Call for Applications: Drug User Activism

Note: The deadline for 2005 applications has passed. The winners of the 2005 grant competition will be announced in late March.

The International Harm Reduction Development program (IHRD) of the Open Society Institute announces a grant competition in support of activism and policy development by and for drug users. The competition is open to drug user organizations in Central and Eastern Europe and in Central Asia.

Groups may apply for funding in a two-step process. First, a brief Letter of Intent describing the organization and project concept is due by January 10, 2005. Selected organizations will then be invited to submit a full application by February 10, 2005. Complete details and instructions may be downloaded below. Applications may be submitted in either English or Russian.

Since 2001, IHRD has supported the development of drug user organizations, through direct financial contributions, technical assistance, and other means. IHRD supports these programs because we believe that drug users are their own best advocates and play a vital role in defining the health, social, legal, and research policies that affect them. Underlying this assumption is a commitment to users’ rights and the visible success of user organizations in Asia, Australia, Eastern and Western Europe, and North America in recent years.

Questions about this program may be sent to Matt Curtis (mcurtis@sorosny.org) in English, or Dasha Ocheret (tectorius@mail.ru; dasha@drugpolicy.ru) in Russian.