Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
Promoting Inclusive Economic Recovery Through Business Advocacy And Digital Economy
$388,903
Public Summary: 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. Armenia’s short war with Azerbaijan in late 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic brought the country to the brink of democratic decline. The Armenian business community must step up and make its voice heard for the country to rebuild both its economy and confidence in its democratic institutions. To this end, 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.
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
Strengthening Youth Political Leadership
$247,000
Public Summary: 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.
Solidarity Center (SC)
Building Trade Union Capacity on Core Union Functions (Phase II)
$470,000
Public Summary: 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.
Information Committee Informational Non-Governmental Organization
Infocom News Aggregator
$72,981
Public Summary: To provide a unified source for reliable 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 a variety of sources, enabling them 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. The organization will produce original content that will include articles, investigations, and videos. Founded as a Telegram channel to report on the 2018 Velvet Revolution, the organization is an experienced fact-checking outlet with expertise in publishing and amplifying accurate content across social media platforms
EVN News Foundation
Empowering Citizens through Independent Media
$71,449
Public Summary: To promote discussion of major political developments in Armenia, particularly the state of reform and democratization in the country. The organization will prepare analytical coverage of recent events and the key social, economic, and political matters in the country. Its Armenian- and English-language reporting will provide the domestic audience and international observers with objective analysis of the challenges Armenia faces in its democratic development. The organization, led by a team of journalists with extensive experience reporting inside Armenia and abroad, seeks to engage Armenian society in a higher level of discourse and provide a more nuanced account of domestic culture and politics for Armenian opinion leaders and the diaspora community through its work
Political Dialogue NGO
Everything Is Political
$15,355
Public Summary: To foster productive discussions between civil society and government officials, and to raise public awareness of the political nature of reforms in Armenia. Additional funds will be used to conduct research to improve an existing political party platform identification tool and to publish infographics and articles to make ongoing reforms more accessible to citizens. Led by a prominent political organizer with over eight years of experience, the organization has become a leading source of information on political parties and democratic reform in Armenia
Protection of Rights Without Borders
Promoting Democratic Reforms of the Armenian Prosecutor’s Office
$99,960
Public Summary: To promote judicial reform in Armenia. 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.
Factum NGO
Questioning Contemporary Narratives
$53,400
Public Summary: To increase the availability of high-quality, unbiased media content in Armenia and foster discussions about Armenia’s 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.
Aliq Armenia
Aliq Armenia
$63,717
Public Summary: To provide citizens of Armenia with unbiased news and information, as well as high quality analytical and documentary content. The organization will broadcast daily news programming online using its website and social media, and issue regular feature pieces focusing on Armenia’s ongoing reform processes, pressing social issues such as the environment, youth issues and civic education, and the aftermath of the Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Caucasus Research Resource Center-Armenia
Public Opinion Polling
$61,600
Public Summary: To promote an objective understanding of the current economic, political, and social situation in Armenia and to counter disinformation 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 and on disinformation in Armenia
Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center NGO
Election Monitoring and Civil Society Capacity Development
$220,127
Public Summary: 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
Union of Informed Citizens Consulting Non-Governmental Organization
Public Debate on Foreign Policy and Democratic Reforms
$145,000
Public Summary: 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
Investigative Journalists NGO
Hetq
$191,912
Public Summary: To increase the availability of independent reporting on political developments and democratization in Armenia 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.
Restart Gyumri
Reforming Student Institutions
$57075
Public Summary: To encourage grassroots activism and connect youth groups to national reform processes. The organization will conduct research, interviews, and focus groups to develop a proposal for university reform. The organization will monitor the activities of Shirak State University’s administration to increase accountability during the research process and operate a student-run platform to raise awareness of students’ concerns. It will host trainings and discussions with students in the Shirak, Lori, and Tavush regions.
Democracy Today
Citizen Engagement in Conflict Impacted Communities
$61,347
Public Summary: 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.
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly – Vanadzor
Increasing Oversight of the Security Services
$44,582
Public Summary: To promote increased oversight of the Armenian Armed Forces. The organization will engage civil society and independent experts in formulating policy recommendations to create mechanisms for greater oversight of the armed forces. It will present its research to government stakeholders and advocate for implementation of its recommendations by the National Assembly and government agencies.
Veles NGO
Accountability and Access to Justice in Armenia
$53,710
Public Summary: 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.
Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation
Changing the Narrative on Armenian Sovereignty and Security
$48,784
Public Summary: To promote critical thinking of Armenia’s security and independence 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 Armenian’s post-war context and produce analytical reports in Russian
Progress of Gyumri Civil Society Development Center
Promoting Honest Elections and Local Government Accountability
$48,920
Public Summary: 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
Political Dialogue NGO
Everything Is Political
$58,036
Public Summary: To improve the quantity and quality of discussion about politics in Armenia. The organization will provide trainings and support for young people outside of Yerevan to identify and discuss political solutions to problems, and to promote discussion within communities. In addition, the organization will support research on political communication, and hold a conference for journalists, academics and others to help raise the overall quality of political discourse in Armenia.
Civilitas Foundation
Journalist Trainings
$76,107
Public Summary: To increase the availability of information and foster discussions about current events. The organization will create news reports and weekly news digests about socio-political developments in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, which will be posted to the organization’s website and to its social media accounts. The organization will produce a weekly analytical talk program, which will host contributors from civil society and other sectors to contextualize current events for both domestic and international audiences
Regional Studies Center Foundation
Reconsidering Armenian Policy in a Post-War Context
$37,883
Public Summary: 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.
Aravot Daily
Aravot Daily
$78,622
Public Summary: To promote discussion and increase the reach of reliable information about current events and political developments in Armenia. The organization will produce four weekly online TV shows in Armenian that analyze current events, foster critical thinking about the roots of Armenia’s socio-political realities, and engage politicians in substantive debate about pressing issues. The organization will also produce high-quality reporting from Armenia’s regions, translate its work into English and Russian, and expand its online presence
Meltex Ltd.
Supporting Independent Reporting
$57,720
Public Summary: To promote public discussion of current events and political developments in Armenia. 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
Factor Information Center NGO
Online Political Talk Shows
$51,000
Public Summary: To broaden the public discourse in Armenia on current pressing domestic and foreign issues and to promote democratic values through online debates and interviews in Russian and Armenian. The organization will invite experts from various spheres and political positions to discuss topics relevant to the time when filming takes place. Broadcasting in Armenian and Russian will provide reliable and balanced information in both languages, at a time when polarizing media and disinformation are prevalent in both languages
Boon Scientific-Cultural Foundation
Elevating Discourse on Armenia’s Foreign Policy and Security
$90,200
Public Summary: 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
Public Agenda
Peace Building through Public Discourse
$199,942
Public Summary: 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
Restart Foundation for Science and Education
Building National Youth Networks
$64,930
Public Summary: To improve the capacity of regional youth groups to engage in civic and political activism and to build a national network of civically minded youth. The organization will train and mentor regional youth groups as they design small projects that address local issues, for which the organization will provide a modest project stipend. The organization will convene public events between youth and local authorities
Umbrella Journalists’ International Network NGO
Truth-Telling through Satire
$59,400
Public Summary: 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
