Belgrade, April 7, 2022 -- With the support of the European Union and in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), seven local governments in Serbia  announce public calls to finance projects of civil society organizations (CSOs) that can contribute to local development. Public invitations are opened by the City of Krusevac, the Administration for Youth and Sports of the City of Novi Sad, the City of Subotica, as well as the municipalities of Babušnica, Vladičin Han, Vrnjačka Banja and Topola.

The aim of these public calls is to improve the quality of public services local authorities provide to citizens in these cities and municipalities, by strengthening cooperation with civil society organizations.

Public calls will support CSO projects that contribute to improving the position and quality of life of young people and members of vulnerable groups, as well as other projects that are in line with the development priorities of these seven local governments, such as public health, environmental protection and tourism development, and creative industries.

All interested civil society organizations can submit their proposals through individual public calls, announced separately by each local self-government.

• The first public call is opened by the municipality of Vrnjacka Banja, and the deadline for applications is May 12. An info-session on this public call was held on April 14, 2022. More information can be found on the website Vrnjačka Banja - ReLOaD2, and the application documentation can be downloaded here: Vrnjačka Banja.
• Novi Sad and Kruševac opened public calls on April 11, and their respected deadlines for applications are May 9  (Novi Sad) and May 13 (Kruševac). An info-session in Novi Sad public call was on April 12, and in Kruševac on April 13. You can find more information on their websites: Novi Sad and Kruševac, and the application documentation can be downloaded from: Novi Sad documentation and Kruševac documentation.
• Babušnica and Vladičin Han opened their public calls on April 12.  In both towns, info-sessions are scheduled for April 15, and deadlines for application come on May 17. More information can be found on local websites: Babušnica and Vladičin Han. Application documentation can be downloaded from: Babušnica, or Vladičin Han. 
• Subotica opened a public call on April 14, while their dedline to apply is on May 19. Info-session will be held on April 26.  More information is available on  Subotica municipality page. Application documents can be downloaded from here: Subotica.
• Topola announced their public call on April 15, to be open until May 20. Info-session in Topola is scheduled on April 21.  Please visit Topola municipality website for more information. Documentation needed for application is available here: Topola.

All details on the conditions, deadlines and ways of applying, as well as all the necessary documentation, will be available on the official websites of local governments.

For the implementation of the most successful project proposals received in public calls in 2022, a total of up to 525,000 USD will be allocated, that is – up to 75,000 USD per local self-government, which, in addition to funds provided by the EU, includes co-financing from local self-governments.

During the public calls, trainings will be organized, and mentoring support will be provided for representatives of interested CSOs on project preparation and management. The exact date and place of these trainings will be published on the official websites of local governments. Interested CSOs can send all questions regarding public calls to the address: reload.rs@undp.org.

*** Public calls for funding projects of civil society organizations are published within the project "ReLOaD2 - Regional Program for Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 2", funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP.