Moldova 2021

International Republican Institute (IRI)

Linking Diaspora Advocates For Change

$250,000

Public Summary: To create linkages among Moldovan diaspora actors, focus their knowledge and resources toward common challenges facing their communities and homeland, and facilitate more effective joint advocacy by diaspora actors outside of elections, the Institute will convene Regional Diaspora Workshops to provide motivated diaspora representatives with trainings, networking opportunities, and funding for joint advocacy initiatives. The Institute will also create and support a diaspora coordination network and work with the government of Moldova to highlight valuable partnerships with the diaspora through a Public Ambassadors program.

Business News Service SRL

Promoting Government Accountability
$39600
Public Summary: To promote government transparency and accountability. The organization will produce a series of comprehensive investigative and analytical pieces on the government’s misuse of public funds in procurement. It will also monitor the government’s actions aimed at addressing the economic crisis and scrutinize judiciary decisions related to the business sector. The organization will publish all stories on its portal and in social media.

Rockit Academy

Strengthening New Media
$42000
Public Summary: To build resilience against disinformation in Moldova. The organization will design and launch an innovative news, civic education, and community mobilization website, which will host its news platform and promote civic campaigns and projects. In collaboration with social media thought leaders, online communities, and regional and local media, the media outlet will produce and distribute short videos and podcasts addressing pressing local problems.

A.O. Asociatia Reporteri de Investigatie si Securitate Editoriala din Moldova

Fostering Accountability through Investigative Journalism
$100000
Public Summary: To foster accountability through investigative reporting. The organization will expand its accountability online platform by adding detailed profiles of all elected district-level officials. It will also monitor the assets and business connections of several dozen high-ranking elected officials in the regions, produce multimedia investigations related to government corruption, and distribute them through its website and social media channels. The organization will also produce video teasers to promote its work.

Nord Media

Strengthening the nordnews.md news portal and exposing acts of corruption and abuse of power by representatives of local public authorities
$50000
Public Summary: To strengthen independent reporting and promote government accountability in northern Moldova. The Balti-based media outlet will maintain and expand its independent news portal, a leading regional website in the Romanian language It will publish daily news articles, video reports and in-depth investigations on key political developments, including the implementation of reforms, as well as corruption and Russian disinformation The group will also strengthen its sustainability by securing training for its staff.

Fostering Civic Activism
$71300
To strengthen the skills of NGO activists and promote the development of civil society. The organization will organize skills-building meetings for their staffs. It will also hold a small grant competition, select five initiatives to support, and organize trainings for activists.

IREX Europe

Fostering the Sustainability of the Independent Media
$80000
Public Summary: To support the sustainability of independent media. In the third phase of the project, the France-based organization will provide managerial oversight and guidance to a recently established local organization in Chisinau that works to improve the sustainability of local media through a series of business-focused interventions in the media market, which is captured by special interests.

Primaria Mea

Promoting Local Civic Engagement and Activism-2
$53500
Public Summary: To promote civic engagement and activism in Chisinau. The organization will generate greater understanding on key issues faced by Chisinau residents, including ways to be engaged in local government, through articles and media content disseminated through popular websites and social media The organization will also communicate citizen priorities to public officials and identify opportunities for increased public participation.

WatchDog.MD

Fostering the Adoption and Implementation of Key Reforms
$95000
Public Summary: To foster the adoption and implementation of key reforms. The think tank will monitor the new presidency’s reform strategies in key areas, including banking, finance, EU relations, judiciary and anti-corruption. It will identify experts, produce policy analyses and share them with the presidential administration. It will also continue to counter disinformation by producing accessible videos on the topic for the public.

A.O. People for Free Media

Producing and Disseminating Independent News and Information
$53033
Public Summary: To produce and disseminate independent news and information. The organization will produce a weekly live show with civil society experts on political and social developments and popular disinformation narratives in Moldova. It will broadcast the show on its TV channel, website, and through social media channels.

Supply-Demand Independent Newspaper

Supporting Independent Media in Northern Moldova
$90000
Public Summary: To increase access to objective news in northern Moldova. The Balti-based media outlet will expand its independent news portal, which is a leading Russian-language regional website. In addition to producing daily news items, articles, and video reports, the portal will monitor the transparency of elected officials and produce in-depth analysis of corruption cases and reforms.

People and Kilometers

Promoting Accountability through Investigative Reporting
$92000
Public Summary: To promote public demand for government accountability. The media organization will produce in-depth stories on social, political, and economic issues caused or exacerbated by government inefficiency, inaction, or misuse of resources. It will promote its work and raise awareness of the topics covered through three public events and on its website. It will also translate the materials into Russian and hold a strategy session to build the long-term capacity of the organization.

NGO Lautar

Increasing Youth Civic Participation
$55000
Public Summary: To increase youth voter turnout and promote youth civic engagement in Moldova. The group will organize nonpartisan events in regional centers to bring together young voters and foster public discussions ahead of the July 2021 snap parliamentary elections. Following the elections, the organization will produce and disseminate a music video encouraging active citizenship among youth.

Piligrim-Demo

Strengthening Independent Media in Gagauzia
$92000
Public Summary: To increase independent and objective Russian-language news in Gagauzia. The organization will expand its news portal by producing and publishing articles, video reports, and analyses related to the economy, education sector, and the performance of local officials. It will increase public outreach by covering youth engagement and activism and providing a platform for young people to engage and mobilize at the local level in Gagauzia.

Association for Efficient and Responsible Governance

Promoting Accountability and Transparency in Public Procurement
$99000
Public Summary: To promote accountability and transparency of government spending. The organization will monitor public procurement cases and scrutinize the enforcement of decisions made by the National Agency for Settling Complaints. It will also hold two roundtables with key stakeholders to contribute to reforming the legal framework of public procurement, file criminal cases, and expand its public procurement portal. The group will promote its activities through public events, a website, and media.

Promo-LEX Association

Promoting Human Rights in the Transnistrian region of Moldova
$180000

Public Summary: To monitor and raise awareness about human rights violations. The human rights organization will monitor rights violations, produce reports on its findings, provide recommendations for government and EU institutions, and provide legal assistance to human rights abuse victims. It will promote its activities and disseminate its findings through press conferences, online and social media, as well as domestic and international events featuring CSOs and government representatives.

Media Alternativa

Broadcasting Independent News and Information
$75000
Public Summary: To develop and disseminate independent news and information. The organization will produce objective news concerning important national political developments in Moldova. It will disseminate its original content in Russian and Romanian language through primetime programming of its independent television station and short video segments. Programming will be available on the station’s website and social media channels.

Oral History Institute of Moldova

Supporting Independent Russian Language Media in Moldova
$40000
Public Summary: To strengthen independent Russian language media and provide objective analysis of political events. The organization will produce a weekly Russian-language analytical talk show and broadcast it on a popular independent television channel and on social media. The program will feature analysis and interviews to challenge popular disinformation narratives. The organization will publish new content weekly.