Project competition "LET'S DO IT!"
The aim of the project competition is to reduce gender-based violence by strengthening the capacity of NGOs and promoting cooperation.
NGOs of various sizes and scope of activities that promote the principles of human dignity, equality and non-discrimination or work to combat violence are invited to apply for the competition.
The program provides for:
strengthening the capacity of NGOs to integrate a gender equality perspective into their daily activities;
support for the development of cooperation and joint initiatives between organizations;
joint work on reducing gender stereotypes and preventing violence.
Application deadline: October 5, 2025
More information and application documents: https://ej.uz/d331
If you have any questions, feel free to write to: prevencija@marta.lv
The program will be implemented in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia until 2027, in cooperation with the Atviros Lietuvos fondas and Lygių vesųų įšų įšų centras in Lithuania, Centrs MARTA in Latvia and Naiste Tugija Teabekeskus in Estonia.
On September 4, the MARTA Center organized an informative webinar to provide a broader insight into the goals, opportunities, and application conditions of the "Veicam" project competition.
During the webinar, specialists presented the main principles for effective action against gender-based violence, based on the requirements set out in the Istanbul Convention, the conditions for participation in the open project competition, and possible directions of action and activities to be funded.
You can view the webinar presentation here: https://ej.uz/iaa7
Announcing the results of the GrassRoots project "VEICAM!"
Approved project applications:
Association “New East” (applicant), association “Cita Daugavpils” and “DAmedia” (partner organizations), project “Border of Silence: Latgale Voices Against Violence”
Association “Ascendum” (applicant), Youth Association “Breaking Boundaries” and Association “riktīgi NAISS” (partner organizations), project “"Safe Space": Raising awareness of youth and society about seduction and gender stereotypes”
Family Support Association “Fathers” (applicant), Latvian Association of Social Workers and Association “NEXT” (partner organizations), project “Challenges of Masculinity in Latvia: From Stereotypes to New Opportunities”
Association “Mellene” (applicant), association “LAIKS-TAGAD” and association “LOBS” (partner organizations), project “Seeing with the heart”
Children and Adolescent Resource Center Support Fund (applicant), Kuldīga Active Youth Association “Prādziens” and Association “Piedzīvojumu garāža” (partner organizations), project “Safe Relationships for Young People: Knowledge, Support and Participation to Reduce Violence”
Complaints and/or reports should be submitted electronically by email to pranesejai@olf.lt.
Complaints and/or reports of violations must be submitted in Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian or English no later than 5 working days from the date of sending the notification of the decision or the date of reporting the violations.
Complaints and/or reports must be clearly and correctly formatted. They must indicate the name, surname or legal entity name of the contact person (if the complaint is submitted on behalf of a legal entity), as well as the e-mail address or other contact information. If the e-mail address is not provided, the response will be provided using other contacts contained in the complaint/report. If the contact information is not provided, the response will not be provided.
Complaints and/or reports that do not contain the name, surname/surname, address of the submitter or are not signed (submitted anonymously) will not be considered, except in the case where the Chairperson of the Complaints Committee, taking into account the content of the complaint and/or report, decides to consider it, protecting the interests of the complaint and/or the submitter of the report/OLF or the Program partners.
Unclear or unfounded complaints and/or reports will be returned to the submitter with instructions on necessary corrections to be made within five (5) business days.
Complaints and/or reports containing defamatory, offensive or morally unacceptable content, or which incite hatred, violence or discrimination, will not be considered. The person submitting the complaint and/or report will be informed accordingly.
About the program:
The programme aims to reduce gender-based violence in our society by mobilising and empowering a wide range of non-governmental organisations to actively engage in addressing this problem. The programme will strengthen the overall capacity of NGOs to integrate a gender equality perspective into their daily work, with a particular focus on the prevention of gender-based violence. It will also promote cooperation between regional NGOs to develop and implement joint projects to change gender stereotypes.
It has been developed and will be implemented in collaboration with 4 partner organizations - two organizations from Lithuania - Open Lithuania Foundation and Center for Equality Advancement , an organization from Estonia - Women's Support and Information Centre , and a Latvian organization - Centrs MARTA .
The program is funded by the European Union's Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Program (CERV-2023-DAPHNE).
Gender-based violence is a widespread crime that severely affects the societies of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In Lithuania, reports of domestic violence to the police annually account for approximately 15.1% of all crimes. In Latvia, the rate of murder of women (femicide) is increasing every year and is the highest among all European countries. In Estonia, twice as many women (64%) as the European average (35%) have been victims of physical violence at home. Although gender-based violence is widespread throughout the European Union, the problems of preventing and protecting against violence against women in all three Baltic countries – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – are very similar. This is due to the common historical and political background – during the Soviet occupation, gender-based violence was considered a private family conflict to be resolved by women themselves.
The GrassRoots program is open to all NGOs that promote the principles of human dignity, equality and non-discrimination, as well as those organizations with experience in combating violence. The program invites applications from organizations of all sizes and scales of activity – from local and regional NGOs to national-level organizations.
The first call for proposals is specifically designed for regional NGOs in Lithuania to strengthen their capacity. This capacity building program consists of two phases:
Phase I: Training
Phase II: Application for project funding and implementation of supported projects The second project competition will focus on strengthening NGO advocacy for the prevention and combating of gender-based violence in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
From 2025, national NGOs from all three Baltic countries that have established partnerships with regional NGOs will be able to apply for participation.
The GrassRoots project (No. 101140032) is co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Frequently asked questions:
The competition guidelines do not set a limit on the size of the applicant's organization. The applicant can be any non-governmental organization that meets the requirements – is a legal entity, registered and has been operating in the Republic of Latvia for at least one year, is independent of political parties and companies, and its activities are in line with the common values of the EU.
The only special condition applies to project partners – they must be small regional NGOs (with average annual income of up to 100,000 EUR over the last three years and registered outside the city of Riga).
According to the competition guidelines, an applicant is eligible if it is a legally independent non-governmental organisation, which is not a political party or a company and is in line with the values of the EU. If such an establishment is a registered legal entity and an independent organisation with its own administration and budget, it can be considered an independent NGO. At the same time, the organisation's activities must be aimed at wider groups in society, not just the needs of a single educational institution. The decisive factor in the competition evaluation process will be the actual activity and the proof of independence, which will be reflected both in the application and in the declaration of the organisation's partner/applicant.
Yes, such an idea can qualify if it is clearly linked to one of the two thematic areas of the competition:
reducing discrimination and gender stereotypes;
responding to gender-based violence.
Such an incubator can be included as a capacity building activity (which is a mandatory 5-10% of the budget) or as a platform for advocacy/awareness raising activities for small NGOs. It will be essential to demonstrate how the incubation content directly strengthens the capacity of NGOs to address gender equality and SDG issues, rather than just general organizational development. It will be important in the application to emphasize that the target groups are women-led rural organizations and that this approach promotes intersectionality and inclusion of disadvantaged groups.
According to the guidelines, the applicant (lead project applicant) is an NGO with demonstrable experience in promoting youth empowerment and inclusion, in particular working with young people from disadvantaged groups. In turn, the partners are “small regional NGOs” (registered outside Riga, with income <100,000 EUR).
A “newcomer to the field of DBV” is defined as an NGO that has not previously implemented DBV prevention projects and has not received funding for such projects in the last five years.
You can participate as a project partner if you are a small regional NGO.
*A more detailed answer is provided in the informative webinar.
It is possible if the organizations are legally and factually independent.
*A more detailed answer is provided in the informative webinar.
Some of the conditions are the same for the applicant and partners, while others are different. A detailed description of the qualification requirements is available in the project competition guidelines.
*A more detailed answer is provided in the informative webinar.
Although thematic project areas and categories of supported activities may be interrelated in practice, the project application must clearly indicate one selected thematic area and one category of activities that will be implemented in the selected thematic area.
*A more detailed answer is provided in the informative webinar.
The applicant (submitter) may be a regional NGO, but the project partner organizations must be registered and operate outside the city of Riga.
*A more detailed answer is provided in the informative webinar.
This defines an NGO that has been implementing activities for young people, including disadvantaged young people, for at least 1 year, and has implemented or been involved in at least one project in the last 3 years that focused on youth inclusion.
The criterion counts all of an organization's income together, including earmarked grants, donations, and income from economic activities.
