The Active Citizens Programme in Portugal today launches new calls to support Portuguese Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

Following the 2018 and 2019 calls that allowed 71 projects to be approved with a financial support of 4.2 million euros, the Programme opens four calls under the Programme’s four outcomes:

Outcome 1 – Strengthened democratic culture and civic awareness (Call Notice # 8);

Outcome 2 – Increased support for Human Rights (Call Notice # 9);

Outcome 3 – Vulnerable groups are empowered (Call Notice # 10);

Outcome 4 – Enhanced capacity and sustainability of civil society (Call Notice # 11).

The allocation for these calls reaches 4 million euros, being the largest financial envelope of the Programme and therefore constituting an unrepeatable opportunity for Civil Society organisations.

The types of projects to be submitted vary according to the outcomes in which they fit and can reach a maximum cost of 120,000 euros and a maximum duration of 30 months.

The Programme’s co-funding rate reaches 90%, and own contributions can be ensured entirely through volunteer work, in the case of small and medium-sized NGOs, to alleviate the financial difficulties resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

All the steps to be taken in the application process are detailed on this website, namely in the Programme Rules, in the Call Notices, in a new Application Manual and in a series of tutorial videos that help to fill in the application form.

Given the limitations associated with the control of the pandemic, the launching session for the 2020 contests scheduled for September 18 will take a different format, essentially consisting of a Q&A session in-person and online, between 10 am and 1 pm, with the participation of the Programme team in the Auditorium 2 of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in Lisbon.

Presence in Auditorium 2 is limited to 140 people, and a pre-registration must be made in which will be confirmed by order of registration; access to the online session is done through a Zoom link and does not require pre-registration.

In addition, and with a view to guaranteeing the widest possible access to the calls, namely by the NGOs located outside the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto, this session will be complemented with face-to-face workshops in the following cities and dates:

Braga: September 22

Vila Real: September 23

Évora: September 28

Faro: 29 September

Covilhã: 1 October

Coimbra: 2 October

Apply with good projects! The 4 calls end between 4 and 11 December!

Presentation video