CREAW’s CALL #2 FOR CONCEPT NOTES  CALL REFERENCE: CREAW/WVL/CFC/2/2021                        FUNDING TO WOMEN LED ORGANIZATIONS 2021-2023.  WOMEN’S VOICE AND LEADERSHIP – KENYA (WVL) PROJECT  CALL TITLE: STRENGTHENING THE GOVERNANCE, MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAMMING CAPACITIES OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS (WROs) IN KENYA

Please read these guidelines carefully before you submit your Concept Note. CREAW reserves the right to reject Concept Notes that are not fully completed or do not meet the set eligibility criteria.

Grant Application Opening Date: 12^th July, 2021

Grant Application Closing Date: 12^th  August, 2021

1. Background

The Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW) is a feminist national nongovernmental organization whose vision is a just society where women and girls enjoy full rights and live in dignity. For more than 20 years CREAW has continued to champion, expand and actualize women’s and girl’s rights and social justice through advocating for shifts in legislation and policies that promote and protect women’s and girl’s rights, as well as building the capacity of women to demand for these rights.

The Kenyan civic space has been thought to be steadily shrinking over the years and a number of factors have contributed to this status quo. These factors include the enactment of policy and legal frameworks that limit the autonomy of non-governmental organizations to effectively operate, the categorization of Kenya as a middle-income country resulting in the reduction and or reprioritization of funding for interventions that protect, promote and champion the rights of women and girls.

The women rights organizations have been the worst affected with this emerging trend in funding. Many development partners who traditionally directly funded women’s rights institutions have opted for an approach that funds components of women rights work within  larger programs and within organizations that are not women led and or women rights organizations

With funding from Global Affairs Canada, CARE International, Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), Uraia Trust, Community Advocacy and Awareness (CRAWN) Trust, and Urgent Action Fund Africa (UAF Africa) are implementing the Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Project whose goal is to strengthen the institutional capacities and activities of county, regional and national women’s rights organizations seeking to empower women and girls advance the protection of women’s and girls’ rights and achieve gender equality. 

2. Introduction to Women Voice and Leadership Program (WVL).

The WVL is a five-year project that aims to strengthen institutional capacity and interventions of local/ grassroots women rights organizations seeking to empower women and girls to realize their rights and achieve gender equality.   The WVL  project  defines women’s rights organizations (WROs)  as  civil society organizations active at the grassroots, county, national, or regional level, with an overt women’s or girls’ rights, gender equality or feminist  purpose,  and  play  a  central  role  in  spearheading  change  in  support  of  the empowerment  of  women  and  girls,  increasing  their  agency  to  support  vulnerable  and marginalized women and girls contributing to gender equality.

 

2.1 Project outcomes:

The WVL Project aims to achieve the following Intermediate outcomes:

1. Improved management and sustainability of local women’s rights organizations.
2. Enhanced performance of women’ rights organization’s programming and advocacy to advance gender equality and empower women and girls.
3. Increased effectiveness of national and sub-national women’s rights platforms, networks and alliances to affect policy, legal and social change.

 

The Call has the following broad immediate outcomes:

1. Increased ability of WROs to create missions, visions and strategic plans that are clear and aligned with priority needs of women and girls.
2. Increased ability of WRO leaders to make transparent, accountable, sustainable decisions, and to manage internal and external risks
3. Increased ability of WROs to create, monitor and improve basic organizational processes and systems (Resource mobilization, External relations management, HR etc.).
4. Strengthened ability of WROs to reach grassroots constituents with high quality services and support to claim rights.
5. Strengthened ability of WROs to undertake policy and advocacy activities as identified by strategic plan and their constituency.

In order to achieve the above immediate outcomes, CREAW Second granting call under the WVL programme will provide support through:

1. Awarding of initial two-year grants to Women’s Rights Organizations.
2. Institutional capacity building support to Women Rights Organizations.

3. Focus of the call for concepts

1. Under this project, CREAW is responsible for providing Institutional capacity strengthening and project funding for grassroots women rights organizations that work in Isiolo, Bomet, Kericho, Kajiado, Kiambu, Mombasa, Kwale, Tharaka Nithi, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Tana river, Laikipia ,Embu, Machakos, Kisumu.

It is in this regard that CREAW issues this call for concepts and is inviting grassroots women rights organizations and groups in the target areas to apply for support.

The call will prioritize applications under any or all of the following:

1. Projects that support institutional capacity strengthening
2. Projects that support interventions around gender equality

 

3.1 Eligible Activities 

The following are examples of activities that may be considered for funding under each category

I. Projects that support institutional capacity strengthening for example (non-exhaustive list):

• Development of strategic plans
• Setting up or improving financial management systems
• Setting up and or strengthening of governance structures within the organization (Board selection, training, manuals)
• Development or improvements in institution policies around human resource, financial management, sexual harassment, gender equality,
• Development of gender strategy documents such as advocacy, communication, research, sustainability strategies.

II. Projects that support interventions around gender equality outcomes for example (non-exhaustive list):

• Advocacy activities intended to influence action by communities and or nonstate actors around gender equality.
• Community dialogues and outreach as part of a wider advocacy strategy
• Sensitization and or training of gender equality champions (men women boys and girls
• Activities that support access to rights, justice and participation for women and adolescent girls
• Activities that support access to economic empowerment, food security and resilience, health and Livelihoods activities for women and girls.

 

3.2 Ineligible Activities:

• Project that have only one-off activities that do not contribute to a larger outcome or objective around gender equality.
• Projects concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences, congresses;
• Projects concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses;
• One-off workshops, conferences and seminars: they can only be funded if they form part of a wider range of activities to be implemented in the lifetime of the project.
• Credit or loan schemes
• Debts and provisions for losses or debts
• Projects which consist exclusively or primarily in capital expenditure which does not contribute to the sustainability or interventions of the organization
• Projects which discriminate against individuals or groups of people on grounds of their gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or lack of them, or their ethnic origin
• Project which support terrorism or terrorist related activities.
• Scholarships, sponsorships and school fees
• Cash donations
• Political party and religious activities.

 

4. Indicative allocation of funds by the Call 

The overall indicative amount made available under this Call is USD 15,000 per grant for an initial grant up to 2 years (with possibility to increase/extend later). Applicants can apply under one or both of the categories provided in the table below however the maximum grant per applicant will remain a total of 15,000 USD. The following is a breakdown of allocations for each Category:

Result	Category	Indicative   Total Budget Available	Number   of Grants	Indicative   Allocation per Grant	Time   frame	Project Duration (years)
	Projects that support institutional capacity strengthening			7,500   USD	August   2021 to July 2023	2
	Projects that support interventions around gender equality			7,500 USD	August 2021 to   July 2023	2

THE WVL PROJECT IN THIS SECOND ROUND WILL ONLY AWARD A TOTAL OF 12 GRANTS FOR THE PERIOD 2021 -2023.

5. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

There are three sets of eligibility criteria, relating to:

• applicant(s) which may request a grant (5.1)
• projects for which a grant may be awarded (5.2);
• types of cost which may be taken into account in setting the amount of the grant (5.3)

5.1 Eligibility of Applicants: who may apply? 

The following categories of applicants are eligible to apply for funding under this call:

• Small, emerging grassroots women and girl led groups, gender non- conforming, PLWD,PLHIV organizations with little or no access to funding from larger donors.

1. Must be WROs that are women led – meaning having a Director / head who is female; OR Gender non – conforming people, meaning having a Director/ Head who is female or gender non-conforming.
2. Must have  a  core  focus  on  promoting  the  socio-economic  and  political  rights  of women and girls and gender non – conforming groups.
3. Must be non-government, non-political and not-for-profit (non-commercial) entity.
4. Must have existed for at least one year.
5. Must have an active board of directors, governors or advisors and at least half of the board members must be female or gender non-conforming.
6. Must have at least 2/3 of staff, volunteers, or members who are women or girls or gender non-conforming.
7. Must be an organisation that targets women and girls or gender non – conforming groups as the main beneficiaries.
8. Must be an organization that can demonstrate, through its activities and actions, a belief in the full realization of women’s and girls’ empowerment and gender non- conforming individuals.
9. The organization’s current mission, values, and the profile of the activities that it is currently implementing, is focused on addressing gender inequalities.
10. The main  focus  of  the  organizations’  activities  and  results  is  on  making systematic changes to  sustainably improve women’s and girls’ lives, and gender non – conforming groups including by engaging men and boys.
11. Evidence of formal existence of the organization.
12. Proof of previous works done around women’s rights. Testaments e.g.  Chiefs, community elders etc.

• Women and girl led groups and organizations based in any of the 10 counties of Kenya proposed for this Second  call (Isiolo, Bomet, Kericho, Kajiado, Kiambu, Mombasa, Kwale, Tharaka Nithi, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Tana river, Laikipia ,Embu, Machakos, Kisumu) especially  those  working  in  or  located  in  remote  and  underserved
• Women and girl led groups and organizations whose annual budget (if they have funding) is not more than 50,000 USD.
• Women and girl led groups and organizations who have been in existence for at least 1 Year.

Please note, even small emerging grassroots women and girl led and gender non- conforming women led WROs with currently  little  or  no  access  to  funding  from  larger  donors  are  encouraged  to  apply. Women/girl-led organizations working on women’s rights issues that are made up of and/or working with socially excluded and disadvantaged women and girls who include but are not limited to; refugees, ethnic minorities, rural women, urban disadvantaged, women and girls living  with  disability,  HIV  and  AIDS,  sexual  minorities,  and  sex  workers   are  particularly encouraged to apply.

 

5.2. Eligible themes / topics

Eligible organizations may submit a Concept Note on any theme as long as it relates to the rights of women and girls and gender non- conforming groups. Funds may be used to implement activities, conduct advocacy, to build the strength of  the  organization  itself,  and  /  or  improve  the  capacity  of  its  staff  / volunteers / members.

5.3 Duration

The planned duration of a project is a maximum of 24 months. The planned duration of the initial project grant is a maximum of 24 months.

5.4 Types of projects

• All applications must indicate which category they fall under and which outcome areas under section 2.1 the application is contributing to.
• An application may seek to contribute to outcome areas that are under both categories provided the entire amount requested for does not exceed the maximum limit provided per category. Also, the work should be it is about taking gender transformative approaches and tackling women’s rights, challenging gender norms etc.

5.5 Number of applications per applicant

An applicant must submit only one Concept Note under this Call. 

5.6 GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE

1. Projects should take place only in Kenya in the targeted counties of this call ( Isiolo, Bomet, Kericho, Kajiado, Kiambu, Mombasa, Kwale, Tharaka Nithi, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Tana river, Laikipia ,Embu, Machakos, Kisumu.) especially those working in or located in remote and underserved areas.

5.7 Eligible Costs; Cost which may be taken into consideration for the grant

Only “eligible costs” can be taken into account for a grant. The categories of costs considered as eligible and non-eligible are indicated below.

5.7.1 Eligible Costs  Eligible costs under the Call will include: 

1. Cost related to implementation of activities, advocacy, capacity building
2. Personnel costs:

iii. Equipment.

1. Office Rent, utilities, communication etc.
2. Transportation
3. Other costs that will support and strengthen the organization

5.7.2 Ineligible costs

The following costs are not eligible:

• Debts and provisions for losses or debts;
• Interest owed;
• Items already financed in another framework;
• Purchases of land or buildings, except where necessary for the direct implementation of the project, in which case ownership must be transferred to the final beneficiaries and/or local partners, at the latest by the end of the project;
• Currency exchange losses;
• Taxes, including VAT, unless the Beneficiary (or the Beneficiary’s partners) cannot reclaim them and the applicable regulations do not forbid coverage of taxes;
• Credit to third parties.

6.0 ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES

• First level assessment (Administrative /Compliance) check

The concept notes will undergo the first level assessment determining whether they meet the eligibility criteria above. Those that do not meet the criteria above will be disqualified at this level.

• Second Level assessment – (Evaluation of concept notes)

The Concept notes that pass the first level assessment will be evaluated by a team of evaluators drawn from the partners participating in the WVL project: CARE, CREAW, CRAWN  Trust, and Uraia Trust, based on the scoring criteria matrix provided under Annex 1 – Concept Evaluation/Scoring Grid.

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

1. Institutional capacity of the organization to implement its proposed concept note.
2. Extent of the organization’s focus on women’s and girls’ rights, gender non -conforming individuals rights and services.
3. Must be an organization that can demonstrate, through its activities and actions:
4. A belief in the full realization of women’s and girls’ and gender non- conforming services and human rights.
5. The main focus of the organizations activities and results is on making systematic changes to sustainably improve women’s and girls’ lives, gender non- conforming individuals, including by engaging men and boys.
6. Quality and quantity of experience in doing activities on promoting women and girls’, gender non – conforming issues and rights.
7. Quality of concept note submitted (clarity of problem statement, goals, objectives, activities, link between problem statement and proposed objectives/activities).
8. Potential for sustainable impact.
9. Reasonable costing of budgeted items.
10. Value-for-money.
11. Demonstrate ability to stay through the life of the project.

7. HOW TO APPLY AND THE PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW

7.1 Application form

• Applications must be submitted in accordance with the instructions on the concept note template attached to this call for concepts (attached below). Applicants will be expected to submit a concept paper and indicative budget submitted with relevant supporting documents.
• All applications must be in English.
• Hand-written applications will not be accepted.
• Any error or major discrepancy related to the points listed in the instructions on the Concept may lead to the rejection of the application.
• Please note that only the application form and the required annexes ( budget template, concept note) will be evaluated. It is therefore of utmost importance that these documents contain ALL relevant information concerning the project. No additional annexes should be sent apart from those requested.

 

6.2 Where and how to send the Applications. 

Applicants should verify that their application is complete using the checklist attached to the grant application form. Incomplete applications may be rejected.

For organizations submitting hard copies:

• The complete application form (Annex A: Concept Note), must be submitted in one original bound and stamped.
• The outer envelope must bear the reference number and the title of the call for Concept Notes, together with the title, the full name and address of the applicant, and the words “Not to be opened before the opening session”.

Applications should be submitted in either a sealed envelope by registered mail, private courier service or by hand-delivery (a signed and dated certificate of receipt will be given to the deliverer).

The Project Manager
Centre for Rights Education and Awareness – CREAW
Elgeyo Marakwet Close off Elgeyo Marakwet Road, Hse No. 1 (on the Left), Kilimani.
P.O. Box 35470 – 00100, Nairobi, Kenya.

Google Maps: CREAW Kenya – Headquarters

Applicants must verify that their application is complete using the checklist attached to the grant application form. Incomplete applications may be rejected.

For organizations submitting through the portal or email submissions: 

• • • The subject line should mention “Not to be opened before the opening session”. The reference number and the title of the call for Concept Notes, together with the title, the full name and address of the applicant, should be included in the email.
    • The submission email should be 5MB or less. If you have several attachments making the submission more than 5MB, you can send the submission in several emails one after the other.
    • For any questions on the call, please refer to CREAW’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAPQs) about the WVL Call found in the CREAW website, or write an email through the following email address:
    • [email protected].
    • All common questions received would be added to the Frequently Asked Questions document. The queries will be responded to within 48 working hours or Tel +254 720 357 664 (Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm).
    • CREAW accepts queries on the Call up to the 12^th August 2021. Note: Each organization can only submit one application. Applicants must use the concept note template and budget notes template provided. The concept note template is available on the CREAW website

To Apply Click Here:  Call-For-Proposals-WVL-Kenya – Application

 

6.3 Deadline for Submission of Applications 

The deadline for the submission of applications is 12^th August 2021  as evidenced by the date of dispatch, the postmark or the date of the deposit slip. In the case of hand-deliveries, the deadline for receipt is at 17.00 hours (5pm) Kenyan Time as evidenced by the signed and dated receipt. Any application submitted after the deadline will be automatically rejected.

Submission deadline:

12 August 2021 – 17.00 pm EAT

 

6.4. Feedback on applications

The successful applicants under this call will be contacted by the CREAW secretariat directly by 12th of October 2021 and advised about the success of their application and next steps. Depending on number of applications received it may not be possible to communicate a decision to all the unsuccessful applicants.

The information on successful applicants will be published on CREAW’s website and all social media and relevant community media platforms. It will also be electronically circulated to CREAW’s networks with the list of successful applicants made available with all annexes at CREAW’s headquarters, satellite and regional offices, at partner institutions and or state offices such as local chiefs in the target areas.

 

Annex 1: EVALUATION CRITERIA/SCORING MATRIX

1. Operational   capacity	Score
1.1   Does the applicant have adequate representation of women (or gender   non-conforming people) in the organization’s staff team, leadership or  Governance team?	5
1.2.   Does the applicant have sufficient management capacity? (Including staff,   equipment and ability to handle the budget for the action/project?)	10
1.3   Is the organization made up of and/or working with socially excluded and   disadvantaged women and girls or gender non-conforming individuals who   include but are not limited to; refugees, ethnic minorities, rural women,   urban disadvantaged, women and girls living    with disability, HIV    and AIDS, sexual    minorities, or sex    workers?	5
2. Relevance of   the action	Score
2.1 How relevant is the proposal to the objectives and priorities of the Call for Proposals?	10
2.2   Extent of the organization’s focus    on women’s and girls’ rights   and services, can demonstrate, through its activities and actions, a    belief in the    full realization of women’s and   girls’ or gender non-conforming people’s human rights; a focus on transforming gender    inequalities and making   systematic changes to sustainably improve women’s and girls’ or gender   non-conforming people’s lives,    (which may also include by engaging men and boys)	20
3. Quality of   the project proposal	Score
3.1   Are the activities proposed appropriate, practical, inclusive, and consistent   with the expected results?	10
3.2 Quality    and quantity of    experience in doing activities,    awareness-raising or advocacy   on women’s, girl’s or LGBTI issues and rights	5
3.3   What is the presence/reach of the Organization in the county it serves.	5
3.4   What is the Quality of Concept Note submitted promising approaches to advance   gender equality	5
3.5   What is the degree of sustainability of the expected results?	5
4. Budget and   cost-effectiveness of the action	Score
4.1   Reasonable costing of budgeted items	5
4.2   Past experience managing    similar size of grant	5
4.3   Value-for-money	10
5.   Total score and recommendations	Score
1 Operational capacity	20
2 Relevance of the action	30
3 Quality of the project proposal	30
4 Budget and cost-effectiveness of the   action	20
Total	100

 

Requisite Documents

 

	Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Project – Call 2 – Brief
	Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Project – Call 2 (Final)
	WVLG concepts note Template
	Budget Development Guidance Notes
	Budget Guiding Notes Template