Question 1: Is Kosovo* eligible to apply?

No. The micro-grant scheme is open to the 50 signatories of the European Cultural Convention.

Please refer to Call for proposals, Section III. REQUIREMENTS, Part 1. General objective (page 3):

"The grants will fund projects designed to contribute to building democratic and inclusive societies through helping develop a culture of democracy by promoting education for democratic citizenship and human rights education in States party to the European Cultural Convention."

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

Question 2: Can an NGO from a non-EU country apply individually, or is it mandatory to have partner organisation from an EU member state?

It is not mandatory to have a partner organisation and NGOs can apply individually provided that they are established in one of the 50 countries of the European Cultural Convention.

Please refer to Call for proposals, Section III. REQUIREMENTS, Part 1. General objective (page 3):

"The grants will fund projects designed to contribute to building democratic and inclusive societies through helping develop a culture of democracy by promoting education for democratic citizenship and human rights education in States party to the European Cultural Convention."

Question 3: Is it necessarily to have partners?

No. Institutions can apply individually provided that they fulfil the eligibility criteria.

Please refer to Call for proposals, Section V. EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURE, Part 2. Eligibility Criteria (page 9):

“In order to be eligible for a grant, an organisation must:

• be legally constituted as a non-for-profit structure or a public entity;
• be entitled to carry out the activities described in the project proposal;
• have sufficient financial capacity (stable and sufficient sources of funding) to maintain its activity throughout the period for which the grant is awarded and to participate by way of its own resources (including human resources or in-kind contributions);
• have sufficient operational and professional capacity, including staff, to carry out activities described in its project proposal;
• have a bank account.”

Question 4: General inquiry from several countries from Asia, Africa and the Middle-East about the geographical scope of the call.

Please refer to Call for proposals, Section III. REQUIREMENTS, Part 1. General objective (page 3):

"The grants will fund projects designed to contribute to building democratic and inclusive societies through helping develop a culture of democracy by promoting education for democratic citizenship and human rights education in States party to the European Cultural Convention."

Question 5: What should be the language of the required additional documents (e.g. the Statute of the applying institution), should it be in the native language of the applicant or translated? If translated, is notary approval needed?

The language of applications is English. The statute of the applying institution should be submitted both in the native language of the applicant - as a copy of the original - and in English. Notary approval is not obligatory.

Question 6: We are a cultural organisation from one of the EU member states. Can we apply in partnership with other institutions (e.g. school, university, etc.)? Is it necessary to attach an official documentation of partnership (for instance letter of intent, partnership agreement, etc.) signed by legal representative of partners?

Partnerships are allowed and signing an official partnership document or issuing letters of intent is encouraged to provide the framework of this partnership. It shall be underlined that the grant agreement will be signed only with the appliant institution and sub-granting is not allowed. Therefore, the role of the partners and their involvement in the project activities shall clearly be stated in this official partnership document which is not obligatory in the submission of the application file, but will be required at the time of reporting.

Question 7: Is it necessary to define one stakeholder, or more?

There is no restriction on the number of stakeholders. It depends on the project proposal.

Question 8: Can the signature and official stamp of the applicant be scanned, placed in the electronic application form and sent?

Yes.

Question 9: Is it possible to apply for funding for staff costs?

Please refer to Call for proposals, Section III. REQUIREMENTS, Part 6. Budgetary requirements (page 5):

“The implementing organization shall be required to contribute to the project either by way of its own resources or by contribution from third parties. Co-financing may take the form of financial or human resources, in-kind contributions or income generated by the action or project.
The budgets made available to the project will not cover operating costs of national administration personnel assigned to the project, but only direct, eligible costs such as travel, hotel, special costs associated to meetings (venue, interpretation, stationery, secretariat, etc.). Exception may be made for contracting national experts to help planning and co-ordination of project activities and inasmuch as non-governmental entities (national or international) are called in to participate in the project, for expertise and research, with standard fees being accepted as part of the budgets.”

Question 10: Is it possible to submit the application in another language?

No. Applications should be done in English.

Question 11: Is it possible to include bank charges for servicing the account during the movement of funds under the project?

No.

Question 12: Can we consider the venue for project activities (conference rooms) as a natural contribution to the project from a third party?

Such contribution by the applicant could be considered as in-kind contribution as part of the co-funding which is an obligation of the call.

Please refer to Call for proposals, Section III. REQUIREMENTS, Part 6. Budgetary requirements (page 5):
“The implementing organization shall be required to contribute to the project either by way of its own resources or by contribution from third parties. Co-financing may take the form of financial or human resources, in-kind contributions or income generated by the action or project".

Question 13: Broken link to the English version of one of the previous outcomes "Teaching Controversial Issues"

Please use the link below:

Question 14: In order to make a language adaptation of animated videos, either animation project files or videos without titles would be needed. Will such materials be provided by the Programme?

Yes.

Question 15: Regarding study visits, do we have to visit only the institutions which took part in the previous projects or can we organise a study visit to whichever institution we choose?

The main purpose of this micro-grant scheme is to disseminate or further develop the outcomes of the previous programme cycles, so any selected activity should directly be linked to one of these instruments, which are being widely used by a variety of institutions in different countries - and this is not limited to the institutions which took part in the Programme. You may choose among such institutions provided they have proven experience with the tools listed.

Question 16: Are we limited with the activities listed in the call or can we go beyond and organise a conference for instance?

Same as above. The main purpose of this micro-grant scheme is to disseminate or further develop the outcomes of the previous programme cycles, so any selected activity should directly be linked to one of these instruments.

Question 17: Do we have to translate a booklet or test the training programme that was already prepared within the previous projects or can we translate some other materials from our own language, or develop/test a new training programme or material?

Same as above. The main purpose of this micro-grant scheme is to disseminate or further develop the outcomes of the previous programme cycles. There is room, though, to develop or test a new programme or material provided that it builds on one of the existing ones.

Question 18: Where can we find instructions on the use of the Logframe (Appendix IV).

Please see the Council of Europe Project Management Methodolgy Handbook for guidance on project design and for the specific elements of the logframe.

Question 19: How should the financial contribution of implementing organization should be reported. And is there any requirement for the amount of implementing organization's contribution?

There is no predefined percentage, but co-financing is a requirement and the financial contribution for each applicant is dependent on the project design and the partner’s role and involvement in the activities. The type and amount of contribution shall be reported on both in the financial report and the narrative report. In case of direct financial contribution, relevant supporting documents should also be kept by the applicant.

Question 20: Can a cultural association be considered as a public entity?

The status of the institution should be the same as state in its statute, which should be included in the application file.

Question 21: What documents do we have to submit to apply?

Please refer to Call for proposals, Section IV. HOW TO APPLY?, Part 2. Documents to be submitted (page 7):

"Each project proposal shall contain:

 One completed and signed Application form (See Appendix I);

 One budget (using the template reproduced in Appendix III);

  One logframe (using the template in Appendix IV);

 The Statute of the applying institution.

Applications that are incomplete may not be considered."

Question 22: Is Portugal eligible to apply as it ratified but not signed the Convention?

Yes.

Question 23: What is the difference between the Applicant and implementing partner? Is it possible to indicate more than one implementing partners?

In the context of the micro-grants, implementing partner is the applicant. Therefore, there is one implementing partner. For further information on partnerships, please refer to Question 6.

Question 24: Are there any more videos produced within Human Rights and Democracy in Action Programme except "Education for democratic citizenship and human rights: diversity of approaches" and "Travel Pass To Democracy" films and trailers. How many video products are there for adaptation and dissemination?

Appendix II of the Call for Proporals provides the complete list of existing outcomes that could be used for dissemintation and further development.