NED Grant Search

Welcome to the National Endowment for Democracy's searchable grants database.

The database includes records of grants the National Endowment for Democracy has awarded in the past three years. The data is refreshed periodically to ensure that new awards are reflected in search results.


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Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Years: 2016 - 2017
Project Focus: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Displaying records 1-101 of 549 results
All results totalling $49,161,403
Total may include redundant amount due to supplements.


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Project Title: Promoting Accountability through Technology
Organization Name: Why Not?
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: MENA Regional
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To strengthen civil society groups' ability to monitor local and national legislative bodies using new technology and to support the development of watchdog groups in the Middle East and North Africa. The grantee will provide ongoing technical support and consultations to partner organizations in the MENA region, host an internship program, and link participants with leading watchdog groups in the Balkans.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $62,000
Note: This is the total grant amount and includes a supplement that was approved separately.
Project Title: Preparing Returning Trade Unions to Enforce Workers' Rights in Liberated Governorates
Organization Name: Solidarity Center (SC)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Freedom of Association
Description: To prepare labor leaders and union activists from liberated governorates of Iraq to reestablish unions and advocate for the protection of worker rights during reconstruction. The center will conduct trainings for union leaders and activists from districts that had been under Islamic State control on occupational safety and health, organizing, workers' legal rights, and monitoring and raising awareness of violations of worker rights, such as unpaid wages and hazardous working conditions. The center's partners will also advocate for policies to ensure protection of workers' rights throughout reconstruction.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $300,000
Project Title: Strengthening Citizens' Engagement in a Changing Syria III
Organization Name: Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Syria
Project Focus: Civic Education
Description: To build support among Syrian youth for a market-based democracy and enhance their engagement in developing enterprise solutions to the country's challenges. The center and its local partner will enhance the sustainability of civic education and advance private sector solutions to development challenges in Syria through community-based dialogue and engagement with decision-makers. Through this project, the center will build the capacity of its local partner to convene Syrian private sector stakeholders in support of democratic, market-oriented policy solutions.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $47,444
Project Title: Supporting the Engagement of Civil Society and Political Parties in the Political Reform Process
Organization Name: National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To advance the political reform process in Afghanistan. The institute will support two local organizations in facilitating dialogues among political parties, government officials, and election authorities. These exchanges will focus on measures that the national unity government has undertaken and on steps to promote reform implementation. In addition, to amplify the efforts of Afghan civic groups, the institute will conduct an international assessment mission and examine constructive ways to enable political reforms and increase public confidence in the country's democratic institutions.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $650,227
Project Title: Promoting Civic Engagement
Organization Name: Center for Humanities Studies and Research
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Morocco
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To enhance youth participation in civic life, provide civic actors with space to operate, and foster public policy debate on democratic change in North Africa. The organization will facilitate a series of seminars and roundtable discussions on engaging youth in policy debate; lead capacity building trainings in 20 high schools and universities in Casablanca; host interns from the MENA region; organize one regional conference on democratization and political reforms in the Maghreb; and publish six issues of its quarterly magazine, Rihanat.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $148,000
Project Title: Holding Public Officials Accountable
Organization Name: Safad Advertising Company (Wattan TV)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: West Bank / Gaza
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To promote government accountability from the media and its viewing audience. The grantee will produce and broadcast 24 episodes of a hard-talk television program, Sa'et Ramel. The 55-minute, recorded program will address accountability in ministries and municipalities, and will feature civil society leaders, officials, and decision-makers in political, economic and social realms.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $55,200
Project Title: Policy Forum on Reform in the Gulf Region
Organization Name: Gulf House for Studies and Publications
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: _ Gulf Regional
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To promote reform in Gulf countries through an online platform. The organization will facilitate an online, bilingual platform for policy debates on reform in the region and engage experts, prominent activists, journalists, academics, and reformers from across the Gulf region to contribute.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $48,204
Project Title: Returnees and Inclusion in Liberated Areas of Iraq
Organization Name: Partners Global
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Conflict Resolution
Description: To build the capacity of local groups and establish dialogue for developing a roadmap to address the needs of internally displaced people as they return to devastated post-Islamic State areas. The grantee will partner with a local NGO to identify a team of facilitators, organize an intensive training workshop, conduct a survey on returnees' needs, and generate reports highlighting policy recommendations for addressing issues and challenges affecting returnees.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $84,502
Project Title: Strengthening Independent Media
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Turkey
Project Focus: Freedom of Information
Description: To advocate for an open and independent press and strengthen the credibility of Turkish media. The program will maintain and expand a media monitoring website and engage leading journalists to report on press integrity in Turkey, promote digital media, support investigative journalism, and advocate for freedom of information.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $40,000
Note: This amount is a supplement that was approved separately.
Project Title: Promoting Peaceful Discourse
Organization Name: Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy in Tunisia
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Tunisia
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To empower religious leaders to promote a moderate, peaceful, and democratic discourse in Bizerte, Kairouan, Kasserine, and Tunis; and to foster a national dialogue on youth and economic reform. A series of three-day workshops will train imams on social media skills, conflict resolution techniques, citizenship, and democratic values, and five roundtables will enable participants to discuss critical issues relating to Islam and democracy. A series of focus groups, workshops and seminars will bring together civil society and political parties to discuss youth and economic reforms in Tunisia.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $135,000
Note: This is the total grant amount and includes a supplement that was approved separately.
Project Title: Community Radio and Human Rights Journalism in Iraq
Organization Name: Radio Deng
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Freedom of Information
Description: To encourage independent media reporting through community radio in Sulaimaniyya. The grantee will continue to mentor special human rights journalism units within its radio stations in Kalar and Kefry, launch a women's issues unit, publish a monthly report, continue to use its website to reach a wide audience, and launch an awards showcase for human rights reporting.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $37,000
Project Title: Promoting Youth Political Participation in Wasit Province
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Civic Education
Description: To empower youth leaders with knowledge about local government institutions and avenues for political participation. The grantee will identify and train 30 youth activists, conduct 12 monthly leadership trainings, and mentor the trainees to launch community initiatives to engage policymakers and encourage civic debates about relevant local and national issues.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $30,000
Project Title: Mentoring Young Syrian Media Activists
Organization Name: Madar Daily
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Syria
Project Focus: Freedom of Information
Description: To introduce and strengthen an independent media culture among Syrian activists. Three 16-day training workshops and a mentoring program for 45 young Syrian media activists in Turkey will provide essential background briefings on the role of media in a democratic society and the history of media within Syria. The program will also provide skills-based training on writing news and reports, interviewing, and producing effective photographic and television products.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $25,000
Project Title: Civil Society Dialogue on Community Building in Ninewah Province
Organization Name:
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To establish dialogue between local and national stakeholders and to develop a roadmap defining priorities for the rebuilding effort in Ninewah in the post-Islamic State period. The program will entail five-one day roundtables in Erbil, Baghdad, and Karbala convening 75 stakeholders, experts, and community representatives, five working documents identifying priorities and setting forth policy recommendations, and two strategy meetings for civil society representatives from Salah Eddine and Anbar.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $50,000
Note: This amount is a supplement that was approved separately.
Project Title: Monitoring Human Rights
Organization Name: National Forum for Human Rights
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Yemen
Project Focus: Human Rights
Description: To raise public awareness of human rights violations in Yemen and advocate redress for victims. The grantee will partner with monitors across the country to document human rights abuses, produce four quarterly reports and one comprehensive annual report on the state of human rights in Yemen, and support victims through advocacy and legal assistance.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Title: Women's Rights and Empowerment
Organization Name: Afghan Women Unity Organization
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Rule of Law
Description: To promote women's rights in Herat and to strengthen the institutional capacity of a women's organization. The program will raise awareness of women's rights through a series of seminars in rural Herat province; provide free legal assistance and counsel to victims of gender-based violence; and conduct a public forum on the status of women and women's rights in Afghanistan, engaging local officials, lawyers, ulema, and civic activists.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $28,000
Project Title: Promoting Participatory and Effective Local Governance
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Egypt
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To strengthen local governance and participatory democracy. The project will strengthen the skills of municipal election candidates on local governance, participatory democracy, and government oversight mechanisms to promote participatory mechanisms for government and citizens to cooperate in finding solutions for community priorities. Trainings and reports will also teach citizens about oversight of municipal election processes, coalition-building and participatory institutions, and local governance.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $14,000
Project Title: Promoting Women and Youth Participation in Local Governance
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Egypt
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To enhance youth and women's political participation in local governance. Five trainings will be held for youth and women on local governance and these participants will organize 15 community meetings about good governance, citizen monitoring, and social initiatives. The trainees and citizens will launch social initiatives on issues and priorities identified in community meetings. In addition, the grantee will hold a legal workshop on stronger representation of youth and women in local governance, draft legislative amendments, and advocate adoption in parliament.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $25,000
Project Title: Empowering Iranian Women to Demand Economic Rights
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iran
Project Focus: Human Rights
Description: To empower civil society to advocate for the increased legal rights of women and decrease obstacles to their integration and full participation in the national discourse. The project will increase the capacity of local civic actors to lead efforts for increased legal rights of businesswomen in Iran and advocate to reform laws that discriminate against women.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $351,532
Project Title: Youth Debate Training and Outreach
Organization Name: The Munathara Initiative
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: MENA Regional
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To enhance youth participation in public discourse and debate forums and expand a network of debate trainers, participants and audiences in Algeria and the Gulf. The grantee will conduct outreach and partnership development visits to its new target countries, work with its network of trainers throughout the Middle East and North Africa to hold 50 debate outreach and training workshops, and facilitate youth participation in online and televised debate competitions.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Title: Civic Engagement through Women's Arts
Organization Name: Afghan Youth in New Era Organization
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Civic Education
Description: To develop women's capacity for civic activism through arts and culture and raise awareness of and support for women's rights as citizens of Afghanistan. The grantee will produce and perform 20 plays on five women's rights subjects in public and academic forums in Kabul province. After the performances, the actors will solicit responses and feedback from the audience.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $20,000
Project Title: Youth Academy for Economic Policy Reform
Organization Name: Arab Center for Scientific Research and Humane Studies
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: MENA Regional
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To enable 40 youth leaders from the MENA region to effectively engage in economic policy reform issues. The center will lead two rounds of an economic policy training academy for 40 participants that will include workshops on economic policy analysis, development and advocacy, a virtual mentorship program, and the production of policy papers on economic issues. The program will specifically focus on advocating reforms aimed at improving the business climate, promoting entrepreneurship and empowering a strong and competitive private sector.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $100,000
Project Title: Fushat Amal: A History of the Disappeared
Organization Name: Act for the Disappeared
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Lebanon
Project Focus: Conflict Resolution
Description: To promote a national reconciliation process that clarifies the fate of the disappeared in Lebanon and restores dignity to the victims. The grantee will expand its interactive Arabic-language memorial on the missing and disappeared. It will also lead four one-day trainings on documenting cases for 50 university-aged youth, conduct 40 interviews with surviving families, integrate 80 profiles into the database, lead three commemoration events, produce an awareness-raising video, and coordinate three meetings of its civil society working group on the issue.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $35,000
Project Title: Engaging Local Civil Society in Governance
Organization Name: Association Isaaf Jerada Solidarite et Developpement
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Morocco
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To engage civil society groups in local governance in Jerrada province. The organization will conduct two two-day capacity building trainings for local groups; hold a one-day seminar on the opportunities for civil society to engage in local policy development; conduct four one-day workshops on strategic planning, advocacy, and social accountability; organize a two-day training on evaluation techniques for local affairs; produce a needs assessment study on citizen priorities in Jerrada region; and facilitate two dialogue meetings between local civil society and local elected officials.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $21,000
Project Title: Islam 21 Civic Education Network
Organization Name: International Forum for Islamic Dialogue
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: MENA Regional
Project Focus: Civic Education
Description: To develop a platform for moderate Islamic educators and cultural influencers to solidify efforts at countering narratives of hate and extremism and to strengthen the capacity of a regional civic education network that promotes youth civic participation in the context of Muslim beliefs and culture. The grantee will incubate an Arab Initiative for Muslim Educators and lead two training workshops for young civic educators and facilitators.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $100,000
Note: This amount is a supplement that was approved separately.
Project Title: Social Entrepreneurship
Organization Name: Shetab Afghanistan | Center for Social and Business Innovation
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Developing Market Economy
Description: To build a thriving startup community through hands-on learning opportunities and to equip social entrepreneurs and innovators with leadership and management skills. The project will select and train 30 social entrepreneurs and pair them with 30 mentors. The entrepreneurs will be divided into cohorts of 10 and receive four months of hands-on mentorship, and training in leadership and management skills. Each group will receive a five-day accelerator business model validation lab training followed by extensive mentorship and skill development programs.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $28,175
Project Title: Enhancing Civil Society Oversight of Legislation
Organization Name: Vision Institute for Civil Society Studies
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Jordan
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To engage civil society in legislative processes and oversight. The institute will lead nine one-day workshops on Jordan's new elections, decentralization, and municipalities laws. At the end of the workshop series, the institute will develop and publish a policy brief that analyzes its findings and recommendations, based on workshop feedback.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $37,600
Project Title: Engaging Youth to Strengthen Local Governance
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To engage young civic leaders in strengthening local governance and advocating solutions to citizen needs. The grantee will engage 25 youth to advocate for citizen needs, share their experiences across the province, and visit activists in nearby provinces to explore areas of future coordination. The project will also support an emerging civic group to equip youth to serve as dynamic and effective community leaders.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $60,000
Project Title: Advocacy and Civic Engagement in Ghor Province
Organization Name: Afghanistan Organization Women Arise
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To raise awareness of and consolidate support for women's increased role in community conflict resolution. The grantee will organize three training sessions explaining and advocating for the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP); hold 10 townhall meetings in as many districts to generate support for NAP among community leaders, culminating in a provincial conference with government representatives; and publish three issues of its magazine Solh (Peace) in Ghor province's central highlands.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $35,400
Project Title: Building Business Association Capacity and Enhancing Public-Private Dialogue
Organization Name: Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Lebanon
Project Focus: Developing Market Economy
Description: To build the capacity of industrial sector business associations as representative membership organizations and to encourage participatory public policymaking affecting the industrial sector in Lebanon. The center and its local partner will enhance the sustainability of industrial sector associations and develop grassroots constituencies for democratic reform through improved governance, programs and services, issue advocacy, and the facilitation of public-private dialogue.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $316,056
Project Title: Promoting Youth Civic Engagement
Organization Name: Youth and Skills Association (Maharat)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Tunisia
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To promote youth civic participation. The grantee will organize nine two-day capacity building workshops using the Success in a Changing World curriculum, in addition to two seminars, four round-table discussions, and two follow-on workshops, to encourage civic engagement among youth in Tunisia.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $30,000
Project Title: Empowering Marginalized Youth
Organization Name: Maghreb Institute for Sustainable Development
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Tunisia
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To encourage youth engagement in civic life in the marginalized community of Douar Hicher. The organization will conduct three two-day workshops on democracy, entrepreneurship, and non-violence; organize two two-day capacity-building workshops for members of CSOs active in Douar Hicher; and hold 12 youth dialogue events.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $20,000
Project Title: Schools of Politics
Organization Name: International Republican Institute (IRI)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Syria
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To strengthen the ability of Syrian activists to organize in their communities and support women and youth participation in nascent political organizations. The institute will conduct a series of "Schools of Politics" focused on empowering nascent Syrian political organizations with the skills, knowledge, and capacity to build a sustainable and inclusive democracy that represents the views of youth and minorities. Through the "Schools of Politics," the participants will gain an understanding of the fundamentals of political party organization and development, including platform development, policy creation, communications, and constituent outreach.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $275,000
Project Title: Preserving Independent Civil Society
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Egypt
Project Focus: Freedom of Association
Description: To foster and strengthen independent civil society leaders' ability to conduct research and to support freedom of association. A team of local researchers will collect and analyze data on the challenges facing civil society organizations. The research will be published in a series of reports and articles and used to better inform efforts to defend civic space and freedom of association.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Title: Youth Engagement in Municipal Accountability
Organization Name: The Lebanese Center for Active Citizenship
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Lebanon
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To enable civic groups in Lebanon's second largest city, Tripoli, to engage municipal council their responsiveness regarding residents' needs and concerns. The center will lead a training and advocacy program on participatory budgeting for youth, and hold six two-day workshops on municipal budgets, access to information, and local needs assessment for 60 youth from local citizen action groups. The center and its affiliated groups will monitor municipal budget-making and implementation as they relate to development projects in each geographic location.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $29,800
Project Title: Capacity Building for Civic Education in Tunisia
Organization Name: Impact Foundation for Research and Development
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Tunisia
Project Focus: Civic Education
Description: To promote a culture of civic engagement among university students in Gafsa, Jendouba and El Kef; and build the capacity of a nascent youth organization. The grantee will expand its youth civic education program to El-Kef governorate, conduct a three-day training of trainers on civic engagement, and hold a one-day workshop on communication and debate skills for youth club leaders.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $25,000
Project Title: Online Investigative Journalism Training
Organization Name: Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: MENA Regional
Project Focus: Freedom of Information
Description: To expand access to resources and training on investigative journalism in the MENA region; and to strengthen investigative journalism by exposing journalists to best practices in the region. The grantee will develop and pilot an e-learning platform and two online training modules. One module will be on basic investigative journalism and the other on visual storytelling. In addition, the grantee will host four, one-month fellowships for MENA journalists.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $46,813
Project Title: Engagement with the Kurdish Regional Parliament of Iraq
Organization Name: Pay Institute For Education & Development
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To increase transparency and public engagement with the Kurdish regional parliament of northern Iraq. The grantee will continue its parliamentary information program providing the public with basic information on the legislative calendar, attendance, plenary sessions, and committee work. The material will be published in semi-annual reports and distributed to the parliament, government entities, NGOs, and media.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $40,000
Project Title: Promoting Democracy through Traditional Forums
Organization Name: PACT Communications
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To enhance citizens' knowledge of democratic opportunities and roles in civic life and foster a more inclusive media culture in eastern Afghanistan. This project will incorporate the teaching of democratic values into the curriculum of its Jalalabad and Kandahar learning centers; provide practical training in media for post-madrasah students; and produce news and drama radio programming addressing local social and political issues.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $107,200
Project Title: Accountability in the Kurdish Region of Iraq
Organization Name: STOP Organization for Monitoring and Development
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To promote accountability and rule of law in the Kurdish region of Iraq. The program will monitor cases of corruption reported in the media, prepare and publish quarterly reports, organize press conferences and follow-up meetings, organize seminars, and convene a one-day conference.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $25,000
Project Title: Civil Society Support
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Egypt
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To provide opportunities for civil society leaders to continue meaningful civic engagement and preserve the capacity and voice of civil society; and to facilitate dialogue among civil society leaders on the future of civil society and the protection of basic rights and freedoms. The project will organize regional or international fellowships for civil society leaders and host a series of dialogue sessions to assess the challenges, opportunities and strategies for reforms in Egypt.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $200,000
Project Title: Youth Rights Advocacy and Leadership
Organization Name: Afghanistan Youth National and Social Organization
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To educate young Afghan citizens in rural Farah, Badghis, and Herat communities about their political rights and obligations and strengthen dialogue between community leaders and local governments. The organization will hold 18 symposiums on good governance and political processes for 540 students and teachers in Farah province. It will also hold three town hall meetings and 15 radio roundtables to support dialogue between the community leaders and state officials.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $140,000
Project Title: Civic Monitoring of Parliamentary Performance
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To enhance the transparency and accountability of the Iraqi parliament. The project will continue monitoring the parliament and its 24 committees and will prepare monthly and quarterly reports, organize press conferences to publicize them, compile and publish a cumulative annual monitoring report, and organize roundtable discussions in four provinces.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $70,000
Project Title: Elevating Citizen Policy Priorities in Governance, Negotiation and Transition Processes
Organization Name: National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Syria
Project Focus: Political Processes
Description: To provide information about the priorities of Syrians to decision-makers who represent them in governance and negotiation processes. The institute will conduct focus groups to gauge citizens' perspectives on policy priorities and ongoing political negotiations. In addition to sharing findings with Syrian opposition leaders, political groupings, and provincial and local councils, the institute will conduct policy forums in Turkey and Syria, using the research findings as the basis for developing policy proposals that more effectively address citizens' most urgent concerns.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $110,000
Project Title: Empowering Community Leaders in Eastern Afghanistan
Organization Name: Organization for Social, Cultural Awareness and Rehabilitation
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Civic Education
Description: To engender a culture of civic responsibility and engagement among community leaders in eastern Afghanistan. The organization will hold five civic education seminars for male and female community leaders in the capitals of three eastern Afghan provinces - Khost, Kunar, and Paktia. It will also organize five public-private dialogues and help participants present their concerns to the relevant government officials.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $38,000
Project Title: Promoting Pluralism and Countering Media Prejudice
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Egypt
Project Focus: Human Rights
Description: To promote pluralism and counter discrimination. This project will focus on advocacy efforts to counter discrimination in alignment with the Egyptian Constitution. Project activities will include monitoring and documenting discriminatory media coverage, collecting testimonies from victims of discrimination, mobilizing volunteers on media monitoring, and holding a workshop for lawyers on relevant legislation.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $19,863
Project Title: Engaging Civil Society in Policy Formation
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Turkey
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To enhance the role of civil society in law-making through the provision of platforms for public dialogue with members of parliament. Project activities will include working with provincial assemblies to discuss issues pertinent to their communities in monthly town hall meetings. Assemblies will also be formed in Ankara to reach out to elected representatives and advocate policy recommendations to the public and decision-makers.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Title: Advocating Good Governance on Collective Lands
Organization Name: Third Millennium Association for the Development of Civic Action in the Southeast
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Morocco
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To strengthen the capacity of local CSOs to effectively advocate for and monitor public policies related to collective lands governance. The organization will advocate for effective local policies governing collective lands in the Southeast region; organize four study days on good governance and policy monitoring in Soulaliyates communes; conduct four two-day workshops on regulations, monitoring processes, and conflict management on collective lands. It will also hold a two-day training on strategy and advocacy for commune representatives from Errachidia, Midelt, Tinghir, and Ouarzazate.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $55,500
Project Title: Strengthening Good Governance and Citizen Engagement
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To strengthen responsible governance. The program will provide officials and the public with accessible information about provincial council proceedings, conduct public surveys on citizen attitudes toward provincial council effectiveness in oversight of public goods and service delivery, and organize forums with provincial council members and members of parliament to discuss potential solutions.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $35,000
Project Title: Supporting Constructive Civic Dialogue on Peace
Organization Name: National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Turkey
Project Focus: Conflict Resolution
Description: To respond to the growing conflict and breakdown of social cohesion in Turkey. The institute and a local partner will foster dialogue among diverse civic activists and community leaders to reach a shared vision for promoting peace. The institute will conduct interviews to identify openings for constructive dialogue, develop a model for convening discussions, and facilitate exercises that support an initial group of activists and leaders in reaching consensus on an approach to a sustainable peace initiative.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $125,000
Project Title: Citizen Inclusion in Local Governance
Organization Name: Oasis Verte for Development and Democracy
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Morocco
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To foster citizen inclusion in local governance, raise awareness about the new local governance framework, and enhance women's socio-economic empowerment in the Ouarzazate -Tinghir region. The project will include a one-day regional forum on specific provisions related to citizen participation and citizen dialogue; a two-day dialogue workshop on laws related to municipalities and local communes' budget and resources, four one-day trainings for 35 women leaders of eight women's cooperatives; and the launch of a local network of cooperatives.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $40,000
Project Title: New Tactics in Human Rights Advocacy
Organization Name: Center for Victims of Torture
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: MENA Regional
Project Focus: Human Rights
Description: To strengthen regional human rights activists' ability to develop and lead strategic and tactical advocacy efforts. The grantee will lead a training of trainers workshop and mentorship program on implementing strategic advocacy campaigns for human rights activists from the Middle East and North Africa. A selection of participants will receive small sub-grants to implement advocacy campaigns.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $156,000
Note: This is the total grant amount and includes a supplement that was approved separately.
Project Title: Advocacy for Freedom of the Press in Iraq
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Freedom of Information
Description: To reinforce legal protection of freedom of the press and expression in Iraq. The project will propose amendments to existing laws and urge policymakers to repeal legislation that impedes freedom of expression and of the press. The project will continue to host an online news website providing an independent source of information to Iraqi audiences.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $85,000
Project Title: Research and Leadership Development
Organization Name: Herat Professionals Shura
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To promote youth and women's participation in public life and to strengthen the capacity of a professional Shura in Herat province. The grantee will research economic development and the root causes of unemployment; publish a daily news bulletin and a bi-monthly magazine on local affairs; provide six leadership trainings for 180 university graduates; and conduct 12 workshops on advocacy skills, responsible citizenship, democracy, human rights, and good governance for 480 civil society activists.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $40,000
Project Title: Enhancing Women's Political Participation
Organization Name: Voice of Moroccan Women Association
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Morocco
Project Focus: Political Processes
Description: To raise awareness of women's political rights and empower them to become involved in politics. The organization will conduct a one-day workshop on strategic networking, including its goals, techniques, and channels; organize three one-day trainings on advocacy and use of social media; host two study-days on women's political leadership and strategic planning; and lead two awareness-raising campaigns to promote the role of women in local decision-making processes.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $26,000
Project Title: Raising the Legal Debate in Iran
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iran
Project Focus: Rule of Law
Description: To raise awareness through debates among Iranian lawyers and civil society actors about the rule of law and fundamental rights and to strengthen a network of democratic jurists and human rights defenders in Iran. The project will produce Farsi-language content to serve as a resource for Iranian lawyers, law students, and clerics.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Title: Enhancing Government Accountability
Organization Name: Community Media Network
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Jordan
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To enhance oversight and raise public awareness of the government's commitments and responsibilities to citizens. The organization will lead accountability-focused news reporting from Amman and the governorates to include dissemination of 150 written news reports, 30 radio reports, 20 combined video/audio/text reports, and one investigative report. Coverage will focus on human rights, provision of government services at the national and local levels, and implementation of Jordan's new decentralization plan.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Title: Empowering Youth Leadership in Local Communities
Organization Name: Wogood For Human Security Foundation
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Yemen
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To empower youth activists to advocate for local community needs in Aden. Thirty youth activists will be trained on local development analysis and outreach and will hold 12 focus groups with citizens to identify local needs, present their findings to decision makers at three public forums, and create a final report containing recommendations for solutions. The project will also support previously trained youth activists in addressing community priorities through awareness and advocacy initiatives.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $27,000
Project Title: Constitutional Reform Campaign in Northern Iraq
Organization Name: Brave Youth Organization
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Political Processes
Description: To stimulate citizen participation in discussions of revisions to the Iraqi Kurdish regional constitution. The grantee will organize 14 roundtable discussions, air 10 radio shows, launch and print a magazine, and coordinate meetings with members of parliament and government officials to garner their support for constitutional reform.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $29,000
Project Title: Defending Media Freedom
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Egypt
Project Focus: Freedom of Information
Description: To defend media freedom and the rights of media professionals in Egypt. Project activities include three awareness campaigns on violations against journalists and media professionals, two legal analysis papers to assist activists in understanding the legal and regulatory environment, and pro bono legal support to journalists and media professionals.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $20,000
Project Title: Empowering Women in Journalism
Organization Name: Afghan Institute for Research and Media Studies
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Freedom of Information
Description: To ensure the participation of women journalists in local media and to strengthen independent media in Herat province. The grantee will maintain a media resource center for women; conduct 12 four-day seminars for 180 women journalists on online journalism, photojournalism, investigative reporting, and media advocacy; and organize a two-day conference to assess local media gains and challenges in western Afghanistan.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $38,000
Project Title: Promoting Media Sector Reform
Organization Name: Article19
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Tunisia
Project Focus: Freedom of Information
Description: To promote freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Tunisia. The organization will lead a series of consultations with various stakeholders to produce policy recommendations for the new press code; organize two two-day trainings for 30 judges on freedom of expression; produce two legal analyses focusing on the new press code and broadcasting laws; and provide ongoing technical assistance to establish a new regulatory body.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $60,000
Project Title: Enforcement of Workers' Legal Rights
Organization Name: Solidarity Center (SC)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Freedom of Association
Description: To improve enforcement mechanisms in legislation relevant to workers in Iraq. The center will work toward this objective by developing the capacity of unions to monitor and report on labor law compliance in workplaces, and facilitating cooperation between unions and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs) locally to address possible violations. The center will also strengthen the skills of labor lawyers to address violations through legal channels to promote enforcement and compliance.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $500,000
Project Title: Enhancing Government Response to Citizen Needs in Maysan Province
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To empower young leaders to advocate for community needs and enhance local government responsiveness. The grantee will hold trainings for youth on field and electronic surveys, followed by two advanced workshops on skills in communication, negotiation, online media, and digital security. Each month, the grantee will gauge citizen views toward government services and democratic institutions and processes. The youth will produce and distribute survey findings with recommendations to solve community needs.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $25,000
Project Title: Dialogue on Security Sector Reform
Organization Name: Moroccan Center for Democracy and Security
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Morocco
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To promote dialogue on security sector reform and encourage public oversight of policing practices. Project activities will include a one-day forum on the preservation of freedoms within the framework of anti-terrorism laws, a study-day on government policies related to the security sector, and a one-day seminar on the impact of regional geopolitics on government security approaches. The grantee will also lead four workshops on security policies at the regional level; and publish and distribute a final security sector monitoring report.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $25,000
Project Title: Promoting Youth Civic Participation in the Gaza Strip
Organization Name: The General Union of Cultural Centers
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: West Bank / Gaza
Project Focus: Conflict Resolution
Description: To promote and integrate reconciliation and tolerance, as part of ongoing Palestinian reform efforts. The grantee will work with its established 40-member Leadership Youth Committee (LYC) to sustain pressure for youth inclusion in Palestinian reform. In early October, 100 youth observers will be briefed on the current election law and its implementation and monitor local elections in Gaza's five districts. The project will also include trainings and mentorship for team members as they conduct awareness workshops on the need for reconciliation that includes transitional justice, and conferences to draw attention to youth demands for reconciliation.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $57,000
Project Title: Promoting Participatory Governance
Organization Name: Forum Associatif de Safi
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Morocco
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To engage local community organizations in local governance priorities in Safi region. The organization will lead a one-day regional forum for civil society on pressing governance issues in the region; organize a study-day on effective mechanisms to engage civil society in decision-making processes; and conduct one-day workshops on mechanisms of public consultations, participatory budget processes, and public petitions for local civil society groups in Safi.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $30,500
Project Title: Youth Leaders for Tomorrow
Organization Name: Nokta Fasle
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Lebanon
Project Focus: Civic Education
Description: To strengthen youth leadership capabilities among their local communities in southern Lebanon and to enhance the ability of a nascent youth-oriented organization to promote constructive engagement in community life. The organization will build a cadre of 18 youth activists, reach out to the broader youth community, and establish three youth clubs. For each club, the program will organize two two-day workshops on constructive civic engagement and support an initiative to effectively engage youth in community life.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $27,900
Project Title: Human Rights Advocacy for Medical Impartiality
Organization Name: European Center for Democracy and Human Rights
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: MENA Regional
Project Focus: Human Rights
Description: To strengthen a regional network to monitor violations, advocate for medical impartiality in the MENA region, and strengthen the advocacy skills and effective use of UN mechanisms among human rights defenders from the Gulf region. The organization will work with its members to document and produce reports on medical impartiality violations in the region, prepare and lead two delegations for advocacy missions in Geneva, and expand and cultivate relationships with international medical and human rights organizations as well as global and regional media outlets.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $22,100
Note: This amount is a supplement that was approved separately.
Project Title: Strengthening Access to Information
Organization Name: Jordan Transparency Center
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Jordan
Project Focus: Freedom of Information
Description: To strengthen the implementation of Jordan's access-to-information law. The organization will train ministry officials on the existing access-to-information law, and monitor implementation at government offices. In doing so, the group will lead an orientation training for 40 civil society representatives, a two-day workshop for government ministry and civil society leaders, and an eight-month monitoring initiative with a group of other civil society organizations.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $24,400
Project Title: Civil Society's Role in Post-Conflict Rebuilding
Organization Name:
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Conflict Resolution
Description: To build the capacity of civic and community leaders in preparing for the post-Islamic State period in the western provinces. The project will prepare and assist 60 highly motivated youth leaders to identify and prioritize community needs, effectively bring them to the attention of decision-makers, and mobilize citizen participation in implementing solutions. The project will provide ongoing guidance and support for participants to build on these experiences and take a leading role in the reconstruction of social, political, and civic life in the liberated towns and cities of western Iraq.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $200,000
Project Title: Enhancing Dialogue During Conflict Turkey
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Turkey
Project Focus: Conflict Resolution
Description: To broaden support for developing a peaceful process and to construct inclusive platforms for dialogue. The organization will hold an inclusive dialogue forum for stakeholders; organize a collaborative study visit to a former conflict region; arrange mentoring sessions to facilitate structured dialogues; and publish two briefing papers.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Title: Youth Civic Initiatives
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Civic Education
Description: To encourage civic and political participation among youth and to build the capacity of a new generation of journalists to promote independent reporting and accountability on the part of institutions and political leaders. The organization will mentor 30 youth volunteers, launch and lead three advocacy initiatives, and continue to host the National Union for Iraqi Journalists to build the capacity of a new generation of journalists on the use of digital media and citizen journalism investigative reporting.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $90,000
Project Title: Strengthening Citizen Participation
Organization Name: Citizens Standing
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Mauritania
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To strengthen youth participation in public policy monitoring at the community level. The organization will organize a two-day workshop for 40 youth; plan a two-day training on policy monitoring techniques; and lead the establishment of local community councils in El Mina and Ksar.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $25,500
Project Title: Enhancing Women's Civic Engagement
Organization Name: Al-Amal Association for Protecting Mothers and Children
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Mauritania
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To promote women's civic engagement in marginalized communities. The grantee will organize three two-day capacity-building workshops for 60 women from marginalized communities of Nouakchott; hold a one-day seminar on women's political rights; and engage trained women in an awareness-raising campaign to improve women's conditions in marginalized communities of Nouakchott.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $25,000
Project Title: Civic Skills for Youth in Babil and Najaf
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To promote youth leadership and citizen engagement. The project will train and support youth volunteers to develop, launch, and manage volunteer campaigns addressing issues of concern to local communities. The trainings and campaigns will address a key human resource gap by introducing civically-engaged youth to the institutions and political dynamics of local governance, and enabling them to gain experience in devising advocacy strategies for effecting change on a local level.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $26,000
Project Title: Expanding a Syrian Dialogue on a Future State
Organization Name: Foundation to Restore Equality and Education in Syria
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Syria
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To promote a pluralistic dialogue among Syrians on the future of their country. A team of activists living in two geographic locations inside the country and as refugees elsewhere will work together to lead a series of half-hour presentations and question-and-answer periods on a future democratic Syria.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $19,810
Project Title: Introducing Civics into Syrian Schools
Organization Name: Local Coordination Committees in Syria
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Syria
Project Focus: Civic Education
Description: To integrate democratic and civic values in Syrian educational curricula. A team of experts and educators will develop a civic education curriculum and use it to train a minimum of 20 Syrian teachers currently working in Syrian-run schools in Turkey, and potentially Syria.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $8,366
Project Title: Domestic Elections Monitoring
Organization Name: Center for Strategic Thought and Defense of Democracy
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Morocco
Project Focus: Political Processes
Description: To strengthen the role of civil society in election monitoring. The grantee will train and empower local NGO activists as election monitors and organize three two-day workshops on electoral law, international standards of election monitoring, election monitoring reporting, electoral ethics, and electoral dispute resolution. These activities will be designed to solidify local NGO efforts to lead impartial and professional monitoring of legislative elections in October 2016.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $20,000
Project Title: Empowering Women for Local Government Accountability in Abyan
Organization Name: Crystal Association for Women's Development
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Yemen
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To enhance the capacity of a core group of women monitoring local government performance and advocating for improved service delivery in Abyan Province. The grantee will train 20 activists in effective monitoring and report writing, oversee their monitoring of six service directorates, compile three quarterly reports, present findings to local officials at three public meetings, and advocate for measures to address issues raised.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $17,781
Project Title: Defending Land and Housing Rights
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Egypt
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To protect land and housing rights and to empower local communities on priorities and alternative urban development plans. The project will monitor, disseminate information and advocate for robust transparency standards regarding public-private development project plans in Egypt. Community members will engage in identifying alternative policies and solutions to provide greater citizen voices in development projects. Regular reports will highlight the status of land and housing rights in Egypt.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $35,000
Project Title: Youth and Democracy: Radio Najah
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iraq
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To improve young activists' ability to advocate on behalf of their communities to address important issues in cooperation with local authorities in Basra Province and to encourage youth civic participation in Iraq. The grantee will continue empowering youth and encouraging their involvement in local issues through leadership workshops. Youth participants will also create an online radio station to raise awareness of local issues among a wider community.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Title: Engaging Youth in Legislative Advocacy
Organization Name: Tunisian Youth Leaders
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Tunisia
Project Focus: Rule of Law
Description: To mobilize youth in civil society to monitor and advocate for legislative reforms and raise citizens' awareness of their rights, freedoms, and the effects of laws on their daily lives. Youth participants will be trained to monitor the legislative process, including the drafting and discussion of bills and amendments in the Tunisian parliament. The program will also include a series of 10 workshops to raise awareness of legislative issues.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $32,000
Note: This is the total grant amount and includes a supplement that was approved separately.
Project Title: Promoting Local Observatories
Organization Name: Observatory for Municipal Work and Urban Planning
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Tunisia
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To build the capacity of a national and regional observatory network specializing in municipal work and local governance. Four two-day regional workshops on decentralization laws and the implementation of local observatories will equip 100 civil society leaders to launch or improve activities related to good governance. The group will also incubate a regional observatory in the southern region, which will conduct a household survey on local governance and host two daylong seminars on the decentralization process.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $60,000
Project Title: Promoting a Transparent Electoral Process
Organization Name: Chahed Observatory for Monitoring Elections and Supporting Democratic Reform
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Tunisia
Project Focus: Political Processes
Description: To promote a transparent electoral process through a domestic election monitoring initiative. The program will consist of two, three-day capacity building workshops on local governance for 48 regional coordinators, and 12 one-day regional workshops for 300 long-term observers on domestic election guidelines including voter registration, electoral campaigning, and election day processes.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $60,000
Project Title: Promoting Women's Rights
Organization Name: Tounissiet Association
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Tunisia
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To promote women's civic and political participation in Tunisia. The organization will continue to support a Women's Policy Laboratory promoting legislative priorities. It will also conduct a nationwide survey on women's issues; organize a three-day training-of-trainers on policy analysis and advocacy; host a one-day seminar on rural women's empowerment; and organize a national conference on feminist movements in Muslim countries. The organization will also lead two two-day regional workshops on violence and extremism; organize two skills-building workshops for members and affiliates; and publish three online newsletters.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $75,000
Project Title: Protecting Civil Society Space
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Egypt
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To advocate support for a robust and active civil society. A media campaign will promote an alternative and positive message about the role of Egyptian civil society, including its importance to economic development and protecting citizen rights. Policy papers and meetings will inform and convene politicians and civil society organizations about Egypt's NGO law and promote consideration of civil society needs.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $20,000
Project Title: Empowering Disadvantaged Groups
Organization Name: Kairouan Community
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Tunisia
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To empower disadvantaged groups to lead advocacy initiatives. The organization will establish an eight-member working group that will conduct a needs assessment on public space accessibility, organize a three-day leadership and advocacy workshop, carry out an awareness campaign, host two one-day community consultative events, and advocate for improved public space and access for disadvantaged groups.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $22,075
Project Title: Promoting Civic Engagement Through Media
Organization Name: Chekad Television
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Freedom of Information
Description: To support a pro-democracy TV station and to engender a culture of civic engagement through citizen journalism. Daily news, investigative reports, and civic education programs make up a 60-minute daily program designed to promote awareness of rights and obligations in Herat province. In addition, the station will provide internships for both male and female students from Herat University's journalism faculty.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $105,000
Project Title: Enhancing Citizen Oversight of Local Government
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Egypt
Project Focus: Accountability and Governance
Description: To strengthen citizen oversight of and engagement with local officials on good governance. Four local committees will monitor local government and advocate for accountability and transparency. The grantee will train committee members to assess the performance of local officials and hold town hall meetings on public services with diverse stakeholders.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $26,000
Project Title: Justice during Conflict
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Syria
Project Focus: Conflict Resolution
Description: To enhance access to and raise standards of justice during a period of conflict. The grantee will conduct an original study of existing justice mechanisms in eastern Syria and train a group of youth leaders on negotiation skills and democratic norms regarding due process in formal and informal adjudication proceedings.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $23,900
Project Title: Engaging Youth in Public Debate
Organization Name: Afghans for Progressive Thinking
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To promote debate forums among Afghan youth and strengthen university students' debating skills. The grantee will organize Dari-language introductory debate trainings at 18 public and private universities, hold English language debate trainings for existing clubs, organize seven debate tournaments, and develop a comprehensive debate manual in Dari and English.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $60,000
Project Title: Civil Society Academy II
Organization Name: International Republican Institute (IRI)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: MENA Regional
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To empower civic actors in the region to utilize democratic practices to address issues and to advocate on behalf of their communities. The institute will convene civil society activists to attend the civil society academy that consists of multi-national workshops and internships held in Morocco and Tunisia. These academies will encourage long-term communication and collaboration between civil society actors in the Arab world. In addition, the institute will provide sub-grants to support small initiatives of academy graduates.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $600,000
Project Title: Inspiring Youth in Public Life
Organization Name: Hikaya Center for Civil Society Development
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Jordan
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To inspire and engage youth in public life and promote enlightened views on Islam, pluralism, and civil rights. The center will strengthen its radio platform, producing approximately 30 programs, broadcasting 12 hours each day, and lead a 25-session workshop on radio skills for youth. It will also share its experience region-wide through 10-day skills-based trainings in Iraq and Morocco. Finally, the center will continue to train and mentor youth in Jordan to directly engage in the improvement of their communities. The center will also lead workshops on democracy,human rights and leadership skills, conduct two "Success in a Changing World" courses, and support youth-led initiatives to advance a democratic culture in Jordan.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $57,500
Project Title: Local Community Radio
Organization Name: Radio Tenwir
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Mauritania
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To raise awareness and engage marginalized communities in civic debates through a local FM radio in Nouakchott. The grantee will launch a weekly radio program on topics related to human rights and development in Mauritania; organize four-day trainings on investigative journalism; and conduct four one-day workshop on radio content production and presentation skills.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $20,639
Project Title: Promoting Civic Engagement at Universities
Organization Name: American University in Cairo
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: MENA Regional
Project Focus: Civic Education
Description: To promote civic engagement at universities and to support and strengthen a network of universities that promote civic engagement and empower students to become agents of economic, political and social change. The grantee will train faculty and students on civic participation, launch national and regional competitions to reward and encourage universities promoting civic engagement, administer a mini-grants competition for student civic initiatives, and facilitate the exchange of best practices between universities through research and network-strengthening.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $48,916
Project Title: Supporting Women's Empowerment
Organization Name: Association Irtikaa for Effective Women Participation
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Tunisia
Project Focus: Democratic Ideas and Values
Description: To promote women's political participation and economic and social rights in marginalized interior regions. The organization will raise awareness of women's economic and social rights; conduct eight two-day seminars and six workshops for women activists; and lead campaigns to promote women's participation in local elections.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $27,000
Note: This is the total grant amount and includes a supplement that was approved separately.
Project Title: Iran Human Rights Memorial Project
Organization Name: Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Iran
Project Focus: Human Rights
Description: To promote the education and discussion of human rights and democracy in Iran. The Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation (ABF) will grow its database and expand its on-line projects: the Human Rights and Democracy Library and Omid. ABF will monitor and document the ongoing human rights violations and disseminate its findings to the public in Iran. ABF will further advocate for accountability to its international treaty obligations and for the people they are to protect.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $9,100
Note: This amount is a supplement that was approved separately.
Project Title: Civic Engagement in Balkh Province
Organization Name: Services Organization for Unity and Development (SOUND)
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: Afghanistan
Project Focus: Civic Education
Description: To raise public awareness of civic and political rights and obligations, and to strengthen dialogue between local leaders and government. The grantee will hold civic education seminars on elections, responsible citizenship, good governance and political processes for young leaders, students and teachers; and provide continued technical support for seven youth civic groups in Balkh province.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $50,000
Project Title: Strengthening Youth's Critical Debates
Organization Name: AFKAR Organization for Educational and Cultural Development
Project Region: Middle East & North Africa
Project Country: West Bank / Gaza
Project Focus: Civic Education
Description: To promote critical thinking and debates on political and social issues amongst Palestinian youth. The grantee will launch a university debate competition for students at Bethlehem and the Arab American Universities, mentor debate teams at Birzeit and al-Najah Universities, lead two two-day training workshops for 24 students and 2 university debate coordinators, organize four coaching sessions for debate teams, and host four university debates.
Year: 2016
Award Amount: $37,000
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