CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS

We are seeking CSOs which: 

• adopt human rights or development based approach (İnsan hakları veya kalkınma temelli yaklaşım) 
• are non-for-profit NGOs and Foundations (Türkiye için dernek, vakıf ve kar-amacı-gütmeyen kooperatifler); 
• are based in Türkiye, in the European Union or in EU enlargement countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine).
• are interested in engaging in an international exchange process coupled with an enhanced engagement with a local authority at the city level, with a specific focus on participatory approaches (either municipalities or metropolitan municipalities/district municipalities and metropolitan municipalities in Türkiye) 
• have an experience in project management and sufficient stability as an organisation. The effort expected under THE:PLACE programme is for 2 people per organisation to be engaged throughout each cycle (June 2026 – November 2027, November 2027 – April 2029).

Cooperatives must be non-profit and meet the following criteria:

• the cooperative doesn’t distribute the difference between incomes and expenditures to its members, board members or board of advisors,
• the cooperative doesn’t distribute any additional income coming from reserve funds or asset sales to its members,
• in the purpose and activity section of the main cooperative contract, it should be stated that the objectives of the cooperative are to be in the public interest. 

CSOs will be pre-selected on the basis of their organisational capacity, interest, motivation, and willingness to engage throughout the project. Please note that the project language will be English, and participants are expected to be professionally proficient in this language in order to favour the exchange. For further details about the evaluation criteria, please refer to the section below. We will pay specific attention to the geographical distribution of the selected organisation to guarantee wide national and international coverage.

Applying CSOs should indicate their intended collaboration with a specific Local Authority and provide a plan or vision outlining the existing or envisioned partnership in the application form. The plan should detail how the collaboration will occur and include expectations and capacity-building needs. CSOs should also elaborate the relevancy of their  relationship with the Local Authority, or the wish to collaborate in the application form (for example, the CSO is located in the same municipality, has its secondary offices there, has an already ongoing long-term collaboration through a project or a Memorandum of Understanding…). Previous collaborations with local authorities and possibly following up on a previous project are not strictly required to apply. Local Authorities will be later, in the proceeding phases of the program, invited to join the partnership through the “associate partner” formula by signing a letter of intent. 

As mentioned earlier, applying CSOs should apply individually, without necessarily having in mind a partner organisation in order to apply for the programme. Once the selection process is complete, CSOs will be matched with a suitable partner (from Türkiye if the applicant is based in the EU and enlargement countries, and vice versa). However, if you already have a specific partnership in mind that you would like to bring to THE:PLACE, both organisations must submit separate applications. If both organisations are selected, they may decide for the partnership later, along the process.