The consortium formed by KEK-CDC Consultants (www.kek.ch), Civil Society Development Foundation (www.fdsc.ro) and Romanian Environmental Partnership Foundation (www.repf.ro), as the Swiss Intermediate Body for administrating the Thematic Fund for Civil Society Participation, is announcing the launching of the 2nd Round of Block Grant for NGOs. The launching of the second round is scheduled for 15^th January 2015.

This Thematic Fund is part of the Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Programme, which consists of a non-refundable aid offered by the Swiss Federal Council to 13 European member states who joined between 2004 and 2013. The cooperation programme aims to contribute to the reduction of economic and social disparities between Romania and more advanced countries of the enlarged European Union. Also, the Swiss support aims to contribute within Romania, to the reduction of economic and social disparities between the dynamic urban centres and the structurally weak peripheral regions.

The objective of the Block Grant for NGOs is to strengthen Romanian civil society organisations and to enable their active participation in policy processes, as well as to promote the activities of NGOs primarily tackling environmental issues and providing of social services, and, in the meantime, strengthening their organizational capacities.

The 1^st round of the Call for Proposals was launched in 2012. A total of 779 applications were received for a total available amount of CHF 5,000,000 and altogether 45 projects were financed. The most important lessons learnt after the 1^st round, together with recommendations for the future applicants are available here.

Through this 2^nd round of Call for Proposals, another CHF 5,000,000 is made available, out of which CHF 1,000,000 for Environment Component and CHF 4,000,000 for the Social Component. Two types of grants will be available: small grants between CHF 10,000 and CHF 75,000 and large grants between CHF 75,001 and CHF 250,000. The large grants will be available for the Social Component only.

After launching, all information concerning the 2^nd round of Call for Proposals from the Block Grant for NGOs will be available on the websites of the consortium members.