Publication Date: Thursday, August 24, 2023
Funder (Prime Funder): The European Union
Implementing organization: International Solidarity Foundation (ISF)
Announcement Type: Initial
Call Number: 001
Application submission deadline: Sunday, September 17, 2023, 11:59 pm, East African Time
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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 respected.
The goal of ISF’s 2022–2025 programme is 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.
The primary objective of the Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) project is to cultivate a dynamic grassroots movement against GBV in these counties, supported by tailored prevention strategies, collaborative gatherings, knowledge sharing, skill enhancement through peer learning and mentorship, and financial support for local stakeholders.
ISF now invites eligible community-based organizations, grassroots movements, and civil society organizations to apply for funding to support activities and actions related to addressing GBV in Kisii and Nyamira counties.
Successful applicants will first participate in a brief capacity-building period, during which the proposed actions are refined, and costed workplans developed, while the actual implementation of the action is anticipated to start in January 2024. The FSTP project envisions three successive rounds of sub-granting, with subsequent calls in 2024 and 2025.
ISF will provide funding for groups and organizations that have innovative ideas and preferably a track record of at least 12 months of implementing similar or related activities that fall within (but are not limited to) the below categories:
1. Prevention: efforts to stop or reduce the occurrence of gender-based violence by addressing root causes and societal norms that contribute to such violence.
2. Response: support to individuals who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing gender-based violence, ensuring their safety, well-being, and access to necessary services.
3. Access to Justice: efforts to enhance survivors’ ability to seek legal remedies and protection, addressing barriers that might prevent them from doing so.
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):
ISF will award grants ranging from KES. 300,000 to KES. 3,000,000 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:
Who can apply?
To be considered for funding, groups and organizations will need to submit the following:
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 Wednesday, Aug 30, 2023, by 5:00 pm, with the title: “ISF CALL FOR LOCAL ACTORS_QUESTIONS”.
Submission of the application
Applications should be written in English or Kiswahili and submitted by email to isfkenya@solidaarisuus.fi.
The subject line must include the words “ISF Call for Local Actors – CLA 001”, and the above-listed documents must be included as attachments to be considered successfully submitted.
Applications must be submitted by September 17, 2023, 11:59 p.m. 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 be able to 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 001”.
Applications may be submitted in English and Kiswahili.
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.
Details on the online session will be provided on the website and shared via our LinkedIn site/social media pages. The recording will also be shared upon request.
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