El Salvador 2021

International Republican Institute (IRI)

Municipal Governance, Local Opportunities II

$400,000

To support municipal officials and staff to better represent citizens’ needs, and to support citizens to organize and voice their demands, the Institute will strengthen and promote the spaces and capacity for engagement between these actors to create new opportunities for economic and civic participation at the local level. The Institute will strengthen officials’ capacity to communicate and engage with citizens to collect their inputs to better reflect their needs in local civic and economic opportunities and will support local civil society organizations (CSOs) to serve as intermediaries between both citizens and government, and to channel citizens’ needs on economic development. After strengthening communication plans and engagement initiatives and identifying citizen priority agendas, the Institute will bring these actors together to share and incorporate needs on social and economic development into municipal plans.

 

Asociacion Juvenil Gato Encerrado Media

Legislative Oversight via Independent, Investigative Media

$65000

To use independent journalism to contribute to a culture of oversight and public accountability. The outlet will monitor El Salvador’s Congress and produce investigative pieces and reports to inform the public about legislative proceedings and committee actions. The outlet will also report on political party dynamics with the Congress, conflicts of interest, and power dynamics with other branches of government.

 

Asociacion Cultural Azoro

Investigating the Impacts of the Pandemic and State Response on Women’s Rights

$55000

To investigate and report from a gender perspective the impact of the pandemic and the government’s response in El Salvador. The grantee will produce video content, narrative pieces, and infographics to highlight the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic on women and on the general human rights situation.  The grantee will also host virtual conversations with citizens, community organizations and experts in women’s rights on key findings.

 

Asociacion Accion Ciudadana

Financing and Transparency of Political Parties in El Salvador

$60000

To investigate and document political financing and raise public awareness about the dynamics and impacts of political party financing and transparency. The grantee will collect data on party finances and produce reports with its findings along with rankings of parties by levels of financial transparency. The grantee will facilitate exchanges with civil society and with the media about its findings and will produce and air a radio program about political party financing and transparency.

 

Universidad Gerardo Barrios

Strengthening the Rule of Law, Transparency, and Citizen Participation

$60000

To promote the rule of law, transparency, awareness of democratic values, and citizen participation and oversight. The organization will establish a center for democratic strengthening, which will conduct research and offer academic instruction on the rule of law, governance, and transparency. It will make its findings and discussions available to local news media and citizens at large in the eastern part of the country through education and information campaigns.

 

Asociacion Azul Originario

Supporting Rights for Victims of the Justice and Security Systems Apparatus

$100000

The grantee will advocate for human rights and access to justice for vulnerable populations in El Salvador, including women, youth and adolescents, and others who have been victims of crimes committed within the context of the justice and security apparatus. The grantee will offer legal and psychological support of victims, conduct a public awareness campaign, and further the knowledge of both beneficiaries and its staff in the mechanisms for human rights advocacy at the national and international level.

 

Asociacion Transparencia, Contraloria Social y Datos Abiertos

Collaboration to Defend Civic Space and Counter Anti-Democratic Advances

$116000

To coordinate a civil society push to defend and protect civic space and freedom of information and assembly. The grantee will convene regular exchanges with think tanks, journalists, CSOs and activists to track civic space, issue alerts and disseminate a brief on developments. The grantee will also provide security trainings for CSOs and activists and will organize public awareness raising activities and trainings for youth about the importance of transparency, accountability, and democratic principles.