The Citizen Challenge RFP

At a time of great challenges in the Middle East and North Africa, the Network for Dialogue (N4D) warmly welcomes short proposals from citizens, civic entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and/or civic groups in the region who wish to work together to address a particular societal challenge, whether local or national, confronting their country.  

N4D seeks to provide small groups of civic leaders the opportunity to engage in critical reflection and ongoing discussion, as well as build trust and common understanding, on a societal challenge that they deem important. The expectation is that such dialogue will lead over the course of a year to a concrete strategy and shared plan for collaborative action, which can then be implemented. 

According to the wishes of the applicant, these dialogues can be strictly off-the-record or more public, can include representatives of government or solely members of civil society, and can or cannot include individuals with opposing viewpoints on the issue to be discussed.  Ideally, the participants involved should be diverse in terms of age, gender, geography, ethnicity, and professional background.  The dialogues should start small in terms of the number of participants (6-12), with the possibility of growing larger over time. N4D believes that “whole-of-society,” “whole-of-sector,” or “whole-of-community” collaborations are usually most effective in addressing difficult societal challenges, in keeping with Collective Impact Theory.

The Network for Dialogue’s dialogues generally occur three times over the course of a year and are three days in length. N4D covers the cost of the conference facilities, accommodation, meals, and transportation for these convenings. As needed, the Network for Dialogue can also help structure effective dialogue processes and advise on the mechanics of horizontal collaborations, provide professional facilitation and subject matter or country experts, and link participants with counterparts from other countries who have grappled with similar challenges. 

To apply, simply fill out the confidential one-page application form found here on our secure website.  You will be asked to describe briefly the societal challenge that you wish to tackle, the approach you intend to take, potential participants, and expected outcome(s) of your proposed dialogue. You should demonstrate in your application that you have a compelling reason for gathering, the ability to get the right people to attend, a strategy for making effective use of their time together, and a plan to ensure the dialogue eventually leads to action. For questions regarding The Citizen Challenge and the application process, email: .

This round of applications is due on 30 June 2026.  Applications may be submitted in English, French, or Arabic. For those interested, there will be an informational session via Zoom on 21 May 2026, at 5 PM Cairo time, for which you can register by filling out the form below.