Open Call: External Grant Evaluators (4 positions)

The Regional Support Mechanism project is implemented by Metamorphosis Foundation in partnership with TechSoup’s Digital Activism Program team as part of a global initiative, the CIVICUS Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI), aimed at strengthening inclusive democracy and civic space through digital solutions across Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA). The project provides financial and non-financial support mechanisms to civil society organizations, grassroots initiatives, informal groups, and individual activists working to promote democratic participation, digital rights, civic engagement, and protection of civic space.

To ensure a transparent, independent, and merit-based grant selection process, the project seeks to engage four (4) external evaluators to assess grant applications submitted under the project’s open call, two (2) for the region of Eastern Europe and two (2) for the region of Central Asia.

Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to support the project by providing independent, fair, and high-quality evaluation of grant applications, in line with the project’s objectives, eligibility criteria, and principles of inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability. External evaluators will review and score applications and provide qualitative assessments to support informed funding decisions by the Regional Selection Committee.

Scope of Work

The external evaluators will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Review and assess grant applications submitted under the financial support mechanisms, including:
  • Strategic Growth Grants (for activists, informal groups, and grassroots initiatives);
  • Institutional Stability Grants (for registered civil society organizations);
• Evaluate applications based on predefined eligibility criteria, scoring matrix, and evaluation guidelines provided by the project team;
• Provide clear, well-justified numerical scores and concise written comments for each application;
• Respect strict confidentiality and conflict-of-interest requirements.

Key Deliverables

• Completed evaluation and scoring of assigned grant applications within the agreed deadlines;
• Participation in up to two online coordination or clarification meetings (if needed).

Duration and Level of Effort

• Expected duration: short-term assignment during the grant selection period, between 1^st of March – 25^th of March 2026;
• Estimated workload: tentatively 100 applications per evaluator for Central Asia; tentatively 100 applications per evaluator for Eastern Europe;
• All work will be conducted remotely;
• All working materials and scoring templates will be provided by the project team.

Application Procedure

Interested candidates should submit:

• A short CV highlighting relevant experience;
• A brief statement of interest (max. 1 page) describing relevant expertise;
• Availability during the expected evaluation period.

The application should be submit to danche@metamorphosis.org.mk no later than 20^th of January 2026. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. As subject to the email please indicate the region for which you are applying: Evaluator_EasternEurope or Evaluator_CentralAsia.

The Terms of Reference is available here.

The project is committed to diversity and inclusion. Applications from women, individuals from marginalized communities, and experts based in the EECA region are strongly encouraged.

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