Grow Civic
What is Grow Civic?
Civic Space implements an in-kind support Program called Grow Civic. It is a powerful and successful tool for strengthening the capacities of civil society. It addresses the needs of grassroots or local CSOs as well as activists who do not have the chance to access macro-level EU or other donor grants.
The aims of the Grow Civic Program are to:
- Support mainstreaming of rights-based actions and actors including activists, citizens' initiatives, and CSOs to promote and enhance democracy and human rights.
- Strengthen CSOs' capacities specifically on rights-based actions, visibility/communication, advocacy, and organizational sustainability, and to support the creation of new initiatives or organizations having a rights-based agenda.
- Foster and strengthen multi-communal dialogue and collaboration, and/or to support the development of mono or multi-communal thematic or cross-thematic coalitions in line with the rights-based approach EU values and principles.
- Foster and strengthen networking and partnership with CSOs in the EU Member States or the IPA region for joint rights-based agendas and actions.
Grow Civic provides flexible, transparent, and accessible direct in-kind support to rights-based, public benefit work carried out by activists, citizen’s initiatives, platforms, networks, and CSOs who are legally residing in Cyprus.
Civic Space provides on-demand, tailor-made help desk support to CSOs and activists in developing their action designs, identifying potential partners, or integrating a rights-based approach and measures for mainstreaming different rights issues and developing their budgets or activities among other.
Requesters can address their requests through the online Grow Civic System (MIS). Simple request forms in English and Turkish are available and can be accessed from the MIS button below. For any questions, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions.
So far Civic Space has provided support to 92 actions covering a large spectrum of actions including but not limited to:
- Organizing and/or participating in meetings, conferences, seminars, study visits, networks, bi-communal and partnership activities, advocacy work, lobbying activities, conducting research, campaigns, etc.
- On thematic fields such as peace and reconciliation, nature and environment, health, culture and arts, human rights, gender, youth, etc.
- 199 requests received
- In total 92 Grow Civic requests were supported. Out of those actions that were supported 21 were on peace and reconciliation, 6 were on nature and environment, 6 were on culture and arts, and 2 were on gender equality.
- 44 of the 92 actions that were supported, were aiming for peace and reconciliation and/or implemented by bicommunal partnerships
- Over 3600 help desk support provided
- An online request management system created for receiving, checking, and answering requests
- 14 info-sessions were held to introduce and promote the Programme, of which 6 of them were for targeting inter-communal or Greek Cypriot CSOs and activists
- 18 Grow Civic promotional films produced.
