Colombia

Centro de Estudios de Derecho, Justicia y Sociedad (Center for the Study of Law, Justice, and Society) (DeJusticia)

$56,999
To promote the legal defense of human, political, social, and economic rights. Through a series of five strategic litigation cases, DeJusticia will champion the rights of vulnerable populations and seek to establish precedent for the future protection of constitutional guarantees. DeJusticia will hold workshops and seminars with partner organizations, law students, and practicing jurists to stimulate dialogue on and generate support for the use of strategic litigation.

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)

$152,333
To strengthen democratic institutions by promoting informed debate on political and economic issues. CIPE and its partner Fedesarrollo will provide the Congress, the Constitutional Court, civil society groups, media professionals, and the general public with reliable and unbiased analysis of legislative initiatives. Successful program aspects will serve as a model for other advisory programs in Latin America.

Confederación Colombiana de Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Para la Comunicación Vía Correo Electrónico (Confederation of Colombian NGOs for Electronic Communication) (Colnodo)

$43,000
To promote the consolidation of a network of NGOs committed to a culture of transparency and accountability. By encouraging organizations to voluntarily publicize specific information about their activities, sources of funding, and personnel, Colnodo has helped create a national platform to highlight the role and value of NGOs in Colombian society. As part of this effort, Colnodo will create an internet-based instrument to collect and disseminate information about the activities of NGOs.

Corporación Caribe (Caribbean Corporation)

$26,853*
To advance practices of transparency and accountability in the City Council of Barranquilla. Corporación Caribe will attend all sessions and compile data on the Council’s work, specifically monitoring voting records, attendance figures, the level of debate, and the contributions of individual members. This information will be used to prepare reports on the City Council’s activities, which will be presented to both the media and the general public.

Corporación Cívica de Caldas (Civil Corporation of Caldas) (CCC)

$25,352*
To promote democratic values and good governance. CCC will monitor and produce a series of reports analyzing the activities of the City Council of Manizales. The public and the media will receive these reports through a series of seminars and press conferences raising awareness on the work of the city council. CCC will also explore opportunities to establish groups observing councils in four surrounding municipalities.

Corporación Ocasa (Ocasa Corporation)

$49,000 *
To generate opportunities for public participation among youth and to foster greater government accountability. Ocasa will train young leaders on citizen participation, the role of youth in public affairs, and civil society oversight of government, and will help participants develop and implement projects bolstering public accountability at the local level. Ocasa will also organize a series of visits to local, regional, and national government institutions.

Corporación Transparencia por Colombia (Transparency for Colombia Corporation)

$31,050*
To consolidate a network of organizations committed to strengthening local democracy and monitoring their respective city councils. Transparencia will work with local partners in Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, Manizales, and Neiva to strengthen and reformulate a comprehensive methodology to monitor city councils. Transparencia will also host a meeting between participating partners to facilitate an exchange on best practices and lessons learned.

Fundación Cívica Social Pro Cartagena (The Social Civic Foundation for Cartagena) (FUNCICAR)

$40,515*
To strengthen citizen oversight of government institutions in Cartagena. FUNCICAR will help community leaders create development agendas for their communities. These agendas will be presented to Local Administrative Councils and program participants will monitor their implementation. Additionally, FUNCICAR will oversee the work of the City Council of Cartagena and create a public record about the work of the City Council and its members.

Fundación Corona (Corona Foundation) (BCV)

$44,625 *
To strengthen local organizations and promote greater dialogue and collaboration between actors at the local level. BCV will work with community organizations, local media outlets, labor leaders, and business representatives to strengthen civil society actors and bolster democratic participation in four localities in Bogotá. By helping design and implement a series of accountability exercises, BCV will foster public dialogue on the priorities of local residents and the responsiveness of government.

Fundación Desarrollo y Paz (Peace and Development Foundation) (FUNDEPAZ)

$30,811 *
To strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations in the Nariño Department to participate in and oversee public policy decision-making processes. FUNDAPAZ will produce a report on civil society in Nariño, conduct a training program to bolster the institutional capacity of civil society organizations, and facilitate dialogue between these groups and local government officials.

Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (Freedom of the Press Foundation) (FLIP)

$50,259*
To promote greater transparency in the use of government resources for public announcements as a means to combat indirect censorship of the media. FLIP will work with mayors and governors that have expressed a commitment to transparency and accountability to develop a procedure for the objective distribution of government public announcement funds. FLIP will also work with local civil society representatives to monitor the implementation of these new procedures.

Fundación Seguridad y Democracia (Security and Democracy Foundation) (FSyD)

$70,000
To strengthen the capacity of the Colombian Congress to formulate security and defense policies. FSyD will serve as a legislative consultant and provide technical assistance to congressional members on security and defense-related issues. FSyD will conduct research, prepare analytical papers, and draft legislative proposals that respond to the needs of congressional members and to the challenges of Colombia’s current political landscape.

Instituto Prensa y Sociedad de Colombia (Press and Society Institute of Colombia) (IPYS-Colombia)

$40,000
To strengthen access to information procedures as they relate to Colombia’s justice and peace processes by strengthening investigative journalism and raising awareness about the challenges facing victims of Colombia’s ongoing armed conflict. IPYS-Colombia will work with journalists to bolster their understanding of access to information procedures, and help them develop a series of targeted requests on Colombia’s justice and peace processes.

International Republican Institute (IRI)

$1,200,000
To provide public officials with skills that will facilitate good governance policies, practices, and initiatives. IRI will launch a Good Governance Online University. Through this program, IRI will offer public officials skills that facilitate the implementation of good governance policies and practices, capacities to address pressing issues, skills to improve a city’s economic performance, opportunities to review state legislation and benefit minority communities, and quality training in good governance.

Universidad de los Andes (University of the Andes)

$50,002
To strengthen Congreso Visible’s capacity to monitor and analyze the legislative work of the Colombian Congress by maintaining its online database of information on the Congress, its members, political parties, and legislative projects. Drawing on domestic and international best practices, Congreso Visible will develop new strategies to gain greater access to information and will produce a series of analytical reports on emerging legislation.