Deadline: 30-Jun-2026
UN Women, under the EU4 Gender Equality Regional Programme, is inviting civil society organizations to design and implement innovative pilot interventions that prevent and respond to violence against women and girls (VAWG), including technology-facilitated violence (TF VAWG) in the Western Balkans. The funding opportunity supports survivor-centred, evidence-based solutions that strengthen prevention, reporting, protection, and response mechanisms while generating practical knowledge and scalable approaches for future policy and programming.
Organizations are encouraged to develop innovative and context-specific interventions that help women and girls recognize, prevent, document, report, and respond to online violence and gender-based discrimination. Funding ranging from USD 145,000 to USD 150,000 is available for selected projects.
Overview
UN Women has launched a funding opportunity through the EU4 Gender Equality – Women’s Economic Empowerment and Ending Violence Against Women in the Western Balkans Programme. The initiative seeks to support civil society organizations in developing and testing innovative interventions that address emerging forms of violence against women and girls, particularly those occurring in digital and technology-enabled environments.
The programme recognizes the growing prevalence of technology-facilitated violence and the need for practical, survivor-centred solutions that can strengthen prevention, protection, reporting, and response systems. Through pilot projects, the initiative aims to generate evidence, tools, and lessons that can inform future regional and national efforts to combat gender-based violence.
Objectives
The funding opportunity aims to:
- Prevent and respond to violence against women and girls (VAWG).
- Address technology-facilitated violence against women and girls (TF VAWG).
- Support innovative pilot interventions that can be tested and scaled.
- Strengthen access to support mechanisms and protective tools.
- Enhance the capacity of women and girls to recognize and respond to online violence.
- Promote survivor-centred and evidence-based approaches.
- Generate practical knowledge and effective intervention models.
- Contribute to future policy development and programming.
- Strengthen regional capacity to combat digital gender-based violence.
Focus Areas and Priority Themes
Proposed projects should address one or more of the following priority areas:
- Technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.
- Online harassment and abuse.
- Digital gender-based violence prevention.
- Survivor support and protection mechanisms.
- Reporting and documentation of online violence.
- Awareness and education initiatives.
- Digital safety and security tools.
- Community-based prevention strategies.
- Capacity building for women and girls.
- Gender equality and women’s rights in digital spaces.
- Evidence generation and knowledge sharing.
- Innovative technology-driven solutions to combat violence.
Projects should demonstrate innovation, relevance, and potential for broader adoption and replication.
Understanding Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls
Technology-facilitated violence against women and girls refers to harmful acts committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified through digital technologies and online platforms.
Examples may include:
- Online harassment.
- Cyberstalking.
- Non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
- Online threats and intimidation.
- Hate speech targeting women and girls.
- Doxxing and privacy violations.
- Gender-based discrimination on digital platforms.
- Technology-enabled coercion and abuse.
As digital spaces become increasingly central to education, employment, participation, and communication, addressing these forms of violence has become a critical component of gender equality and women’s empowerment efforts.
Eligible Activities
Proposals may include activities such as:
- Designing innovative pilot interventions.
- Developing digital safety tools and resources.
- Creating reporting and response mechanisms.
- Conducting awareness and education campaigns.
- Delivering training and capacity-building programmes.
- Establishing survivor support services.
- Testing innovative technologies and approaches.
- Collecting and analysing evidence on intervention effectiveness.
- Developing practical guidance and toolkits.
- Facilitating stakeholder engagement and collaboration.
Projects should prioritize practical implementation and measurable outcomes.
Who is Eligible?
UN Women is inviting proposals from civil society organizations that can act as Responsible Parties under the programme.
Eligible applicants may include:
- Civil society organizations (CSOs).
- Women’s rights organizations.
- Women-led organizations.
- Youth organizations.
- Technology-focused organizations.
- Community-based organizations.
- Non-governmental organizations working on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
- Organizations with expertise in digital rights, online safety, or gender-based violence.
Applicants should demonstrate experience relevant to the proposed intervention and the capacity to implement pilot projects effectively.
Funding Information
The available funding for each selected project ranges between:
- Minimum funding: USD 145,000
- Maximum funding: USD 150,000
Important funding condition:
- Proposals requesting less than USD 145,000 or more than USD 150,000 will not be considered.
Applicants should prepare realistic budgets that align with project objectives and expected outcomes.
Why This Funding Opportunity Matters
Violence against women and girls remains a major barrier to gender equality, safety, and participation in society. As technology becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, new forms of violence are emerging in digital spaces, creating additional risks and challenges.
This initiative is important because it:
- Addresses a rapidly growing form of gender-based violence.
- Supports innovative and practical solutions.
- Promotes survivor-centred approaches.
- Strengthens digital safety for women and girls.
- Builds regional knowledge and expertise.
- Generates evidence for future policy development.
- Supports scalable interventions with long-term impact.
- Advances gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Western Balkans.
The programme also helps create safer digital environments where women and girls can participate fully without fear of harassment, discrimination, or abuse.
How to Apply
Step 1: Review Programme Objectives
Carefully assess the programme priorities and identify how your proposed intervention will contribute to preventing or responding to violence against women and girls.
Step 2: Identify the Problem
Define the specific challenge your project will address, particularly in relation to technology-facilitated violence and digital safety.
Step 3: Develop an Innovative Intervention
Design a survivor-centred and evidence-based pilot intervention that demonstrates innovation, practicality, and potential for scaling.
Step 4: Build an Implementation Framework
Develop a clear project plan that outlines:
- Objectives.
- Activities.
- Target groups.
- Expected outcomes.
- Monitoring and evaluation methods.
- Sustainability considerations.
Step 5: Prepare a Compliant Budget
Ensure that the proposed budget falls within the required range of USD 145,000 to USD 150,000.
Step 6: Submit the Proposal
Complete and submit all required application documents according to UN Women’s submission guidelines and deadlines.
Tips for Applicants
- Place survivors at the centre of all project activities.
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of technology-facilitated violence.
- Present innovative and practical solutions.
- Include measurable outcomes and impact indicators.
- Show how lessons learned can be scaled or replicated.
- Build strong monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
- Incorporate partnerships where relevant.
- Ensure interventions are contextually relevant to the Western Balkans.
- Include sustainability considerations beyond the pilot phase.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Proposing activities that are not directly linked to VAWG or TF VAWG.
- Failing to demonstrate innovation.
- Neglecting survivor-centred principles.
- Submitting budgets outside the approved funding range.
- Providing unclear implementation plans.
- Weak monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
- Limited evidence of organizational capacity.
- Insufficient consideration of sustainability and scalability.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the purpose of this funding opportunity?
The programme supports innovative pilot interventions that prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, particularly technology-facilitated violence in the Western Balkans.
What is technology-facilitated violence against women and girls?
It refers to forms of violence, abuse, harassment, discrimination, or intimidation that occur through or are amplified by digital technologies and online platforms.
Who can apply?
Civil society organizations, including women-led organizations, youth organizations, technology-focused groups, and other eligible organizations working on gender equality and violence prevention.
What is the funding amount available?
Projects must request funding between USD 145,000 and USD 150,000.
Are survivor-centred approaches required?
Yes. All interventions should prioritize the safety, rights, needs, and experiences of survivors.
Can projects focus on digital safety and online violence?
Yes. Addressing technology-facilitated violence and strengthening digital safety are central priorities of the programme.
What outcomes are expected from funded projects?
Projects should generate practical tools, evidence, lessons learned, and scalable approaches that improve prevention and response mechanisms for violence against women and girls.
Conclusion
The UN Women EU4 Gender Equality funding opportunity provides civil society organizations with a valuable platform to develop and test innovative solutions that address violence against women and girls in both physical and digital environments. By supporting survivor-centred, evidence-based pilot interventions, the programme seeks to strengthen regional capacity, improve digital safety, generate practical knowledge, and contribute to long-term efforts to eliminate gender-based violence across the Western Balkans.
For more information, visit UN Women.