Active Citizens’ Fund – EEA Grants
With the current funding cycle of the EEA (European Economic Area) Grants ending, next year is our last in the role as a contact point for the EEA Grants. It was also one of our busiest years yet. The EEA Grants are funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, and are meant to contribute to a more equal Europe, both socially and economically.
We dedicated significant effort to highlight the numerous inspiring bilateral projects (those involving a Norwegian partner organization), producing 12 articles over the year and as many full-length newsletters.
A standout moment was organising a study trip to Kristiansand in May, which gathered 13 LGBTQ+ activists from across Europe. This event, set against the fourth European Conference on Democracy and Human Rights 2023, aimed to bridge dialogues between Norwegian and European LGBTQ+ communities through encounters with local religious leaders, The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir), and political figures.
With the spectre of a funding gap in the EEA Grants looming, we also co-organized a study trip on fundraising to Oslo, bringing leaders in fundraising strategies from across Europe to share their trade secrets.
It has also been an active year for increasing public awareness of the EEA grants. We wrote op-eds on the importance of the EEA Grants and participated as experts in leading podcasts. Not least, our event on the state of European democracy at Arendalsuka was a notable success, with the room teeming despite sharing a timeslot with NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg.
Our travel was extensive, taking us to Bucharest, Budapest, Ljubljana, Athens, Brussels (three times), and Sofia, where we have participated as speakers at conferences and participants and helped organize the participation of Norwegian civil society representatives.