The BEARR Trust’s Small Grants Scheme 2024
In 2024, our Small Grants Scheme aims to support displaced people, with a particular focus on addressing the social cohesion challenges that arise from significant population movements. Our support under Strand A extends to most of the countries we work with, ensuring broad support and assistance where it is needed most.
As part of Strand A, we invited applications for grants of up to £4,000 for joint projects on the theme “Community Integration of Displaced People”. This strand was open to civil society organisations (CSOs) in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Strand A applications had to be a joint application from two or more partner organisations. It has been part of BEARR’s long-term mission to foster cooperation and partnerships, believing that this is fundamental to the successful operation of CSOs.
For Strand B, we invited applications for grants of up to £1,000 for projects to support the welfare of staff and volunteers, and to improve the organisation’s overall resilience. This strand was open only to organisations in Ukraine and Moldova that have previously received support from BEARR, either through the Small Grants Scheme or the Ukraine Emergency Appeal.
After careful consideration, 11 projects under SGS strand A were selected for funding in 2024. We are in negotiations with one of the organisations whose proposal was selected for funding.
We are grateful to all the applicants who submitted their applications but weren’t selected for funding this year. We hope you will be able to apply for the next round of grants, which should be announced later this year.
Grants were awarded to CSOs and their partner organisations for the following projects:
Armenia
Project title: Economic stabilisation and integration of displaced young people and women through the fusion of arts and crafts
About the project: The project will work with women and young people displaced by the Nagorno-Karabakh war, as well as those from socially disadvantaged families in two communities, through non-formal education and the establishment of a social enterprise.
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Project title: Integration of displaced women in Armenia through economic empowerment
About the project: Through practical training and ongoing mentorship, the project aspires not only to uplift displaced women economically but also to integrate them into their new realities by providing resources and support to establish and manage small entrepreneurial initiatives.
Georgia
Project title: Engagement of displaced people to promote change
About the project: This project aims to address challenges faced by IDPs by enhancing awareness of their rights; round table discussion involving decision makers, IPD representatives, and CSO workers; and leadership and advocacy training.
Kyrgyzstan
Project title: Resource centres for social workers
About the project: This project is built on the assumption that new resources and regular training for social workers and teachers on ‘victim-centred’ and ‘trauma-informed’ approaches in working with at-risk youth and children (including displaced people) will help in establishing better referral mechanisms and support systems.
Ukraine
Project title: A world of silence during the war in Ukraine
About the project: The CSO will work with people with hearing difficulties to give them an opportunity to express themselves through art, drawing attention to their need for access to cultural and theatrical products, and highlighting the need for better integration of IDPs with disabilities.
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Project title: Integration through creativity for new residents
About the project: The project aims to contribute to the integration of vulnerable IDPs through psychological support, creative art-therapeutic workshops, involvement in the socio-cultural and public life of local communities, and joint activities with community residents.
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Project title: Joint adaptation of mothers and children
About the project: This project aims to assist in the integration of mothers with children in the local community. This will be done though workshops with women (uniting IDPs and locals), the establishment of support groups, and sports activities for children.
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Project title: Recovery and resilience: Strengthening the cohesion of vulnerable groups in the context of the ongoing war.
About the project: This project will work with vulnerable internally displaced women and LGBT people through individual psychological counselling and group sessions, individual consultations and information sessions on healthy lifestyles and disease prevention, legal advice and workshops on legal literacy, and career counselling and support in job search.
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Project title: Women Care
About the project: This project adapts a successful programme targeting ethnic minorities to the challenges affecting new IDPs in local communities, combating social isolation with a community kitchen, peer-to-peer art therapy, and cooking workshops for children.
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Project title: New Agrarians: self-employment of IDPs through agricultural production
About the project: This project is aimed at integration of IDPs into the host community through joint agricultural activities like growing organic vegetables and fruit, learning to use compost for sustainable farming and participating in the local “Seed Bank” project.
In addition, 5 grants were awarded to CSOs in Ukraine and Moldova under Strand B of the Scheme.
