Grant List of 2017 Year

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-12-27

Program:

Law

Grant Number:

19845

Organization:

Legal Analyses and Development Center, NGO

Grant Amount:

$23,985.00

Purpose:

The project aims to improve fair trial standards in Armenia by conducting court monitoring and examining the compliance of judicial proceedings in selected areas with the international standards. To this end, the project will organize a training to help conduct court monitoring in regional courts, will examine the legislation and practice of accelerated criminal proceedings, and will carry out court monitoring on criminal cases initiated after the mass protests of July 2016.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-12-22

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

19841

Organization:

Public Journalism Club

Grant Amount:

$30,000.00

Purpose:

The grant seeks to raise the public awareness on the cases of human rights violations in closed institutions by training the journalists and supporting them to publicise their media products.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-12-27

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19789

Organization:

Special School # 14 for Children with Visual Impairments

Grant Amount:

$8,500.00

Purpose:

The grant aims to increase the effectiveness of education organised for the children with visual impairments at the Yerevan Special School # 14 for Children with Visual Impairments by publishing Braille textbooks and supporting educational materials.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-12-27

Program:

Law

Grant Number:

19856

Organization:

Protection of Rights Without Borders, NGO

Grant Amount:

$26,335.00

Purpose:

The project aims at safeguarding the independence of the judiciary by monitoring the creation and performance of the Supreme Council for Judiciary envisaged by the Constitutional changes and by comparing its efficiency with the current Justice Council. To this end, the project will conduct monitoring of the disciplinary proceedings for judges made by the Justice Council. It will also monitor the transparency and establishment procedures of the new Supreme Council for Judiciary as well as the activities attributed to it by the Constitution.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-12-28

Program:

Women

Grant Number:

19837

Organization:

Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women

Grant Amount:

$23,640.00

Purpose:

The goal of the project is to tackle domestic violence and femicide in Armenia through changing public perceptions and advocating for a greater protection and prevention mechanisms for the survivors of domestic violence. To this end, the Coalition will conduct social awareness actions around the issue of domestic violence in Armenia, will develop a unified system for documenting the domestic violence cases and will advocate for the improvement of legislation.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-12-25

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19836

Organization:

Transparency International Anticorruption Center

Grant Amount:

$40,500.00

Purpose:

The project aims to contribute to the formulation and implementation of effective anti-corruption policies in Armenia by promoting transparent and accountable public finance management system. To this end, the project will monitor and analyze the procedures of public finance management reforms, the EU conditions for this kind of reforms as defined in the Multi-Sector Budget Support Program to the Government of Armenia and the implementation of these conditions, especially in program budgeting, citizens’ awareness of the state budget processes, oversight role of the parliament, external controls and public financial internal controls. The project will subsequently discuss the results and policy recommendations with the responsible state bodies and representatives of international organizations.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-12-25

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19830

Organization:

Armenian Progressive Youth, NGO

Grant Amount:

$10,000.00

Purpose:

The project aims to promote public demand for quality in higher education through activating and mobilizing students and building their leadership capacities. To this end, the grantee will conduct a series of workshops to develop students’ critical thinking and communication skills. The grantee will engage students in a series of discussions with policy experts and will facilitate the implementation of student-led campaign and public discussions with higher education decision makers and other stakeholders.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-12-27

Program:

Public Health

Grant Number:

19847

Organization:

Yerevan State University, Center of Applied Psychology

Grant Amount:

$22,500.00

Purpose:

The project aims to develop and institutionalize a 1200-hour interdisciplinary theoretical and practical MA program of palliative care at the Yerevan State University for physicians, psychologists and social workers. The course will include all aspects of palliative care, such as, medical, psychological and social.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-12-28

Program:

Public Health

Grant Number:

19860

Organization:

Republican Scientific Medical Library

Grant Amount:

$2,500.00

Purpose:

The project aims to help the Republican Scientific Medical Library to expand its activities, more specifically, to enhance the library’s technical capacity and to provide services to a larger number of library users.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-12-27

Program:

Public Health

Grant Number:

19840

Organization:

Yerevan State Medical University after M. Heratsi

Grant Amount:

$20,000.00

Purpose:

The project aims to organize training in palliative care for a total of sixty health professionals, twenty general practitioners and forty nurses, at the Yerevan State Medical University after M. Heratsi. The course will include fundamental aspects of palliative care, such as, symptom and pain management, psychological support and end of life nursing. After the training, the participants will receive certification and will start to deliver palliative care services in primary health care settings.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-12-25

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19835

Organization:

Asparez, Journalists' Club, NGO

Grant Amount:

$60,000.00

Purpose:

The grant aims to support the operation of youth-led centers in Armavir, Gavar, Gyumri and Vanadzor, which are set as spaces for local youth to network with their peers, to obtain skills and tools for monitoring the activities of local government and the using of public funds and to suggest youth-driven solutions to local issues.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-11-28

Program:

Women

Grant Number:

19772

Organization:

Women's Resource Center

Grant Amount:

$55,000.00

Purpose:

The project aims to improve sexual education in the public schools of Armenia by training the parents of teenagers and helping them to advocate for a better sexual education in schools. The training will increase the parents’ knowledge of sexual and reproductive rights and will show the ways of communicating on the issues of sexual education with a gender-sensitive approach. This second phase of parent training will concentrate on the parents in Yerevan and the regions of Gegharkunik and Kotayk and will engage the trained parents of the first phase to provide peer-to-peer training of trainees.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-11-28

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19787

Organization:

Right Side, Human Rights Defender NGO

Grant Amount:

$5,000.00

Purpose:

The goal of the project is to provide legal protection for transgender people in Armenia. To achieve this goal, the Right Side NGO will maintain a 24/7 hotline service of legal support for transgender people, will document the cases of hate crimes against transgender people and provide legal aid to victims. The organisation will also run a community centre for transgender people.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-11-28

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19788

Organization:

Organization Advanced Public Research Group, NGO

Grant Amount:

$19,995.00

Purpose:

The project aims at increasing the protection of labour rights in the regions of Armenia by strengthening the capacities of Civic Youth Centers (CYC) in ten cities. To this end, the organization will develop capacities of CYC members in research and monitoring, labour rights protection and advocacy. The trained youth will conduct a collective study by gathering data on the condition of labor rights protection in target communities of the ten cities and publish the results in a report, which will become the basis for CYCs to develop and implement an advocacy strategy towards the protection of labor rights.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-10-10

Program:

Public Health

Grant Number:

19780

Organization:

Center for Rights Development, NGO

Grant Amount:

$44,382.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to promote implementation of right to health in the country by overseeing enforcement of the introduced E-health System from the point of view of personal data protection (1 report with recommendations presented to state bodies); conducting 2 studies on Obligatory Health Insurance System and Medical System Mediator Institute from the point of view of access of patients to guaranteed health services (recommendations presented to state bodies); developing the concept for enhancing the role of professional associations in healthcare sector and engaging health professionals to ensure implementation of the national standards in line with international recommendations; mentorship and supervision over the hotline center sustained at Legal Clinic of the Yerevan State University (continuous technical support for documentation and case analysis is provided); initiating awareness raising activities to present formulated recommendations to relevant state officials (3 public discussions, 3 articles, 3 press conferences); mobilizing main partners (HCAV, RWRP, PINK, WRC) to advocate for the reform in human rights in patients care.

Date of Grant Letter:

2007-10-05

Program:

Public Health

Grant Number:

19779

Organization:

Real World, Real People, NGO

Grant Amount:

$45,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to improve access to health for vulnerable population groups (HIV positive, injecting drug users, sex workers, LGBT population and people in need of palliative care) through advocacy for enforcement of the national policies on palliative care and HIV/AIDS in compliance with international human rights standards (3 reports produced, recommendations developed to improve access to services, 2 public discussions organized, 4 meetings and consultations with relevant state officials and 8 meetings with key populations held to present findings and seek solutions); through rights protection and advocacy to improve access of patients to palliative care and HIV services (up to 100 people received legal counselling, a 3-day training organized in cooperation with Global Fund for 20 police officers to discuss problems with access to narcotic drugs; through building capacity of NGOs on budget monitoring to advocate for proper budgeting for palliative care, HIV and TB programs (3 digests and policy papers based on budget monitoring, a 3-day training for 20 participants from NGOs, negotiations with Global Fund to initiate budget monitoring in the fields of HIV, TB and palliative care.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-10-05

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19760

Organization:

Public Agenda, NGO

Grant Amount:

$20,000.00

Purpose:

The grant aims to involve independent researchers to explore the concept of the programme “Nation-Army”, how it promotes a closer integration of Armenia’s society and armed forces, and how university students perceive this concept. It further aims to write several comparative studies by analysing the premise of the “Nation-Army” with the international cases of militarisation.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-10-05

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19757

Organization:

National Center of Public Policy Research, NGO

Grant Amount:

$58,283.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to contribute to transparent, accountable and efficient management of public funds through monitoring public procurement in the spheres of military, police, and spending of education loans. Along with sectorial monitoring, the project will review legislative developments in procurement, monitor e-procurement and single source procurement, study practice of complaint and appeals system, make comparative analysis of procurement systems of different countries. The spending and management of the World Bank Education Improvement Project will be monitored, and the results and recommendations will be advocated to the responsible state bodies and international organizations. The project findings will be presented and promoted through press-conferences, round-table discussions, procurement quarterly publications, interviews to media, meetings with responsible state agencies, MPs and international organizations as well as business society. A final monitoring report will be prepared and presented in a round-table discussion and will be posted in a webpage.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-10-05

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19759

Organization:

Region, Research Center, NGO

Grant Amount:

$19,730.00

Purpose:

The grant seeks to explore the ways that the mainstream mass media in Armenia uses to represent the concept of the “Nation-Army” to the public. For this purpose, Region, Research Center, NGO will carry out a monitoring of five major TV channels (Public TV H1, Armenia, Shant, Yerkir Media and Kentron) and five online media platforms with largest readership (1in.am, aravot.am, 168.am, tert.am and news.am).

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-08-31

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19678

Organization:

Boon, Cultural-Scientific Foundation

Grant Amount:

$67,800.00

Purpose:

The grant aims to design, produce and broadcast a series of online programs in three major rubrics: “Public Perceptions of April War,” where series will examine people’s attitude towards war and violence and will evaluate the consequences of war on them; “Soviet heritage,” where series will explore how the soviet heritage impacts modern Armenian politics, governance, economics, public life and social issues; and “Right to Resistance,” where series will introduce video talks discussing the current state of democracy and human rights.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-08-30

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

19738

Organization:

Investigative Journalists, NGO

Grant Amount:

$210,000.00

Purpose:

For supporting investigative journalism in Armenia to enhance anti-corruption efforts in the country, to ensure public control over transparent and accountable management of public funds and governance. Journalistic investigation will cover public procurement of the state and local self-government bodies, with particular focus on single source procurement, conflict of interest issues, revealing and publicizing instances of fraud of public funds through procurement. Journalistic investigations for integrity of public office holders will reveal corruption practice of high-ranking officials, abuses of power and authority, detection of conflict of interest, analysis of income and property declarations of high-ranking officials. Follow-up of the publications up to initiation of court cases on the revealed corruption practices of the high-ranking officials will be ensured. Journalistic investigations of foreign aid programs implemented by the government through international loans and grant funds in the areas of education, energy and road construction will be conducted. Journalistic investigations will also cover mining, banking and telecommunication sectors, disclosure of high officials holding monopoly, dominant or privileged position in those areas. “Editorial Board on Wheels” component will be implemented in 15 communities of three marzes - Tavush, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor - to increase public awareness and public accountability in local communities through mobile operation of the journalists. Two journalists from post-Soviet countries will pass internship at Investigative Journalists, NGO aimed to scale-up investigative work on government transparency and accountability and to facilitate a network that provided a platform for capacity building, sharing best practice and peer-review processes.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-06-14

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19730

Organization:

Mandate, NGO

Grant Amount:

$71,550.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to monitor legislative activities of the parliament, implementation of its oversight function, activities of parliamentary factions and members of parliament (MP) during 2017 fall and 2018 spring sessions to promote transparency and accountability of the parliament as a legislative, representative and political body. Activities of the parliament will be monitored for the following directions – efficiency of legislative activities, implementation of oversight function, ethics issues in the parliament, statistical indicators for MP and factions, parliamentary hearings, asset and income declarations of MP. The project will maintain an updated statistical database of attendance records, voting patterns, and income and asset declarations of 105 MP. The content of legislation will be analyzed on relevance to the country’s current needs; procedure of adoption of draft laws, as well as consistency of party/faction voting patterns compared to pre-election platforms will be monitored. The website will be updated on a regular basis with statistical data, journalistic articles, interviews and expert reviews which will be widely disseminated through media. Monitoring reports will be published at the end of each parliamentary session, summarizing and analyzing the activities of sessions, factions, and MP. The reports will be presented to the public in press-conferences. Presentation of the reports and the project will be organized in the regions. The ongoing and final results of monitoring will be presented in video materials, infographics.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-06-28

Program:

Education

Grant Number:

19681

Organization:

Institute of Public Policy, NGO

Grant Amount:

$49,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to enhance the capacity of Institute of Public Policy, NGO (IPP) towards its mission to impact the education policies undertaken in the country, and adapt the education content and system for a better societal transformation towards democratic development of the country. The project is built upon two major objectives: 1) to enhance IPP’s institutional and organizational capacity and solidify its niche in the field of education as a key research and advocacy think tank, and to create a reliable community of sound academics who would show willingness to take active role in the development of quality education in Armenia; and 2) to conduct research projects in the field of integrity of higher and general education, and to produce research-based policy papers. For higher education, IPP will formulate and advocate the key advocacy asks on academic integrity and freedom, and mobilize main stakeholders, including civil society, academia and international community for reinforcement of the asks. For secondary education, IPP will assess the integrity of inclusive pre-school and secondary education in Armenia, provide practical recommendations for improvement, and disseminate major findings and recommendations among professional communities, decision makers, donors, grassroots activists and parents.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-06-30

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19732

Organization:

Union of Informed Citizens, NGO

Grant Amount:

$30,500.00

Purpose:

The goal of the grant is to build a better understanding of the influential discourses, the selective facts and perceptions they employ to affect larger audiences in Armenia. For this purpose, Union of Informed Citizens, NGO (UIC) will carry out an in-depth analysis and fact-checking of the statements of political and public figures as well as government agencies by publicising the results.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-06-27

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

19744

Organization:

"Factor" Information Center, NGO

Grant Amount:

$86,300.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support operation of an independent online media platform to promote freedom of expression, to counter disinformation and populism, and to spread democratic values, human rights and fundamental freedoms, the ideas of social justice and rule of law. The online media platform will aim to sustain diverse public discourse, ensure credible information dissemination, and give voice to liberal ideas and alternative opinions. Independent and balanced media products and journalistic analysis will be prepared and widely distributed. More specifically, the online media platform will produce and broadcast documentary films, investigative video materials, on-line discussions, monthly interviews/debates on the issues of public concerns, will publish analytical articles. Video materials will be produced by the core team of content producers and the partner media organizations contributing to the platform. Coalition of media partners will contribute to the online media platform.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-06-12

Program:

Law

Grant Number:

19685

Organization:

Umbrella, Journalists International Network, NGO

Grant Amount:

$40,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to create alternative discourse around social and political issues in Armenia by combining quality journalism, arts and civic activism. The project comprises of the following 3 components: 1) Political journalism (interviews, articles, columns) addressing a wide range of issues, including the new developments in EU – Armenia relations, anti-EU and anti-human rights propaganda, challenges of Armenia in EEU, civil society activism and agenda on human rights, justice, accountability; 2) Human stories (articles, photo and video stories, illustrations) to challenge widespread discriminatory narratives and public stereotypes around marginalized groups; 3) Public actions combining arts and activism in response to issues of rights, justice and accountability. As a result of the project it is expected to have: weekly articles and interviews on social and political issues; 48 human stories accompanied with illustrations, photos or videos; 30 articles by columnists covering issues of public concern; ad hoc public awareness raising actions.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-04-01

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

19675

Organization:

For Equal Rights, NGO

Grant Amount:

$37,158.00

Purpose:

For the following two components: 1) continuation of the support to “Article 3” Human Rights Club, which aims to establish an alternative educational hub for journalists, youth, activists and NGOs. Through the use of different methods (trainings, exhibitions, film screening, panel discussion) it aims to promote human rights education, develop critical thinking among youth, enhance the culture of dialogue and debate through non-formal and peer-to-peer education. In total, 25 public discussions, 5 closed meetings, 10 trainings, 20 cultural events, one three-months art course, one three-months human rights course, 10 TyusUp women’s talks and 6 debates will be carried out within the grant period; 2) media component, which aims to create urgent media response tools for current social, economic and political issues, establish grounds for diverse public discourse and give voice to alternative opinions. The component includes production and broadcasting of three TV programs; 1) "Round Table" discussion with experts and civil society representatives, 2) “Hard Talk” interviews with high level officials, 3) Series of investigative videos. The produced content within this component will be broadcasted by Factor TV. In total, 30 editions of “Round Table” discussions, 12 “Hard Talk” series and 20 brief informative-investigative videos will be produced within the grant period.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-03-31

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

19674

Organization:

Public Journalism Club, NGO

Grant Amount:

$60,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support operation of Media Center for providing an open space for civil society and media to share and disseminate alternative content and promote issue-based discourse between civic and political actors around the important socio-political developments. Media Center will be a debate platform for civil society, media, experts, politicians, state officials, activists, and others, where discussions will be organized around the issues of human rights and democratization, corruption, accountability, justice, education, public health, socio-economic problems, security and other to expand human rights and justice discourse and withstand the growing nationalistic and militaristic narratives. Media Center will organize at least 120 livestreamed online press-conferences, debates, movie screenings, interviews and other events in Yerevan, including active discussions on 2017 Yerevan municipal elections, 8 livestreamed TV debates via A1+ online platform (to be further produced by Factor, NGO), and 8 regional discussions. Media Center will launch a new Parliament Watchdog initiative through organizing 6 discussions on the newly elected Parliament’s activities. New formats will be utilized during the events like Current Affairs - 8 analytical interviews on politics, democratic developments, security, business and technology in Armenia and across the region, Diplomatic Corner - press conferences and interviews of ambassadors and diplomats, Cross-Examination Interviews to be conducted by two moderators, who will pose questions to the guest(s), and the Stories of Victims of Human Rights Violations aimed to follow up at least 6 stories of those who were injured and subject to violations during public protests, demonstrations, conflicts, etc. Media articles and press releases will be prepared after each event and widely disseminated to more than 3000 email subscribers, media and social networks, reaching about 500,000 followers and viewers.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-02-17

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19663

Organization:

Umbrella, Journalists International Network, NGO

Grant Amount:

$10,575.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to organize an awareness raising campaign in the regions of Armenia encouraging citizens to take part in 2017 parliament elections and refuse from taking election bribes. The awareness raising campaign will be organized through 5 open-air rock concerts in 5 cities of Armenia - Spitak, Vanadzor Gyumri, Stepanavan and Ashtarak with participation of a famous local rock band Vordan Karmir. A transformable truck will be used as a stage for each concert, which will last for 1 hour and 20 minutes. During the concerts, the organizers will disseminate printed materials and T-shirts with the above mentioned messages. Information about the upcoming concerts will be disseminated by youth centers, hubs, local TVs and social media. An experienced concert moderator will be hired for the whole project

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-01-30

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

19518

Organization:

Tsayg TC, LLC

Grant Amount:

$5,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support production of TV debates between the representatives of political parties/alliances participating in 2017 parliamentary elections to ensure public debate and presentation of the pre-election platforms for the electorate to make educated vote on the day of elections. Fourteen TV debates on Tsayg TV channel will be broadcast around the issues of public health, education, foreign policy, army, economy, culture, human rights, ecology, migration, pensions, urban development, corruption. Representatives of civil society will be invited to TV debates to raise the questions from their perspective. TV host will demonstrate unbiased approach to the topics and the guests of TV debates; diversity of opinions will be ensured by TV hosts during TV debates

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-01-30

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

19512

Organization:

Kyavar TV Company, LLC

Grant Amount:

$5,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support production of TV debates between the representatives of political parties/alliances participating in 2017 parliamentary elections to ensure public debate and presentation of the pre-election platforms for the electorate to make educated vote on the day of elections. Ten TV debates of “Vector” TV program on Kyavar TV channel will be broadcast around the topics of education, corruption, agriculture, efficiency of local governance and community enlargement, public health, social protection, human rights, economic development, etc. Four of the TV debates will be broadcast live. Representatives of civil society will be invited to TV debates to raise the questions from their perspective. TV host will demonstrate unbiased approach to the topics and the guests of TV debates; diversity of opinions will be ensured by TV hosts during TV debates

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-01-31

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

19515

Organization:

Dzagedzor, TV Company, LLC

Grant Amount:

$3,200.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support production of TV debates between the representatives of political parties/alliances participating in 2017 parliamentary elections to ensure public debate and presentation of the pre-election platforms for the electorate to make educated vote on the day of elections. Ten TV debates on Sosi TV channel will be broadcast around the issues of education, public health, social protection, women’s rights, agriculture, ecology, industry, etc. Representatives of civil society will be invited to TV debates to raise the questions from their perspective. TV host will demonstrate unbiased approach to the topics and the guests of TV debates; diversity of opinions will be ensured by TV hosts during TV debates

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-01-30

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19661

Organization:

Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation

Grant Amount:

$24,250.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to monitor implementation of the agreement on facilitation of visa issuance process in Armenia both by the EU Member State Embassies, relevant state agencies and visa centers; collect, analyze visa rejection cases; monitor the process of biometric passport issuance and management of biometric data in line with human rights standards. ACGRC will conduct a public discussion of the monitoring report in Yerevan and actively collaborate with media representatives, i.e. Media Center and MediaLab to spread information on project findings. ACGRC will also continue monitoring implementation of commitments in the fields of human rights and good governance proposed for the stage of visa dialogue, via targeted meetings and public discussions with the government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Assembly, the EU Delegation in Armenia, the EU member states, experts and civil society

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-01-30

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19528

Organization:

Transparency International Anticorruption Center

Grant Amount:

$9,868.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to contribute to the conduct of fair elections in Armenia through monitoring misuse of administrative resources during 2017 parliamentary elections. The objective of the monitoring of the administrative resources is to assess how the electoral system is designed vs. how it operates in practice through gathering information on cases of misuse of administrative resources, facilitating transparency of electoral processes, raising public awareness, and advocating for the adequate enforcement of legislation. Project aims to monitor misuse of administrative resources – coercive, institutional, regulatory, financial and administrative - by using direct monitoring of electoral campaign events, and collection of reports in media and social networks. Direct monitoring of electoral campaign events will be done in cooperation with the regional youth centers and civil society hubs. Beforehand the electoral campaign, training sessions will be conducted in regional centers on direct monitoring methodology. Collected interim findings will be publicly presented at two press-conferences held during the election campaign (5.03.2017 – 31.03.2017) and one – held after the Election Day (3-4 days after the Election Day). Data will be periodically shared with the CS partners, media and relevant stakeholders. Possible cases of misuse of administrative abuse will be identified for initiating strategic litigation with involvement of lawyers. At the end, a final report and presentation of it will be organized. Draft recommendations for improvement of legislation, procedures and enforcement related to elections in Armenia will be developed based on the results of the monitoring. These recommendations are going to be promoted through advocacy and lobbying efforts

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-01-30

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19525

Organization:

Goris Press Club

Grant Amount:

$20,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support the Civil Society Hub in Syunik to serve as space for local debates, support and provide resources for local activism in raising issues and formulating demands for change, and engage local CS community in promotion of accountability and justice. This will be accomplished through the following: 1) organizing training sessions for active youth on electoral rights and observation, local governments’ accountability, and civic control over public resources; 2) organizing awareness raising and monitoring in the run-up to the Parliamentary elections through 4 issue-based discussions/debates between the political parties and local community, checking electoral lists in 2 communities, monitoring of the use of admin resources and conducting observation in Syunik; 3) conducting at least 5 public discussions in Syunik on the local issues and developments in the country in cooperation with civil society partners; 4) mobilizing active youth from target communities (Goris, Tegh, Vorotan, Qarahounge, Tatev, Brnakot, Halidzor, and Shinuhayr) for mapping local issues and problems in consolidated communities and supporting campaigns on 3 identified problems; 5) providing media coverage of the local problems through 20 articles and 5 videos to be disseminated via website, “Hetq” online, “Asparez” newspaper, local TV, and other media; 6) exchanging information and cooperating with CS Hubs in Shirak, Gegharkunik and Armavir in local initiatives, discussions, elections, etc.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-01-30

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19527

Organization:

Martuni Women's Community Council

Grant Amount:

$20,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support the Civil Society Hub in Gegharkunik to serve as space for debates, support and provide resources for local activism in raising issues and formulating demands for change, and engage local CS community in promotion of accountability and justice. This will be accomplished through the following: 1) training local activists through 5 training sessions on electoral processes and observation, civic control over public resources and local governance accountability, access to healthcare in prevention of HIV among migrants, access to state social benefits for vulnerable groups and prevention of domestic violence; 2) organizing awareness raising and monitoring in the run-up to the Parliamentary elections through 4 discussions/debates between the political parties and local community, checking the electoral lists in 3 communities, monitoring of the use of admin resources and conducting observation in 24 precincts in Gegharkunik; 3) organizing 6 public discussions in Martuni on the important issues and developments in the country in cooperation with civil society partners; 4) mobilizing active youth from target communities (Martuni, N.Getashen, Vardenik, Vaghashen, Lichk, Artsavinist, V.Getashen and new groups from Geghhovit, Madina and Astghadzor) for raising local issues and supporting campaigns on 3 identified problems; 5) preparing and disseminating through “Asparez” newspaper, Media Center, local TV, and other media at least 12 articles on the issues raised by local active groups and other activities of the Hub; 6) exchanging information and cooperating with CS Hubs in Shirak, Syunik and Armavir in local initiatives, discussions, elections, etc.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-01-30

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19526

Organization:

Armavir Development Center

Grant Amount:

$20,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support the Civil Society Hub in Armavir to serve as space for local debates, support and provide resources for local activism in raising issues and formulating demands for change, and engage local CS community in promotion of accountability and justice. This will be accomplished through the following: 1) organizing 8 training sessions for active youth on electoral rights and observation, access to healthcare and education, civic control over public resources, prevention of domestic violence, labor rights; 2) organizing awareness raising and monitoring in the run-up to the Parliamentary elections through 4 issue-based discussions/debates between the political parties and local community, checking electoral lists in 3 communities, monitoring of the use of admin resources and conducting observation in Armavir; 3) conducting at least 8 public discussions in Armavir on the local issues and developments in the country in cooperation with civil society partners; 4) engaging active groups from new communities (New Kesaria, Hatsik, Lukashin, Lernagog) in the hub’s initiatives; 5) mobilizing active youth from target communities (Metsamor, Qarakert, Noravan, Tandzut, Miasnikyan and Arazap) for raising of local issues and supporting campaigns on 2 identified problems; 6) preparing and disseminating through “Asparez” newspaper, Media Center, local Alt TV, Public Radio, blog and other media at least 12 articles on the issues raised by local active groups and other activities of the Hub; 7) exchanging information and cooperating with CS Hubs in Shirak, Gegharkunik and Syunik in local initiatives, discussions, elections, etc.

Date of Grant Letter:

2017-01-30

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

19524

Organization:

Khoran Ard, NGO

Grant Amount:

$20,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support the Civil Society Hub in Shirak marz to serve as space for debates, support and provide resources for local activism in raising issues and formulating demands for change, and engage local CS community in promotion of accountability and justice. This will be accomplished through the following: 1) training local activists through 10 training sessions on the electoral processes and observation, human rights and democracy, accountability and corruption, participation and monitoring of local governance and budgets, non-violent actions, and community development; 2) organizing awareness raising and monitoring in the run-up to the Parliamentary elections through 5 community meetings and 4 issue-based discussions/debates between the political parties and local community, monitoring of the use of admin resources, conducting observation and providing legal aid during the voting day; 3) organizing 10 public discussions/debates in Gyumri on the key issues and developments in the country in cooperation with civil society partners; 4) setting local participatory mechanisms through mobilizing CS experts and active youth from target communities (Ashotsk, Bavra, Torosgyugh and Tsoghamarg) for raising issues and utilizing the local petitions tools; 5) organizing open-space forum for alternative ideas on community development and initiatives of youth and supporting implementation of at least 2 local initiatives; 6) preparing and disseminating through “Asparez” newspaper, Media Center, local TVs, radios and other media at least 12 articles/interviews on the issues raised by local active groups and other activities of the Hub; 7) exchanging information and cooperating with CS Hubs in Armavir, Syunik and Gegharkunik in local initiatives, discussions, press-conferences, elections, etc.