Grants for Behavioural Change and Online Violence Prevention for Women and Girls

Deadline: 12-Jun-2026

UN Women is inviting civil society organizations to implement a regional behavioural change and awareness campaign addressing technology-facilitated violence against women and girls in the Western Balkans. The initiative targets young people aged 16–25 across six countries and focuses on social norm change, digital safety, and survivor support using behavioural science approaches. The project budget ranges from USD 180,000 to USD 200,000 and will be implemented in phases from July 2026 to December 2027.

Overview of the Initiative

UN Women, under the EU-funded “EU4 Gender Equality – Women’s Economic Empowerment and Ending Violence Against Women in the Western Balkans” programme, has launched a call for proposals to design and implement a regional behavioural change communication campaign.

The initiative focuses on reducing online and technology-facilitated violence against women and girls by transforming harmful social norms, improving digital safety awareness, and strengthening reporting and support systems.

The programme is jointly implemented by UNDP and UN Women (February 2025 to January 2028).

Objectives of the Programme

The core objective is to reduce the normalization and prevalence of online violence against women and girls, particularly among youth.

Key objectives include:

• Preventing technology-facilitated violence against women and girls (TFVAWG)
• Promoting respectful and safe online behaviour among young people
• Strengthening awareness of digital safety risks and protections
• Encouraging bystander intervention in cases of online abuse
• Improving reporting mechanisms and survivor access to support services
• Transforming harmful gender norms through behavioural change strategies
• Generating evidence-based insights on effective prevention approaches

Geographic and Target Population Scope

The campaign is regional in scope and targets youth populations across the Western Balkans.

Target countries include:

• Albania
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Kosovo
• Montenegro
• North Macedonia
• Serbia

Target group:

• Young people aged 16 to 25
• Special emphasis on young men and boys for norm change interventions
• Young women and girls as primary beneficiaries of protection and support systems

Scope of Work and Activities

The selected organization will design and implement a multi-phase behavioural change campaign using innovative communication and engagement methods.

Key activities include:

• Behavioural change communication campaign design and rollout
• Social norm transformation initiatives
• Youth engagement and peer-led interventions
• Influencer and digital media partnerships
• Community-based and participatory outreach activities
• Digital safety awareness and education
• Strengthening reporting and referral mechanisms for survivors
• Application of behavioural science methodologies
• Monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems

Implementation Phases (2026–2027)

The programme will be implemented in three structured phases:

Phase 1: Design and Research (July–initial period)

• Baseline research and behavioural analysis
• Co-creation workshops with stakeholders
• Campaign strategy and creative concept development
• Preparation for regional launch and forum presentation

Phase 2: Implementation and Monitoring

• Full campaign rollout across target countries
• Stakeholder engagement and youth outreach
• Continuous monitoring and adaptive learning
• Endline research preparation

Phase 3: Evaluation and Consolidation

• Final evaluation and impact assessment
• Documentation of lessons learned
• Scaling recommendations
• Policy and programming guidance development

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)

The selected organization is responsible for rigorous monitoring and evaluation to assess behavioural and social change outcomes.

MEL components include:

• Baseline studies on awareness, attitudes, and behaviours
• Endline evaluations to measure impact
• Analysis of changes in social norms
• Assessment of reporting behaviour and help-seeking trends
• Evidence generation on effective interventions

Required Expertise

Applicants are expected to demonstrate strong technical and contextual expertise.

Required competencies include:

• Behavioural change communication (BCC)
• Gender equality and prevention of violence against women and girls
• Youth engagement and participatory methods
• Digital safety and online violence prevention
• Mixed-methods research and evaluation
• Multi-stakeholder coordination and regional programming

Preferred experience:

• Work experience in the Western Balkans region
• Experience in socio-politically sensitive contexts
• Implementation of large-scale communication or social norm campaigns

Funding Details

The programme provides targeted funding for regional implementation.

Funding structure:

• Total budget range: USD 180,000 – USD 200,000
• Funding type: Competitive grant under EU4 Gender Equality programme
• Implementation period: July 2026 – December 2027
• Coverage: Multi-country regional initiative

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is this UN Women call for proposals about?
  • It is a regional campaign to address online and technology-facilitated violence against women and girls in the Western Balkans through behavioural change communication and awareness-raising.
• Who is the target audience of the campaign?
  • The campaign targets:
    • Young people aged 16–25
    • Young men and boys (for behavioural change focus)
    • Young women and girls (as primary beneficiaries of safety and support systems)
• Which countries are included in the programme?
  • The initiative covers:
    • Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia
• What is the funding amount?
  • The budget ranges from:
    • USD 180,000 to USD 200,000
• What type of organization can apply?
  • Eligible applicants are civil society organizations with expertise in:
    • Gender equality and GBV prevention
    • Behavioural change communication
    • Youth engagement and digital safety
    • Research and evaluation
• What activities are required under the project?
  • Key activities include:
    • Behavioural change campaigns
    • Youth and peer engagement initiatives
    • Digital and influencer-led outreach
    • Monitoring and evaluation studies
    • Social norm transformation programmes
• What is the implementation timeline?
  • The project runs from:
    • July 2026 to December 2027
    • Across three phases: design, implementation, and evaluation

Conclusion

This UN Women EU4 Gender Equality initiative supports a regional, evidence-based campaign to reduce online violence against women and girls in the Western Balkans. By combining behavioural science, youth engagement, and digital safety strategies, the programme aims to shift harmful social norms, strengthen survivor support systems, and generate scalable insights for long-term policy and programming impact.

For more information, visit UN Women.