Czech Non-Governmental Organization NESEHNUTÍ (http://initiativeway.org/), in partnership with Armenian organizations Center for Community Mobilization and Support (https://www.armccms.org) and Civic Youth Center (cyc.org.am), invites you to participate in the Civil Society Development Support Program in Armenia and offers the opportunity to receive support for your civic campaigns and initiatives from April 2025 to April 2026.
Program Donor: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
Eligible Participants: Non-governmental organizations, civic initiatives, activists, and independent media. When evaluating applications, priority will be given to proposals from organizations or initiative groups operating and implementing activities in the regions of Armenia. Support will not be provided to commercial entities, political parties, or organizations affiliated with them, even informally (e.g., youth or expert organizations), as well as organizations that serve as grant-making foundations for other projects.
Priority Thematic Areas and Activities within the Program:
- Environmental, climate, and nature protection
- Human rights protection (including civil and social rights, minority rights, and the rights of vulnerable groups)
- Public participation in decision-making, free access to information
- Gender equality, combating domestic violence, and discrimination
- Relevance and Significance of the Issue: The campaign addresses an important societal issue with broad public significance.
- Community Involvement: The campaign actively engages citizens and local communities.
- Long-Term Impact: The campaign has the potential for concrete and sustainable changes, not just short-term effects.
| What is a Civic Campaign? A civic campaign is an organized public effort aimed at solving a societal problem, defending rights, or promoting positive change. Campaigns may include advocacy actions, citizen mobilization, dialogue with authorities or businesses. A key feature of civic campaigns is their focus on public good, engaging people in active participation, and striving for long-term results. |
- One-off events (trainings, roundtables, etc.)
- Clean-up days and waste collection activities
- Lectures or printed informational materials (brochures, T-shirts, bags) without a goal of achieving concrete systemic changes
- Selected groups and initiatives will participate in a two-day joint project planning session with professional trainers to develop their ideas into concrete plans, to be implemented from April 2025 to April 2026. The planning session will be held in English or Russian.
- Financial support for your project idea, with an average grant of up to 2,500 EUR
- Ongoing expert consultations, including international experts (both online and offline), and specialized advisory support when needed
- Representatives of initiative groups will have the opportunity to participate in:
- School of Civic Engagement (2025)
- Study Visit to the Czech Republic (2025)
- BarCamp in Armenia (2026)
- March 2, 2025 – Deadline for submitting your application forms (applications received after this date will not be considered).
- March 7, 2025 – All applicants will be informed about the selection results. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an online interview.
- March 10–12, 2025 – Online interviews with pre-selected candidates (participation in the interview does not guarantee final selection).
- Late March – Early April 2025 – Workshop where supported initiatives will develop detailed civic project plans with facilitator support. Participation is mandatory (ideally all project team members should attend). The workshop will be held at the location of the organization or initiative group, with NESEHNUTÍ covering costs for meals, accommodation, and transportation. The workshop will be conducted in Russian or English (as per the group’s preference).
- April 2025 – April 2026 – Project implementation with expert support as needed.
- September – October 2025 – Monitoring meeting to assess interim campaign results and update action plans accordingly.
You can download the application form here.
For more information, please contact: juliette.amiraghian.ccms@gmail.com
About the Project:
The project "Participatory Path to Change in the Regions of Armenia" aims to support civic initiatives and active citizens in engaging local communities to find solutions to pressing issues, while promoting democratic values and human rights. This project is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic under the “Transformational Cooperation” program.