For more information go to the website created exclusively for this Programme.
The Active Citizens Fund, with a budget of 11 M€, is intended to support Civil Society in Portugal.
The Programme entered into force on July 9th, 2018, the date on which it was signed.
Objectives
The central objective of the Active Citizens Fund is to strengthen Civil Society, strengthen active citizenship and empower vulnerable groups.
The Programme seeks to support projects that promote:
- democracy, active citizenship, good governance and transparency;
- human rights and equal treatment by fighting all forms of discrimination;
- social justice and the inclusion of vulnerable groups;
- the qualification of NGO's.
The Programme contributes to the overall objectives of the EEA Grants in Portugal and to the achievement of good governance and sustainable development.
Programme Framework
The Active Citizens Fund is organized in four priority areas of intervention, in which the projects to be developed should be framed:
Area 1 – Strengthen the democratic culture and civic awareness
Area 2 – Supporting and defending the human rights
Area 3 – Empower vulnerable groups
Area 4 – Reinforce the capability and sustainability of the civil society
The Fund also foresees, through Bilateral Cooperation Initiatives and Regional Civil Society Initiatives, giving support with the objective of fostering cooperation projects with:
- entities from the three funding countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway);
- and with entities from the remaining 14 EEA Grants beneficiary countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic and Romania).
Fund Manager
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in consortium with the Bissaya Barreto Foundation was choosen to manage the Active Citizens Fund in Portugal.