Grants for local Women’s Civil Society Organizations in Sudan

Deadline: 25-Oct-23

The overall purpose of this call for proposals is to provide grants to local women and young women’s civil society organizations in Sudan focused on ensuring an enabling environment for WPS commitments, increasing women’s leadership in conflict resolution, and peacebuilding and recovery, in conflict and humanitarian contexts.

The call for proposals specifically contributes to the following WPHF Impact Areas:

Impact Area 1: Enhanced role of civil society organizations in advocating for and ensuring accountability on WPS commitments.
Impact Area 4: Increased representation and leadership of women in formal and informal peace processes and/or implementation of peace agreements.
Impact Area 6: Improved socio-economic recovery and political participation of women and young women in peacebuilding contexts.
This is in line with the WPHF’s overall goal of contributing to peaceful and gender equal societies.

Country Context Linked to Call for Proposals

The outbreak of heavy fighting on Saturday April 15 in Khartoum and at several other locations throughout the country, in particular in North and South Darfur comes amidst a proposed transition to civilian rule. The humanitarian activities have been interrupted in many states due to widespread insecurity and looting. However, women on the ground have immediately organized themselves and are delivering humanitarian assistance. Even before the recent outbreak of fighting, women and girls have already been disproportionally impacted by the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crises due to deeply enshrined gender inequalities, intersecting with other factors of discrimination such as age, ethnicity, marital status etc. Women-led organizations, in particular those led by young women, have shown strong leadership in demanding peace, however, have not been systematically included in decision making spaces. Given that the combined effects of crises and the current outbreak of fighting in Sudan are disproportionately affecting women’s and girls’ access to services, and economic activity, it is critical that local women and their organizations take up a critical part in conflict resolution to ensure gender-inclusive and sustainable responses to the current needs and can sustain themselves.
Special attention will be provided to applications supporting women and girls multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, such as those marginalized and excluded due to poverty, ethnicity, disability, age, geography, migratory status, HIV status, among others.

Types of Funding

Institutional Funding: Stream 1 (USD $2,500 – $30,000)
- Aims to reinforce the institutional capacity of women’s rights/led organizations working on gender specific issues in peace and security and humanitarian contexts, to ensure they are able to sustain themselves and to improve their impact. Prospective applicants will need to demonstrate how the current context affects their institutional and financial capacities and how the funding would support them as an organization. It will finance a limited range of activities to support the development or strengthening of a CSO’s institutional capacity. The purpose of this funding stream IS NOT to finance programmatic activities.
Programmatic Funding: Stream 2 (USD $30,000 – $200,000)
- This funding stream will finance projects which aim specifically to fund programmatic activities aligned with the impact areas.

Scope (Location and Duration)

The WPHF will fund qualifying projects in Sudan with a geographical focus in 4 states of Gedaref, Gezira, Sennar and White Nile.
Multi-country projects, or projects outside the geographical focus will NOT be accepted.
CSOs can apply for a maximum of 2 year (24 month).

Eligibility Criteria

National, regional or local/grassroots women or young women led, women’s rights, youth rights, feminist, or civil society organizations with a proven track record working with women, young women and girls, are eligible to apply.
Women’s Rights or Feminist Organization: The organization’s official mission/vision statement must reflect its commitment to addressing multiple/intersecting forms of discrimination and advancing gender equality and women’s rights. The organization must aim to address the underlying drivers/systems/structures, including patriarchy and gendered power dynamics, and work to transform these.
Women-Led Organization: must be headed by a woman as director/head of organization.
Youth Focused Organization: To be considered “youth focused”, the organization’s core mission/vision must focus on supporting the social, economic and political participation of young women and young men and addressing multiple/ intersecting forms of discrimination against young women and men. WPHF will provide specific attention to youth focused organizations supporting young women, advancing gender equality and peacebuilding.
Young Women Led Organization: must be headed by a young person aged between 18 – 29 years old who serves as director/head of organization.