Colombia

Asociación de Afrocolombianos Desplazados (AFRODES)
$35,000
To defend and promote the rights of displaced Afro-Colombians. AFRODES will build the capacity of Afro-Colombian community leaders to engage Colombia’s legal system as part of an effort to foster greater protections for their constitutionally and legal-mandated rights. AFRODES will also seek a formal audience before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in order to raise international awareness about the situation facing displaced Afro-Colombians.

Blogósfera Producciones S.A.S. (La Silla Vacía)
$40,000
To promote greater public awareness about the Colombian Congress. La Silla Vacía will examine the professional background of influential members of Congress and their contributions to the legislative processes. La Silla Vacía will also analyze five important pieces of legislation, including key debates and the votes of all members, and will consult with civil society organizations in order to foster a more informed public debate about the Colombian Congress.

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
$174,661
To improve awareness and understanding of corporate governance principles among financial resource providers and encourage the democratic culture of corporate governance within small, medium, and large Colombian businesses. In concert with Confecámaras, CIPE will work with capital funds to incorporate corporate governance standards into their investment decisions, create a Colombian Company Circle of enterprises exemplifying sound corporate governance, and publish case studies of successful implementation of corporate governance standards.

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
$174,790
To strengthen democratic institutions by promoting informed debate on political and economic issues in Congress, the Constitutional Court, and during the legislative and presidential campaigns. With CIPE support, Fedesarrollo will produce monthly policy briefs and hold public debates on key legislative issues, as well as publish bi-monthly analysis of the budget process. In addition, Fedesarrollo will organize a public debate forum with the main presidential candidates.

Corporación Caribe
$37,000
To promote increased institutional transparency and accountability in the City Councils of Barranquilla and Santa Marta. CorCaribe will monitor and evaluate the work of the councils and will produce a series of reports analyzing their activities. These reports will be presented to citizens and the media to raise greater public awareness, and to increase civilian confidence in the work of City Councils in both cities.

Corporación Cívica de Caldas (CCC)
$28,000
To promote transparency and accountability in the work of the City Council of Manizales (CCC). Working with an alliance of local civil society actors, CCC will monitor and evaluate the work of the City Council of Manizales and its members. CCC will also carry out a civic education campaign designed to broaden public knowledge about the responsibilities and work of the city government.

Corporación Ocasa
$50,000
To engage Colombian youth in three municipalities outside of Bogotá, help them assess relevant local government programs, and develop proposals for candidates in the October 2011 municipal elections. Ocasa will provide participants with training on citizen oversight of government and then help them evaluate the implementation of public programs focused on issues important to youth. Ocasa will also conduct a series of polls designed to identify the concerns and interests of youth and use this information to formulate policy proposals for candidates in the October 2011 elections.

Corporación Ocasa
$20,000
Supplemental: To promote the development of a youth network among past and current Ocasa project participants.

Corporación Transparencia por Colombia
$50,000
To strengthen the legitimacy, institutional character, impact and geographical reach of a national network of city council observatories. Transparencia por Colombia will develop a database of best strategies, identify opportunities for collaboration and prepare a report that analyzes the experience of each local observatory. Transparencia por Colombia will also help network members develop strategies on how to use the results of their oversight initiatives to inform voters about the work of candidates running for the city council in the October 2011 municipal elections.

Fundación Cívico Social Pro Cartagena (FUNCICAR)
$45,000
To promote greater transparency and accountability in the work of the City Council of Cartagena. FUNCICAR will monitor the City Council’s sessions and prepare a series of reports to raise greater public awareness about the council’s work. FUNCICAR will also develop a series of initiatives designed to increase public knowledge about candidates running for the 2011 local and regional elections in Colombia.

Fundación Desarrollo y Paz (FUNDEPAZ)
$35,000
To promote greater community participation and foster respect for democratic values among youth in Nariño Department. FUNDEPAZ will seek to use civic engagement to combat conscription of youth by illegal, armed groups. Through trainings on human rights, peace, and citizen participation, FUNDEPAZ hopes to prevent the cycle of youth involvement in armed groups. Additionally, FUNDEPAZ will form municipal committees to advocate for public policies addressing this issue.

Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP)
$55,000
To promote the passage of new national legislation on the use of public funds for government advertising campaigns. FLIP will conduct an extensive investigation of current regulations and legislations and develop draft legislation to be presented to the Colombian Congress. FLIP will also continue to work with the Governor of Caldas and the Mayor of Cartagena to continue fine-tuning local legislation in a way that accurately reflects the interests and concerns of all parties.

International Republican Institute (IRI)
$655,750
IRI will continue to implement democratic governance initiatives in five cities, while seeking to lend greater attention to the fourth and fifth principles of democratic governance, namely Upholding Legal Requirements and the Institutionalization of Best Practices. This stage of programming will focus on ensuring partner cities and governments make these successful practices a permanent part of their municipal and state governments through legislation and/or executive decrees.

Mujeres Chocoanas
$30,000
To promote greater participation of Afro-Colombian women in civic and political processes in the Department of Chocó. Through awareness raising activities and targeted civic education trainings, the Red Departmental de Mujeres Chocoanas will work to further women’s political and civic participation, including in October 2011 state and municipal elections. Additionally, the network will encourage exchange and collaboration among women’s groups.

Universidad de los Andes
$31,799
To monitor, analyze and raise public awareness about the work of the Colombian Congress. Congreso Visible will maintain its website by conducting a comprehensive campaign to oversee the work of the Colombian Congress. Congreso Visible will attend all legislative sessions and document key political developments in the Congress. Congreso Visible will also evaluate public documents produced by the Colombian Congress. Congreso Visible will publish these documents on its web platform, but will also prepare written analysis on the evolution of legislative projects and their potential impact.

Universidad Industrial de Santander
$25,000
To promote greater transparency and accountability in the work of the City Council of Bucaramanga. The Concejo Visible Bucaramanga initiative will monitor the city council’s sessions and prepare a series of reports to raise greater public awareness about the council’s work. Concejo Visible Bucaramanga will also develop a series of initiatives designed to promote greater public awareness about the city council and its members.

The grant listings posted here are from tthe 2010 Annual Report, published in August 2011.