Call for Proposals: Innovative Civic Engagement Projects

Background and Overview

CECOE is a non-profit, non-governmental civil society organisation comprising over 190 member organisations. CECOE was licensed by the F.D.R.E. Authority for Civil Society Organisations (ACSO) in 2019 with registration number 4748 under the Civil Society Organisations Proclamation 1113/2019, to enhance and coordinate the role of Ethiopian CSOs in election observation, voter education, preventing electoral conflicts, and providing capacity building and support for its member organisations. CECOE is a member of the East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network (E-HORN), the African Election Observers Network (AfEONet), and the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM), which connects regional networks and individual monitoring organisations across more than 88 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment, CECOE has conducted observation missions for various electoral events. These missions include the Sidama referendum, the 6th General Election, the South West Peoples Region referendum, the South Ethiopia Region referendum, the Wolaita Sodo referendum rerun, the outstanding and re-elections in Benishangul Gumuz, Afar, Somali, and Meskan and Mareko, and the 7th General Election. For these missions, CECOE has deployed over 6,000 observers.

Under the framework of the Civil Society Innovation Fund II (CSIF II) programme, the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE) is launching a dedicated small grant scheme to advance democratic governance, civic awareness, and fundamental human rights across Ethiopia. Implemented through the project "Promoting Democracy, Civic Engagement, and Human Rights in Ethiopia through Strengthening Civil Society Actors," this initiative empowers grassroots and regional Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to serve as catalysts for sustainable, inclusive, and resilient democratic processes.

At a pivotal moment for Ethiopia's civic landscape, this initiative responds to the urgent imperative of expanding civic space, fostering meaningful citizen participation, and bolstering local institutional capacity.

Objectives

The primary objective of this sub-grant is to empower communities by addressing youth and citizen engagement in local pressing issues. Applicants are expected to design innovative projects that fulfill the following core requirements:

• Integrate the digital training platform to effectively leverage the project's "Bqu Zega" E-learning system for spreading civic education, utilizing both online and offline resource centers to expand knowledge accessibility.
• Leveraging and Enhancing Existing Resources: collaborate closely with CECOE to build upon current civic education materials, aiming to pinpoint community challenges and involve young people in various localized initiatives.
• Activate and Ensure Hub Accessibility: utilize established civic cafe hubs to cultivate an empowering & conducive environment for youth, collaborating with CSOs, key actors, and civic cafe participants to collectively identify and resolve community challenges.
• Integrate digital training with other educational programs offered at the hubs, fostering active youth participation in local development initiatives to build synergies and intertwine these efforts with civic works.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for funding under the CECOE Sub-Grant Fund, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Must be a legally registered and operating CSO in Ethiopia.
• Must be an active member of CECOE, which includes meeting obligations such as the on-time settlement of contributions.
• Thematic focus, and alignment with CECOE's strategic priorities and the specific innovative civic engagement thematic area of this call.
• Technical Capacity to demonstrate the necessary experience and expertise to implement the proposed project.
• Financial Capacity to demonstrate sound financial management systems and practices.

Exclusion Criteria from Evaluation and Selection Process

Host CSOs will be excluded from participation if they fail to renew their operating license, are guilty of grave professional misconduct, or have shown significant deficiencies in complying with obligations in a previous sub-grant.

Eligible and Ineligible Costs

All proposed budgets must adhere to the financial and accounting requirements detailed in the CECOE Sub-Grant Manual.

• Allowable Costs: Direct costs of the project, consultancy costs (with prior Terms of Reference and CVs), transportation, space rental (non-grantee owned), conferences/workshops, printing, and specific capital equipment.
• Unallowable Costs: Purchase of property, compensation of government employees, bonuses or commission payments, fines and penalties, sports expenses, and costs incurred outside the grant period.

Evaluation and Selection Process

Proposals that pass the initial administrative check will be evaluated by the Sub-Grant Committee (SGC) based on a 100-point scale. The evaluation criteria are as follows:

• Effectiveness and Feasibility of the Action (Max 30 points): Appropriateness of proposed activities, clarity of the action plan, objectively verifiable indicators, and concrete impact of the intervention.
• Relevance of the Action (Max 25 points): Alignment with the calls and CSIF program objectives, a precise definition of target groups (such as youth and marginalized communities), and the integration of distinct value-added elements like gender equality or innovative methods for identifying community challenges within civic engagement initiatives.
• Financial and Operational Capacity (Max 20 points): Sufficient experience in project management, technical expertise in the field, and stable sources of finance.
• Sustainability of the Action (Max 15 points): Tangible impact on target groups, realistic risk identification, and institutional/financial sustainability after funding ends.
• Budget and Cost-Effectiveness (Max 10 points): Appropriate reflection of activities in the budget and realistic pricing for goods and services.

Note: For sub-grants greater than 1,000,000 Birr, the SGC may conduct a pre-award risk assessment, including an on-site review or applicant interview, to verify financial and managerial capacity.

Application Instructions

Applicants must follow the standard formats outlined in the "CECOE Sub-Grant Manual." All application templates and related resources can be accessed via the CECOE Sub-Grant portal.

• Required Documents: Applications must include the grant application form, simplified logical framework, budget presented in Ethiopian Birr, CSO Memorandum of Association, copy of ACSO registration, organizational profile/CV, signed financial statements of the immediate last year, and a bank account in the name of the CSO.
• Submission: Proposals must be submitted in accordance with the instructions and deadlines specified in the upcoming Applicants' Guidelines. Envelopes must remain closed until the opening session.

Please note the following critical parameters for this grant opportunity:

• Currency Requirement: All budget projections and financial calculations submitted in the application must be presented exclusively in Ethiopian Birr (ETB).
• Project Timeline and Duration: The implementation period for the proposed project must be a minimum of 6 months up to a maximum duration of 10 months.
• Submission Deadline: The online portal will accept applications until September 13, 2026. Late submissions will be strictly disqualified and will not be evaluated.

Closing on: Sep 13, 2026