Among the supported projects, 15 are focused on the empowerment of vulnerable groups – youth at risk or with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, migrants, refugees, and Roma people.

The 21 initiatives that aim to strengthen democratic culture and civic awareness and support and defend human rights will, in turn, receive almost half of the total financial grant. These are very diverse projects, aimed at strengthening citizenship and citizens’ intervention in public life and the promotion of volunteering, often using culture and the arts as a vehicle for the development and transmission of democratic values and solidarity. Concerns about the sustainability of the planet are also present in several projects, both through training and mobilisation of citizens.

To strengthen the capacity and sustainability of civil society, in 15 of the 51 approved projects, funding will be delivered to NGOs that have defined in their strategic plans priority actions that can address their own needs and enhance their strengths, and make their work in the community more effective.

The 51 projects will be developed in mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Region of the Azores, with a prevalence of the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto (with 31 projects approved), but with 20 projects in other regions of the country (15 of which in the Centro region).

This grant comes entirely from public resources in Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein (EEA Grants) and is being managed, in partnership, by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon) and the Bissaya Barreto Foundation (Coimbra).

The results of the call, with the identification of the projects, the entities promoting the projects, and the allocated amounts, will be published online soon.