Civitates' Tech & Democracy open call
Civitates – The European Democracy Fund is a pooled philanthropic fund that was set up in 2018 for the sole purpose of addressing democratic decline and closing civic space in Europe. The case for confronting these threats is growing increasingly urgent. Fritt Ord Foundation is one of the initiators and partners of Civitates.
Civitates has launched its Tech and Democracy open call to support organisations working to ensure safer, more inclusive online spaces (social media platforms, search engines etc.) by improving the enforcement of EU tech regulations at the national level.
This open call offers a unique opportunity to strengthen civil society’s role in holding the tech sector accountable, with a focus on key EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act, GDPR, AI Act or the European Media Freedom Act to name a few.
Focus countries: Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Romania, and the Netherlands
Total budget: €1,600,000 (up to €160,000 per grantee over two years)
Application deadline: March 14, 2025, 11:30 PM (CET)
Technology has transformed our relationship to information production, access and consumption.
Social media platforms are influential spaces where societal questions are debated and where most people get access to news. Search engines are the gateways through which we access information in a quick and convenient way on a daily basis. However, while the original promise was to give us unlimited access to knowledge and information, these services often give us a selection of information and content that is skewed, partial and leaning towards the extremes.
The EU tech rulebook (Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act, General Data protection Regulation – GDPR, Transparency and targeting of political advertising regulation, Artificial Intelligence Act, European Media Freedom Act etc.) attempts to address these issues by establishing transparency and accountability mechanisms for the tech industry, balancing free speech and freedom from harassment online, increasing the protection of online users and expanding citizens’ rights.
The national level is crucial for EU tech regulation enforcement as governments, national authorities, and civil society act as an essential support and counterbalance system to the European institutions by ensuring compliance, handling complaints, conducting investigations, and preventing any attempts to weaken or circumvent these protections.
ABOUT THE CALL
Civitates is looking to support up to ten grantees that will be given flexible, core support of max €160,000 over two years.
The open call follows a two-steps approach where applicants are asked to submit a concept note, a budget and basic documents about the organisation. Civitates will shortlist the most promising applications and invite a limited number of organisations to submit full proposals and send additional documentation and information.
How to Apply:
Call for Proposals: Making online spaces safer, more trustworthy and inclusive – Civitates
