Minority Rights Group is accepting applications for Emergency Security Grants from human rights organizations in Lebanon, Palestine, Morocco and Tunisia. These grants are designed to address the security needs of human rights organizations representing minorities and marginalized groups that face digital or physical threats or security risks due to their human rights work within a shrinking civic space. The grants aim to mitigate the impacts of various security breaches, crackdowns, harassments, and attacks of legal, physical, or digital nature and prevent their recurrence.
How to apply
Organizations wishing to apply for these grants should submit an application form in Arabic, English or French via the form below. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Eligibility
For your application to be considered, the applicant must:
- Be a human rights or minority rights organization.
- Be a not-for-profit civil society organization (official registration is not necessary).
- Be based in one of the project countries: Lebanon, Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia.
- Have recently experienced an elevated or imminent security threat. The urgency of the risk that requires intervention must be clear. Risks can include security risks emanating from digital breaches, attacks against the infrastructures of minority rights organizations, arrests and prosecutions of human rights defenders due to their human rights work, verbal or physical threats against human rights defenders, or harassment.
- Be an organization that has a track record of working with disadvantaged ethnic, religious, or cultural minorities or marginalized groups such as migrants, refugees, LGBTI, or persons with disabilities, and rooted in these marginalized communities.
- Must have basic skills in project management, risk management and financial management.
- Be an organization with no public debt, comply with anti-corruption measures, and prove the absence of conflict of interest.
- Have the ability to receive funding, either through their own organization or an agreed upon alternative arrangement which aligns with approved protocol.
Eligible costs, budget available and timeframe
The grant can cover the costs of:
- Vital hardware or software to enhance the security of data or offices.
- Travel, accommodation and relocation costs for defenders under the pressure to relocate temporarily inside or outside the country.
- Legal fees to defend minority rights defenders facing judicial forms of persecution or who need to resort to the legal system to enhance their security.
- Support to families of defenders in imprisonment is also eligible for costs under this grant.
- Medical care for injured defenders.
- Any other costs that are vital to secure the lives and work of minority rights defenders living in insecure contexts.
The amount available for each project is between €1,000–3000, and the duration of the action may last up to a maximum of six months.
Selection criteria
- The urgency of the threat or risk that needs to be prevented or mitigated.
- The applicant should be able to show how the funds will contribute to the organization’s enhanced security and protection of its operations (and hence its sustainability).
- The funds must be used to alleviate the recent threat or risk and not to fund the organisation’s regular activities.
- The applicant must show that the organization will be able to continue work after the intervention is over.
- The request must not have been fully supported by another donor or national or international organization.
Submission process
Please submit the completed applications in Arabic, English or French. Please apply through the form on the link below. All applications, whether successful or not, will receive a reply.
https://minorityrights.org/jobs/urgent-hardship-grants-for-organizations-in-the-mena-region/#apply
Please provide in the application form a secure means of communication including but not limited to, encrypted message apps (WhatsApp/Signal) or encrypted emails (Tutanota/ProtonMail) to facilitate communication.