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ISSUE DATE: 12-Aug-25
CLOSING DATE: 15-Sep-25
- INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON MISSING PERSONS (ICMP) SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM
The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) invites associations or organizations of families of missing persons and other non-governmental (civil society) organizations to submit applications for its Small Grants Program for Families of the Missing and Civil Society Organizations, Syria/MENA (Middle East North Africa) Program 2025-2026.
ICMP is an independent, treaty-based international organization with close to 30 years of experience in 40 countries. It is the only international organization tasked exclusively to work on the issue of missing persons. It helps governments build rule-of-law institutions that successfully and impartially search for and identify missing persons, and it supports efforts to enable families of the missing to assert their rights.
II. ABOUT ICMP PROGRAM IN SYRIA/MENA
The ICMP’s Syria-MENA Program, launched in 2016, addresses the large-scale issue of more than 130,000 missing persons resulting from decades of conflict in Syria. The program promotes a rule-of-law-based approach to ensure the rights of families to truth, justice, and reparations. ICMP works closely with families of the missing, civil society organizations, and stakeholders to develop the technical, legal, and organizational capacities needed to address the issue. Key objectives include empowering families and civil society through training, secure data collection, and policy development; promoting transparency and justice by supporting documentation and future legal frameworks; and fostering international cooperation among Syria’s neighboring countries. The program also facilitates the creation of a centralized and secure database to store information on missing persons, ensuring coordinated, victim-centered efforts aligned with international standards. As part of this work, ICMP’s Small Grants Program provides financial support to Family Associations (FAs) and trained organizations to implement initiatives that promote accountability, raise awareness, and advocate for the rights of the missing and their families in Syria.
Discover more about ICMP Syria Program by clicking [here].
III. ICMP’S SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM
Through its Small Grants Program, ICMP provides financial support to associations of families of missing persons and civil society organizations (CSOs) to implement projects that integrate objectives, approaches, activities and content that contribute to:
- Affirming the role of civil society in promoting state responsibility on the issue of missing persons.
- Fostering impartial, non-discriminatory, non-sectarian, multiethnic and non-political approaches to the issue of the missing.
- Fulfilling the rights of surviving family members of missing persons; and
- Promoting gender equality and championing female leadership among affected communities.
IV. AREAS OF SUPPORT
The projects and activities supported for the Small Grants Program for Families of the Missing and Civil Society Organizations, Syria/MENA Program 2025-2026, must be relevant to the role and challenges faced by families of the missing and civil society in the MENA Region and should target/address at least one of the following objectives:
- Increase opportunities for FAs to take a more active role in advocating for the rights of the Syrian communities they serve.
- Support the meaningful participation of Syria’s civil society and family associations, especially those which are women-led, in the missing persons process to strengthen the state’s accountability and secure the rights of families of the missing;
- Enable MENA-based FAs to deploy skills and knowledge acquired under ICMP-led training programs with the view of voicing their demands for truth and justice.
- Facilitate intergovernmental and in-country cooperation and coordination of efforts among state institutions, civil society, international organizations, and the diplomatic community to address the issue of missing persons in an effective way;
Projects by Family associations and CSOs that ICMP has supported through Small Grants programs in the past have included the following examples:
- Enhancing visibility, awareness and understanding of the issue of missing persons through exhibitions, publications and commemorative events.
- Promoting dialogue among families of the missing, and between families and the authorities.
- Preparation or dissemination of academic or legal research, surveys, and assessments.
- Provision of legal aid, representation, accompaniment or provision of guidance and advice to families of the missing.
- Organizing events linked to advocacy, policy promotion; awareness-raising initiatives, public campaigns on the issue of the missing.
- Establishing or strengthening local, regional or nation-wide networks of families of the missing or CSOs working on the issue of the missing.
- Designing, implementing or participating in training courses related to the issue of the missing for family members, for CSOs or directed to local authorities.
- Strengthening the management or operational capacities of family organizations and CSOs.
- Constitution and operation of family associations, including the setting up and registration of new organizations working on the issue of the missing, such as fees and costs of registration, purchasing of equipment, start-up funding or funding for the launch of activities.
Projects that as a primary objective entail the processing of personal data related to missing persons or their relatives, or projects focused solely on providing psychosocial assistance to families of the missing are not eligible for funding through this Call.
Eligible costs: to ensure that the organizations implement the activities and reach the outcomes mentioned above, the following costs are allowed:
| Programmatic Costs | Any expense associated with a specific program, project or activity that is not part of the recurrent costs of the organization, for example: consultants, transportation of participant, meals, accommodation, rental venue, sound system, services, assistance for childcare during events and meetings, printing, materials for events. |
| Organization Costs | Any expense to cover the recurrent costs associated with the existence of the grantees as an organization or association, including Salaries including social security or consultants’ office expenses, equipment, materials, travel expenses for staff. |
V. AMOUNT OF GRANTS, ELIGIBILITY, SUBMISSIONS AND AWARD
Applicants may request up to $10 000 USD for each project.
ICMP expects to award up to 7 grants of up to $10 000 USD.
5.1. Eligibility
Eligible entities include MENA-based Family Associations (as the sole implementing organization) or their supporting CSOs (as joint awards between the CSO and the FA respectively) on the condition that they have participated in ICMP’s learning and development program in the past, including but not limited to ICMP’s needs-assessment conducted with family associations across the MENA region in 2025.
Family Associations (groups of individuals whose relatives have gone missing in an involuntary manner as a result of human rights abuses, armed conflict, man-made or natural disasters or any other causes) whether or not they are incorporated or formally registered as organizations are encouraged respond to this Call.
ICMP will accept applications submitted by a single entity, or by two collaborating in a single project. In the case of a joint proposal between CSOs and FAs, a Partnership Statement form will need to be filled and submitted as part of the application package. Furthermore, it is necessary to indicate in the budget which entity is responsible for which budget line.
In the case of a submission by an unincorporated or unregistered Family Association, kindly ensure that a Statement by Unincorporated Entities/Organizations is submitted in the application.
Applications shall be submitted in English or Arabic.
5.2. Deadline for submissions for projects: 15-Sep-25
Applications will be reviewed for eligibility and applicants may be contacted to provide clarifications. Grants awarded may be subject to modifications from the original proposal submitted. ICMP reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications received.
Notifications of selection are expected at the latest 30-Sep-25. Projects are expected to commence between 1-December-25 and 31-March-26. It should be anticipated that projects will need to be completed by the end of March 2026 as the final report is due on 15-Apr-26. Projects must have a duration of 4 months.
Interested and eligible organizations are invited to submit their applications using ICMP forms by 15 September 2025 at 18:00 pm (CET) hours.
All Applications shall contain:
- Project Proposal
- Budget Proposal Organization Profile
- (If applicable) Partnership Agreement between CSO and Family Association
- (If applicable) Statement by Unincorporated Entities/Organizations (filled by unregistered Family Associations)
Application Forms may be downloaded through the links below, and queries and submissions may be made through [email protected].
The Call for Proposals can be found in Arabic through this link.
Applications are submitted by filling out the forms in either English or Arabic.
For English, please download the application folder through this link.
For Arabic, please download the application folder here.
