Small Grants

The objective of this call is to reduce the unlawful use of force by police or other state officials and advance related human rights-based police reforms. This funding will be used to support civil society organisations to develop and implement research, campaign, advocacy, capacity-building, and awareness-raising activities that contribute to this aim.

This call is open to civil society organisations operating outside of both the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG) and European Union. Organisations operating in WEOG countries or EU Member States are not eligible for funding on this occasion.

Priority will be given to organisations that have demonstrated a commitment to addressing the unlawful use of force by police or other state officials for torture, other ill-treatment or repression (for example examining the use of police weapons in protest).

Please refer to the project guidelines for the full eligibility criteria.

This call is open to a wide range of projects that support the development or strengthening of national, regional and international measures to advance human rights-based police reform and reduce the unlawful and excessive use of force by state officials. Applicants are encouraged to include survivor voices in both the design and delivery of their project.

Example work areas:

• Promoting, and facilitating the implementation of, emerging international human rights standards on the policing of protests and the use of force.
• Engaging with processes for the reform of existing laws, policy and guidelines, or accountability mechanisms concerning the use of force by law enforcement officials.
• Supporting accountability for police use of force through advocacy for timely and publicly available use of force data and statistics.
• Working to stop or suspend the use of those weapons and techniques which are most frequently abused or which have no legitimate role in law enforcement such as ammunition containing multiple projectiles, direct contact electric shock weapons, multi-barrel less lethal launchers or dangerous restraint techniques.

Example activities (please refer to the project guidelines for more examples):

• Research on your country or region’s use of force standards, their implementation by law enforcement officials / compliance with international torture prevention standards, and accountability for abuses (including details of weapons and equipment most frequently misused by law enforcement for torture and other ill-treatment, case studies, etc.). To include dissemination of findings.
• Build the skills and capacities of assembly monitors to document the policing of assemblies and disseminate their findings.
• Communication or advocacy campaign (various media) to inform public discourse concerning the human rights impact of the excessive/unlawful use of force.
• Promote and provide technical assistance to legal actions seeking decisions favouring justice and reparation, including rehabilitation, for victims of torture and ill-treatment in the context of protests or policing operations.
• Other activities that advance the effective implementation of international anti-torture and use of force standards by law enforcement officials and oversight bodies.

Projects must be completed within 6 months of the award of funding.

Proposals must request between EUR 5,000 and EUR 10,000.

To apply, please follow these steps:

1. Review the guidelines: read the guidelines available on the Omega website here.
2. Prepare your documents: gather the necessary documents, including the Application Form, and other required information. Please note that the application form must be completed in English.
3. Submit! Email your complete application package to info@omegaresearchfoundation.org with the subject line ‘Use of Force Grant’ by 6 April 2025.

All proposals will be assessed based on their:

• Relevance
• Clarity of project
• Feasibility
• Budget alignment
• Organisational engagement with the issue and capability

For inquiries and clarifications, please reach out to us: info@omegaresearchfoundation.org