Prosperous Future – New Application Programme for Civil Society Cooperation in the Region

Before applying to this programme, please read the following guidelines

Since 2006, the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) has carried out grant programmes with the aim of supporting cooperation between civil society in the Nordic countries and organizations in the Baltic Sea Region, including Belarus and Russia on issues of mutual interest. Since February 2022, however, the conditions for cooperation with organisations in Russia and Belarus have substantially changed. Therefore, the programme has been adjusted to the new geo-political reality and there is now the possibility to include independent partners from Ukraine.

With Prosperous Future, the NCM aims to continue to enable and strengthen the people-to-people cooperation in the region by supporting civil society and democratic development towards sustainable and resilient societies in line with The Nordic Council of Ministers’ vision and strategic priorities.

The overall purpose of Prosperous Future is to support Nordic organisations’ cooperation for a green, democratic, and resilient region with civil society in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and independent partners with relation to Ukraine as well as Belarus, and Russia in line with the Nordic Council of Ministers’ vision and strategic priorities. Our vision is that the region will become the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. 

To fulfill Our Vision 2030, The Nordic Council of Ministers has established a set of strategic priorities. This means that all undertakings should fulfil at least one of the following priorities:

• A green region – together, we will promote a green transition of our societies and work towards carbon neutrality and a sustainable circular and bio-based economy.
• A competitive region – together, we will promote green growth in the region based on knowledge, innovation, mobility, and digital integration.
• A socially sustainable region – together, we will promote an inclusive, equal, and interconnected region with shared values and strengthened cultural exchange and welfare.

Moreover, each project should incorporate at least one and maximum 2 of the 12 vision goals connected to the strategic priorities:
 

A green Nordic region

• Carbon neutrality
• Biodiversity
• Circular Economy
• Sustainable Consumption
• International Cooperation

A competitive Nordic region

• Innovation
• Labour markets
• Digitalisation

A socially sustainable Nordic region

• Health and Welfare
• Inclusive Transition
• Civil Society
• Cohesion

Read more about Our Vision 2030 here: 

Supported projects may span a wide variety of themes, including education and culture.

Furthermore, the strategic priorities of Vision 2030 and the 12 Vision goals are enforced by focusing on three cross-cutting thematic areas. The project activities must be connected to at least one and a description should be included in the application:

• Sustainable development
• Gender equality
• Children and Youth. 

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Eligible Partners

• Group 1: Civil society organisations from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Aaland Islands
• Group 2: Civil society organisations from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland
• Group 3: Independent partners from civil society with relation to Ukraine as well as Belarus, and Russia

Eligible partner structure

• Minimum one partner from a Nordic country (group 1), and
• Lead partner must be from group 1, or group 2, and
• As a minimum, there must be partners from three different countries, and the partners must be from at least two of the above mentioned groups.

Priority is given to high quality projects with at least one partner from each of the three groups of countries.

Moreover, partners must be independent civil society organisations.

Partners from other countries than the above mentioned can be part of a project, however, their expenses cannot be covered by the NCM grant.

Project location: Projects cannot take place physically in Russia.

How much can be applied for?

A minimum amount of 300.000 DKK and a maximum amount of 500.000 DKK per project can be applied for.

The total budget for the Prosperous Future programme is 10.000.000 DKK.

Timeline for project activities

It is expected that projects can begin 1 June 2023 and last until 31 October 2024.

To apply, all involved partners must submit a joint application. The Lead partner will be responsible for the transfer of funds to its project partners and for delivering the joint financial and narrative reports as required by the NCM.

The application form can be found by clicking on the “Apply for Funding” button above.

Please make sure to use the mandatory forms.  

The Secretariat will, where relevant, make partner assessments.

Application deadline

The call for applications opens 15 December 2022.

The application deadline is 15 February 2023.

Process

When the application is submitted, the NCM Secretariat ensures that the application meets the eligibility criteria and evaluates the applications. Based on the assessment of the Secretariat, the final prioritisation of applications is decided by an Advisory Group, consisting of advisors from the ministries of foreign affairs of the Nordic countries.  Hereafter, the NCM Secretary General will make the decision regarding the projects to receive a grant.

The NCMS determines the final amount of the grant. It is expected that results will be made available to the applicants by the end of April 2023.

Please note that decisions are not subject to any appeals.

Implementation, including

• Coherence of the project in relation to the objectives of the programme
• Project feasibility (Are results realistic? Coherence of activity plan - is there coherence between objective, activities, results, and timeline?)
• Innovative nature of the project (does the project include new approaches, and new and relevant topics/questions)

Strategic focus, including

• Support of Our Vision 2030 and strategic priorities: a green, a competitive, a socially sustainable region
• Focus on the cross-cutting thematic areas: Sustainable development, Gender equality, and Children and Youth
• Results in Nordic added value and synergies (Does the project foster long-term cooperation, utilise specific Nordic competencies, or ensures transfer knowledge between the Nordic countries, the Baltics, and the Adjacent Areas?)

Quality of partnerships, including

• Are partners from all three groups included?
• Capabilities of Lead and other partners

Financial sustainability, including

• Budget (Is the budget realistic, cost efficient, transparent and is co-funding/self-funding included?)

Effective communication effort, including

• Does the project have an effective communication plan?

 Furthermore, thematic and geographical diversity will also be taken into account in the overall selection of the projects to receive a grant.

You can still submit an application even if you are still processing the letters of commitment. Attach a blank template/document and contact us at prosperousfuture@norden.org.

The application should include the following attachments and be completed by using the mandatory forms for the project description and budget form. Guidance to filling in the forms are included:

• Project description (English version) (template below)
• Budget form (English version) (template below)
• Work/Activity Plan with a timeline in English (template below)
• Letter of commitment in English from all partner organisations 
• Communications plan (template below)

Project Description

This programme has special requirements for partnership structure and participation that differ from the general NCM rules on participation. Therefore, please closely read the requirements described in these guidelines. Consequently, when filling in the obligatory project description template, in section 2.9 of the project description template, instead of describing the project activities and timeline, please use the mandatory form (Excel) Work-Activity Plan below, and make a reference hereto in section 2.9.

Moreover, section 3.2, and 3.3, does not apply to this programme. Instead, please use the dedicated fields in the Application Form, in which you are required to describe the partnership structure and the role of each partner participating in the project. In section 3.2 and 3.3, you have to make a reference to the Application Form. 

Budget

• Costs to be included in the project includes for example: travel and subsistence expenses, meeting expenses, incl. venue, communication, fees to experts and salary to project staff.  
• The Budget must be in Danish kroners (DKK). The total budget must be stated in full thousands (‘000) DKK.
• It is required to include a minimum of 6% and a maximum of 10% of the total budget to cover unforeseen expenses.
• If overhead is included, a maximum of 7% of the total budget is allowed.
• If the project is co-funded, please indicate the split in the budget form. Self- and co-funding is an advantage but no prerequisite. Please only include official monetary contributions. In kind contributions should be mentioned in the narrative text only.
• Please use the budget notes in the Budget Form to explain the budget lines. For example, if you have expenses paying a salary to a project manager or staff, or fees to consultants, please indicate how many “man hours” or “Full Time Equivalents (FTEs)” are included.
• Costs for independent audit should be included in the final financial statements in connection with the final reporting.

For more information about the budget, please read the NCM Budget and administration guidelines for project grants

Further information and links to mandatory documents can be found here: 

Questions regarding the application can be directed to Prosperousfuture@norden.org.

For a full overview of the Application Form and the required information, please see the document below.