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EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND
Fourth Grants Competition for Initiatives in CEECA — 2025
ECOM – Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity in partnership with the organizations “Aidsfonds” (Netherlands) and ICF “Alliance for Public Health” (Ukraine) is implementing a program aimed at reducing the negative impact of the Russian war against Ukraine on the access of key populations (KP) to HIV services and humanitarian assistance in the region of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA).
The programme provides grants to support initiatives of KP communities to ensure access of KPs to HIV-related services, to protect KPs’ rights and overcome discrimination and stigma, as well as to ensure access of KPs to humanitarian assistance.
ECOM has successfully conducted three rounds of grants, supporting 43 organisations from 2023.. As a result of the three rounds, 81 applications were received in the last round. As a result of the projects, more than 3,000 representatives of key populations received services from professionals, including psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, lawyers and medical specialists.
In 2025, ECOM conducted a needs analysis of community organisations and experts from key populations to better tailor the current call for proposals to the needs of the region. One of the key findings was a reduction in funding for vital services for key populations in all countries. In this regard, several interviewees expressed concern and emphasised the need to ensure that the Key Population Services strand is sufficiently funded so that it is no less important than the advocacy strands.
As part of this programme, ECOM is launching a fourth call for proposals among organisations and non-registered, unregistered initiative groups leading/working with communities of key populations vulnerable to HIV in CEECA countries (excluding Ukraine; see full list of countries below).
The Fund’s work aimed at supporting key populations in Ukraine is implemented by the ICF “Alliance for Public Health”. More information you will find here.
AREAS SUPPORTED WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE COMPETITION
1. Provision of services for key groups in migration
- Ensuring accessibility of medical services, including testing for HIV, hepatitis and STIs.
- Organisation of consultations and accompaniment to medical institutions.
- Development of crisis psychological support programmes.
- Providing legal assistance, including support in obtaining documents.
- Development of programmes on social adaptation, employment and educational courses for migrants.
2. Removing policy barriers to the ‘legalisation’ of HIV-affected migrants and their access to social or health services.
- Community-led monitoring;
- Collecting and systematising data on access to social or health services in the host country;
- Documenting cases of discrimination and barriers to accessing services.
- Training of lawyers and social workers to work with HIV-positive migrants.
- Informing KPs representatives about host country laws and procedures and their participation in advocacy for change.
3. Establishing and/or maintaining measures aimed at changing and/or mitigating the impact of existing laws and procedures, as well as responding to new legislative initiatives that contribute to harassment and discrimination against people living with HIV and key populations.
- Creating and/or maintaining measures aimed at changing and/or mitigating the impact of existing laws and procedures and responding to new legislative initiatives that contribute to harassment and discrimination against people living with HIV and key populations.
- Formulating strategies for long-term improvement of living and working conditions for KPs.
- Engaging with health care providers to address discrimination.
- Campaigning at the national level to mitigate the impact of existing laws and procedures, as well as responding to new legislative initiatives
- Advocating for simplified migration procedures for people living with HIV.
- Building cross-sectoral coalitions of KP populations and other vulnerable groups to mitigate the impact of existing laws and procedures, as well as responding to new legislative initiatives
- Developing international partnerships to protect the rights of KP migrants.
Projects under this call for proposals may include (but are not limited to) the above activities targeting representatives of key populations groups caught up in migration due to the Russian full invasion of Ukraine.
The following activities will not be funded:
- Individual participation in seminars, conferences;
- Procurement of ARVs;
- Purchase of equipment and machinery
- Subcontracting other organisations to carry out activities (except for fiduciary agents of unregistered initiative groups – see below).
WHO CAN APPLY
Within the framework of this call for proposals, ECOM invites applications from non-governmental organisations and action groups from the following countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Priority will be given to community-led non-governmental organisations and community-led initiative groups.
Programmes operating in Russia and Belarus are not supported under this competition.
Current ECOM grantees from Round 3 are not eligible to participate in the competition. Organisations that do not have current active grants with ECOM are eligible to apply.
BENEFICIARIES OF THE COMPETITION:
- People living with HIV (PLHIV) and affected by TB;
- Trans people;
- LGBT and men who have sex with men (MSM);
- Sex workers and female sex workers;
- People who use drugs (PWUD);
- Women living with HIV;
- People with disabilities;
- Adolescents and young people vulnerable to HIV.
*Applications that include intersectional work with different Key populations groups are welcome.
GRANT PERIOD AND BUDGET
Grants of up to €50,000 for a period of up to 6 months with two reporting periods, and two tranches, proportionally divided between the implementation period, starting 1 May 2025.
IMPORTANT: Proposed projects can be submitted for ONLY ONE of the Tracks. In case of receiving an application with activities in several areas at the same time — the application will not be considered.
One organisation can submit only one project application and only for one of the directions. In case two applications are received from the same applicant, both will not be accepted for consideration. A fiscal organisation cannot have two initiative groups at the same time.
LIST OF DOCUMENTS NECESSARY TO APPLY
Applicants need to submit the complete set of documents online, at the link.
The document package consists of:
For NGOs
- Completed online application form
- Application: Project work plan and project budget (as per form)
- Appendix/s: Document/s confirming the legal status of the organisation: Certificate of Registration (or any other analogue) and Charter
For initiative groups
- Completed online application form
- Annex: Project Work Plan and Project Budget (according to the attached form)
- Attachment(s): Document(s) of the partner NGO confirming the legal status of the organisation: Certificate of Registration (or any other analogue) and Statutes
- Annex: Letter of support of the partner NGO
- Annex: Confirmation of the initiative group’s activity for at least 6 months.
Important for initiative groups:
- Only initiative groups with a documented activity history of at least 6 months can be supported.
- In order to submit a project application, the initiative group requires a registered partner organisation to take on the functions of a fiduciary agent, including financial management and grant reporting. Please attach a letter of support from a registered NGO or a co-operation agreement stating that the NGO will fully support your action team in the implementation of the project.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Applications will be considered based on the following criteria:
- The applicant is a legal organisation or an unregistered initiative group established with the participation of representatives of key population groups and located in one of the following countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan;
- There is evidence of meaningful community participation in the organisation’s activities (representatives of key populations are among the staff and/or members of the organisation or the board; the organisation’s statutory and strategic documents specify representatives of at least one key population as a target group/one of the target groups, etc.);
- The applicant has a mechanism that ensures the quality and transparency of financial management (using its own systems and procedures, or has a financial agent that will ensure the necessary quality of financial management);
- The objectives of the proposed project are consistent with the objective of the call and fall under one of the proposed areas of the call;
- The project proposal is well planned (SMART criteria are applicable : Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound);
- The budget is consistent with the proposed activities;
- Full contact details of those authorised to sign on behalf of the organisation are provided.
STAGES OF THE GRANTS COMPETITION
The competition will run from 17 March to 6 April until 2025. The competition will be conducted in three stages:
(1) Application Submission
6 April 2025, 23:59 EET is the deadline for submission of applications.
ECOM staff will verify that the applications meet the technical requirements. Only those applications that fulfill the requirements of the Call will be accepted and registered.
(2) Review and selection of applications
7-13 April 2025 — Applications will be reviewed by a panel of independent experts. The experts’ recommendations on the selection of recipients will be reviewed and approved by the ECOM Board of Management. All applicants will be notified of the final decision. ECOM reserves the right to withhold reasons for rejection.
(3) Negotiation and signing of contracts
14-17 April 2025 — announcement of the results and from 1 May 2025 start of detailed negotiations on the grant contract: discussion of contract terms, work plan and budget for grantees, conclusion of the contract.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
- Applications should be submitted online in Russian or English via the link.
- Attach all necessary attachments.
- Project Workplan and Budget templates are available as an attachment to this announcement.
Only complete documentation packages will be accepted.
ECOM reserves the right to require applicants to submit additional documents and information to substantiate or clarify the data provided in the application.
WEBINAR ON HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMPETITION
ECOM will host a webinar for anyone wishing to participate in the grant competition who may have additional questions. The webinar will provide information on the content of the Competition and how to complete the forms.
The webinar will take place on 24 March February 2025, 11:00 EET in Russian and 12:00 EET in English. You can register for the webinar in Russian at the link, and in English here.
Questions on the content of the Competition should be directed to Uluk Batyrgaliev at uluk@ecom.ngo.
Technical questions on filling in the entry form should be sent to Natalia Bikashvili at natalia@ecom.ngo, with a copy of uluk@ecom.ngo.
The deadline for applications is 6 April 2025, 23:59 EET (Eastern European Time).
The regional programme is implemented with the financial support of GILEAD.
