Deadline: 31-Jul-25
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative is now inviting applications for innovative research that will contribute to the prevention of and response to, violence against women (VAW), violence against children (VAC) and other forms of violence driven by gender inequality in low and middle-income countries.
The SVRI is committed to supporting research and practice partnerships that are diverse and inclusive, and led by researchers/practitioners in low and middle-income countries to undertake research that will advance their knowledge on how to improve responses and/or prevent violence against women and violence against children.
Scope
The scope of SVRI funding is for research – research is “the systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge” that will advance the field on how to improve research, strengthen responses and/or reduce VAW and VAC –particularly child sexual violence, intersection between VAW/VAC in low and middle income countries.
They support projects that generate generalisable knowledge, strengthen evidence use in policy and practice, and promote locally led, equitable research partnerships to address structural inequalities driving violence.
Priorities
They prioritise proposals that:
-Involve multidisciplinary, cross-sectoral consortia.
-Demonstrate strong local partnerships and institutional buy-in.
-Adopt feminist, intersectional, and rights-based approaches, with safe, ethical, and inclusive engagement of affected communities where appropriate.
-Provide a clear breakdown of responsibilities for consortium proposals, ensuring equitable partnerships and including an expert in VAW/VAC research.
Funding Information
-Grant Value: $40,000–$100,000
-Duration: 12–18 months
Eligibility Criteria
Applications for support under this award must meet the following criteria:
Applicants must be affiliated with a recognised, legally constituted research institution or organisation with existing research or programming capacity on violence against women (VAW) and/or violence against children (VAC). Grants will be awarded to institutions only—not to individuals.
Proposals may be submitted by consortiums involving multi-disciplinary and multisectoral partnerships. These may include collaborations between local NGOs, practice-based agencies, academic institutions, and/or local government entities.
For consortium proposals, a clear breakdown of roles and responsibilities must be provided. Proposals must demonstrate equitable partnerships and include at least one expert in VAW/VAC research. Proposals that include plans to build the capacity of early-career or young researchers are strongly encouraged. Partnership structures and budget allocations must be clearly described.
Proposals must be submitted and led by organisations based in low and middleincome countries (LMICs). Technical partnerships with institutions in high-income countries are permitted, but the lead applicant must be based in an LMIC.
All proposals should:
-Be led by LMIC-based organisations, universities, or research institutions.
-Build on existing evidence, outlining a clear gap in the field, outlining how the research will strengthen policy, practice, or methodology in the field.
-Clearly show how the research addresses a priority evidence gap, drawing on SVRI’s research agendas, including:
-Global and regional shared research agendas (Global, Latin America, Africa, East Asia & Pacific)
-Topic specific research agendas on: Child Sexual Violence; Technology-Facilitated GBV; GBV in Higher Education Institutions; Intersections between VAW and VAC.
-Demonstrate ethical rigour, including strategies to minimise harm and ensure informed consent.
-Include clear, actionable research uptake and dissemination plans.
-Where applicable, include a data management plan detailing data security, access, and storage.
-Outline a realistic budget and timeline, with strong justification.
Ineligibility Criteria
The SVRI Research Grant supports innovative, ethical, and impactful research to advance the field of violence against women (VAW) and violence against children (VAC) in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). To ensure alignment with the initiative’s mission and objectives, the following activities and costs are ineligible for funding:
-Interventions or services without a strong research component, including:
-Direct service delivery
-Standalone awareness campaigns, advocacy campaigns
-Training programs not embedded in a broader research study
-Standalone tools, apps, or platforms development that are not part of a rigorous research design in addressing VAW or VAC.
-Baseline studies, needs assessments, program monitoring and evaluation activities.
-Conference attendance, dissemination activities, or publication of previously completed research that is not linked to a funded SVRI research project.
-Retroactive funding for work already undertaken or completed prior to grant approval.
Selection Criteria
-They welcome proposals that:
-Strengthen research capacity in LMICs through mentoring, training, and leadership development, with meaningful participation of early-career researchers.
-Test, adapt or scale innovative approaches to addressing VAW and VAC.
-Build or support networks between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.
For more information, visit SVRI.
