World coalition against death penalty

Open Call for proposals – Financial Support to Third Parties – Global Consortium for Death Penalty Abolition and Gender and Death Penalty Project

on 22 April 2025

In 2024, 13 abolitionist organizations1, including regional networks, grassroots organizations and international NGOs came together to form the Global Consortium for Death Penalty Abolition. This civil society-led initiative2 aims to amplify the voice and influence of the abolitionist movement on a global scale.

As part of this initiative, the Consortium has committed to supporting civil society in target countries and providing financial support to third parties to move towards the universal abolition of the death penalty.

This initiative is consistent with the objectives of the World Coalition’s Gender and the Death Penalty project, funded by the Government of Canada and the French Development Agency, which also provides support to civil society in target countries.

Scope

After a first Open Call launched in September 2024, a second Open Call is now being launched in April 2025 to provide financial support between June 2025 and March 2026. This second Open Call covers several thematic and geographical areas that aims to enhance and bring changes for abolition of the death penalty.

Available Grants, Indicative Budget and maximum amount

Grant for Drug related Research:

1 grant of maximum 15,000 EUR to conduct research on donor states and/or UN agencies funding for drug law enforcement to countries that retain the death penalty for drug offences, with a focus on Asia.

To be managed by Harm Reduction International

Grants for Asia:

4 grants of maximum 2,500 EUR each for teams across Asia to carry out activities such as research and advocacy on the death penalty. Priority given to teams in Indonesia, Pakistan and Taiwan.

To be managed by TRP

Grants for Gender:

For activities aimed at making visible and combating intersectional discrimination faced by women and/or LGBTQIA+ people in the judicial process leading to the death penalty (juveniles, people with disabilities, people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds…). Priority will be given to projects submitted in collaboration with organizations defending the rights of women, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities and young people, as well as to projects submitted by various partners based in the same country in order to support collaborative approaches.

  • 3 grants of 5,000€ : focusing in priority on data collection activities
  • 1 grant of 10,000€
  • 1 grant of 20,000€

Countries: Saudi Arabia, Cameroon, Thailand, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Uganda and the United States. Iraq and Vietnam are also among the target countries for data collection.

Note: Organizations that have already received funding under the first FSTP call launched in September 2024 are not eligible to reapply.

To be managed by the World Coalition

Grant for World Day 2025:

Priority will be given to Sri Lanka and DRC

2 grants of maximum 5,000 EUR each for World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October 2025 and national campaigns to reinforce the public knowledge on key arguments against the death penalty as well as convince new players to become new allies.

Priority will be given to applicants based in Sri Lanka and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)3.

Note: Organizations that have already received funding under the first FSTP call launched in September 2024 are not eligible to reapply.

To be managed by the World Coalition

Grants for Ratification:

1 grant of maximum 5,000 EUR for activities related to ratification of international and regional protocols on abolition of the death penalty at national level.

Priority will be given to applicants based in Central African Republic, Congo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Suriname. However, all applicants based in abolitionist countries who have yet to ratify international or regional protocols may apply.

Note: Organizations that have already received funding under the first FSTP call launched in September 2024 are not eligible to reapply.

To be managed by the World Coalition

Objectives

Overall objective: To move towards the universal abolition of the death penalty.

Specific objectives:

1: In retentionist countries: contributing to reducing the use of capital punishment and encouraging more transparency regarding its application. This includes contributing to reducing the number of crimes punishable by death, abolition of the mandatory death penalty, banning death sentences and executions of juveniles, increasing respect of international human rights, achieving greater transparency, reducing cruel methods of executions, raising public awareness of the discriminatory nature of the death penalty, improving fair trial rights, and the independence of the judiciary, penal reform, increased use of pardons, clemency, and commutations of death sentences to reduce the number of people on death row and the number of people executed.

2: In abolitionist in practice countries, contributing to abolishing the death penalty in law while avoiding setbacks in countries which constitute levers for the international community to develop “new frontiers of abolition”. As specific objectives for these swing countries, it will also encourage positive votes for the UNGA moratorium resolution, legislative evolutions (drafting of abolitionist law proposals, reduction of the scope of application and/or reform of the penal code) and keeping a minimum of people on death row.

3: For abolitionist in law countries: contributing to ratifications of abolitionist treaties and preventing the reintroduction of the death penalty.

Outputs:

  1. Increased influence of the abolitionist movement in relevant decision-making processes/decision-making spaces
  2. Expanded and more diverse abolitionist ecosystem at global, regional and national level.

Activities

Different types of activities are eligible for financial support, including :

  • advocacy at the national level in favor of abolition including advocacy with abolitionist in practice countries and abolitionist in law countries to increase visibility of support for the anti-death penalty movement;
  • building the capacities and awareness of parliamentarians, government officials and capital-defense lawyers;
  • supporting civil society engagement with international human rights mechanisms;
  • improving the conditions of detention of people on death row;
  • supporting families of persons charged with capital offences and or of people on death row;
  • strengthening the capacities of judicial and administrative authorities;
  • research and data collection;
  • documentation and litigation support;
  • building the capacity of civil society, including governance practices and project management;
  • supporting exoneree-led activities and amplifying exoneree voices;
  • movement growth, innovation and coalition building;
  • supporting advocacy, monitoring and capacity building of target groups;
  • awareness, media and campaigns;
  • crisis response to quickly react to in-country developments and mobilize relevant actors;
  • mobilization of non-conventional stakeholders in the movement (eg. young people, private sector, cultural or sports sector) through actions including educational, technological, cultural activities;
  • advocacy to hold abolitionist countries to account for any adverse shifts in law, policy or practice. ;
  • activities aimed at making visible and combating the intersectional discrimination faced by women and/or LGBTQIA+ people in the judicial process leading to the death penalty.

Eligibility Criteria

One entity may apply for one grant only.

Types of entities/actors or categories of persons/entities/actors which may receive financial support:

  • civil society organizations (CSOs – for the purpose of this call for proposals, CSOs include all non-State, not-for-profit structures, non-partisan and non-violent, through which people organize to pursue shared objectives and ideals, whether political, cultural, social or economic4); or
  • informal networks of people opposed to the death penalty

They should also:

  • be non-profit-making or social enterprises; and
  • have as part of their mandate the protection and promotion of human rights.

Evaluation Criteria

The applications will be reviewed by the Consortium Board, in consultation with the Independent Advisory Panel, according to the following criteria:

  1. Activities are well explained and realistic
  2. Activities are in line with the selected objective(s). The design of the proposal is coherent, the proposal indicates the expected results to be achieved and the rationale to achieve these results through the activities
  3. Activities are relevant for the target audience and objectives, targets are clearly defined and strategically chosen. Their needs and constraints have been clearly defined and the proposal addresses them appropriately. Additional points for projects that target duty-bearers.
  4. Planning is realistic
  5. Budget is realistic
  6. Budget is in line with the activitie(s)
  7. Budget is cost efficient
  8. Projects that are gender and intersectional sensitive and meaningfully include exonerees and youth voices and humanize people on death row will be valued
  9. Projects that collaborate with new allies and/or create cross-generational, cross-regional, cross-industry alliances will be valued
  10. Projects that are in synergy with other activities within the Consortium and beyond the Consortium will also be valued
  11. Projects with an activity for World Day against the Death Penalty to reach out to new allies will be valued
  12. Projects that are innovative will be valued
  13. Projects that foster information exchange/debunk myths or misinformation/fill in information gaps will be valued
  14. Projects that have potential for replication and sustainability will be valued

True to the spirit of the Consortium, after the call for FSTP, the selection process will be collective with consistent evaluation grid shared among Consortium members and a review process with the Independent Advisory Panel. After the selection, model contracts and consistent reporting mechanisms will be used by all to ensure transparency and equitable processes.

How to apply?

Your project proposal should be composed of (in English or French):

  • the application form in Word format;
  • the Budget Excel Sheet;
  • your organization’s By-laws/constitution/written document of creation of an informal entity as a civil society organization or informal network of people opposed to the death penalty (bearing in mind that you have to be non-profit-making or social enterprise; and have as part of your mandate the protection and promotion of human rights.);
  • your organization’s most recent activity and financial report or any other documentation to showcase your past experience.

Please submit your application by email to:

For the Grant Drug-related Research to Harm Reduction International: office[@]hri.global

For the Grants Asia to The Rights Practice (TRP): admin[@]rights-practice.org

Grants for Gender to the World Coalition: gendergrants2025[@]worldcoalition.org

Grants for World Day 2025 to the World Coalition: worlddaygrant[@]worldcoalition.org

Grant for Ratification to the World Coalition: ratificationgrant[@]worldcoalition.org

Should you have questions, please write to the email address associated with the grant for which you are applying.

(if you need a secure email box, please send a message on Signal to +33 6 01 78 53 15).

Subject line: Open Call for FSTP FFPA followed by the entity’s name.

Submission Deadline: Proposals must be submitted by – 14 May 2025, midnight CEST (Paris time).

Indicative Timetable:

  • 22 April 2025: Launch of the Open Call
  • 14 May 2025: Deadline for submission of proposals
  • 15 May- 02 June 2025: instruction, evaluation and selection process
  • 03 June 2025: Decision by the Consortium Board on the selection of Third Parties with advice from the Independent Advisory Panel
  • End of June 2025: Signature of the grant agreements and transfer of funds
  • March 2026: end of activities and final reports

Ressources

1Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN), Comunità di S.Egidio, Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM), International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT), Greater Caribbean for Life (GCL), Harm Reduction International (HRI), Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), Penal Reform International (PRI), Reprieve, The Death Penalty Project (DPP), The Rights Practice (TRP), Witness to Innocence (WTI) and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. For more information

2 Initiative co-funded by the European Union under a Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA) and the French Development Agency (AFD) ) and the Government of Canada, led by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.

3 These countries have been selected as target countries to benefit from joint actions for international solidarity for the World Day. Selection was made by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty’s Working Group on World Day.

4 They include membership-based, cause-based and service-oriented CSOs. Among them, non-governmental organizations, organizations representing indigenous peoples, community – based organizations, advocacy organizations, organizations representing national and/or ethnic minorities, diaspora organizations, migrants’ organizations in partner countries, local traders’ associations and citizens’ groups, cooperatives, employers’ associations and trade unions (social partners), organizations representing economic and social interests, organizations representing person with disabilities, organizations fighting corruption and fraud and promoting good governance, civil rights organizations and organizations combating discrimination, local organizations (including networks) involved in decentralized regional cooperation and integration, consumer organizations, women’s and youth organizations environmental, teaching, cultural, research and scientific organizations, universities, education institutions, churches and religious associations and communities, the media and any non-governmental associations and independent foundations, including independent political foundations.