Each year the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) makes direct grants to hundreds of nongovernmental organizations worldwide working to advance democratic goals and strengthen democratic institutions. NED funds only nongovernmental organizations, which may include civic organizations, associations, independent media, and other similar organizations.

NED is interested in proposals from local, independent organizations for nonpartisan programs that seek to:

• Promote and defend human rights and the rule of law
• Support freedom of information and independent media
• Strengthen democratic ideas and values
• Promote accountability and transparency
• Strengthen civil society organizations
• Strengthen democratic political processes and institutions
• Promote civic education
• Support democratic conflict resolution
• Promote freedom of association
• Strengthen a broad-based market economy

All proposed projects must be consistent with NED’s general purposes as outlined in the NED Statement of Principles and Objectives.

Upcoming Board of Directors meeting dates and proposal submission deadlines are as follows:

Proposal Submission Deadline	Board of Directors Meeting
October 3, 2014	January 9, 2015
January 16, 2015	March 27, 2015
April 3, 2015	June 12, 2015
June 19, 2015	September 11, 2015

All applications must include the following items:

• Proposal Cover Sheet (pdf) (doc)
  This form collects basic organizational information.
• Proposal Narrative
  This is the written description of the project you would like to conduct with NED funds. Please follow the Proposal Guidelines. You may prepare the Proposal Narrative in English or your local language. Proposals should be approximately 10 pages in length.
• Interim Assessment (for renewal proposals only)
  This is an assessment of your organization’s previous NED grant, if any. It should be included as part of the proposal narrative.
• Proposal Budget
  This is the financial description of the project you would like to conduct with NED funds and should correspond to the activities in the Proposal Narrative. Please follow the Additional Guidance and use the Budget Template whenever possible.
• Registration Documents (if applicable)
  Please include your Certificate of Registration or other documentation showing the legal status of your organization.