- The consultation (in Hungarian) is open until Friday 9 April 2021.
The EEA and Norway Grants form an integral part of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway’s contribution to reduce social and economic disparities in Europe. The Grants also aim to deepen the bilateral relations between the three donor states and the 15 beneficiary countries.
The priorities for the funding period 2014-2021 reflect and complement the priorities of the EU and aim to respond to the shared challenges facing Europe. One of the key priorities is to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of civil society.
A minimum of 10% of the EEA Grants in every beneficiary country is earmarked for the Active Citizens Fund. In Hungary, the allocation for the programme is €10,890,000. Following the selection of a Fund Operator, these funds will be redistributed to Hungarian civil society organisations through open calls for projects which can be implemented until April 2024.
All organisations and activities funded by the programme shall be based on the common values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.
Five thematic areas are eligible for support under the programme:
- Democracy, active citizenship, good governance and transparency
- Human rights and equal treatment through combating any discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation or gender identity
- Social justice and inclusion of vulnerable groups[1]
- Gender equality and gender-based violence
- Environment and climate change[2]
In addition, the Active Citizens Fund will prioritise initiatives to support the long-term sustainability and capacity of the civil society sector and improve outreach to under-served geographic areas and target groups. The programme will include specific procedures to ensure that also smaller organisations and those with less experience in applying for grants can be supported. A minimum 60% of the funds that is allocated through the open calls shall be granted to projects implementing activities outside the capital city of Budapest. Finally, the Active Citizens Fund shall support projects and initiatives that include young people and youth organisations.
Stakeholder consultation
The Active Citizens Fund will be developed and implemented based on the expressed needs of the larger civil society sector in Hungary. We will therefore organise a stakeholder consultation meeting after the Fund Operator has been selected.
In the current stage, prior to the Fund Operator selection and in preparation for this consultation meeting, we invite civil society organisations and other interested stakeholders in Hungary to provide written feedback on the challenges that should be addressed by the programme and proposed solutions. Your responses will be confidential and will be taken into consideration when preparing the overall programme design, results framework and open calls for projects.
The results of this consultation will be shared with the appointed Fund Operator. To protect your confidentiality the results will not contain any information that may personally identify you.
Please provide your organisation’s feedback to the stakeholder survey here (in Hungarian). The survey can be filled in once for each organisation.
Any questions about this stakeholder consultation can be directed to acf@efta.int.
[1] Provision of welfare and basic services will only be supported as part of actions addressing awareness-raising, advocacy, empowerment and reform initiatives
[2] Protection of the environment and climate change will only be supported as part of measures to promote civic participation, advocacy, social innovation and active citizenship
The Active Citizens Fund supports civil society by strengthening its role in promoting democratic participation, supporting active citizenship and protecting human rights. In several of the Beneficiary States, the EEA Grants is one of the most important contributors to civil society. Find out more about how we support civil society.
Curious to know what programmes we fund in Hungary? Find out more.