Disability Rights Fund 2020 for Malawi, Myanmar, and Nigeria

Deadline: 27 March 2020

As part of the first grant-making round of 2020, Disability Rights Fund (DRF) is seeking Letters of Interest (LOIs) from Malawi, Myanmar, and Nigeria.

DRF supports projects that demonstrate a clear ability and commitment to contribute to the advancement of the human rights of persons with disabilities, including in national development processes.

Cross-disability and other partnerships (including with other human rights organizations) in-country are strongly encouraged, as are projects which address particularly marginalized sectors of the disability community.

Funding Streams

Small Grants

The Small Grants funding stream supports growth of a broader and more diverse disability movement to advance the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at local levels. Disabled Persons’ Organizations (DPOs) can use funds from DRF to strengthen the capacity of persons with disabilities (PWDs) to participate more actively in decision-making processes regarding CRPD implementation and monitoring or to advocate for the advancement of rights defined in specific articles of the CRPD. In addition, this funding stream supports DPOs to participate in and influence decision-making processes and budgets related to implementation of the SDGs to ensure development efforts include all persons with disabilities.
While DRF welcomes applications from any DPOs, grassroots (rural), emergent (newly established) and more marginalized groups (such as women with disabilities, persons with psychosocial disabilities, persons with albinism, Deafblind persons, etc.) are especially encouraged to apply for grants in this category.
Priority Areas
- Increasing DPO capacity to participate in advocacy and decision-making processes regarding implementation of rights at local levels
- Advocacy for inclusion of persons with disabilities in government programs – such as education, health or justice – and in government budget planning and implementation at the local level
- Increasing DPO capacity to participate in advocacy and decision-making processes regarding implementation of the SDGs
- Advocacy for inclusion of persons with disabilities in the planning, implementation and monitoring of local government development plans and programs (as part of SDG implementation and SDG Voluntary National Reviews).

Mid-Level Coalition

The Mid-Level Coalition funding stream supports civil society coalitions at sub-national levels, to ensure that national legislation and policy is implemented at these levels, including through establishment of budgets. In addition, this funding stream supports sub-national level coalitions to advocate that sub-national development programs, policies and plans aiming to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are inclusive of PWDs and use the CRPD as a guideline.
Advocacy at sub-national levels is especially critical in federal systems and in decentralized political systems – which make up the majority of DRF’s target countries. Mid-Level Coalition grants enable grantees to collaborate at state (in a federal system), provincial, regional, or district levels.
Because of the importance of joint advocacy at this level, only coalitions of three or more organizations will be funded. Applicant organizations should be disabled persons organizations (DPOs ), while partner organizations can be either DPOs or other civil society organizations active in the promotion of human rights.
Grants for Mid-Level Coalitions are disbursed to one DPO with sub-national scope on behalf of the Coalition. Applicant organizations are responsible for coordinating the Coalition and managing the grant. Sub-national umbrella organizations or federations are considered one organization for the purposes of this application and therefore, must form a Coalition with at least two other organizations to be eligible. Both the applicant organization and the application aim must have sub-national scope.
Priority Areas
- Passage of specific sub-national legislation (including ordinances), policy, regulations, and/or budgetary priorities to accord with the CRPD;
- Advocacy for inclusion of persons with disabilities in government programs, such as education, health or justice, at the state (in a federal system), regional, provincial or district level in line with CRPD articles;
- Advocacy to ensure that development stakeholders and development planning at sub-national levels, to implement the SDGs, are inclusive of persons with disabilities and use the CRPD as a guiding document.

National Level Coalition

The National Coalition funding stream supports advancement of the CRPD at national levels through lobbying for ratification of the CRPD/Optional Protocol or other international or regional human rights treaties protecting and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities. The stream also supports lobbying for legislative, policy, and budgetary changes to advance the CRPD; monitoring and reporting on implementation of the CRPD or other international human rights mechanisms as they relate to persons with disabilities; or following up on recommendations made by UN human rights mechanisms to States in regard to implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs). In addition, this funding stream supports national-level coalitions to advocate for national development programs, policies, plans and budgets that aim to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This stream is intended for organizations that are prominent in the disability movement at the national level. Because of the importance of joint advocacy at this level, only coalitions of three or more organizations will be funded. Applicant organizations leading the coalition should be DPOs, while partner organizations can be either DPOs or other civil society organizations, academic institutions or development NGOs active in the promotion of human rights.
Grants for National Coalitions are disbursed to one disabled persons’ organization (DPOs ) with national scope on behalf of the Coalition. Applicant organizations are responsible for coordinating the Coalition and managing the grant. National umbrella organizations or federations are considered one organization for the purposes of this application and therefore, must form a Coalition with at least two other organizations to be eligible. Both the applicant organization and the application aim must have sub-national scope.
Priority Areas
- Passage or amendment of specific national legislation and policies to accord with the CRPD.
- Advocacy for budgetary measures as well as regulations to implement new or amended legislation and policy promoting the rights of persons with disabilities.
- Production of and/or follow up to Alternative Reports to the CRPD Committee and other human rights treaty bodies or reports to the Human Rights Council for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
- Engagement with national government SDG focal point, civil society SDG platforms, and National Statistics Offices to ensure national action plans, programs, monitoring frameworks and data collection methods for implementing and monitoring the SDGs are inclusive of persons with disabilities and use the CRPD as a guiding document.
- Advocacy to ensure inclusion of a disability perspective in national governmental implementation and/or monitoring of the CRPD.
- Advocacy to national governments to advance achievement of Global Disability Summit 2018 (GDS18) commitments.
- Ratification of the CRPD and/or the Optional Protocol (OP) (where not ratified), or of other international or regional human rights treaties relevant to the rights of PWDs.

Funding Information

Small Grants: Grant amounts will range from USD 5,000–USD 20,000. Grants will support activities to be implemented over a period of one year, beginning September 1, 2020.
Mid-Level Coalition: Grant amounts will range from USD 30,000 – 40,000 per year (USD 60,000 – 80,000 over the course of two years).
National Level Coalition: Grant amounts will range from USD 30,000 – 50,000 per year (USD 60,000 – 100,000 over the course of two years). Grants will support activities to be implemented over the course of two years, however grants are given one year at a time. A second-year grant will be awarded only with satisfactory completion of the first year. Grants will support activities, beginning September 1, 2020.

Targeted Countries

Organizations from the following countries are invited to submit proposals: