Civil Society

Civil society and active citizenship strengthened and vulnerable groups empowered

The Active Citizens Fund programme in Greece is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway as part of the European Economic Area (EEA) Financial Mechanism for the EEA Grants 2014-2021 funding period. The programme aims to empower and enhance the sustainability of civil society. It highlights the role of civil society in promoting democratic processes, increasing citizen participation in public affairs, and defending human rights. The Bodossaki Foundation and SolidarityNow jointly manage Greece’s Active Citizens Fund programme grant.

The programme included seven open calls for interest:

1. Empowerment of vulnerable groups
2. Strengthening advocacy and the watchdog role of civil society
3. Enhancing citizen participation in public affairs
4. Promoting human rights
5. Promoting gender equality and combating gender-based violence
6. Developing cooperation networks among civil society organizations
7. Organizational grants for the strategic development of civil society organizations

All NGOs that received funding from the programme participated in capacity-building activities organized by the grant manager throughout the implementation of the programme.

Finally, the Active Citizens Fund programme encouraged the development of bilateral relations between Greek NGOs and entities from the donor countries, so as to facilitate collaborations and joint actions, exchange knowledge, and best practices, strengthening civil society and enhancing the sustainability of organizations and the sector in general.

You can watch videos produced for the projects implemented under the funding of the EEA Grants 2014-2021 in Greece on the programme’s Facebook page.