Objectives

• The grants will support national and local projects aimed at strengthening the protection and promotion of the rights of national minorities and people with disabilities in Albania. Funded activities will focus on combatting discrimination and hate speech, improving legal and policy implementation, and fostering social inclusion in line with European standards. The ultimate goal is to enhance institutional and civil society responses to discrimination while empowering vulnerable groups to actively participate in decision-making processes.
• Key objectives include:
  • Enhancing the capacities of CSOs and institutions to effectively prevent and respond to discrimination and hate speech against vulnerable groups, especially national minorities (Roma and Egyptians) and people with disabilities.
  • Raising public awareness about the harmful impact of discrimination and hate speech on individuals and society, promoting tolerance and inclusion.
  • Strengthening legal and policy frameworks by supporting research, data collection, and the implementation of measures that align with European human rights standards in the field of anti-discrimination and equality.
  • Creating and promoting counter and alternative narratives to hatred and intolerance and enhancing dialogue among different groups in the society.
  • Empowering people with disabilities by advocating for their rights, combatting stereotypes, and ensuring their full participation in social and public life.
  • Supporting local initiative groups, coalitions, and platforms to strengthen the engagement of vulnerable communities in decision-making at the local level.

Components

• This call aims to support national and local projects led by civil society organisations (CSOs) to enhance their capacity to address intolerance, discrimination and hatred against vulnerable groups through inclusive measures. The initiative is divided into two thematic components:
  • Component 1: Combatting Intolerance, Discrimination and Hatred towards National Minorities – Measures to foster local integration and strengthen the measures against discrimination in schools, focusing on the segregated school ‘Naim Frashëri’ in Korça.
    • This component focuses on the question of intolerance, discrimination and hatred based on national or ethnic grounds in the field of education. In particular, it aims to address the segregation of Roma or Egyptian pupils in schools and improve access to quality education for their communities in the Korça city area, with special regard to the ‘Naim Frashëri’ school.
  • Component 2: Combatting Intolerance, Discrimination and Hatred towards People with Disabilities – Addressing hate speech and bullying against people with disabilities.
    • This component is dedicated to combatting discrimination and hate speech against people with disabilities while promoting and protecting their rights. Special emphasis is placed on fostering inclusive policies, raising awareness, and implementing measures that safeguard equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Fostering an effective implementation of European standards in the field, the project may, for example, focus on raising awareness about the impact of hate speech and bullying targeting people with disabilities; strengthening the capacity of educators, civil society actors and public officials to counter intolerance and promote inclusive narratives; and empowering people with disabilities and their organisations to respond effectively to discriminatory incidents and participate actively in public discourse.

Funding Information

• The indicative available budget under this call for proposals is 30,000 EUR (thirty thousand Euros). The Council of Europe and the European Union intend to award 2 grants in total of a maximum amount of 15,000 EUR (fifteen thousand Euros) each, resulting in one grant awarded under each of the two aforementioned components.

Duration

• The implementation period of the projects should start on 1 September 2025 (and shall not extend beyond 31 August 2026.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible for a grant, an applicant must:
  • be legally constituted as a non-governmental organisation in Albania;
  • be entitled to carry out in Albania activities described in its project proposal;
  • have been active for at least 3 (three) years in the field of protection of vulnerable groups, combatting discrimination and/or hate speech, and/or human rights/anti-discrimination;
  • have sufficient financial capacity (stable and sufficient sources of funding) to maintain its activity throughout the period for which the grant is awarded and to participate by way of its own resources (including human resources or in-kind contributions);
  • have sufficient operational and professional capacity, including staff, to carry out activities described in its project proposal;
  • have a bank account.

For more information, visit Council of Europe.

https://www.coe.int/en/web/tirana/-/call-for-proposals-grant-scheme-to-support-csos-in-enhancing-the-protection-from-discrimination-against-vulnerable-groups-in-albania