Open Call for Proposals

The call will be open to all smaller and grassroots oriented CSOs based in Denmark that have a strong track record of reaching out and working with youths, aged 15-30.

Preamble

Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke Actionaid Denmark (the ‘Co-Beneficiary’) is Co-Beneficiary in an EU-wide project called „Rebooting the Food System: Youth Engagement for Agroecology and Due Diligence“, co-financed by the European Commission (DG INTPA). [Note: Grant contract - External Actions of the European Union – CSO-LA/2023/448-324]

In order to support the achievement of the objectives of the action with its main objective to contribute to a more inclusive society with a developed sense of co-responsibility for sustainable food supply chains on a local and global level, tackling global inequalities and ecological crises, Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke Actionaid Denmark is awarding financial support to third-parties for implementing a third-party scheme.

The ‘Applicant’ is the organisation in charge of submitting the third-party project proposal, signing the contract with Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke Actionaid Denmark, receiving the funds from Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke Actionaid Denmark and reporting on the implementation of the third-party scheme.

Background

Our global food system is broken: It favours a small number of "too-big-to-fail" corporations and exploits both our planet and people – and existing policies ensure that it stays that way. Globalisation has created a food system with global food supply chains and large industrial food corporations. Today, the industrialised food sector is a major contributor to climate change and exploitative labour practices while the exponential creation of farmland is displacing entire communities and destroying natural habitats. Human rights violations and environmental destruction can therefore be found in almost every supermarket product.

As a European coalition of 14 civil society organisations from 9 countries, we are joining forces in the EU-funded project "Rebooting the food system" and calling for an agricultural revolution now! We want to replace the broken system and create a new one based on fair and sustainable principles.

With the Green Deal and the Farm-to-Fork strategy (F2F), the EU has already set the course for change in European agriculture to make it future-proof, sustainable and fair. So far, however, implementation has failed. We aim to close this gap. Our vision is an agriculture based on agroecological principles as a counter-model to industrialised food production.

Among the people who would benefit the most from the agricultural transition into a green and fair future is the European Youth. That is why we want to mobilise and empower them to become active agents of change to REBOOT THE FOOD SYSTEM.

As part of the action, the Co-Beneficiary is managing a third-party scheme on national level, which is a mechanism of financial support to third-parties. Third-parties are civil society organisations (CSOs) [Note: CSOs are non-state, not-for-profit, voluntary entities formed by people in the social sphere that are separate from state and market. CSOs represent a wide range of interests and ties. They can include community-based organizations as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). ] that are not formal partners or beneficiaries of the action but interested to contribute to its activities and goals.

The call will be open to all smaller and grassroots oriented CSOs based in Denmark that have a strong track record of reaching out and working with youths, aged 15-30. Ideally, they are youth CSOs whose work is not yet focused on global food supply-chains or agroecology or CSOs that have this focus but reach out to young European citizens currently less involved.

Objective of the Financial Support

The overall objective of this financial support to national third-parties is to improve access to the young target groups in Denmark and to gain capacities/experiences to the Reboot project. While third-parties contribute experiences, their capacity is also strengthened through involvement and participation in the management activities of the project. The expected result of the call is to have a higher reach of the reboot campaign messages and to empower youth to actively campaign and advocate for a fair and agroecological food system.

This way they contribute to the following objectives:

More EU citizens, in particular young people, are aware and have a critical understanding i) of the globally interdependent food system, and of agroecological principles and practices in the EU and the Global South, and ii) of the role of women and girls and other marginalised people in creating a sustainable food system.
Young people in the EU and partner countries engage actively in campaigning for i) the empowerment of producers and workers (in particular women and girls) in the global food system, and ii) the inclusion of agroecological principles and practices in European and national food system-related policies.

The applying third-party organisation (the Applicant) provides a project proposal that should therefore contribute to the following specific objectives:

to increase the reach of the target group youth (age 15-30)
to raise awareness and motivate youth to actively engage for agroecology
to spread the Reboot youth campaign/activities/materials
to get access to less engaged youths.

Eligibility Criteria for Applicant

A third-party eligible for financial support must: 

be a legal person and 
be non-profitmaking and 
be a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) constituted in accordance with the legislation in force in Denmark and
be established in Denmark and 
not be a beneficiary of a grant (neither Coordinator, nor Co-Beneficiary, or affiliated entity) and not be recipient of other financial support to third-party and not be an associate or a contractor in the frame of this call for proposals (EuropeAid/173998/DH/ACT/Multi) and 
be a smaller & grassroot oriented NGO and 
be experienced to reach out to youths and to do (youth-specific) campaigning and 
have the administrative and financial capacity to manage the grant [Note: This includes i.e. the ability to report properly, the operation of a proper bank account registered in the name of the organisation and the employment of staff which is capable and trained for adequate financial administration].

Target Groups

The main target group for the activities is EU youth (15-30 years).

Other eligible groups targeted by the activities under this third-party scheme include youth multipliers, small-scale farmers, CSOs, consumers and/or citizens, institutions related to food, and decision makers.

Duration and Timing

Launch of the call for proposals: 11 October 2024

Deadline to ask questions to Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke Actionaid Denmark: 28 October 2024

Deadline for submission of application: 15 November 2024

Publication of the selection results (notification by email to all applicants): 6 December 2024

Earliest possible date for start of the activities: 1 February 2025

Latest possible date for activities: 28 February 2026

Deadline for reporting to Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke Actionaid Denmark: 1 April 2026

The project can last up to a maximum of 12 months. There is no minimum duration.

Eligible activities

Eligible activities for third-parties are listed below. The third-party does not need to undertake all the listed activities but choose from the list in order to make a compelling and impactful campaign. Activities which do not fall into below categories are not eligible.

Activities which empower active citizens to actively campaign and advocate for a fair and agroecological food system by participating in training and exchange activities such as:
- Leading Local Activist Groups: Train young people to take on leadership roles in local activist groups. These groups focus on advocating for fair food supply chains and agroecology, engaging their peers in various community actions and campaigns.
- Organising Workshops: Organize workshops on topics such as human rights, environmental protection, and agroecology. These workshops provide hands-on learning experiences and foster community engagement.
- Agricultural Youth Caravan: Groups of young activists visit smallholder farms for up to two weeks. They engage in farm work, learn about sustainable farming practices, and discuss topics like ecology and gender issues in agriculture. The caravan includes interactions with policymakers and live social media updates to raise awareness about sustainable agriculture.
- Interactive Webinars on the Reboot Digital Platform: Host interactive webinars where youth, farmers, and allies can connect digitally. These webinars cover topics such as sustainable farming practices, global citizenship, and gender equality. Participants can ask questions, share insights, and collaborate on projects, fostering a sense of community and continuous learning.
Communication and outreach activities, where youth can reach out to CSOs, young farmers/ food producers, addressing political decision-makers and institutions providing food to incorporate agroecological principles at local, national, EU and global levels, such as:
- Media Engagement: Conduct classical media work, including press releases, media events, and networking with journalists. Provide fact-based news, background information, and attractive visuals to foster well-informed media reports and gain the attention of decision-makers.
- Online and Digital Campaigns: Engage youth by creating and sharing content across various digital platforms and/or empower youth to lead their own online campaigns. These campaigns can include creating and sharing educational content, organizing virtual events, and engaging in online discussions to raise awareness about agroecological principles and sustainable food systems. Additionally, share content from the Reboot campaign to ensure a cohesive and unified message.
- Street Actions and Festivals: Organize street actions and festivals at key campaign moments, targeting public spaces that attract young people. These events can include appearances at political and music festivals, pop-ups at farmers markets, community dinners, public film screenings, theatrical street performances, demonstrations, flashmobs, and guerrilla gardening. Accompany these actions with information stands providing promotional materials and engagement opportunities, such as petitions or photo ops. Link these actions with key national and European events, and invite political decision-makers to engage directly with youth. Use social media and local media invitations to amplify the impact.

Third-parties will also have to take part in the following activities:

Participation in Capacity-Building Meetings: Attend annual 3-day capacity-building meetings. These meetings focus on enhancing content knowledge and methodological capacities, facilitating the exchange of expertise, and providing training on various topics identified by partners.
Participation in Final External Evaluation/MEAL: Actively participate in the final external evaluation at the end of the project. This process involves an external evaluator who will develop a monitoring and evaluation system. The evaluation will assess the project’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability, and will include a final MEAL report shared with the EC.

Budget

The maximum financial support will be limited to 445.000 DKK for the third-party project proposal.

The budget must be indicated in DKK, as described in Annex 3.

Application Package

The submitted application must consist of the following elements:

A project proposal (maximum 8 pages) (using the template in Annex 3)
A project budget (using the template in Annex 4)
A signed Declaration by the third-party (‘Anti Fraud Statement’, Annex 5)

Templates for the project proposal and project budget and Anti Fraud Statement are available in the bottom of this page.

Applications must be submitted in English.

The full application must be sent electronically to the following e-mail address: mma@ms.dk no later than 15 November 2024 at 23:59. Applications received after this date and time will not be considered.

Evaluation

Selection criteria for the third-party receiving financial support are:

Capacities/experience to reach and engage youths e.g. in (youth-specific) campaigning and/or in social media
Applicant’s experience in relevant topics, e.g. food system, agroecology, climate change, sustainable consumption, gender issues
Applicant’s involvement in national networks and extent of contacts to relevant stakeholders, such as farmers, environmental organisations, and activist groups
Applicant’s capacities and experience in communication and volunteer engagement in workshops, events and festivals. administrative/financial capacity to manage the grant.

Award criteria for the third-party scheme include:

Relevance of the planned activities according to the objectives of the third-party-scheme
Outreach numbers of the planned activities
Efficiency of the project (impact / budget ratio)
Fulfilment of the eligibility criteria of the Applicant
Experience with the target groups
Outreach and social media capacities
Experience with the relevant topics (Food supply chains/climate change/agroecology).

Priority will be given to:

Youth CSOs whose work is not focused on global food supply-chains or agroecology
CSOs that do focus on global food-systems or agroecology, but reach out to young EU citizens, aged 15-30, less involved
Projects with strategies to foster long term and meaningful youth engagement.

The selection of project proposals will be made by an evaluation panel.

Contractual Conditions

The successful Applicants (third-parties) will sign a Third-party Agreement (‘Agreement’) with Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke Actionaid Denmark before the start of the project.

The third-party will take responsibility for the implementation of the project.

The third-party will need to report on the project expenditures. It will need to justify expenditures with financial supporting documents (invoices, boarding passes, staff and payroll records, salary slips, etc.) enabling a verification that the funds have been used for the purpose and in line with the Agreement.

The third-party will have to comply with the visibility requirements of the Reboot project (inclusion of project logo and EU logos and statements in all communications, documents, publications, materials, reports, etc).

Unspent budget items and non-justified expenditures will need to be paid back to the Co-Beneficiary or will be discounted from the final instalment.

Thus, the Agreement will include:

a fixed list and description of activities to be implemented
a project budget
obligations to provide narrative and financial reporting
obligations to keep record
obligation to provide proof for received payments
these Terms of Reference for the Call for Applications
the signed Anti Fraud Statement

Payment

Payment must be made in DKK from Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke Actionaid Denmark to the bank account indicated by the Applicant.

Payment will be done in accordance with the Agreement signed between the third-party and Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke Actionaid Denmark.

Payment will be made against the reception of a payment request according to the following schedule:

First installment upon the signature of the contract, at a height of 80% of the total amount of the financial support
Second and final instalment following the approval of the interim and final report.

Contact

For questions on the application process, interested parties may contact Max Mailund (they/them), Project Leader, via email on mma@ms.dk, until 28 October 2024.

The anonymized responses to questions raised will be made public is avaliable in this Q&A.

Annexes