http://www.soros.org/initiatives/thinktank/news/call-for-proposals-data-advocacy-20110421
Open Society Institute Think Tank Fund Seeks Proposals for Projects Using Data for Policy Research and Advocacy in Europe and Central Eurasia
The Open Society Institute Think Tank Fund and Information Program invite proposals from think tanks, policy research organizations, and advocacy organizations with in-house research capacity for comprehensive projects designed to improve public access to data for policy-relevant research and evidence-based advocacy.
The OSI Think Tank Fund supports independent policy centers working to strengthen democratic processes in Europe and Central Eurasia. The OSI Information Program works to increase public access to knowledge, facilitate civil society communication, and protect civil liberties and the freedom to communicate in the digital environment.
The purpose of this Call for Proposals is to encourage think tanks and advocacy organizations with research capacity to develop comprehensive proposals that speak to all stages of building evidence-based policies. This may include improving access to and reuse of data that think tanks and policy research organization already have in house, or that could be made available from public sources (i.e., from public authorities, government, etc.) in accessible and searchable formats. Projects should enable concerned citizens, activists, and advocates to use existing data for evidence-based policy arguments with the potential to inform policy alternatives and engage in well-informed policy discussions. Projects that propose new uses of data for advocacy, that target non-traditional stakeholders, that develop challenging and complementary information sets for broader application, and/or that use data sets to challenge commonly accepted facts in an under-researched policy area are particularly encouraged to apply.
Organizations in the following countries are eligible: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
Grants of up to $25,000 will be provided for a maximum duration of one year.
