Open Society Georgia Foundation
"Law, Media and Health" project announces a grant competition for NGOs, Coalitions and Initiative Groups:
"Protection of Rights and Interests of Persons with Disabilities"

Goal of the competition is:

To promote integration of persons with disabilities and to protect their interests; to create favorable conditions and environment as to ensure full-fledged living and participation in the economic and political activities, access to justice, as well as realization of their rights.

OSGF will finance several best projects aimed at the promotion or support of:

• Improvement of legal state of persons with disabilities at the legislative and state-policy level related to the right of persons with disabilities to be recognized as legal persons.

• Models to pilot supported decision-making regimes as an alternative to guardianship.

• Efforts to promote improvement of accessibility of employment, education, social and health care to disabled persons, and advocacy of positive changes toward implementing the right to live and be included in the community.

• To ensure effective access to justice for persons with disabilities in the criminal justice system, either from the victims side or the accused side.

• Advocacy efforts aimed at securing inclusive education.

Ceiling budget per project requested from OSGF shouldn't exceed 22 000 USD.

Grant proposals (projects) submission requirements:

• It is required to submit the project compiled conforming to OSGF Standard Grant Application Form ;
• Proposal should be submitted in 3 copies (one original and 2 xerocopies);
• Proposal shuold be recorded  on CD (English version);
• It is required to attach CVs of the project participants (project director, principal members of the group and experts);
• It is required to explain ways of project implementation in a coherent and accurate way; in case of monitoring - methodology and in case of advocacy - strategy.

Applicant should be able to provide detailed information on the state-of-play in Georgia with regard to the disability rights issue they propose to work on. Likewise, applicant should elaborate on their partnerships with other organizations in the Georgian disability rights movement or with other allies and how the group plans to coordinate with other efforts underway in the selected issue area. (For example, if the applicant proposes to undertake advocacy efforts to advance inclusive education, the group should detail efforts of other actors in the field-including other NGOs, UN agencies, bilateral donors, Ministry of Education, etc.-the unique contribution the applicant will make to these efforts, and how the applicant will coordinate with these efforts to increase their impact.)

• It is required to attach two recommendation letters from experts or representatives of the organizations involved in this field of activity.
• An applicant is eligible to submit only one project within the competition.
• Complete grant proposals can be submitted at the Open Society Georgia Foundation office (10 Chovelidze Street, Tbilisi) on weekdays till 3:00 PM April 22, 2014.

Consultations:

Consultations for applicants will be conducted on March 31, April 3, and April 8 at 12:30 AM at the Open Society Georgia Foundation office (address: 10 T. Chovelidze St., Tbilisi, Georgia 0108). 

In case of interest, OSGF can provide hands-on trainings to the granted organizations on civil monitoring, advocacy and communications, financial sustainability and fund-raising.

Contact persons: Nino Kiknadze;
E-mail address: nkiknadze@osgf.ge;
Telephone: 2 25 04 63.