Piloting, Innovation & Scaling
“Education is a fundamental enabler of an active and informed citizenship and thus, for democratic participation”.
Report A9-0060/2022 of the European Parliament
The Civic Innovation Fund (CIF) is a unique European pooled fund launched by THE CIVICS Innovation Hub. It aims to pioneer new ideas in civil society, enhance their visibility and integrate them into NECE, a growing pan-European network of civic educators. The fund supports start-up ideas in civic education that apply interdisciplinary, intersectional, intergenerational, and inclusive approaches which lead to greater resilience, diversity, and collaboration in democracy.
Each project receives between 10,000 € and 12,000 € for piloting, incubation and scaling up for the period of 12 months. The CIF aims at supporting primary young civic educators (under 35) and young NGOs (under 3 years of existence). The awarded startups also qualify as informal NECE Impact Spots, amplifying their ideas and promoting non-formal civic education in their countries. Additionally, chosen projects are involved in all NECE activities.
Eligibility Criteria
Projects should be startups in the sphere of civic education that focus on strengthening democratic competencies that promote participation, cohesion, and resilience. Project ideas can range from workshops, cultural interventions, eyewitness talks, exhibitions, scientific studies, and scenario methods, to apps, or augmented reality storyboards.
Projects should relate to one of the NECE topics (you can find them at the bottom of this page).
Projects should be carried out by at least 2 partners from different European countries in a transnational partnership. The partnership can be set up across sectors, but one of the partnering organizations should come from either the formal or non-formal/informal civic education sector.
Projects should incorporate the principles of diversity, interdisciplinarity, inclusivity, intersectionality and intergenerationality.
Call for civic innovation projects
The Call 2023-2024 is closed. Next call is coming soon!
Feel free to follow us on social media to be updated on our upcoming calls.
FAQ
How do we define “civic education”?
We apply a definition of civic education following the wording and recommendation of the Council of Europe.
Projects/organisations from which countries are eligible to submit an application?
We welcome applications from various countries across Europe including EU-member states, Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Lichtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, the UK and Ukraine.
Are well-established NGOs (more than 3 years of existence) eligible to apply?
Yes, well-established NGOs are eligible to send their applications as well. However, during the assessment process, priority will be given to younger NGOs and projects.
Can applications be submitted by teams other than civic educators and NGOs?
Yes, we welcome projects proposed by the university teams and SMEs too. However, it is important to note that the projects submitted by these teams must be directly related to the field of civic education.
What costs can be covered by CIF?
These should be direct costs related to the implementation of the project. Office costs should constitute max. 10 %. Such costs as, for example, catering cannot be covered by CIF.
I do not have a partner for my project. Where can I find them?
If you have difficulties with finding partners, check our virtual map of civic educators which offers you a great variety of partners in civic education to network and cooperate with.
The Civic Innovation Fund is supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
In case of questions, feel free to reach out to Alla Petrova, cif@thecivics.eu
