Deadline: 30-Apr-24
The Gender Justice Fund is investing in women’s rights organisations and feminist movements in Sierra Leone that are creating sustainable change for their communities.
Comic Relief recognises that feminist movements and women’s rights organisations are a vital factor in creating sustainable change for women, girls and communities experiencing social injustice and poverty. They also know that less than one percent of all gender-focused funding is going directly to these actors.
Funding Streams
- Direct Funding Stream
- The aim of the Gender Justice Fund is therefore to resource women’s rights and feminist movements in Sierra Leone. The programme intends to shift decision-making power to communities facing discrimination and injustice based on their gender by funding organisations and actors that are led by these groups. The programme will offer core, multi-year, flexible funding as they believe that this will support them to adapt to changing contexts whilst nurturing and strengthening their organisations and their networks both now and for the future.
- Funding Priorities
- This funding is for women’s rights and feminist organisations delivering work directly.
- The programme does not have a specific focus within the overarching theme of gender justice. Comic Relief is looking to fund organisations that strive for fairness and equity for communities facing discrimination and injustice based on their gender. This means that they would like to support communities to identify themselves what is a priority for them within this overarching theme.
- Organisations that they fund within this programme could have a focus on (but not be limited to):
- directly providing services and/or
- supporting communities facing discrimination and injustice based on their gender, nurturing the feminist or women’s rights movements, and/or
- influencing and advocacy, focusing on improved outcomes for the communities supported,
- or a combination of all three.
- Flexible, core funding is designed to support the good work of organisations, and not just projects. This could mean core funding of the organisation’s annual budget to continue its good work, or funding to expand the work, or to add something new that amplifies the work or its results. As flexible funding, it can be allocated for expenses that are harder to fund, such as salaries of senior management or administration, or ongoing costs that are not covered by other grants. Please note:
- Flexible, core funding has to be used for an agreed purpose, and in an agreed time period.
- Core funding is not the same as unrestricted funding, which you can put in a bank or investment and spend however you want. Essentially, flexible, core funding, although restricted to priorities of funding programme, and the time period.
- When making funding decisions, the programme will also consider organisations that support and work with communities that have intersecting identities that are disproportionately experiencing prejudice, marginalisation, discrimination and/or exclusion in Sierra Leone. As part of this, the programme will ring-fence part of the funding to organisations working on disability rights.
- This funding programme will also prioritise organisations that involve people with lived experience in developing the organisation’s work and priority areas, and/or in the running of the organisation. It could also include plans for reinforcing existing good practice for involving people with lived experience.
- Intermediary Funding Stream
- The aim of the Gender Justice Fund is therefore to resource the women’s rights and feminist movements in Sierra Leone. The programme intends to shift decision-making power to communities facing discrimination and injustice based on their gender by funding organisations and actors that are led by these groups.
- Funding Priorities
- To reach smaller organisations and groups within the women’s rights and/or feminist movements, Comic Relief is looking to work with intermediary organisations that redistribute funds to these actors. The intermediary partners in the programme will need to offer core, multi-year, flexible funding to small organisations and groups. They believe that this will support actors to adapt to changing contexts whilst nurturing and strengthening their groups and networks both now and for the future.
- The programme does not have a specific focus within the overarching theme of gender justice. Comic Relief is looking to fund organisations that strive for fairness and equity for communities facing discrimination and injustice based on their gender. This means that they would like to support communities to self-identify what is a priority for them within this overarching theme.
- When making funding decisions, the programme will consider intermediaries that specifically support and work with communities that have intersecting identities that are disproportionately experiencing prejudice, marginalisation, discrimination and/ or exclusion in Sierra Leone.
- This funding call will also prioritise intermediaries that involve people with lived experience in developing the organisation’s work and priority areas, and/or in the running of the organisation. It could also include plans for reinforcing existing good practice for involving people with lived experience.
Funding Information
- Between £150,000 to £250,000 for direct funding
- Between £250,000 to £1,000,000 for intermediary funding
Who can apply?
- Direct Funding Stream
- Comic Relief predominantly funds charities. For this programme they will fund women’s rights and feminist organisations registered and delivering work directly in Sierra Leone and that are led by communities facing discrimination and injustice based on their gender. Proposals can be made by single applicants, or by partnerships of two or three organisations that will receive funding (but only one organisation can be the lead applicant).
- Intermediary Funding Stream
- Comic Relief predominantly funds charities. For this programme they will fund women’s rights and feminist organisations registered in Sierra Leone and working as an intermediary organisation that redistribute funds to small actors and groups within the movement and are led by communities facing discrimination and injustice based on their gender.
- Proposals can be made by single applicants, or by partnerships of two or three organisations that will receive funding (but only one organisation can act as grant holder).
- Both
- Women’s rights and feminist organisations registered in Sierra Leone which meet the relevant eligibility criteria for intermediary funding.
- You are welcome to include collaboration with government organisations, but Comic Relief will not fund government organisations.
- To give as many organisations as fair a chance as possible, organisations can only submit one proposal (though they can be named as partners on any number of applications). Please be aware they will never read more than one proposal per organisation.
Eligibility Criteria
- Comic Relief will provide funding to women’s rights and feminist organisations registered in Sierra Leone and led by communities facing discrimination and injustice based on their gender.
- There are two separate funding streams within this programme. For organisations to be eligible they need to either:
- be delivering work directly;
- be an intermediary organisation that redistributes funds to small local actors and groups within women’s rights and/or feminist movements.
- Direct Funding Stream
- This funding is available for women’s rights and feminist organisations with an annual income of £25,000 to £500,000 delivering a range of different types of work in the gender justice space. This can be delivered by the applicant organisation alone, or in partnership with others.
- Intermediary Funding Stream
- Comic Relief will provide funding to women’s rights and feminist organisations registered in Sierra Leone and led by the communities they aim to support.
- This funding is available for intermediary organisations who are registered in Sierra Leone with an annual income of £75,000 to £10,000,000 and who redistribute funds to small local actors and groups within women’s rights and feminist movements.
- Intermediary organisations will need to be able to demonstrate previous experience of redistributing funds to small actors and groups and have experience of, or a willingness to develop, participatory grant making practices.
For more information, visit Comic Relief.