Focus AreasThe Human Rights and Governance Grants Program funds national and international organizations to advance governmental accountability in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Mongolia. The program supports efforts to promote public participation in and oversight of governmental activity, at both the national and local levels, including in the delivery of services.
The program provides funding to national and international NGOs to monitor public administration and to curb corrupt behavior by state authorities. When litigation would be an appropriate advocacy tool, the program will give priority to projects that use legal remedies to hold governmental authorities accountable.
Access to information: In order to hold the government accountable effectively, the public must be able to access information held by public bodies. Though obviously an important first step, the adoption of freedom of information (FOI) laws alone will not create adequate access to information. Rather, there is a need to ensure that these laws meet international standards and that the law is implemented. As such, the program will consider projects that assess the quality of freedom of information laws and ensure effective implementation. In addition to projects that test and monitor compliance with FOI laws, we will also welcome litigation programs that challenge narrow interpretations of and failures to implement the law. In this regard, the program is interested in receiving projects that explore the nexus between access to information and provisions on state secrets and data protection.
Fiscal transparency and abuse of state resources: Understanding how public monies are allocated and spent is an important element in any public debate regarding governmental policies and programs. HRGGP will provide support to NGOs to monitor the budget and expenditure process at the national and local government levels. Priority will be given to projects that focus on making state budgets and expenditure reports public and challenging abuse of public resources by state authorities and political parties. Efforts in this area should inform public debates regarding the use of public resources and fiscal decisions as well as advocate for appropriate changes to domestic law in line with international standards.
Transparency in governmental decision-making: Accountable decision-making requires a transparent and predictable process, which allows for public intervention and debate. In order to promote a culture of transparency, the program supports projects that make governmental debate and decisions public, especially efforts to promote the adoption and implementation of whistle-blowing protections. The program also supports efforts to eliminate criminal defamation and libel laws and to limit the use of civil libel suits as a means of preventing meaningful public scrutiny.
Judicial accountability: An independent judiciary is critical to ensuring accountable governance. Unfortunately, in many countries, the judiciary often lacks independence and effective accountability mechanisms, undermining both the rule of law and efforts to hold other branches of government to account. The program seeks proposals for innovative efforts to promote the accountability of the judiciary while protecting judicial independence. The program welcomes projects that seek to improve judicial ethics in conjunction with ensuring that disciplinary mechanisms are independent and effective. The program will also consider projects that monitor court practice and programs that seek to reform weak appointment and management procedures, with the aim of increasing transparency and accountability within the judiciary. Support in this area will focus on national initiatives.
To Apply
Please see the Human Rights and Governance Grants Program guidelines for information about how to submit a proposal.
