Deadline: 23-Jun-2026
UN Women Palestine Office, with funding from the Government of Norway, is inviting proposals for projects that strengthen Palestinian women’s economic empowerment, livelihoods, and resilience through sustainable income opportunities, vocational training, entrepreneurship support, and business development services. The initiative, part of the “Reclaiming Power” programme, offers grants ranging from USD 100,000 to USD 185,000 for two-year projects that improve women’s access to employment, productive assets, market opportunities, and economic recovery pathways.
Program Overview
UN Women Palestine Office has launched a call for proposals under the project Reclaiming Power: Advancing Gender Justice and Women’s Leadership for Sustainable Peace and Recovery in Palestine. Funded by the Government of Norway, the initiative aims to strengthen Palestinian women’s economic resilience, leadership, and participation across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.
The programme responds to the significant economic, social, and protection challenges facing Palestinian women and girls due to prolonged conflict, displacement, instability, and restricted economic opportunities. It seeks to expand access to sustainable livelihoods, income-generating opportunities, productive assets, vocational skills, and entrepreneurship support that can improve women’s economic security and long-term resilience.
The initiative forms part of a broader three-year programme designed to advance gender equality, women’s empowerment, economic recovery, and inclusive development in Palestine.
Focus Areas
Projects should contribute to one or more of the following priority areas:
- Women’s economic empowerment.
- Livelihood development and recovery.
- Income-generating opportunities.
- Access to productive assets.
- Employability skills development.
- Vocational education and training.
- Entrepreneurship support.
- Business development services.
- Digital skills and digital inclusion.
- STEM-related economic opportunities.
- Renewable energy livelihoods.
- Care economy employment.
- Home-based production initiatives.
- Women-led microenterprise development.
- Cooperative development and strengthening.
- Market-driven employment pathways.
- Economic resilience and recovery.
- Humanitarian-development-peace nexus programming.
Projects should focus on practical and sustainable pathways that increase women’s participation in economic activities and strengthen long-term self-reliance.
Funding Information
Key funding details include:
- Minimum grant amount: USD 100,000.
- Maximum grant amount: USD 185,000.
- Project duration: Two years.
- Project start period: Third quarter of 2026.
- Project completion period: Third quarter of 2028.
- Funding source:
- Government of Norway.
- UN Women Palestine Office.
Funding is intended to support initiatives that improve women’s economic opportunities, strengthen livelihoods, and promote inclusive recovery and resilience.
Program Objectives
The programme seeks to:
- Expand women’s access to sustainable livelihoods.
- Improve women’s economic resilience.
- Increase access to decent work opportunities.
- Strengthen women-led enterprises and cooperatives.
- Improve employability and vocational skills.
- Enhance entrepreneurship and business development.
- Support economic recovery among conflict-affected women.
- Promote women’s participation in emerging economic sectors.
- Strengthen women’s access to productive assets and markets.
- Improve economic opportunities for displaced and vulnerable women.
- Advance gender equality through economic empowerment.
The initiative aims to create sustainable economic opportunities that contribute to both individual wellbeing and broader community recovery.
Priority Activities
Successful projects are expected to implement activities such as:
Employability and Vocational Skills Development
Projects may include:
- Vocational training programmes.
- Technical skills development.
- Employability enhancement initiatives.
- Workforce readiness training.
- Career guidance and mentoring.
- Job placement support.
Training should be aligned with local labor market demands and emerging economic opportunities.
Entrepreneurship and Business Development
Applicants are encouraged to provide:
- Entrepreneurship training.
- Business planning support.
- Financial literacy programmes.
- Business coaching and mentoring.
- Enterprise development services.
- Market access support.
- Business incubation initiatives.
These activities should strengthen women’s ability to establish, manage, and grow sustainable businesses.
Safe and Accessible Economic Empowerment Spaces
Projects may establish or expand:
- Women’s economic empowerment centers.
- Business support hubs.
- Community training facilities.
- Safe learning environments.
- Employment and enterprise resource centers.
These spaces should be accessible and responsive to women’s needs, including mobility and caregiving considerations.
Support for Women-Led Microenterprises and Cooperatives
The programme supports:
- Small grants for women-led businesses.
- Recovery assistance for conflict-affected enterprises.
- Expansion support for existing businesses.
- Cooperative strengthening initiatives.
- Enterprise resilience-building activities.
Financial support should be combined with technical assistance and business development services.
Priority Economic Sectors
Projects are encouraged to focus on sectors with strong potential for sustainable employment and growth, including:
Digital Economy
- Digital literacy training.
- Information technology skills.
- Online business development.
- E-commerce opportunities.
- Digital entrepreneurship.
Renewable Energy
- Renewable energy workforce development.
- Green economy skills.
- Solar energy-related enterprises.
- Sustainable energy solutions.
Care Economy
- Childcare services.
- Elder care services.
- Community care initiatives.
- Care-related enterprise development.
Home-Based Production
- Home-based manufacturing.
- Food production and processing.
- Handicrafts and creative industries.
- Flexible income-generating activities suitable for women with caregiving responsibilities.
Projects should demonstrate market demand and sustainability within selected sectors.
Target Beneficiaries
The programme prioritizes support for:
- Conflict-affected women.
- Displaced women.
- Women-headed households.
- Unemployed women.
- Young women.
- Women entrepreneurs.
- Women-led cooperatives.
- Women-led microenterprises.
- Economically vulnerable women.
- Women facing barriers to labor market participation.
Projects should clearly demonstrate how proposed interventions will improve economic outcomes for these groups.
Who is Eligible?
Organizations applying for funding should demonstrate experience in:
- Women’s economic empowerment programming.
- Livelihood development.
- Entrepreneurship support.
- Vocational and skills training.
- Business development services.
- Market systems development.
- Economic recovery initiatives.
- Gender equality and women’s empowerment.
- Community development and resilience programming.
Applicants should also demonstrate:
- Established presence in target communities.
- Experience working with vulnerable women.
- Strong implementation capacity.
- Effective stakeholder engagement.
- Ability to deliver measurable outcomes.
- Commitment to sustainability and local ownership.
Organizations with experience supporting women affected by conflict and displacement will be particularly well positioned.
How to Apply
- Review the programme objectives and eligibility requirements.
- Identify economic barriers and opportunities affecting women in target communities.
- Design a project aligned with women’s economic empowerment priorities.
- Conduct or reference market and sector assessments where relevant.
- Develop a detailed implementation plan and results framework.
- Prepare a realistic budget within the USD 100,000–185,000 funding range.
- Include sustainability and resilience-building strategies.
- Demonstrate organizational experience and capacity.
- Submit a complete proposal according to UN Women requirements.
Strong proposals will combine livelihood support, skills development, entrepreneurship promotion, and sustainable economic recovery approaches.
Why This Program Matters
Palestinian women continue to face significant economic barriers due to conflict, displacement, restricted mobility, limited employment opportunities, and broader socio-economic challenges. These factors often reduce women’s access to income, productive resources, and economic decision-making opportunities.
Economic empowerment plays a critical role in strengthening women’s resilience, improving household wellbeing, reducing vulnerability, and supporting broader recovery efforts. By investing in skills development, entrepreneurship, employment pathways, and women-led businesses, the programme helps create sustainable opportunities for women to participate fully in economic life.
The initiative also contributes to long-term peacebuilding and recovery by strengthening women’s agency, leadership, and economic independence.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Proposing activities that are not market-responsive.
- Failing to demonstrate economic sustainability.
- Weak strategies for supporting vulnerable women.
- Limited understanding of local labor market needs.
- Insufficient business development and mentoring support.
- Overlooking women’s caregiving responsibilities and mobility constraints.
- Lack of measurable outcomes and impact indicators.
- Weak sustainability and exit strategies.
- Budgets that fall outside the approved funding range.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the purpose of this funding opportunity?
The programme aims to strengthen women’s economic empowerment, resilience, and access to sustainable livelihood opportunities in Palestine.
Who is funding the programme?
The initiative is funded by the Government of Norway and implemented by UN Women Palestine Office through the Reclaiming Power programme.
How much funding is available?
Organizations may apply for grants ranging from USD 100,000 to USD 185,000.
How long can projects run?
Projects will be implemented over a two-year period from the third quarter of 2026 to the third quarter of 2028.
What sectors are prioritized?
Priority sectors include digital skills, renewable energy, care economy services, STEM-related opportunities, and home-based production activities.
Can projects provide grants to women-led businesses?
Yes. The programme supports small grants for women-led microenterprises and cooperatives affected by conflict, alongside mentoring and technical support.
Why is women’s economic empowerment important?
Women’s economic empowerment improves income security, strengthens resilience, supports household wellbeing, promotes gender equality, and contributes to sustainable recovery and development outcomes.
Conclusion
The UN Women Palestine economic empowerment funding opportunity provides significant support for organizations working to strengthen women’s livelihoods, entrepreneurship, and economic resilience. Through grants ranging from USD 100,000 to USD 185,000, the programme supports sustainable employment pathways, vocational training, business development, and women-led enterprise growth. By investing in women’s economic opportunities and recovery, the initiative contributes to greater gender equality, resilience, and sustainable development across Palestine.
For more information, visit UN Women.