form. Your application needs to be completed by 11th June following these steps.
Please bear in mind that there is a ”save and continue later” function in case you cannot complete your application in one go. If you have any questions, please make sure to have read carefully all of our available call documentation and get in touch with us via email at vladica.jovanovic@peacenexus.org if you have an urgent question that is not covered by our documents.
Once you submit your application, you will receive an automated confirmation of receipt. There is no need to follow up with us from your side, we will only get in touch if we need clarification about your application or if you are shortlisted. Unsuccessful applicants will hear back from us by the beginning of August.