Call for Proposals: Advancing the Care Economy in Nepal

UN Women Nepal is inviting civil society organizations (CSOs) and consortiums to implement initiatives that strengthen Nepal’s care economy through policy implementation, gender-responsive care services, and social norm transformation. With a proposed budget of USD 80,000–100,000, the programme aims to improve women’s economic empowerment, expand quality care services, and support the implementation of the 5R Framework—Recognize, Reduce, Redistribute, Represent, and Reward.

UN Women Nepal Call for Proposals to Strengthen the Care Economy

What is the UN Women Nepal Care Economy Initiative?

The UN Women Nepal Care Economy Initiative is a funding opportunity under the M-GA Joint Programme that supports civil society organizations and consortiums working to strengthen Nepal’s care economy.

The programme seeks to reduce barriers that prevent women from participating fully in the workforce by improving access to affordable, accessible, inclusive, and quality care services. It combines policy implementation, institutional capacity building, community engagement, and evidence generation to create sustainable care systems that benefit women, youth, informal workers, older persons, persons with disabilities, and families.

The initiative aligns with the 5R Framework for care work:

• Recognize unpaid care work.
• Reduce the burden of unpaid care.
• Redistribute care responsibilities fairly.
• Represent care workers in decision-making.
• Reward care work through decent employment and social protection.

Funding Overview

The programme provides funding to implement care economy initiatives in Nepal.

Funding details include:

• Proposed budget: USD 80,000–100,000
• Implementation through a selected Responsible Party
• Collaboration with provincial and local governments

Funding supports institutional strengthening, care service pilots, community engagement, and knowledge generation.

Programme Objectives

The initiative aims to:

• Strengthen the care economy in Nepal.
• Improve women’s economic empowerment.
• Increase access to quality care services.
• Support implementation of care policies.
• Strengthen provincial and local government capacity.
• Promote gender equality.
• Expand employment opportunities in the care sector.
• Improve social protection.
• Transform discriminatory social norms related to unpaid care work.
• Generate evidence for scaling successful care models.

Priority Areas

Care Policy Implementation

The programme supports:

• Operationalizing national care policies.
• Developing local care action plans.
• Strengthening policy implementation.
• Supporting care-related governance frameworks.

Gender-Responsive Care Services

Funding supports:

• Piloting inclusive care service models.
• Establishing community care centres.
• Expanding affordable care services.
• Improving accessibility for persons with disabilities and older persons.
• Strengthening local care infrastructure.

Employment and Care Workforce Development

Projects may include:

• Training skilled care workers.
• Expanding employment opportunities.
• Supporting women’s economic participation.
• Developing sustainable care sector jobs.

Social Norm Transformation

Activities may promote:

• Responsible fatherhood.
• Shared household responsibilities.
• Positive masculinity.
• Men’s participation in caregiving.
• Community awareness of the value of care work.

Knowledge Generation and Evidence

The programme encourages:

• Research and documentation.
• Learning activities.
• Policy evidence generation.
• Monitoring and evaluation.
• Replication of successful care models.

Eligible Activities

Funding may support:

• Capacity development workshops.
• Policy consultations.
• Development of local care action plans.
• Establishment of pilot care centres.
• Community engagement campaigns.
• Stakeholder coordination.
• Skills development for care workers.
• Knowledge product development.
• Monitoring, documentation, and learning activities.
• Financing strategy development.

Who is Eligible?

Eligible applicants include:

• Civil society organizations (CSOs).
• Consortiums of eligible organizations.

Applicants should demonstrate experience in:

• Gender equality programming.
• Women’s economic empowerment.
• Care economy initiatives.
• Collaboration with provincial and local governments.
• Community engagement.
• Results-based project management.

Consortium applications are encouraged where appropriate implementation capacity is demonstrated.

Why This Programme Matters

Unpaid care responsibilities continue to limit women’s participation in education, employment, leadership, and economic opportunities.

This initiative helps:

• Reduce gender inequalities.
• Strengthen social protection.
• Improve access to quality care services.
• Expand decent employment.
• Increase women’s labour force participation.
• Promote inclusive development.
• Build sustainable community care systems.
• Support long-term policy implementation.

How to Apply

Applicants should complete the following steps:

Step 1: Review the Programme Requirements

Confirm organizational eligibility and ensure experience aligns with the programme priorities.

Step 2: Develop a Project Proposal

Prepare a proposal that explains:

• Planned activities.
• Expected outcomes.
• Care economy approach.
• Sustainability strategy.
• Alignment with the 5R Framework.

Step 3: Build Partnerships

Where appropriate, establish partnerships with:

• Provincial governments.
• Local governments.
• Women’s organizations.
• Cooperatives.
• Service providers.
• Organizations representing persons with disabilities.
• Organizations representing older persons.

Step 4: Prepare the Budget

Develop a realistic budget within the USD 80,000–100,000 funding range.

Step 5: Submit the Proposal

Complete the application and submit all required organizational and technical documentation.

Step 6: Participate in the Evaluation Process

Applications will be assessed based on organizational capacity, technical quality, implementation approach, and expected impact.

Tips for a Strong Proposal

Applicants should:

• Demonstrate experience in gender equality and care economy programming.
• Present a realistic implementation plan.
• Include measurable outcomes.
• Show strong partnerships with local governments.
• Address sustainability beyond the grant period.
• Incorporate community participation.
• Explain how evidence will support policy development and future scaling.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid:

• Submitting proposals without a clear care economy strategy.
• Failing to demonstrate institutional capacity.
• Ignoring the 5R Framework.
• Presenting unrealistic budgets or timelines.
• Weak stakeholder engagement plans.
• Limited sustainability planning.
• Incomplete application documents.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the UN Women Nepal Care Economy Initiative?

It is a funding programme that supports civil society organizations in strengthening Nepal’s care economy through policy implementation, gender-responsive care services, employment creation, and institutional capacity building.

2. Who can apply?

Eligible applicants include civil society organizations and consortiums with demonstrated experience in gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, care economy programming, government collaboration, community engagement, and results-based project management.

3. How much funding is available?

The proposed budget for each supported initiative ranges from USD 80,000 to USD 100,000.

4. What types of activities are supported?

Eligible activities include policy implementation, local care action planning, pilot care services, workforce development, community engagement, responsible fatherhood campaigns, capacity building, research, and knowledge generation.

5. What is the 5R Framework?

The programme promotes the internationally recognized care framework that seeks to Recognize, Reduce, Redistribute, Represent, and Reward care work to advance gender equality and strengthen the care economy.

6. Why is community engagement important in this programme?

Community engagement helps transform harmful social norms surrounding unpaid care work by promoting shared caregiving responsibilities, responsible fatherhood, positive masculinity, and greater participation of men and boys in care work.

7. Why is this programme important?

The initiative strengthens Nepal’s care economy by improving access to quality care services, increasing women’s employment opportunities, supporting policy implementation, promoting gender equality, and generating evidence that can inform future care policies and expand successful models nationwide.

Conclusion

The UN Women Nepal Care Economy Initiative represents a significant investment in strengthening Nepal’s care systems through policy implementation, institutional capacity building, and gender-responsive service delivery. With funding of USD 80,000–100,000, the programme supports civil society organizations and consortiums working to improve women’s economic empowerment, expand quality care services, promote shared caregiving responsibilities, and institutionalize sustainable care models. By aligning with the 5R Framework and fostering collaboration among governments, communities, and service providers, the initiative contributes to a more inclusive, equitable, and resilient care economy across Nepal.