FON Network Grants for Civil Society Organizations in Sri Lanka or Bangladesh

Deadline: 15-Dec-23

Are you a network of feminist CSOs, or do plan to initiate a network? Do you work to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV)? Do you aspire to strengthen your networks capacity to be a dynamic, resilient and sustainable advocates for gender justice? Do you plan to transform gender discriminatory laws, policies, and systems? If yes, then apply for Window-III of the Feminist Opportunities Now (FON) consortium ‘Network’ grant.

The project “Feminist Opportunities Now (FON)” is implemented by a consortium of organizations led by the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR), in collaboration with CREA, Empow’Her, the International Federation on Human Rights, and Médecins du Monde France (MdM-FR) and funded by the Agence Francaise de Développement (AFD).

Funded by the Agence Francaise de Développement (AFD), FON’s overarching goal is to strengthen the capacity of feminist movements to address gender-based violence through sub-grants to feminist organizations, with a focus on reaching small, often unregistered, feminist organizations.

FON’s objectives are:

• Improve the sustainability of feminist organizations at the organizational and technical level by proposing an inclusive approach to capacity development.
• Support the resilience and diversity of feminist CSOs through access to sustainable, flexible and adapted financing for small and/or informal and/or structurally excluded ones.
• Strengthen the networking of feminist CSOs from the South, bringing them closer to networks at the national, regional and international level, to bring their voice to the public agenda.

Priority Initiatives

• This window is aimed at networks, alliances or movements of civil society organizations (CSOs) that addresses gender based violence through political advocacy. Following initiatives are encouraged through this funding window:
  • Basic financing (core funding) to ensure the operations of your network.
    • funding can be used to cover network, alliance or movement expenses without having to link them to the implementation of a project, when these expenses are dedicated to strengthening your organizational and technical capabilities.
    • examples of these could be: the cost of a consultancy to provide support at an organizational level (financial management, internal audit, governance, etc.) or technical level (advocacy, project planning, reporting, etc.), equipment costs (i.e. purchase computers, office supplies), consumables (i.e. papers, ink cartridges, etc.), operating expenses (i.e. rent, transportation, electricity, communications) or any other expense related to the operation of your network
  • Financing for an intervention/ project in particular. This includes:
    • Advocacy initiatives to address structural causes of gender-based violence:
      • reformation of existing discriminatory laws, policies or intitutions;
      • bringing new policies, laws, institutions to address GBV
    • Methodologies could include:
      • promoting dialogue, lobbying, meetings and sharing among feminist CSOs aiming at transformative and systemic changes
      • contributing to the body of knowledge required for advocacy efforts: e.g. researching national/ regional structural gaps to address GBV, developing (drafting and testing) media toolkits for advocacy on addressing GBV
  • Combination of both categories mentioned above- core and intervention projects.

Funding Information

• Grant amount: USD 10,000-87,000.
• Duration: one to two years [within the span of February 2024- February 2026]

Location

• The lead of the network should be based in Sri Lanka or Bangladesh. The other network members can be based in any South Asian country.

Eligibility Criteria

• CSOs applying for a sub-grant under the FON project must:
  • Be committed in favour of gender equality and implement actions to prevent and/or fight gender-based violence.
  • The lead of the Network should be based in Sri Lanka or Bangladesh. The other network members can be based in any South Asian country.
  • Networks, alliances, movements of organisations, umbrella structure hosting several small and/or informal organisations; formalised or structured; existing or newly formed networks are eligible to apply.
• Particularly encouraged to apply organizations of networks working with or led by people who, in their local context, that may face particularly high discrimination, gender inequalities and gender-based violence, such as:
  • Members of the LGBTI+ community and in general people with diverse sexual orientation and gender identities
  • People living with disabilities
  • People living with HIV/AIDS
  • Racial, ethnic or indigenous minorities (in the local context)
  • Internally displaced, migrant and refugee people
  • Sex workers
  • Young people
  • Members of any other community that in their local context face particularly high discrimination, gender inequalities and gender-based violence.
  • Ineligible: Initiatives by individuals, Initiatives presented by public/governmental institutions, organisation not working in the GBV sector.

For more information, visit CREA.