US Embassy Ukraine Grant: Protecting Human Rights and Combating Hate and Politically Motivated Crimes

The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine calls for proposals from Ukrainian NGOs to support protecting human rights in Ukraine: combatting hate and politically motivated crimes. The grant competition supports both new and experienced human rights organizations in their efforts to protect human rights, fundamental freedoms and monitor and report on potential human rights violations.  We strongly encourage proposals focused on the following vulnerable or marginalized groups: women’s rights, the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people, the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, the rights of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), the rights of those in the activists’ community, especially those working on issues related to corruption, environmental protection, or journalism.

The project activities must fall into the following areas to be considered for funding in this thematic competition: 

·        Conducting education or awareness campaigns on the rights of vulnerable or marginalized groups, including “know your rights” campaigns to empower at-risk individuals and stigma reduction campaigns to create a more tolerant society. Organizing training sessions for journalists on human rights to improve reporting in the media and increase media coverage. 

·        Monitoring and reporting on possible violations of the rights of vulnerable or marginalized groups in Ukraine or in the region where the organization is located.

·        Promoting the rule of law, tolerance and inclusion of marginalized groups in Ukraine, reducing manifestations of xenophobia, disrespect and hate; fighting against hate crimes.

·        Ensuring equal access to the justice system for vulnerable or marginalized groups, including projects supporting legal advocacy, (client counseling and representation, primary and secondary legal aid) and strategic litigation against discrimination and other issues to influence broader legal practice in Ukraine.  

·        Training police officers, investigators, and prosecutors about legal aspects and proper investigation of the hate and politically motivated crimes.

• Create an enabling, and inclusive, environment where human rights defenders can advocate for human rights and democratic governance.
• Protecting and supporting human rights defenders. To increase the capacity of civil society to defend itself and mitigate the impacts of cyber of physical attacks.
• Strengthen institutional frameworks for the promotion of human rights, human rights defenders’ protection systems, rule of law, and communications and collaboration between Ukrainian government and civil society.
• Raise awareness of violence against environmental defenders and encourages wide engagement with the stakeholders domestically as well in multilateral institutions. To increase access to information, opportunities for public participation, and access to justice in environmental matters as well as initiatives that build Ukraine’s capacity to protect its own environmental defenders.
• Combat the violence and abuse, criminalization, discrimination, and stigma targeting LGBTQI+ persons abroad and work to support the human rights defenders on the ground.
• Eliminate information and physical attacks on representatives of the gender equality movement in Ukraine, provide assistance to victims, highlight those cases in media.

Other innovative ways address these issues will also be considered.

PAS strongly encourages proposals to include new and effective communication tools and demonstrate a clear target audience. Due to COVID-19, direct personal contact between project implementers and beneficiaries should be limited. Applicants should use online tools for training and meeting with beneficiaries; and visual tools such as billboards, posters, announcements with QR codes, video advertisements (print materials are discouraged).

Proposals must identify the project’s target audience; concrete and achievable goals and plans to measure progress against these goals; a realistic action plan; and a reasonable cost estimate. PAS strongly supports cooperation between different stakeholders and will give preference to projects that engage state and private institutions to implement the project and ensure its sustainability. 

Ten percent of grant funds may be allocated for administrative needs of the organization during the period of project implementation.