 |
 |
 |
The “CSO DePo: CSO Development Program” fosters sustainable civil society development through strengthening the capacity of CSOs as critical actors to advance and oversee reform, improve services and contribute to the development of more effective governance in the economic, democratic, and social spheres.
EPF, in a Consortium with Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC), Media Initiatives Center (MIC), Goris Press Club (GPC), Support for Noyemberyan NGO (SN), and Martuni Women Community Council (MWCC), is implementing the “CSO DePo: CSO Development Program” (hereinafter, the Program) under USAID’s Development Grants Program (DGP). The Program started in June 2014, and it will be implemented through May 2019.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The goal of the Program is to expand the pool of strong local CSOs by delivering capacity strengthening services so they may become a) successful actors in building a ‘more engaged, prosperous and well-governed Armenian society’ and b) successful potential partners for USAID/Armenia. The objectives are: a) to make CSOs more sustainable; and b) to increase the involved CSOs’ capacities to better deliver services and advocate and monitor reforms in governance, economy, and public health. As a result, the direct participants will become business-oriented and sustainable intermediary providers and capacity developers, at least 70% of beneficiaries will show steady improvement in organizational capacity and sustainable development, at least two models for CSO sustainability will prove successful, and civil society support actors will be ready and able to support CSOs.
The Program consists of several stages. First, the Consortium will develop a special Armenia-tailored CSO Capacity Enhancement Tool. The Consortium will then proceed with building its own capacities and conducting a CSO Comprehensive Market Assessment, which will result in the elaboration of several CSO sustainability models to be offered to beneficiary CSOs. At the next stages, the Consortium will establish a CSO Management School that will become a hub of support to civil society. The School will offer trainings on project management, organizational development, business planning, advocacy, gender mainstreaming, service provision, and other needed skills. The School will be strengthened by a Civil Society Portal (CSO Portal) that will offer up-to-date tools and information on CSO development and funding opportunities. In parallel to the CSO Portal, the School will establish a CSO Multimedia Solutions facility to facilitate effective communication among CSOs and between CSOs and other stakeholders. The Consortium expects that over the five years, up to 160 CSOs will undergo training, either in-person or online. At the next stage, trainings for trainers will take place, and new generations of trainers will graduate. The most advanced CSOs will be invited to bid for accompanied grants to support their capacity development.
The “CSO DePo: CSO Development Program” is made possible by the generous support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents and the views expressed as part of the Program are the sole responsibility of Eurasia Partnership Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government
