Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation
Changing the Narrative on Armenian Sovereignty and Security
$48,784
To promote analysis of Armenia’s foreign policy in a post-war context and advance more accurate coverage of Armenian politics internationally. The organization will conduct research on Armenia’s security options, organize focus groups in three cities in the Syunik region of Armenia, produce policy papers that dispel myths about Armenia’s sovereignty and security, and host public discussions. It will arrange study visits for Russian journalists to facilitate a nuanced understanding of Armenian’s post-war context and produce analytical reports in Russian.
Boon Scientific-Cultural Foundation
Elevating Discourse on Armenia’s Foreign Policy and Security
$90,200
To present an accurate picture of current global affairs, their impact on Armenia, and Armenia’s foreign policy and security. The organization will prepare a series of radio interviews featuring experts on economics, politics, and social issues. It will likewise produce a series of video lectures that discuss Armenia’s security within a broader regional and geopolitical context.
Caucasus Research Resource Center – Armenia
Public Opinion Polling
$61,600
To promote an objective understanding of the current economic, political, and social situation in the country. The organization will conduct and publicize their annual Caucasus Barometer survey. The partner will survey a statistically representative sample of Armenians on a variety of subjects, including economics, political attitudes and civic engagement. Following the poll, the organization will host panel discussions on its findings.
Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
Promoting Inclusive Economic Recovery Through Business Advocacy and Digital Economy
$388,903
To strengthen the capacity of Armenian business associations to represent and advocate for their members during Armenia’s post-war and post-pandemic economic recovery and enable businesses to access and shape Armenia’s digital economy. The Center will offer targeted training, mentorship, and small grants to 15 chambers and associations, and will continue its support to the partner’s national business advocacy campaign. The Center will also adapt its comprehensive digital economy resources to the Armenian context to launch country-wide trainings for SMEs, as well as examine potential regulatory barriers to inclusive digital transformation.
Democracy Today
Citizen Engagement in Conflict Impacted Communities
$61,347
To improve the capacity of local residents, particularly women and youth, to work together to lay the groundwork for a sustainable peace in the South Caucasus. The grantee will hold two rounds of their three-day democracy school for 30 young leaders. The organization will also support local initiatives in conflict-impacted communities and support networking opportunities for young activists.
EVN News Foundation
Empowering Citizens through Independent Media
$71,449
To promote discussion of major political developments in Armenia, particularly the state of reform and democratization in the country. The organization will publish news and analysis about the country’s politics, economy, and democratic trajectory, including the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding territories, government reforms, relations with regional actors such as Azerbaijan and Turkey, and the coronavirus pandemic. Its Armenian- and English-language reporting will provide the domestic audience and international observers with analysis of the new and ongoing challenges faced by the Armenian authorities.
Factum NGO
Questioning Contemporary Narratives
$53,400
To increase the availability of high-quality, unbiased media content and foster discussions about democratic development. The organization will work with existing media partners to produce four weekly television shows that approach pressing political, economic, and social issues in Armenia from a perspective that questions existing narratives and prompts critical thinking. The organization will make its content available for free to national and regional broadcast television stations, as well as to its media partners.
Information Committee Informational Non-Governmental Organisation
Infocom News Aggregator
$71,703
To expand the reach of accurate news and information in Armenia. The organization will operate a news aggregator that will provide their users with a daily digest of fact-checked news from multiple domestic and international outlets, enabling them to use a single source to get an accurate and informed view of current events. The organization will distribute verified news articles and summaries across multiple social platforms in Armenian, Russian, and English.
Investigative Journalists NGO
Promoting Independent Media
$221,912
To increase the availability of independent reporting on political developments and democratization and to promote government accountability. Articles will be published in Armenian, Russian, and English and will focus on political and economic developments, as well on the aftermath of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. During this two-year program, the partner’s investigative team will focus on issues of political and social relevance in addition to its regular news coverage.
Meltex Ltd.
Supporting Independent Reporting
$57,720
To promote public discussion of current events and political developments. The organization will produce a variety of news and analytical content for broadcast online, including interviews, short news overviews, talk shows, and investigative reports. The organization will increase the amount and variety of high-quality video content that will ultimately contribute to a 24-hour Internet broadcasting service.
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
Strengthening Youth Political Leadership
$247,000
To provide youth with new opportunities to contribute to political parties’ development and growth in the post-election period. The Institute will equip young party activists with communication, outreach, and political organizing expertise. The Institute will amplify these efforts and contribute to their sustainability by preparing a cohort of exceptional young party activists to serve as trainers for their peers. With capable trainers operating within parties, this program will contribute to parties’ capacity to onboard new members and institutionalize representative and responsive practices.
Progress of Gyumri Civil Society Development Center
Promoting Honest Elections and Local Government Accountability
$48,920
To promote free and fair elections in Gyumri and to increase the availability of objective information on current events, as well as local and national political developments. The organization will train election monitors and observe local elections in Gyumri. The organization will monitor government performance and create opportunities for dialogue between government representatives and the public. The grantee will encourage civic engagement through trainings in journalism and participatory monitoring.
Protection of Rights Without Borders
Promoting Democratic Reforms of the Armenian Prosecutor’s Office
$93,445
To promote judicial reform. The grantee will conduct research and make policy recommendations on reforming the Prosecutor’s Office. They will also conduct trainings and advocate for reforms on the administrative justice system, on the basis of research and monitoring conducted under past projects, and provide legal assistance to Armenian citizens dealing with public administration and administrative justice.
Public Agenda
Peace Building through Public Discourse
$199,942
To strengthen freedom of speech and increase the availability of objective information on Nagorno-Karabakh. The organization will publish online articles on political, social, and economic developments in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. It will compile these articles into a quarterly journal. The organization will convene small workshops and larger roundtable events to facilitate discussion among its readers on the topics covered in each edition of the journal.
Regional Studies Center Foundation
Reconsidering Armenian Policy in a Post-War Context
$37,883
To promote critical thinking about Armenia’s security and independence in a post-war context. The organization will organize trainings for young academics, provide them with mentorship and promote their participation in the public policy process. The organization will also publish a series of policy papers looking critically at Armenia’s economic and security situation, and making policy recommendations. Finally, the organization will hold a series of focus group discussions to promote continued engagement with these topics.
Solidarity Center (SC)
Building Trade Union Capacity on Core Union Functions (Phase II)
$470,000
To support worker activists in Armenia as they seek to build a democratic trade union movement, the Center will develop the capacity of union representatives to systematically engage their memberships in all levels of decision making, advocate on behalf of members’ collective interests, and focus on improving critical conditions of work, as identified by members. By supporting union leaders and activists who organize around representation of member interests, this project will promote the transformation of Armenian unions from minor service providers into independent democratic civil society organizations. The Center will also support unions in expanding their collaboration with broader civil society to advocate on workers’ priority issues at the local level, such as occupational safety and health, labor inspections and collective bargaining. This project is a follow-on Phase II to the Center’s current project in Armenia.
Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center PO
Election Monitoring and Civil Society Capacity Development
$220,127
To safeguard political processes and increase the capacity of civil society in Armenia, the partner will conduct a project with two components: monitoring snap elections, likely to be held in summer, and conducting trainings for nascent civil society groups outside of Yerevan. Endowment funding will be used to support the training and deployment of both short and long term election observers, as well as a hotline to report violations, statistical checks on the observers’ findings and legal follow-up as needed. Additional support will be used to maintain a resource center and conduct trainings for young people in the regions.
Umbrella Journalists’ International Network NGO
Truth-Telling through Satire
$59,400
To promote discussion about current affairs through political satire and to increase the availability of information on political and social topics in Armenia. The organization will publish political cartoons on trenchant political and social developments on its website. The organization will likewise make its content easily shareable on social media, including on its Facebook and Twitter pages.
Union of Informed Citizens Consulting Non-Governmental Organization
Public Debate on Foreign Policy and Democratic Reforms
$145,000
To promote informed public debate on Armenian foreign policy. The organization will publish a series of articles and video pieces on Armenian foreign policy, particularly its relationship to Russia. In addition, the organization will hold trainings for journalists and public discussions in Yerevan. Finally, the organization will conduct research to support their recommendations for ongoing efforts to reform the Armenian constitution and law enforcement bodies, in particular to counter corruption and improve rule of law.
Veles NGO
Accountability and Access to Justice in Armenia
$53,710
To hold accountable former and current government officials who have engaged in corrupt practices and to raise awareness of corruption and promote access to justice in Armenia. The organization will provide legal support to citizens and raise awareness of citizens’ legal rights. The organization will conduct investigations into judiciary corruption, litigate ongoing cases, and initiate others as necessary. The grantee will produce two weekly online TV programs that discuss corruption and access to legal recourse for citizens.
