Deadline: 18-Nov-22
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is issuing an open request for proposals to develop a network, hub, or collaborative for European gender equality advocacy.
To see this effort as leveraging existing community expertise and supporting ambitious ideas that can help build shared power of the European gender equality advocacy ecosystem.
In the next four-year period (2022-2025), one component of the expanded advocacy and communications team strategy will focus on securing more and better resources for gender equality, particularly in the global south. As one element of this work, they will provide new grantmaking resources to support advocacy that holds European donors accountable for existing gender equality commitments and mobilizes improved resources, policies, and programs for gender equality in the global south.
Specifically, they want to support innovative proposals from a partner or coalition of partners to:
- Advocate for More and Better Funding: Increase the amount, and improve the quality, of European ODA for gender equality directed to the global south, from bilateral governments and any relevant multilateral organizations (while respecting lobbying regulations). Potential activities could include:
- Undertaking qualitative analysis of gender ODA levels and funding priorities across multiple European governments
- Building or strengthening relationships with policymakers relevant to gender ODA, within and across European contexts
- Sharing intelligence among partners and advocates around open funding calls and opportunities to shape funding portfolios; developing non-lobbying shared asks and calls to action around funding needs, opportunities, and gaps
- Educating decision-makers about how and where new financing could be spent, highlighting high impact investment vehicles, funds, and programs
- Highlight existing commitments made to promote accountability and delivery, including those made as part of the Generation Equality Forum, COP, the G7, and elsewhere
- Organizing around and strengthening collective advocacy asks in key multilateral forums where multiple European donors will engage
- Advance Policy: develop meaningful gender equality language and recommendations for strategies and policies, provide policy analysis, and make policy recommendations connected to funding (while complying with the US lobbying rules and without crossing country-specific lobbying registration thresholds). . Potential activities could include:
- Producing policy briefings, presenting policy recommendations, and engaging with decision-makers on improved policy solutions
- Collating research and package case studies/exemplars/best practices for decision-makers to understand gender equality challenges and potential solutions
- Supporting bi-directional learning between leading policymakers, gender practitioners, movement leaders, and academics from the global south
- Informing governments that have adopted a feminist foreign policy/foreign aid framework as to how best to implement this ambition aligned with feminist ODA, programming, and staffing goals
- Strengthen Strategic Communications: Increase the prioritization or importance that target audiences attribute to gender equality. Infuse key decision makers’ spaces with data, evidence, policy recommendations, content, and compelling communications, priming them to be more receptive to advocacy efforts and ultimately raising the cost to leaders for ignoring or weakly engaging on gender equality. Potential activities could include:
- Developing and implementing a collective communications strategy or approach that defines audiences, goals, messaging and tactical approaches in support of core advocacy goals and moments.
- Identifying, supporting, and activating champions or influencers so they can effectively advocate for gender equality policy or funding.
- Developing, testing, analyzing, and adjusting gender messaging and narratives for country, cultural, and political contexts to ensure communications for advocacy efforts are influential and impactful.
- In addition to the outcomes listed , this effort should contribute to the following goals over the next three years:
- Build cohesion and shared power among a range of new and existing gender partners in Europe to more effectively develop shared policy, advocacy, and accountability initiatives.
- Execute advocacy and communications campaigns that deliver outcomes that are and beyond what could be achieved through individual initiatives.
- Leverage deep policy knowledge from a range of communities, including those working on sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, women’s economic empowerment, and feminist foreign policy, among other topics.
- Demonstrate how the approach will be designed according to intersectional, feminist, and anti-racist/anti-colonial principles.
Funding Information
- They will invest a range of at least $6-7 million total over three years (2023, 2024, and 2025).
Eligibility Criteria
- To be considered, applicants must:
- Develop a concept that broadly meets the goals and potential activities outlined
- Be able to articulate the type of space, collective or network you aim to create, who will be part of it, and how you will build trust and work together to develop and achieve collective goals
- Present a clear vision for how your work will address gaps in the gender equality advocacy space while incorporating the community’s existing strengths and relationships.
- Demonstrate an ability to effectively champion gender equality priorities with key decision makers and partners.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the feminist and gender equality policy spaces, credibility on gender equality issues, and familiarity with the donor funding landscape in Europe
- Have a plan for engaging a range of partners across feminist groups, networks, iNGOs, and campaign organizations. We are also open to the inclusion of groups that work on domestic European issues where strategic, so long as the primary focus of this effort remains on advancing resources and policies for gender equality in the global south.
- Develop a concept that has reach in multiple European countries/spaces, with an initial plan to target work in at least four of the following: EU, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Spain.
- Be a registered organization or submit as part of a collective application where at least one participant is legally registered and able to receive grant funding from a U.S. private foundation.
- Note: If applying under a fiscal sponsor, please include that organization under “Organization Name” in the application site.
- Have at least one partner that has the legal and technical capacity to sub-grant to multiple partners as needed
- Additional preference and weight will be given to:
- Applicants with demonstrated and active relationships with organizations, networks, and feminist movements located in the global south.
- Applicants with demonstrated experience in media engagement, grassroots organizing, citizen advocacy, or other such advocacy tactics
- Applicants that demonstrate how the organization seeks to advance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
- Applicants with executive or leadership teams comprised of a majority of women, girls or trans/non-binary people.
- Applicants with diverse executive or leadership teams exhibiting such characteristics as Black, indigenous, or people of color.
- They will NOT consider funding for:
- Applicants who seek to use funds for direct service provision (eg: distributing health care services, developing or selling goods or products).
- Applicants who seek to use funds for direct or grassroots lobbying on legislative matters.
Note: Depending on the tax status of the applicant organization, and if your proposal is selected as a finalist, you may be required to complete additional documentation as part of the grant making process.
For more information, visit https://submit.gatesfoundation.org/prog/supporting_coordinated_effective_gender_equality_advocacy_in_europe/