Publication Date: Thursday, April 18, 2024
Funder (Prime Funder): The European Union
Implementing organization: International Solidarity Foundation (ISF)
Announcement Type: Subsequent
Call Number: 002
Application submission deadline: Tuesday, May 07, 2024, 11:59 pm, East African Time
Join our information session on Teams on Monday, April 29, 2024 at 10:00 am. You can join the session via this link.
The International Solidarity Foundation (ISF) is a Finnish development organization, founded in 1970. ISF envisions a world where women and girls are empowered to build their own future, their self-determination is fully realized, and their right to bodily integrity is respected.
ISF’s 2022–2025 programme aims to strengthen the bodily integrity and livelihood resilience of women and girls in Kenya, Somaliland, and Ethiopia. The programme consists of development projects that are implemented by local partners: civil society actors such as NGOs, community-based organizations, and women’s own businesses. In Kenya, ISF has operated in the Kisii and Nyamira counties since 2015 with several local CSOs and CBOs.
Since June 2023, ISF has been implementing a Grassroots Initiative project that runs a Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) scheme which aims to cultivate a dynamic grassroots movement against GBV, supported by tailored prevention strategies, collaborative gatherings, knowledge sharing, skill enhancement through peer learning and mentorship, and financial support for local stakeholders. The FSTP scheme is designed to run for three consecutive rounds of sub-granting (each running for three months only), with the first call for applications taking place in 2023 and the final call in 2025.
Having successfully completed the first 2023 round, ISF now invites eligible community-based organizations, grassroots movements, and civil society organizations to apply for the second round of funding to support activities and actions related to addressing GBV in Kisii and Nyamira counties.
Successful applicants will begin with a capacity-building period, which will involve refining proposed actions and creating detailed work plans, with an anticipated start date for implementation in August 2024.
The ISF will provide funding for groups and organizations with innovative ideas, preferably demonstrating a track record of at least 12 months of implementing similar or related activities within the following categories, focusing on addressing gender-based violence (GBV).
These forms may include, but are not limited to, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Violence, Psychological Violence, and Child Marriage. Groups that work with vulnerable communities (the youth, persons with disabilities, the elderly, minority or marginalized groups, LGBTQI+ communities etc.) are encouraged to apply.
For this Call, the proposed action should focus on any of the categories listed above, and include any of the indicative, but not exhaustive activities listed below (applicants can also suggest other relevant activities):• Local campaigns• Advocacy and lobbying• Legal protection, counselling services, and social support• Support for people and groups that are exposed to discrimination.• Cultural and youth events• Visibility and communication/outreach activities• Creation of digital solutions, mobile applications, web portals etc.• Access to information and public debate• Participation in the development of local policies, initiatives, and action plans• Social entrepreneurship initiatives• Local media reporting• Others
ISF will award grants ranging from KES. 500,000 to KES. 1,000,000 to successful applicants in support of the selected activities.
All costs incurred during the implementation period relating to any of the outlined action categories and indicative activities as per the Call document guidelines are eligible.
Ineligible costs include:• Debts and debt service charges (interest).• Provisions for losses or potential future liabilities.• Actions that consist exclusively or primarily of capital expenditure and infrastructure expenditure, e.g., land, buildings, and vehicles.• Equipment not directly utilized for the action.• In-kind contributions (except for volunteer work)• Salary costs of personnel.• Bonuses included in the costs of staff.• Negative interest charged by banks or other financial institutions. • Actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences, and congresses.• Actions concerned only or mainly with individual studies or training courses scholarships.• Actions supporting political parties or related foundations.• Actions concerning one-off conferences. Conferences may be funded only if they form part of a wider range of activities to be implemented in the project timeframe.
Who can apply?• Civil Society Organisations (CSOs): non-governmental, non-profit, and voluntary organizations that operate independently from the government and commercial sectors; established to address various social, cultural, environmental, and humanitarian issues.• Community-Based Organisations (CBOs): entities that operate within specific geographical communities and are primarily focused on addressing those communities’ unique needs and concerns.• Grassroots Movements are small, locally based groups that focus on addressing specific issues or concerns within a community and emphasize the importance of community engagement, participatory decision-making, and direct action; often initiated and led by individuals or community members who are directly affected by the issues they aim to address.
To be considered for funding, groups and organizations will need to submit the following:• Fully completed application form in pdf format• The budget proposal using the budget template in Excel (xlsx) format (the initial activity plans and budgets are subject to review during the capacity-building period)• Proof of registration (where applicable)• Bank statements for at least 6 months (where applicable)• Proof of track record, highlighting experience within the proposed focus area. This can be a reference letter from a trusted person familiar with your work (e.g., submission of the Community Activity Programs Reporting, previous project reports, county govt, chief, local religious/community leader or a funder).
Additional information on specific eligibility requirements, eligibility of costs and other clarifications are included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Further questions regarding the call should be sent by email to: isfkenya@solidaarisuus.fi by Friday, April 26, 2024, by 5:00 pm, with the title: “ISF CALL FOR LOCAL ACTORS_QUESTIONS”.
Applications should be written in English and submitted by email to isfkenya@solidaarisuus.fi.
The subject line must include the words “ISF Call for Local Actors – CLA 002”, and the above-listed documents must be included as attachments to be considered successfully submitted.
Applications must be submitted by Tuesday, May 07, 2024, 11:59 pm. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
The successful applicant(s) will be notified within fifteen (15) working days following the deadline for submission of applications.
Due to the high number of anticipated applications, ISF may not provide feedback to each unsuccessful applicant.
ISF will accept applications from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) – including Community-Based Organizations, Faith-Based Organizations, and Grassroots movements, with specialized knowledge, expertise, and a track record of working on defending and advocating for women’s rights and the elimination of violence against women and girls thus ensuring freedom from all forms of gender-based violence against women, girls, men and boys, in Kisii and Nyamira counties.
More definitions are outlined as below:
YES – But can only undertake the proposed actions in Kisii and Nyamira counties.
The typical requirement is for the implementing organization to be based within the regions where the project will be carried out, namely Kisii and Nyamira for ease of implementation of proposed actions. However, innovative proposals originating from outside these counties but aligned with the call objectives are encouraged to apply.
No.
YES. Organizations may work with relevant co-and implementing partners to complement their expertise, and outreach capacity and build the capacities of grassroots organizations.
ISF considers working with registered organizations, however, informal or unregistered groups furthering actions in GBV within Kisii and Nyamira are encouraged to apply.
The call for proposal supports both existing GBV initiatives and new innovative approaches/ ideas on combating GBV. The scalability of the proposed ideas is key.
YES
Applications must be submitted by email to isfkenya@solidaarisuus.fi. The subject line must include the words “ISF Call for Local Actors – CLA 002”.
Applications may be submitted in English.
ISF will follow internal selection criteria for this process.
All categories are considered equally.
No. Collaborations are not allowed for this call.
The selection and evaluation of applications will be conducted based on the eligibility criteria set in the call guidelines. ISF aims to do it transparently and independently by a designated committee to ensure fairness and impartiality.
Due to the high volume of applications, ISF may not be able to provide feedback to all unsuccessful applicants.
ISF informs applicants of their status via email. The email is sent to the email addresses provided by applicants in the online application. Please make sure you provide an email address that will remain valid and operational for at least a year when entering your contact information.
Applicants will be notified of the successful applications through acknowledgement emails. The call for proposals specifies the communication process and timeline.
NO. While all applicants – whenever possible – are encouraged to make financial and/or in-kind contributions, it is not a requirement to do so.
Under the FSTP project, ISF will NOT fund (but not limited to) the following:
In-kind contributions generally refer to non-cash resources contributed to the project. Volunteer work is an exception as it represents a specific form of in-kind contribution noted as allowable.
The restriction on including salary costs of personnel as eligible costs is due to resource constraints and specific funding agency guidelines. Organizations may need to seek other sources of funding for personnel costs.
NO
Budget templates are typically provided as a framework to guide applicants. These can be filled to adapt to your needs as long as the format does not change.
Actions identified by the grantees are to be performed within the proposed action period. However, due to circumstances communicated and agreed upon between ISF and grantees, action implementation can be reviewed, not more than 1 month after the project period.
The allowance for indirect administrative costs is allowed up to 7% of the total direct costs.
YES. The budget submitted with the application represents the total funds available and allocated for the detailed action proposal. However, budget lines may be modified as long as the budget is in line with the approved action strategies.
NO. It is not possible to make changes to the submitted application. Kindly ensure that the application is complete and to the applicant’s expectations before submission.
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