COMPETITION
Open Society Institute Network Public Health Program

Tobacco Control Policy Grant Competition

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - due on Friday, April 18, 2003

Introduction
Promoting the successful adoption of national tobacco control policies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Newly Independent States (NIS) requires confronting many challenges. Though there is some activity in CEE/NIS to confront these challenges, the tobacco control nongovernmental organization (NGO) movement remains relatively weak. As part of an effort to strengthen NGO capacity to provide policy research and advocate on tobacco control issues within the region, the Open Society Institute's (OSI) Network Public Health Program is seeking applications from NGOs in CEE/NIS interested in designing and implementing policy oriented tobacco control projects in their home country.

Project Summary
Funding for NGOs will be available to support projects which lead to local, regional, or national level policy change in tobacco control. Funding will be for up to a one year period with a start date of fall 2003.
After an initial section process, global and regional tobacco control experts will conduct site visits to assess and refine applications. These applications will then be considered for funding. Grantees will continue to receive technical assistance throughout the length of the grant period. They will also be required to participate in OSI sponsored seminars and meetings to ensure sharing of best practice and lessons learned throughout the region.

Who Should Apply

• Legally registered NGOs based in one of the following countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia
• Preference will be given to applications from multi-sectorial teams consisting of NGOs, media, academic institutions, and government representatives. NGOs must be the lead organization in such teams.
• Preference will be given to cost effective projects.

How to Apply
Interested organizations should submit a preliminary application no later than Friday, April 18, 2003. All applications must be completed in English. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Applicants from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and Macedonia should submit the grant application directly to the local national Soros Foundation's Public Health Program.
Applications from Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia should be submitted directly to OSI's Network Public Health Program (see attached for relevant addresses).

Selection process
Procedure: A grant selection committee consisting of global and regional experts and advocates will review preliminary applications and recommend a list of semi-finalists.
All applicants selected as semi-finalists will receive a site visits by tobacco control experts. The experts will work directly with the applicants in developing a final grant application. Grant finalists will be selected after completion of the site visits and review of revised applications. Applicants will be notified of final selection results no later than August, 2003.

Please direct questions to Kate Flatley at kflatley@sorosny.org.

The Open Society Institute (OSI) is a private operating and grantmaking foundation based in New York City that serves as a hub of the Open Society Network, a group of autonomous foundations and organizations in over 50 countries. This network implements a range of initiatives that aim to promote open society by sharing government policy and supporting education, media, public health and human and women's rights, as well as social, legal and economic reform. To diminish and prevent the negative consequences of globalization, the Network seeks to foster global open society by increasing collaboration with other nongovernmental organizations, governments and international institutions. OSI was created in 1993 by investor and philanthropist George Soros to support his foundation in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Those foundations were established, starting in 1984, to help former communist countries in their transition to democracy. The Network has expanded its geographic reach to include foundations and initiatives in Africa, Central Asia and the Caucasus, Haiti, Latin America, Mongolia, Southeast Asia, Turkey and the United States. OSI also supports selective projects in other parts of the world.

Background information on the Open Society Institute (OSI) and its public health programs can be found on the Internet at www.soros.org/health.