ARMENIA CALL
Guidelines for the ARMENIA CALL
January 2026
Before applying to the New Democracy Fund, please read the following guidelines.
PURPOSE
The New Democracy Fund was established in 2020 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark in response to democratic challenges in the Eastern Neighbourhood Countries. Since then, it has worked to strengthen democratic development in the region by providing civil society actors with tools, methodologies, support, and knowledge to build resilience and respond to rapidly changing and diverse local contexts.
Thus, the New Democracy Fund (NDF) supports an independent, diverse, resilient, and responsive civil society in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine – the Eastern Neighbourhood Countries (ENC). The NDF promotes a culture of democracy and human rights by engaging in regional networking and peer-to-peer exchange of experiences amongst civil society actors in the ENC and in Denmark working with youth, media, culture, labour market, green and just transition.
With the Focused Armenia 2026 Call, the NDF is opening a targeted funding opportunity to support civil society organisations, youth groups, and independent media in Armenia’s regions outside Yerevan. The call aims to strengthen democratic participation and access to fact-based information ahead of the parliamentary elections in June 2026, while maintaining strict non-partisanship and sensitivity to the political context.
HOW TO APPLY?
- Apply via this link: New Democracy Fund / GrantOne. The application requirements within the online platform provides guiding questions regarding the details to be included in the application. In addition to the application an activity-based budget, contractee information, and a workplan should be uploaded. Download all the templates via the links or at the bottom of this page.
The application must be filled in in English.
For technical advice the writing process: Contact the fund administration by e-mail: support@newdemocracyfund.org. Costs for translating the application can be included in the budget.
For support in case of technical issues during the applying process: Contact the granting platforms support team by e-mail: support@grant.nu
Note that all advice and support from our staff and the grating platforms team will be in English. - Submit the application form and annexes for the NDF here: New Democracy Fund / GrantOne. Deadline: February 11, 23:59 CET 2026
- Follow up: The NDF Grant Management Team will check if the application is eligible and if all information and annexes have been submitted and filled out according to the requirements. The NDF Grant Management Team can ask your organisation to send in additional information if needed to be able to verify your organisation. If the NDF Grant Management Team finds the application non-eligible and not aligned with the guidelines the application can be rejected.
- If the application has been approved, you will receive a summary of the approval and relevant recommendations for improvements to the project. Afterwards, you will be invited to a meeting with the NDF Grant Management Team to discuss the finalisation of the contract and if relevant the recommendations for improvements to the project.
- If the NDF Selection Committee rejects an application, the applicant will receive an explanation based on the criteria, scoring and statement from the Selection Committee.
APPLY HERE
Create a user within the Grant Platform, log in, and apply here: New Democracy Fund / GrantOne. Deadline: February 11, 23:59 CET 2026
WHO CAN APPLY?
The call is open to a broad range of civil society actors based in Armenia or working closely with Armenian communities, particularly in regional areas outside Yerevan.
Civil society actors are broadly defined and include:
- Civil society organisations and community-based initiatives
- Independent media and journalist groups
- Youth organisations and informal civic networks
- Cultural, educational, and knowledge institutions
- Professional associations and labour-related civil society actors
Applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Be legally registered and based in Armenia; or
- Be based outside Armenia but demonstrate a clear and ongoing engagement with beneficiaries in Armenia’s regions.
Moldovan and Georgian based organisations may participate only in a limited capacity-building or peer-learning where their involvement adds clear value to regional Armenian partners. Georgian and Moldovan partners are encouraged to engage by drawing on recent election experience in comparable regional contexts.
To learn more about the transparency of application process, including applicant eligibility and assessment process, see the Annex on NDF Transparency.
WHAT CAN YOU APPLY FOR?
Thematic alignment
Applicants may apply for support to initiatives that strengthen democratic participation and information resilience in Armenia’s regions ahead of the June 2026 parliamentary elections.
Projects may include, but are not limited to:
- Local democratic dialogue and civic engagement initiatives
- Youth participation and first-time voter engagement
- Media literacy, fact-checking, and countering misinformation
- Cooperation between civil society organisations and local media
- Community-based information and dialogue platforms
- Cultural or educational initiatives that promote civic participation
All projects must be strictly non-partisan. The following activities are not eligible:
- Election observation
- Support to political parties, candidates, or campaign activities
- Activities that may reasonably be interpreted as partisan mobilisation
Gender equality, inclusion, and a human rights-based approach are expected to be integrated into all projects.
Budget alignment
The call operates within a single budget range:
- EUR 13,000 – 53,500 / DKK 100,000 – 400,000
Applicants are expected to propose budgets that are realistic, proportionate, and appropriate to their organisational capacity and the short pre-election timeframe.
NDF CYCLE OF APPLICATIONS
All NDF calls will be announced and published on the NDF website, and we encourage you to subscribe to the NDF Newsletter.
Note that all projects must be finished by the end of 2026 at the latest.
Application Cycle
All needed material to each call is published on the NDF website including guidelines, application form, budget template, etc.
Following submission, your application will undergo an eligibility check. You will receive a rejection if your application is not eligible.
During the evaluation process, your application is assessed by a team of assessors, consisting of experts from the ENC and Denmark including the NDF consortium partners.
Following the assessment, an independent Selection Committee makes the final selection and prioritisation of the applications.
After the selection process, you will be notified if your application has been approved or rejected together with the reason for the final decision.
Grantees will then enter the contracting phase. Through dialogue with the NDF Grant Management Team an assessment of the capacity and experience of your organisation / team will be made in accordance with the budget level. Capacity sharing between partners are welcomed and should in that case be contracted within the partnership.
Complaints can be made if you believe that a technical or factual error has been made during the selection process or if the assessment of the application otherwise has been inconsistent with the guidelines. If you then want to submit a complaint, please see the Annex on NDF Complaints Procedure for more information.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU RECEIVE THE NDF GRANT?
Implementation
When the contract has been signed by you and the NDF Grant Management Team, you can start implementing the project and carrying out the activities according to your approved budget and work plan.
All projects should be fully implemented and finalized by the end of 2026.
Reporting
Depending on the length of the project, you can be required to submit an interim narrative report and financial status. At the end of the project, you must submit a final narrative report, learning brief and financial report.
If your budget exceeds EUR 13,000 / DKK 100,000 the financial report must be audited by an external auditor,
All reporting should be submitted in English. If needed, translation costs can be included in the budget.
CONTACT INFORMATION
The NDF Grant Management Team can advise you regarding the application process and answer any questions that might occur during the application period. If you have any questions, please contact NDF Grant Management Team at support@newdemocracyfund.org.
ANNEXES
In the annexes you will find information about the NDF Transparency, including eligibility, assessment, vested interest, the NDF Complaints Procedure, and information about the NDF Consortium Partners.