Fund to tackle gender-based violence in Egypt: call for concept notes
To mark 16 days of activism this year, the British Embassy in Cairo is launching the UK لها ومعها Fund to help efforts to tackle gender-based violence in Egypt.
Background
The UK لها ومعها (Laha w Maha/ For Her, With Her) Fund will be funded through the UK Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), a cross UK government programme that delivers projects to address violence and instability around the world. The UK لها ومعها Fund is informed by evidence on best practice from UK Aid’s flagship programme What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls.
Gender-based violence can affect everyone, but disproportionately affects women and girls globally. In both the UK and Egypt this year we have witnessed tragic crimes against women and girls. Sadly, changing the views that often drive gender-based violence can be difficult. Accessing services like legal, psychological, and medical support can also often be challenging.
Reporting crimes can mean not being believed. Seeking justice when there is not an admission of guilt by the offender can sometimes entail a lengthy and frightening delay until a trial takes place. These crimes are therefore often hidden. The UK is committed to supporting both the response for victims and survivors and placing a clear focus on preventing these crimes from happening in the first place. Everyone has a role in doing this.
The UK لها ومعها Fund is open to creative collaborative proposals from a wide range of actors in Egypt with a major focus on 2 core strands of effort: Prioritising Prevention and Supporting Survivors. These include:
- religious institutions
- charities
- local community groups
- schools and universities
- business and private sector
- local government
Programme details
The UK لها ومعها Fund will provide small grants to Egyptian organisations who look to work imaginatively in consortia with wider groups, ensuring reach to rural or underserved demographics, towards Prioritising Prevention and Supporting Survivors.
This model responds to recommendations made (including from UK funded consultations and research to provide funding for women-focused organisations that allow them to determine their own priorities and activities, responding flexibly to changes in context. Concept notes can focus on one or both of the 2 core strands of effort detailed below.
1. Prioritising Prevention: addressing the root causes, reducing prevalence and tolerance of gender-based violence
Focus areas under this strand include, but are not limited to:
- changing attitudes: working with those who hold influence, particularly with men and boys, to challenge those who think the victim is to blame, or that violence and abuse is acceptable or a private matter
- changing behaviour: helping victims feel more confident to report abuse, empowering individuals to play their part in tackling the issues by encouraging active bystander action
- educating across the spectrum of what gender-based violence is: violence can be physical, emotional or through coercive behaviour, financial, and institutional
- addressing inequitable gender beliefs: including stereotypes of gender roles and stigma
- supporting safety: including online, in public spaces, transport, workplaces, schools and universities
2. Supporting Survivors: strengthening availability and specialism in service provision for survivors of gender-based violence
Focus areas under this strand include, but are not limited to:
- increasing geographical reach of community and local support services, crisis centres or refuges to rural and underserved areas
- legal support: availability and specialism in prosecuting gender-based violence
- medical support: including training for emergency services
- psychological and trauma support through specialist counsellors
- tailored support to specific groups: for example, based on sex, ethnicity, age, disability, including specialist service helplines under a “by and for” model
Drafting concept notes and bids: guidance and assessment criteria
UK لها ومعها Fund welcomes bids from Egyptian women-focused organisations across civil society, religious institutions, local community groups, schools, and universities. If you are unsure of your ability to apply, contact us at withherforher@fcdo.gov.uk. All lead bid organisations (if the bidder is looking to work with a consortium of organisations) will have a track record to justify the technical and organisational capacity required to implement.
Concept note bids and budgets should detail how at least 70% of funding bid will be targeted at directly supporting women and girls. Concept notes should detail how they can meet the specific needs of rural and underserved demographics, prioritising inclusion.
Concept notes should clearly outline:
- evidenced need
- ambition and projected impact
- timeframes
- estimated costs
- risks
- sustainability
- organisation’s ability and track record operation, including how your organisation is equipped with the expertise and resources for this project as well as your organisation’s proposed approach to delivering, measuring progress and monitoring short-term impact
Concept notes should take a multi-stakeholder approach, working in consortium with smaller organisations or groups where possible to encourage reach across various demographics.
At concept note stage, bids will be assessed by:
- strategic fit: alignment with the stated strands of effort, underpinned by organisational values, and demonstrated experience, expertise and reach to take forward activity (25%)
- project design and viability: strong contextual analysis and understanding of GBV in Egypt a realistic description of activities including light methodology (25%)
- project monitoring, evaluation, learning approach, and value for money framed against considered, achievable outcomes and outputs (15%)
- approach to safeguarding: (15%)
- sustainability: clear consideration of how to sustain project benefit(s) after project completion (10%)
- risk management: a clear understanding and approach to risk management and to gender and conflict sensitivity (10%)
Bids should include a particular focus on how they shall measure value for money of their proposed approach. See UK Aid definition and guides to Value for Money. Strong proposals will be high-impact interventions, defined by clear evidence of the potential to deliver solutions that are sustainable and/or scalable.
Your approach to safeguarding and gender sensitivity will be a principal factor in successful bids. See UK Aid definition and guides to safeguarding practice.
The British Embassy in Egypt is supportive of building the capacity of small and rural organisations and are encouraged to apply in coalition with larger organisations. Concept notes selected to be developed into full proposals will be collaboratively supported with technical feedback, design, and monitoring and evaluation planning from FCDO Advisors. FCDO will use research and evidence on best practice from UK Aid’s flagship programme ‘What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls’ programme as a principal informant to design.
Other requirements
- FCDO requires applicants to have the necessary permissions to operate in Egypt
- 70% of funding should be targeted at women and girls
- bidders should have sufficient financial resilience and a proven track record of transparently and effectively managing donor funded projects
- CSSF will conduct a due diligence assessment on the successful potential partner including reviewing safeguarding measures
- projects will be delivered through a Grant Agreement and therefore the organisation cannot profit from the received grant funding. Read further information/guidance on what that agreement might look like
- additional project documentation, including a full itemised budget and results framework will be completed by the successful bidder/s invited to submit full proposals
Projects scope and scale
Projects will begin in April 2023 and run up until March 2025. Individual project budgets should not be more than £250,000.
Bidders should not craft proposals in such a way to reach the budget ceiling. Bidders should instead construct their bid to specifically meet the objectives in pursuit of demonstrable impact and value for money.
Bidding process
- complete and submit the project bid concept note in the project concept note form (ODT, 43.9 KB) in English or Arabic by 9 January 2023
- concept notes that do not meet the criteria and are not completed using the required forms will not be accepted
- completed forms should be sent in standard format with the subject title “UK لها ومعها Fund [XXX - name of the implementer]”, to withherforher@fcdo.gov.uk
- read the standard ‘Grant Agreement Template’ and ‘Guidance for Bidding Organisations’ documents on the FCDO International Programme guidance and templates page
Indicative timeline
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| 10 December 2022 | Announce request for submission of concept notes |
| 9 January 2023 | Deadline for concept note submission |
| 23 January 2023 | Invitation for shortlisted concept notes to develop full proposal, budget and results framework |
| 23 February 2023 | Deadline for full proposal submission |
| 5 March 2023 | Successful proposals announced |
| 2 April 2023 | Successful projects commence |
Contact
Contact withherforher@fcdo.gov.uk if you have questions.