The Support Program for Civil Society Organizations Implemented by WWF Adria has been opened within the Project "Protected Areas for Nature and People".

The small grants program is intended for local associations and organizations that contribute to nature protection and conservation of protected areas (PA) in their region, and are aimed at improving the monitoring of unsustainable use of natural resources in and around protected areas. 

The project is implemented through five components:

• Improve national policies for protected area management as well as biodiversity conservation
• Raise awareness of biodiversity issues, through the promotion of active citizenship
• Strengthen the responsibility of decision makers in the field of nature protection;
• Ensure that local communities can participate in and benefit from the sustainable development of protected areas;
• Increase the participation of the local community in the management of protected areas

Objectives

A specific objective is to support NGOs and local initiatives in monitoring poor management practices and unsustainable use of natural resources and to implement monitoring in and around the protected areas.

Support to monitoring activities of bad / unsustainable practices in and around protected areas; (illegal logging, illegal construction, poaching, fires...):

• Establishment of a system for monitoring unsustainable practices (illegal logging, poaching, fish poaching, illegal construction) in the PA
• Support for the introduction of good practices and models of protected area management,
• Capacity building of local organizations to monitor unsustainable and illegal practices related to protected area management,
• Connecting and networking of different organizations (CSOs, public institutions, inspections) in order to improve the monitoring of unsustainable and illegal practices
• Improving the implementation of existing regulations / policies / practices related to the protection of natural resources at the local level,
• Increasing transparency, access of information and promoting citizen activism for the protection of natural resources in local communities with special emphasis on the participation / education of vulnerable groups (e.g. Women, youth, elderly, national minorities, people with disabilities)

Funding Information

• The total fund for the financial support of projects is EUR 30,000, and 10 organizations will be supported in the maximum amount of EUR 3,000 each, or in case of no foreign currency account the amount will be paid in the national currency equivalent.
• The duration of the project can be from 8 (eight) to 12 (twelve) month

Criteria

The following organizations may participate in the program:

• legal entities registered as non-profit organizations in the territory of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Kosovo, the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Serbia, and in accordance with applicable legislation (association or foundation) for the respective country.
• Organizations registered as non-profit organizations, civil society organizations (e.g. environmental associations, youth associations, women's associations, mountaineering associations, and local media) that have the status of a legal entity.
• Various organizations called voluntary, independent, non-profit, non-governmental and third sector
• Citizens' associations and non- profit institutions. This public call is not open to branches of foreign and international associations and foundations;
• Organizations directly responsible for the preparation and implementation of the project, i.e. not acting as intermediaries
• Organizations which carry out their activities on the territory of BIH / KS / MKD /SRB, in and around protected areas

Applicants will be disqualified from participating in the call or competing for grants if, at the time of the call for proposals, they are:

• subjects of a conflict of interest;
• guilty of giving false information to the authorized party for contracts, which are necessary as a precondition for participating in the call for proposals, or if they have not provided the necessary information;
• Tried to obtain confidential information, influence the evaluation committee or the contracting authority during the evaluation process of the call for proposals.

Participation in this public call is open, on an equal basis, to all formally registered civil society organizations / non-profit organizations (associations), in accordance with the applicable legislation of countries that meet the requirements of the competition (BIH /KS / MKD / SRB).

For more information, visit WWF.