With the aim of helping civil society reach the Fund objective of a vibrant and resilient civil society protecting and promoting democracy, the rule of law and human rights, the Fund Operator is responsible for ensuring that the programme undertakes a range of actions that build the capacity and sustainability of civil society organisations and the sector as a whole.

Capacity building is seen as a long-term learning process in which a broad range of stakeholders may have a role, including the Fund Operator, project promoters and their partners, civic initiatives, grassroots and community organisations, networks and coalitions, and partners in public, private and civil society sectors. Capacity building should be integrated across the programme and should target civil society stakeholders including project promoters. Therefore, the programme shall have a holistic approach to capacity building implemented across all outcomes (including outcomes of bilateral cooperation and regional civil society initiatives) and through measures financed by the management fee. 

Fund Operators will support and enhance the capacity of project promoters and partners to effectively implement their projects and strengthen their organisations. This may include providing targeted training, resources, and guidance to help build organisational resilience, sustainability, and advocacy capabilities etc. 

TIP: Capacity building can be supported by project grants that also include organisational development activities. The project promoter may, with the approval of the Fund Operator, set aside a percentage of the project grant (usually 10-15%) for such organisational development activities. The Fund Operator may also increase the grant amount for project promoters for the purpose of capacity-building activities (top-up).

Fund Operators shall ensure that a minimum of 20 percent of the re-granting amount contributes to organisational development and an enabling environment for civil society. This is a fund specific in Article 1.6.1 of the Programme Implementation Agreement.  

Capacity building activities can be supported by way of open calls, such as organisational grants, or by way of pre-defined projects.

Capacity building efforts should be enhanced by prioritising areas such as advocacy, policy engagement, and the overall development of the sector's capabilities. Rather than solely focusing on technical management capacity, a more comprehensive approach should be adopted to empower individuals and organisations within the sector. This means providing support and training that enable them to effectively advocate for their causes, recognising and addressing the need to strengthen civil society organisations’ ability to contribute effectively to policy making processes and monitor the implementation of policies, and strengthen their overall capacity to address broader challenges and opportunities within the sector. The support should respond to the interest and priorities expressed by project promoters and be tailored to their needs.

Additionally, the programme's focus should be on contributing to the sustainability of civil society organisations and the sector as a whole. This includes supporting their ability to sustain their activities financially and institutionally, and ensuring they can continue pursuing their mission after the support from the Financial Mechanisms period comes to an end.  

Capacity building can take place at different levels. At the level of individual CSOs capacity building can support organisational development to build specific skills – fundraising, strategy development, leadership, human resource management etc.   

9.1 Build the capacity of the civil society sector

At the level of the sector capacity building can include support to networking and partnerships across civil society, policy and advocacy, research that can help strengthen the voice of civil society vis-à-vis decision-makers and civic infrastructure. 

Suggested measures to strengthen different dimensions of sustainability include (but are not limited to):

• Organisational sustainability (e.g. strengthening individual organisations’ internal governance, transparency, communication and strategic planning skills).
  
  
• Institutional sustainability (e.g. strengthening the networks and structures to promote lasting results beyond the end of the Programme).
  
  
• Financial sustainability (e.g. diversifying sources of revenue to ensure follow-up activities and continued operation beyond the end of the Programme).
  
  
• Policy-level sustainability (e.g. improving legislation, administration, policy frameworks etc.).

Examples of capacity building at sector level: 

1. The Fund Operator organises a call for advocacy organisations to build their organisational capacity. The grants provide core institutional funding over a 3-year period. Selection is based on the organisational strategy that may include aspects such as improving human resource management, strengthening expertise in policy analysis and advocacy, and engagement with advocacy networks and coalitions, as well as other aspects of organisational capacity.   

2. The Fund Operator organises a call for organisations to establish a dedicated research and analysis hub within the civil society sector, which could greatly enhance the ability of organisations to engage in evidence-based advocacy. This hub could conduct in-depth research on pressing social issues, providing comprehensive data and analysis to support the advocacy efforts of various CSOs. By equipping these organisations with robust research, policy briefs, and data-driven arguments, the sector as a whole gains greater credibility and leverage when engaging with decision-makers, thereby strengthening its position in policy dialogue.

3. Through a regional civil society initiative, Fund Operators organisations collaborate to organise cross-border capacity building exchanges and workshops, which foster networking and partnerships among civil society organisations operating in different countries. These events could focus on sharing good practices in civic engagement, resource mobilisation, and organisational management. By facilitating knowledge transfer and collaboration, this approach enhances the skills and capabilities of CSOs across the sector, enabling them to build more resilient networks, influence policies on a larger scale, and collectively address shared challenges.

4. The Fund Operator organises a call on strengthening the digital literacy of civil society organisations. The selected projects aim to equip organisations with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the ever-changing digital environment. Through a series of training modules focused on topics such as media literacy, critical thinking, source verification, online security, and ethical digital management, NGO representatives enhance their digital competence. By building these capacities, NGOs can better safeguard against misinformation, manipulation, and cybersecurity threats while effectively leveraging the digital realm for their promotional and advocacy activities. 

9.2 Support for preparing and implementing projects

All programmes must include measures to reach out to under-served geographic areas and target groups that are marginalised. This is a fund specific in Article 1.6.1 of the Programme Implementation Agreement.  

The Fund Operator is required to ensure adequate outreach, mentoring and coaching to civil society organisations, to support the formulation of project proposals and the quality of implementation of initiatives under the Programme. 

Examples of support to organisations preparing and implementing projects:

1. Support to project preparation: The Fund Operator organises information sessions and workshops in rural and other under-served areas, to help potential applicants understand the application process and develop their project proposals. The first series of workshops offers specialist support to applicants working in areas that are difficult for smaller organisations and which generate fewer applications, including public scrutiny, watchdog and advocacy work. The second series of workshops provides coaching to smaller organisations on how to diagnose the problem they wish to address, define their objectives, set indicators and targets, and select their methodology for reaching their objective. The Fund Operator provides this training itself, and hires additional expertise for the thematic workshops.

2. Support to implementation: Targeted support is provided to organisations whose capacity assessment identified particular needs. They are offered a combination of individual consultation and workshops to support their skills in activity planning, financial reporting and general compliance with the Grants’ requirements. Meetings are organised for project promoters implementing projects in similar thematic areas to exchange experience and build their capacity through peer-to-peer learning. Face-to-face training is complemented by an e-learning platform, which reinforces the learning process and provides a sustainable, accessible learning resource to guide project promoters and a means for them to contact and exchange with each other.

In addition, the Fund Operator is required to ensure adequate outreach, mentoring and coaching to civil society organisations in geographic areas that may need targeted support (e.g. rural and other under-served area), target groups (e.g. groups representing vulnerable persons), types of organisations (e.g. small organisations and other weaker organisations needing targeted support) and thematic areas (i.e. areas that may generate fewer applications or need particular support, such as policy engagement, public scrutiny, sectoral capacity building etc.).  

As a minimum, the Fund Operator is required to:   

• Develop clear call texts and guidelines for applicants;  
  
  
• Organise information sessions for potential applicants regarding the call and application process; 
  
  
• Answer questions and queries regarding open calls;  
  
  
• Disseminate the questions and answers in a manner accessible to all applicants;  
  
  
• Provide guidance and training to project promoters to enhance the quality of project implementation and reporting; and 
  
  
• Ensure geographic outreach and inclusion of groups in marginalised situations. 

The proposed activities should be funded under the management fee.