36 projects were selected to be carried out in
25 provinces within the scope of the Civic Engagement Small Grants Programme
Within the scope of the programme financed by the European Union, a grant support of 3.5 million USD is provided for projects to be carried out by civil society organizations in partnership with municipalities.
The Civic Engagement Small Grants Programme is part of the “Strengthened Civic Engagement for Enhanced Democratic Local Governance in Türkiye” project, which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with financial support from the European Union. The grant programme aims to enhance dialogue and cooperation among civil society organizations, municipalities, and other local stakeholders, focusing on key areas such as combating climate change, disaster preparedness, volunteerism, and the integration of new technologies. “Strengthened Civic Engagement for Enhanced Democratic Local Governance in Türkiye” Project is carried out in cooperation with the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (UMT) and Ministry of Interior Directorate General for Relations with Civil Society (DGRCS).
A total of 431 applications were received across Türkiye for the Civic Engagement Small Grants Programme. After thorough evaluation, 36 projects were selected to be carried out in 25 provinces. Thus, approximately 3.5 million USD support will be provided to 36 CSOs that will carry out joint projects with municipalities.
The projects supported under the climate change priority of the grant programme aim to strengthen the capacities of local administrations and CSOs to combat climate change, establish climate councils, prepare policy recommendations, and thus increase the resilience of local people, local actors and cities to climate change.
Other priorities of the Grant Programme include training, awareness and planning activities for different target groups regarding disasters such as earthquakes, floods and forest fires, and supporting CSO and municipal cooperation and coordination in disasters with new technological solutions.
In addition, projects that strengthen cooperation between CSOs and local administrations with new technologies and encourage the use of information, strengthen the capacities of existing CSO centres and enable the establishment of new centres are also supported within the scope of the grant programme.
Developing public awareness about civic engagement, supporting civic engagement mechanisms, empowering disadvantaged groups to participate in decision-making mechanisms, and increasing volunteerism are other priorities of the grant program.
The duration of the grant projects, which include many different groups such as children, youth, disabled people, women, farmers, seasonal agricultural workers, as well as the public, civil society and local actors, varies between 9-15 months.
Upon completion, the projects supported by the Civic Engagement Small Grants Programme are expected to strengthen civic engagement mechanisms, promote collaborative solutions to local challenges, and build local capacities in areas such as climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness.
The list of funded projects can be downloaded by clicking on the download button.