Small Grants: Building from the Ground Up

What do an Egyptian NGO working on parliamentary reforms, a Palestinian organization promoting legislation to criminalize “honor killings,” and a Moroccan youth group teaching democracy through popular sporting and cultural events all have in common?

Each is a recipient of a MEPI Small Grant.

The Tunis Regional Office (RO) recently concluded another Small Grants “season,” providing grants to 26 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in six countries, totaling $800,000.  The Small Grants Abstracts provide brief descriptions of these new projects.

“The Small Grants program is one of our best tools for promoting democratic reform from the ground up,” said Peter Mulrean, director of  the Tunis RO, which, since it opened in 2004, has provided more than 75 Small Grants for nearly $2.7 million to a host local actors working on a wide variety of projects. 

These grants, which usually range from $15,000-25,000 each, are provided to individuals and organizations working in the RO’s area of coverage, which includes the countries of North Africa, Lebanon, and most recently Israel and the Palestinian Territories.  MEPI’s Abu Dhabi RO provides similar grants to local groups in the Gulf countries, Jordan, and Yemen. 

"Through this program, we respond quickly to opportunities on the ground,” Mulrean explained.  “We have an immediate impact at the grassroots level, often linking up with groups the United States hasn’t typically worked with in the past.”  Information for the next round of Small Grants is expected to appear on the Medregion website later this year.

Separate from many MEPI programs, which partner with larger American-based or Arab NGOs, the Small Grants program was designed specifically to work with the “little guys” – those local groups that wish to instigate changes in their societies but are often neglected or unable to compete with larger organizations for funding opportunities.

With this in mind, the ROs, coordinating closely with U.S. Embassies in each of the countries in the region, identify local groups willing to push reforms and then help them develop their own projects.  The Small Grants program helps establish partnerships with a wide range of civil society actors, including NGOs, universities, media organizations, and human rights groups, as they play an increasingly vital role in expanding political participation in their countries.

Out of the 26 grants  the Tunis RO provided this year, 12 were for projects principally in MEPI’s Democracy Pillar, 6 for the Education Pillar, 5 for the Women’s Empowerment Pillar, and 2 for the Economic Pillar.  For a second year, MEPI also provided funds to the Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center for its regional Small Grants program aimed at developing a new generation of civic activists with skills in communications, democracy building, transitional justice, and non-violent change.