Support. Don’t Punish Initiatives programme - Call for expressions of interest

Call for Expressions of Interest

Through this call, the Support. Don’t Punish campaign aims to identify and support local partners (up to 7) with funding of between USD 4,000 – 5,000 for strategic, creative and collaborative projects to be carried out from June to December 2023, and launched on the occasion of the 2023 Support. Don’t Punish Global Day of Action (26 June).

The activities proposed must seek to advance drug policy reform, bolster harm reduction and build bridges with/within/between communities disproportionately impacted by the ‘war on drugs’ (e.g. people who use drugs, farmers of crops deemed illicit, youth, racialised communities, LGBTQ+ people, sex workers, among many others).

Kindly note that the Support. Don’t Punish Initiatives Programme differs in size and scope from the regular small grants that the campaign deploys yearly to support the realisation of activities during the Global Day of Action (26 June).

A separate Call for Expressions of Interest for the Small grants programme of the 2023 Global Day of Action is available here.

Grant specifications

Since 2013, Support. Don’t Punish local partners have organised over 1,000 activities in more than 100 countries. These range from marches, music events, sports tournaments, seminars with policy makers, film forums, press conferences and many more. A common thread has been to challenge laws, norms and practices in relation to drugs that maximise harm and, instead, empower communities to mobilise for sustainable alternatives that prioritise rights, health and well-being.

In seeking inspiration, please do check out the activities organised as part of the first (2019-2020) and second (2022) rounds of the Initiatives Programme.

We are currently accepting proposals that will see activities take place between June – December 2023.

⚠️We expect this to be a highly competitive process. We tend to receive 80 applications per 6 successful proposals. If you have questions on eligibility, please drop them on the campaign’s Slack board. While we will not be able to offer detailed advice on your proposal, we are happy to provide orientation.

The accepted proposals will be:

• Coherent, precise and strategic, devising a work-plan of activities that logically responds to local/national goals and priorities, and adequately considers impact.
• Creative, including ideas that leverage ingenuity and out-of-the-box thinking.
• Collaborative, proposing activities that build bridges with/within/between communities affected by the “war on drugs”.

While colleagues from all regions are invited to apply, priority will be given to proposals from Southeast Asia as well as West and East Africa.

Application and selection process

• Application period: 31 March – 28 April 2023.
• Assessment period: 1-2 May 2023.
• Notification of support: 15 May 2023.
• Initiative implementation: From June 2023 to December 2023.
• Feedback submission period: January 2024.

To apply, please fill in the application form available here. A preview of the form can be accessed here.

We can receive applications in English, French and Spanish. Other languages could be considered on a case-by-case basis.

If you have difficulties completing the application form or need support, please get in touch with us via Slack.