The Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) outlining
concepts and capacity to manage a program that will (1) partner equitably with
a range of local, women’s civil society organizations in no fewer than five
countries in three regions to advance locally-designed Women, Peace, and
Security (WPS) initiatives, and (2) provide limited, rapid-response WPS support
globally.
Both components should include optional organizational
capacity-building to advance civil society organizations’ core growth and
sustainability, as requested by local civil society organizations and approved
by S/GWI. Some activities must support women from ethnic and religious
minorities and other historically marginalized groups.
Goal: To grow and sustain the
leadership of women’s civil society organizations in advancing women’s safety
and meaningful participation in processes related to peace and security and
decision-making institutions.
Objectives
- Support to WPS Initiatives:
Partner equitably with a range of local women’s civil society
organizations in no fewer than five countries in at least three regions to
advance locally-designed WPS initiatives. This will include support for
participation in peace processes and other peace and security
decision-making institutions as well as engagement on preventing and
responding to gender-based violence.
- Rapid-Response Fund: Provide a
limited (up to approx. $1 million), global rapidresponse fund to ensure
women leaders and women’s organizations can respond to unanticipated,
high-impact opportunities and challenges as they arise to advance
WPSrelated priorities. This must include (but is not limited to) reserve
capacity to deploy expert technical assistance for the development,
implementation, and/or evaluation of high-impact National Action Plans
(NAP) on WPS or similar instruments, if requested.
Funding Information
At least $2,500,000 of
the funding available under this RSOI is directed for work to support Women and
Girls at Risk from Violent Extremism and Conflict, and at least $2,500,000 of
the funding available under this RSOI is directed for work to address GBV.
Priority Regions and
Countries: Applicants must propose work equal to the
planned funding amount ($5,200,000) in no fewer than five countries in at least
three of the following regions. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to work
in as many as possible of each of the these regions: Africa (AF); East Asia and
the Pacific (EAP); Europe (EUR); the Middle East and North Africa (MENA); the
Western Hemisphere (WH) and South and Central Asia (SCA). 2 Final country
selection will be confirmed in consultation between the successful applicant
and S/GWI. Country selections may be subject to additional approvals and/or
vetting.
S/GWI’s priority
countries include the following. Work to assist civil society in the priority
countries may include work in-country or with populations displaced to other
countries:
- AF: Burkina Faso; Cameroon;
Central African Republic; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Mali; Somalia;
South Sudan
- EAP: Burma; Papua New Guinea;
Vietnam
- EUR: Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Georgia; Kosovo; Moldova; Turkey; Ukraine
- MENA: Iraq; Syria; Yemen
- SCA: Afghanistan; India;
Pakistan; Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan
- WH: Colombia; El Salvador;
Guatemala; Haiti; Honduras
Eligibility Criteria
Organizations submitting
SOIs must meet the following criteria:
- Be a U.S.- or foreign-based
non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO); or
- Be a private, public, or state
institution of higher education; and
- Have existing, or the capacity
to develop, active and equitable partnerships with incountry partners, entities,
and relevant stakeholders, including NGOs and private sector actors; and
- Have demonstrable experience
administering successful and preferably similar programs in size, scope,
and focus. S/GWI reserves the right to request additional background information
on organizations that do not have previous experience administering
federal awards. These applicants may be subject to limited funding on a
pilot basis.
Public International
Organizations (PIOs) are not eligible to apply as prime applicants under this
RSOI, though they may partner on a proposal as a sub-awardee.
Posted
Date: Jan 15, 2021