Venezuela

Accountability
$60,000
To foster dialogue among the public and private sectors about democratic good governance and decentralization. This organization will coordinate roundtable discussions to diagnose main problems and recommend solutions. Using this information, the organization will publish a document to raise public awareness among citizens and encourage candidates running for government to include the recommended proposals in their platforms.

Accountability
$60,125
To promote effective risk management policies throughout Venezuela. This program will facilitate dialogue between government representatives, the private sector and civil society in order to establish a truly inclusive platform for discussion about natural disaster planning.

Center for International Private Enterprise
$153,646
To enhance the public-private democratic dialogue on the economic impact of major legislation and campaign platforms; and to bolster Venezuelan civil society's ability to develop effective strategies and techniques for responding to public policy proposals. CIPE will publish analysis on the economic impact of legislation, organize events to distribute and discuss research results, and continue a radio program on economic issues.

Civic Education
$34,980
To promote the education and participation of young adults in the formulation and implementation of public policies. The organization will conduct a youth leadership training program focused on citizen participation and democratic public policies. The organization will also raise public awareness among national and local officials and political candidates about the need to include youth-related issues in their agendas.

Civic Education
$52,000
To promote youth commitment to civic participation, democratic values, and community service. The organization will organize weekly meetings and activities for youth members on issues of democratic values, community participation, social action and leadership.

Civic Education
$60,000
To promote democratic values among the leadership of workers and owners of small-businesses in Venezuela. This program will identify and train leaders to promote a culture based on values such as self-reliance, productivity, solidarity, democracy and citizen participation.

Civic Education
$39,898
To strengthen the capacity of community leaders to participate in local democratic processes and advocate for solutions to the challenges facing the local population. This organization will identify emerging community leaders from poor and middle class neighborhoods in Caracas; provide them with a training program on democracy and formulation of development projects for their communities; offer them technical assistance as they perform local development initiatives; and promote the exchange of experiences and best practices among former and current project participants.

Civic Education
$25,000
To promote greater participation in electoral events religious communities in Venezuela. This program will work with an established network of community leaders to provide training to citizens on issues of democratic values and political rights. Through this training, the program will help citizens understand the importance of voting and the role that they can play in shaping the country’s future.

Civic Education
$60,000
To promote the creation of a new generation of political leaders with a deeper understanding of democratic values in Venezuela. Through an intensive training program, this organization will prepare and encourage young adults to become involved in public service and assume leadership roles in the country's political processes. The program will focus on the fundamental concepts of political theory, constitutional democracy and its development in Venezuela, and tools for political action.

Civic Education
$23,980
To promote participation and improve the democratic leadership skills of youth. The organization will develop a training program for 400 youth to enhance their knowledge on democratic ideas and values, the institutions of the state, and citizen participation. The organization will also provide trainees with information about the electoral process and will encourage them to participate in elections.

Civic Education
$60,019
To promote greater citizen participation in the dissemination of information in Venezuela. The organization will organize a series of forums and virtual events as part of its effort to build a network of citizen journalists. The organization will also provide project participants with training on communications technologies as a tool for promoting democratic participation.

Civic Education
$44,000
To strengthen efforts to defend human rights and democratic values in Venezuela. This organization will train civil society organization and youth activists on international human rights standards, strategies for civic activism, and the importance of increasing transparency in electoral processes. The organization will also coordinate an event that promotes political tolerance and freedom of expression

Civic Education
$20,000
To involve youth in advocacy campaigns to promote greater debate about the state of democracy in Venezuela and the need for increased participation in the country’s political processes. This program will train youth on key components of democratic systems and tools for effective advocacy, and will help young activists lead creative campaigns to encourage citizens to be more active in their communities and take part in upcoming elections. Additionally, the program will assist a small group of program participants as they craft public policy proposals that reflect the interests and concerns of youth in their state.

Civic Education
$50,822
To improve the democratic leadership and citizen participation skills of Venezuelan women, especially of the lower and middle classes. The organization will conduct a series of workshops and forums to improve women's skills and ability to affect democratic change in their communities.

Democratic Ideas and Values
$54,806
To promote consensus building and citizen and voter participation among diverse political and social actors in Venezuela. The organization will coordinate forums to discuss areas of common interest identified by Venezuelans of all political views and encourage them to advocate for their implementation.

Democratic Ideas and Values
$42,400
This program will continue to support a policy oriented institute related to one of the country’s most prestigious universities. This institute will provide strategic analysis and recommendations to a wide range of democratic actors - such as political parties and elected officials, media, unions, business, youth, civil society organizations- regarding the most effective ways to address the democratic opportunities and challenges facing the country.

Freedom of Information
$45,000
To strengthen the role that media outlets, specifically those located outside of Caracas, play in defense of democracy in Venezuela. This organization will carry out an investigation on how regional media outlets provide coverage of electoral processes, identifying their relative strengths and weaknesses and developing a series of recommendations for each one. It will also coordinate a series of training activities for journalists and roundtable discussions with editors to help them understand the role that they can play in defending democratic institutions and processes.

Freedom of Information
$60,000
To defend freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Venezuela. This program will monitor and report on threats to journalists and violations of freedom of expression.

Human Rights
$49,265
To empower indigenous communities and strengthen their knowledge of human rights, democracy, and the international organizations and procedures available to protect them and to advocate for public policies that reflect their needs.

Human Rights
$43,000
To promote a deeper understanding of human rights for the families of individuals abused by members of the police and to foster greater respect for human rights among the police. The organization will provide families of victims with training on legal protections and options for seeking accountability and justice. Additionally, the organization will train police officers on the need to respect human rights.

Political Processes
$67,343
To promote voter participation and respond to high levels of abstention in three geographic regions of the country. Through a two-part program, the organization will train local activists and civil society representatives to identify key reasons for voter abstention in their community and develop effective strategies that respond to these issues.

Political Processes
$40,000
To strengthen transparency in electoral processes in Venezuela. This organization will train local volunteers throughout Venezuela on techniques for upholding electoral accountability. Additionally, the organization will coordinate an initiative to ensure effective and accurate communication about electoral events.

Political Processes
$44,820
To promote greater public awareness about the impact of abstention in electoral processes.

Political Processes
$35,000
To strengthen citizen participation inVenezuela. The organization will develop a public information campaign designed to inform citizens about their rights and opportunities for greater participation. The organization will carry out targeted training workshops for democratic activists in three states in order to help them identify strategies for promoting public accountability and good governance. Additionally, it will coordinate a coalition of organizations that is dedicated to monitoring and ensuring the transparency of political processes.

Political Processes
$32,900
To strengthen transparency in electoral processes in Venezuela. This organization will train local volunteers on techniques for upholding electoral accountability on the day of the elections.

Rule of Law
$34,962
Promoting Access to Justice
To provide pro bono assistance and information to citizens seeking to resolve legal cases in underserved communities in Venezuela. This organization will organize legal advice sessions to document the specifics of each case, provide citizens with information about their fundamental rights, analyze limitations and restrictions of existing jurisprudence, and detail opportunities available for legal defense. The organization will also train a cadre of volunteers across Venezuela on the promotion and defense of the electoral law in anticipation of the October presidential elections.

Strengthening Political Institutions
$45,000
To promote best practices for addressing challenges to citizen security in Venezuela. This organization will identify three case studies from across Venezuela in which government, public security services and civil society organizations have been able to develop joint strategies for addressing crime and violence in their communities. The organization will then carry out a national advocacy campaign to encourage other communities to adopt these strategies and, in turn, provide them with technical assistance for implementation.

Grant descriptions are from the 2012 NED Annual Report.