New Democracy Fund

Thank You to All Our Partners for 2024! As a fund dedicated to supporting civil society in the Eastern Neighbourhood countries, we are proud to share that in 2024 we have supported 56 projects with a total funding of 12 million DKK. Seeing these projects come to life and make a difference in their communities is what inspires and drives us forward. We are grateful for the collaboration and dedication of all the civil society actors we work with and remain committed to supporting your work. Please note that we will be on a holiday break from December 19th to January 6th and will not be available to address inquiries during this time For the latest updates on our open calls, please visit the 'We Support' section on our website: https://lnkd.in/eF6ewMh8 Want to stay informed about funding opportunities, webinars, and more? Sign up for our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gpPQPUTU See you all in 2025!

🌟 FAQs Are Here! 🌟   💬 After hosting webinars on November 21st and December 4th, we’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions from civil society actors interested in applying for funding with us!   🔍 In this FAQ, you'll find answers to: -General eligibility requirements -Partnership requirements -Budget and funding guidelines -Project scope and thematic areas   ✨ Dive into the answers on our website here: https://lnkd.in/eUXwH2zC    

🌟 Join Us for Another Webinar! 🌟 Due to overwhelming interest in our latest webinars (350+ attendees) we're happy to announce another chance to learn about New Democracy Fund’s 2025 funding opportunities! 📅 December 12 🕙 10:00–10:30 AM (CET) Like last time, we’ll dive into funding for large-scale projects in partnerships between ENC and Danish civil society actors. Secure your spot today - register here👉 https://lnkd.in/eVbZme82 Let’s keep the momentum going! See you there! 🚀

🌟 Thank You for Joining Us! 🌟 A heartfelt thank you to the 350+ attendees who joined our recent webinars on November 21 and December 4! Your engagement and input were truly appreciated, and we’re excited to see such strong interest in New Democracy Fund’s funding opportunities for civil society actors in the EU's Eastern Neighbourhood Countries! 🚀 Due to all the interest, we’re now announcing the date of another webinar for those interested in our funding opportunities: 📅 December 12 | 🕙 10:00-10:30 AM (CET) Register on the following link and secure your spot: https://lnkd.in/eVbZme82 During this webinar, we will share details about our 2025 funding opportunities, focusing on large-scale projects in partnerships between ENC and Danish civil society actors. We hope to see you there!

Building Bridges Through Culture: Public-Civic Partnerships in Action in Moldova 🇲🇩🌍 📅 25-27 November 2024, we participated in the International Ideas Lab ‘Do it Together! Co-creating the Concept of Public Civic Partnership’ in Chișinău, Moldova. The event was organised by our partner, the Coalition of the Independent Cultural Sector of Moldova, and brought together organisations and authorities from both Moldova and abroad to find new ways to collaborate on public buildings and spaces - with a special focus on culture as a driver of community and development 🎭. 🏢 In Moldova, accessing public buildings and infrastructure for cultural purposes is a major challenge. Many facilities date back to Soviet times when their purpose was predetermined. After the fall of the Soviet Union, many buildings were either privatised or left to decay. At the same time, urban centralisation makes it difficult for smaller communities to access resources and facilities that can strengthen communities through culture and creativity. 💡 During the event, a promising idea was presented: Public-civil partnerships (PCP), a new way of organising cooperation between citizens and authorities, where both parties work together on common solutions. The model challenges the traditional ‘top-down’ approach where decisions are made from above and the limitations of leaving everything to either the state or the market. PCP opens up a third option: for citizens to take the initiative and create change in collaboration with local authorities. 🤝 Public-civil partnerships are in contrast to public-private partnerships, which often focus on commercial interests. PCP puts the common good at the centre. It's about giving ordinary citizens more say in how public resources are spent. PCP therefore represents a new movement working for more equality ⚖️, sustainability 🌱 and active citizenship 🌍. 💬 Frederikke Thorning Jacobsen, Project Coordinator for the Danish Cultural Institute in Moldova, reflects on the three-day event: "Civil society in Moldova took the initiative to collaborate with the authorities and invited the whole country to talk about how to concretely solve challenges that have deep historical roots - that was inspiring! As a cultural institute, we see this as an important opportunity to strengthen the dialogue between public and civil cultural actors. Collaborations with cultural organisations can build bridges to ordinary citizens and ensure that culture is relevant to many different types of people." 👏 We look forward to seeing how these ideas will hopefully strengthen culture, communities and co-operation between Moldova and Denmark!

Join Our Upcoming Support Sessions: Explore Funding Opportunities with The New Democracy Fund    Are you a civil society actor in the  Eastern Neighbourhood Countries interested in learning more about working with Youth, Culture, Labour market and Media? The New Democracy Fund invites you to a series of Support Sessions designed to provide tailored guidance and answer your questions about project development and  funding opportunities for civil society for different sectors.    Each session will be hosted by four of the five organisations in the New Democracy Fund consortium, focusing on one of our key thematic support areas:   🎨 Culture – Danish Cultural Institute (DCI)  ✊ Labour Market – 3F – Fagligt Fælles Forbund and Danish Industry (DI) 👥 Youth – DUF - Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd (DUF)    About the Sessions  🔹 Format: Interactive Zoom meetings (1 hour each).  🔹 Purpose: An open dialogue where you can ask questions about our funding pools and receive guidance to strengthen your initiatives.  🔹 Participation: Limited to 25 participants per session, on a first-come, first-served basis.  🔹 Requirement: Active participation is expected.    Who Can Join?  Civil society actors in the Eastern Neighbourhood Countries looking to make an impact and seeking support through the New Democracy Fund.   📅 Dates and registration links for each Support Session: ✊Labour Market: 3. December 13:00-14:00 (CET) 🔗 Registration link: https://lnkd.in/e3zuFvMh 📌 Deadline: December 1st 🎨 Culture: 11. December 13:00-14:00 (CET) 🔗 Registration link: https://lnkd.in/eJN_UaQD 📌 Deadline: December 9th 👥 Youth: 17. December 13:00-14:00 (CET) 🔗 Registration link: https://lnkd.in/eqTY2vij 📌 Deadline: December 15th   Don’t miss this opportunity to engage directly with our team and learn how we can support your important work.    Secure your spot today!

📢 New Call for Strengthened Regional Networks and Cross-thematic Partnerships in the Eastern Neighbourhood Countries 📢   Civil society actors in the Eastern Neighborhood Countries (ENC) face political instability, war, and a shrinking civic space. As a response, we’re launching a new call aimed at civil society actors across the ENC to support regional partnerships, cross-country / cross-thematic alliances, and to utilize windows of opportunity.       ❓Who can apply❓ Eligible applicants are civil society actors from the ENC in partnership with either (1) minimum one other civil society actor from at least one other ENC country, (2) a Danish civil society actor, 3) minimum one other civil society actor from the same ENC country. This includes CSOs, social movements, media, academia, trade unions, as well as community-based groups, cultural, educational, and knowledge institutions.   The call will also accept applications from ENC organisations applying without a partner. For this kind of application, please note the maximum amount to be applied for is 100.000 DKK (13.400 EURO) ❓What kind of projects do we support❓ Funding is available for applications for: ▶️ (...) building regional networks and alliances to foster understanding and collaboration across the ENC.  ▶️ (...) cross-country and/or cross-thematic activities that promote solidarity, peaceful coexistence, and mutual understanding (e.g., campaigns, cultural exchanges, community building).  ▶️ (...) windows of opportunity for civil society actors facing civic space restrictions or human rights challenges.       💸 Grant Details Applicants can request up to 53,000 EUR / 400,000 DKK. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.    For further information about the call, visit our website:  https://lnkd.in/eF6ewMh8    🔗 Apply for funding via this link: https://lnkd.in/geWD7Crd (please ensure all required documentation, including a registration certificate and organisational bank info, is included)    ❓Calls for Support in 2025❓   We will soon share more information about new funding opportunities in 2025. These new opportunities will also target civil society actors in the ENC in partnership with Danish civil society actors for funding to large-scale projects.     💻  If you want more information about the call in November and The New Democracy Fund’s funding opportunities in 2025, please register for one of our two upcoming webinars: Webinar 1: Introduction to New Democracy Fund’s funding opportunities – November 21 (13:00 – 14:00 CET). Register here: https://lnkd.in/d4i4vmJD Webinar 2: Introduction to New Democracy Fund’s funding opportunities – December 4 (11:00 – 12:00 CET). Register here: https://lnkd.in/dz_5qcNy   📲 Help us spread the word by sharing this post with your network!

🌍 Empowering local journalists in Ukraine 🌍 The “Inclusive Recovery Through the Recovery Win Coalition” project is an initiative launched in 2024 to support Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction efforts amidst ongoing challenges. Led by IMS (International Media Support) in collaboration with Danish Industry, 3F – Fagligt Fælles Forbund and Ukrainian organisations, the project focuses on strengthening local investigative journalism, transparency, and accountability in the reconstruction of Ukraine. With Ukrainian communities facing the pressing need for reliable information and democratic oversight, the Recovery Win coalition unites Ukrainian media outlets, think tanks, and community organisations to address corruption risks, enhance transparency, and support local voices. This coalition will empower local journalists to provide trusted reporting on Ukraine’s reconstruction processes, holding institutions accountable as they navigate one of the largest post-conflict recovery efforts since the Marshall Plan. Visit Recovery Win's website (in Ukrainian) via the link below ⬇️ https://recovery.win/

🌍 Engaging Youth in Moldova’s EU Referendum 2024 🇲🇩🇪🇺 As Moldova prepares for a historic referendum on joining the EU on 20th October – remarkably, on the same day as the presidential election – youth engagement is more crucial than ever! With increasing polarisation and misinformation, it is essential that young voices are engaged and heard. Our six-month project — led by IMS (International Media Support), DUF - Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd, and Silba - Initiative for Dialogue and Democracy — aims to empower Moldova’s youth to take an active role in shaping their future. Through media involvement, youth-led initiatives, and referendum observation, we hope to provide young people with the tools to make informed decisions and amplify their voices at this pivotal moment. The project will engage partners and members of DUF and IMS from both Moldova and Denmark, with a strong focus on exchange and collaboration between our two countries. As such, the project seeks to enable synergies between countries as well as sectors, enhancing the project’s outcomes, promoting young people’s engagement in the EU Referendum across Moldova, and strengthening the capacity of the involved organisations and media. 📢 We hope to help ensure the next generation plays a meaningful role in Moldova’s path to the EU!

🇦🇲 Delving into the complex past of Armenia! 🇦🇲 Today, our partners from Cultural and Social Narratives Lab are launching the annual "School of Complex Past" program, taking place from 20th-22nd September. This year’s thematic focus is on the challenges of forced displacement, refuge, and migration within the context of wars and conflicts. Since the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020, over 100,000 forcibly displaced people have moved to Armenia due to subsequent military operations and escalations. The situation has become even more intense and alarming in the context of other conflicts and wars occurring in the region. Through in-depth study and reflection, the aim is to understand how key historical events and current affairs are interconnected, as well as to examine the impact of the migration crisis and refugee flows on today’s multi-layered reality. To all participants, cultural practitioners, artists, CSO representatives, and media professionals taking part in the School of Complex Past: We’re sure the next couple of days will be complex - and illuminating! This programme is implemented by CSN Lab with the support of the Danish Cultural Institute (DCI) within the New Democracy Fund (NDF) programme and the Women's Fund Armenia (WFA). A big thank you to Tigran and Cultural and Social Narratives Lab for taking upon them the intellectual challenge of bridging present-day Armenia with its historical roots.