Opportunity: Increasing Interoperability of Social Good Data

Deadline- May 7, 2013

Applicants are invited for Grand Challenges Explorations Round 11 for which the topic will be Increasing Interoperability of Social Good Data. The objective of this program is to solicit new and innovative approaches to increase the interoperability of data that can be used for social good. We are looking for approaches that deal with both the technological and policy barriers to achieving interoperability, and encourage projects that embrace the complexity of these issues.

Mission-

    Improving the availability and use of program impact data by bringing together data from multiple organizations operating in the same field and geographical area
    Enabling combinations of data through application programming interface (APIs), taxonomy crosswalks, classification systems, middle ware, natural language processing, and/or data sharing agreements
    Reducing inefficiency for users entering similar information into multiple systems through common web forms, profiles, apps, interfaces, etc.
    Creating new value for users trying to pull data from multiple sources
    Providing new ways to access and understand more than one data set, for example, through new data visualizations, including mashing up government and other data;
    Identifying needs and barriers by experimenting with increased interoperability of multiple data sets;
    Providing ways for people to access information that isn’t normally accessible (for using natural language processing to pull and process stories from numerous sources) and combing that information with open data sets.

Eligibility-

Submissions from partnerships and collaborations, particularly those that create interdisciplinary teams or groups are invited.
For more information, visit this link

The “One Health” Concept: Bringing Together Human and Animal Health for New Solutions

Deadline- May 7, 2013

Applications are invited for The “One Health” Concept: Bringing Together Human and Animal Health for New Solutions program. This is an opportunity which would  emerge across the discovery-development-delivery spectrum for knowledge and practices in one field to accelerate progress in the other.  For example, advances in drug and vaccine discoveries for human diseases can provide tools and approaches for animal diseases that still plague developing countries.

Issues-

    Specific human and livestock diseases, as listed below
    Human nutrition
    Health service delivery
    Measurement of impact

Eligibility & Criteria-

    People: Solutions for problems faced by poor people, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia;
    Collaboration: Ideas that combine both animal and human health approaches or take approaches from one and apply to the other to create a transformative solution;
    Knowledge: Increases knowledge/understanding on interdependencies between the foundation’s priority areas (e.g. Human Health, Animal Health, Environmental Health, Nutrition, and Sustainability).
For more information, visit this link

New Approaches for Detection, Treatment, and Control of Selected Neglected Tropical Diseases

Deadline- May 7, 2013

Funding opportunity has been announced for New Approaches for Detection, Treatment, and Control of Selected Neglected Tropical Diseases under the Grand Challenges Explorations Round 11. Applicants are invited from within and outside the NTD (Neglected Tropical Diseases) community who have ideas for new approaches for detection, treatment and control of selected neglected tropical diseases. The objective of this program  to generate novel approaches to treatment and control of onchocerciasis, LF, STH, and schistosomiasis. New technologies and innovations are encouraged  to improve detection of viable adult worms, to develop drug treatments that are safe, effective, and affordable, and interventions that interrupt transmission, with the ultimate goal of ridding the world of these infectious diseases.

Some of the key challenges facing the development of drugs and diagnostics for these specific diseases are as follows-

    Need for strategies that address multiple diseases: Many individuals are infected with more than one pathogen causing the NTDs described above. New strategies are needed to integrate mapping, treatment, monitoring, and surveillance of some combination of these diseases (onchocerciasis, LF, Loa loa, STH, and schistosomiasis) simultaneously.
    Drug development is hampered by lack of robust and facile model systems: For the discovery of a macrofilaricide, greater access to the adult worms that cause onchocerciasis and LF, or a validated surrogate model, is needed. Current efficacy models are very time-consuming and require large quantities of drug candidate.
    Need for development of new drugs to treat these NTDs: Effective, safe, inexpensive and tolerable medicines are needed to treat populations affected by onchocerciasis and LF. Since entire communities are frequently treated using an MDA schedule, new drugs must be safe and effective for children, pregnant women, and other populations at high risk for complications.
    Need for diagnostics for mapping, treatment, monitoring and/or surveillance of these NTDs: For onchocerciasis and LF, diagnostics are needed to determine when adult worms have been killed and MDA can be discontinued. For areas where Loa loa is co-endemic with onchocerciasis, a diagnostic is needed to detect individuals who harbor high levels of Loa loa microfilariae. New point-of-care diagnostics are also needed for STH and schistosomiasis. For diagnostics to have the greatest impact, one test or diagnostic platform should simultaneously diagnose multiple diseases, samples must be easy to collect and transport, and tests must be either point-of-care or have the ability to be batched for high-throughput analysis at regional laboratory centers.

Proposals must-

    have a testable hypothesis,
    include an associated plan for how the idea would be tested or validated, and
    yield interpretable and unambiguous data in Phase I, in order to be considered for Phase II funding
For more information, visit this link

Develop the Next Generation of Condom

Deadline- 7th May, 2013

Grand Challenges in global health has announced funding opportunity to develop the next generation of condom under Grand Challenges Explorations Round 11. The purpose of this program is to improve the product attributes of one of the most ubiquitous and potentially underutilized products on earth. New concept designs with new materials can be prototyped and tested quickly. Large-scale human clinical trials are not required. Manufacturing capacity, marketing, and distribution channels are already in place.

Proposals must-

    have a testable hypothesis
    include an associated plan for how the idea would be tested or validated
    yield interpretable and unambiguous data in Phase I, in order to be considered for Phase II funding

Funding is offered to

    Application of safe new materials that may preserve or enhance sensation
    Development and testing of new condom shapes/designs that may provide an improved user experience
    Application of knowledge from other fields (e.g. neurobiology, vascular biology) to new strategies for improving condom desirability
For more information, visit this link

Labor Saving Strategies and Innovations for Women Smallholder Farmers

Deadline- 7th May 2013

Proposals are invited for Labor Saving Strategies and Innovations for Women Smallholder Farmers program under Grand Challenges Explorations Round 11. This program is funded by Grand Challenge in Global health. The goal of this program is solicit innovative, holistic solutions to boost labor productivity of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa with a specific emphasis on increasing the productivity of women farmers’ labor.

Proposals must

    demonstrate how an understanding of farmers’ needs and perspective informed the design of the solution,
    include a basic plan that describes the manufacturing, delivery, upkeep and maintenance (if a physically engineered solution),
    detail how usership and adoption will be measured over time.

Funding is offered to-

    Development and in-country testing of low-cost hand implements or simple machines that increase labor productivity (this might include but is not limited to seeders, weeders, threshing and winnowing tools, and appropriate animal-powered machinery, all having innovative ergonomic or mechanical advantage);
    Awareness campaigns targeting inefficiency of gender norms related to using draught power;
    Novel practices or technologies that decrease labor expenditure for women in weeding row crops;
    Innovative financing solutions to incentivize smallholder uptake of new labor saving innovations;
    Equipment maintenance schemes;
    Conservation agriculture projects that explicitly demonstrate immediate labor saving potential;
    Other transformative labor-saving solutions not highlighted here.

Focus areas-

    New or adapted labor-saving technologies that take into consideration cost, maintenance, upkeep and farmer needs in the design.
    Improved practices that save labor in land preparation, seeding, weeding, pest control, tillage, harvest and post-harvest.
    Business and/or distribution models that positively affect incentives for farmer adoption of labor saving devices.
    Behavior change strategies that tackle socio-cultural and/or gender constraints to adoption of labor saving innovations.
    Novel and low cost methods in marketing approaches for technologies that have demonstrated labor saving impact for women through piloting or beta testing.

Eligibility & Criteria-

Researchers and entrepreneurs – especially those working outside of agricultural development – to review what has not worked in the past in order to better understand the various constraints to farmer adoption of labor saving innovations and to generate ideas that will revolutionize current approaches to crop protection, management and harvesting are encouraged to apply.
For more information, visit this link

MacArthur Foundation’s Call for Proposals for Strengthening Education

MacArthur Foundation has announced a call for proposals for the Partnership to Strengthen Innovation and Practice in Secondary Education (PSIPSE). The aim of the program is to accelerate innovation in secondary education programming, research, and development in selected countries. It is led by a group of private donors and donor advisors, including ELMA Philanthropies Services, Human Dignity Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, MasterCard Foundation, and Wellspring Advisors, who have come together to encourage a new wave of innovation and learning in secondary education.

The PSIPSE’s focus is both upper and lower secondary education. Where schooling at the upper level is further divided between traditional general secondary education and vocational education, PSIPSE is focused on increasing the relevance of general secondary education learning.  PSIPSE supports programs and projects targeted to the formal education system and informal programs that help students transition to or re-enter the formal system.  PSIPSE is interested in four thematic areas: demand, improving teacher effectiveness, promoting employment-relevant skills, and alternative educational models for learning (see ‘Thematic Areas of Interest’ section below).

Proposals submitted may be for pilots, for research, or  for scale-up (see ‘Types of Projects’ section below). Regardless of their nature, the PSIPSE encourages projects with replication and scale-up potential. Across the four themes, the PSIPSE looks for projects that (i) target marginalized populations, such as girls; (ii) use technology in innovative, cross-cutting ways**; or (iii) do both. The PSIPSE is also concerned with the delivery of secondary education to conflict-affected populations in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and in Uganda.

Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals for projects that benefit the following marginalized populations:

    Learners living in low-resource or poverty-affected areas
    Girls and young women
    Learners with physical, intellectual and /or developmental disabilities

Geography

Applicants may propose work in the following geographic areas:

    East Africa
    Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
    Ethiopia
    Kenya
    Rwanda
    Tanzania
    Uganda

*: Note, projects targeting conflict-affected populations are welcomed only in the Eastern DRC (North Kivu, South Kivu, Province Orientale, Maniema) and in Uganda (Northern Uganda, West Nile Sub-region, and Western Uganda). Funding in Uganda is not restricted, however, to conflict-affected populations, nor to any particular parts of the country

    Nigeria (particularly the states of Kano, Sokoto, Jigawa, Lagos, Rivers, and Cross Rivers)
    India (particularly the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh and the cities of Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai)

These regions and countries have been selected based on secondary education needs, as well as strategic and geographic priorities of donor and donor advisor partners. Projects that take a regional focus may also apply

The deadline for all Letters of Inquiry submissions is May 15, 2013 at 12:00 pm CST. For more information, visit this link.

Funding for Greater Sage-Grouse Research: Request for Proposals

Deadline- 8 May, 2013

Proposals are invited for funding research and management support projects through the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Inter-Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) Greater Sage-Grouse Initiative. The objective of this research project is to enhance greater sage-grouse conservation at landscape scales.

A total of $500,000 is available and will be granted to fund projects.

Eligibility & Criteria-

    Eligible applicants include partners of the four LCCs within the range of the greater sage-grouse,  state and provincial wildlife agencies, other collaborating agencies, universities and NGOs.
    Projects must have a clear tie to sage-grouse conservation,  conservation planning or management at LCC, inter-LCC, or range-wide scales. Projects must be able to be completed without additional FWS funding as all available funds will be applied to projects; there will not be opportunities to apply for additional funding in future years.
For more information, visit this link

Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO programs benefiting Tibetan refugees in South Asia

Deadline- 15 April 2013

U.S Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration is accepting proposals for NGO Programs Benefiting Tibetan Refugees in South Asia.This funding opportunity focuses on Health, including reproductive health, Livelihoods, Education.

Country specific priorities-

    India- Health, Livelihoods, Education,Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Protection
    Nepal- NGO Capacity Building, Health, Livelihoods, Education,Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)

PRM anticipates providing approximately $2.6 million to fund NGO programs in South Asia.

Eligibility & Criteria-

    Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
    Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

For more information, visit grants.gov and search by funding opportunity number.PRM-PRMOAPNE-13-006

Open Society Foundations’ Youth Initiative Requests Proposals

The Open Society Foundations’ Youth Initiative proposals for up to $10,000 in funding to develop and curate thematic pages on the new global youth portal and community at youthpolicy.org. Through grantmaking and support for debate programs, the Youth Initiative works to engage students and youth from all backgrounds in policy issues critical to their future.

The Initiative seeks to identify, inspire, empower, and learn from a network of young people to promote equality, justice, and open society values worldwide.

The Youth Initiative’s main office is in New York with staff in Kyrgyzstan; Hungary; Uganda; Ukraine; and the United Kingdom.  Programs include Global Debates, a $20 million program that challenges universities to engage students in the policy issues that will have a lasting impact on their future.  The Youth Initiative also supports youth debate programs and training outside traditional educational institutions in over 50 countries, with a particular focus on the Middle East and North Africa, China and Southeast Asia, Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Central Asia.

The youthpolicy.org  aims to consolidate knowledge and information on youth policies across the international sector, ranging from analysis and formulation to implementation and evaluation.

Themes

Potential themes for website pages include, but are not limited to:

    Participation and Citizenship
    Activism and Volunteering
    Children and Youth Rights
    Global Drug Policy
    Community Work
    Research and Knowledge
    Informal Learning
    Environment and Sustainability
    Multiculturalism and Minorities
    Justice

Youthpolicy.org is a project by Demokratie & Dialog e.V. with initial support by the Open Society Foundations.

Organizations seeking funding must be registered NGOs. Please note: grants will not be made to individuals or for-profit entities. Proposals should not exceed $10,000 or one year in length. All proposals must be submitted in English. To Apply, download the complete application guidelines below.
Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis. For more information, visit this link.

Young Innovators 2013: Funding for Your Ideas

The Young Innovators Competition 2013 is looking for young people aged between 18 and 26 years with an inspirational ICT-based solution to developmental challenges. Ten winning finalists will be selected to attend ITU Telecom World 2013 in Bangkok, taking part in workshops, pitching sessions, mentoring and networking, plus receiving seed funding of up to USD 10,000 per project.

Organized by the ITU Telecom World, this competition is looking for innovative solutions which can really make an impact on the world and improve people’s lives by using connected technologies (ICTs) to address one of our Six Grand Challenges:

    Improve employment opportunities for young people and migrant workers
     Reduce food and water wastage at individual and retail level
     Facilitate access to public services for the elderly
     Improve natural disaster prediction and response
     Improve road safety for both drivers and pedestrians
     Protect sensitive personal data and inspire the creation of local digital content

ITU Telecom World 2013 is the leading platform for the global ICT community. High-level debate, knowledge-sharing and networking. The essentials to drive industry success and address critical world socio-economic challenges. The one conversation that matters, with the people that matter, with the power to make a real difference in the world.

The ITU Telecom World 2013 will be held from 19 to 22 November 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Deadline for applications: June 30th, 2013 at 24:00 GMT+2.
For more information, visit this link.

GSMA mWomen Innovation Fund – Seed Grants for NGOs

Deadline- 12 June 2013

GSMA has announced the launch of GSMA mWomen Innovation Fund grants for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).  The goal of the GSMA mWomen Programme is to promote greater mobile access and usage by resource-poor women in low- and middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, and Asia Pacific.

The objectives of the Innovation Fund for NGOs are to provide seed funding in order to:

    Accelerate the use of mobile technology to achieve development-related goals, specifically the empowerment of resource-poor women
    Provide solutions to the barriers to women’s adoption and use of mobile phones and VAS
    Generate lessons and models of success which can be shared with the wider development community, as well as mobile operators
    Stimulate productive partnerships between NGOs and mobile operators in order to achieve these objectives at scale

This round of grants is dedicated to NGOs (including social enterprises), working in partnership with mobile network operators.  Its objectives are to:

    Provide seed funding to support the design and launch of innovative products, services, marketing approaches and distribution mechanisms aimed at increasing women’s access to mobile and use of life-enhancing mobile services
    Generate lessons and models of success which can be shared with the wider development community and the mobile industry
    Stimulate productive partnerships between NGOs and mobile network operators.

Please note that this round of grants is open only to NGOs.  The next round of grants for mobile network operators will be launched in the second half of 2013.

This round is comprised of three matching grants, valued up to US$ 140,000 for projects up to ten months long. The grants are intended to provide seed funding for NGOs, working in partnership with mobile network operators, to design and launch products, value added services, marketing campaigns and/or distribution mechanisms (‘offerings’) that will increase women’s access to and use of mobile and life-enhancing services.
The deadline to submit concept notes is 12 June 2013. For more information, visit this link.

CZ MFA Eastern Partnership Grant Scheme 2013

Deadline- 10 May 2013

Proposals are being accepted by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic for projects targeting the priorities of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs has allocated up to € 140 000  for small projects implemented by the civil society organizations in Partner countries in 2013. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs has allocated up to € 140 000  for small projects implemented by the civil society organizations in Partner countries in 2013.

Projects with an “Eastern Partnership appeal” overcoming single-country optics (involving more than one EaP country) and addressing issues common for several Eastern Partnership countries are accepted. This may also include sharing experience among civil society in various countries, addressing divisions between countries or exploring common solutions to problems.

Eligibility & Criteria-

Applying organizations should come preferably from Partner countries.

For more information, visit this link

ILO’s Youth-to-Youth Replication Fund

Deadline: 10 May 2013

The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Youth Employment Network (YEN) developed in partnership with the United Nations, International Labour Organziation, and the World Bank has launched a new funding opportunity called the Youth-to-Youth Replication Fund (Y2Y2).

This is a competitive grant scheme open to youth-led organizations in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya to replicate the most innovative entrepreneurship development project ideas from the first two rounds of the Youth to Youth (Y2Y) Fund which has been implemented since 2010 in East Africa as part of the Youth Entrepreneurship Facility.

As part of the newly launched Replication Fund, youth-led organizations in the three program countries are invited to apply to implement one of the 14 most innovative of the Y2Y project ideas, tailoring the original ideas to fit the new context and new target group and introducing new features and innovations to it.

The ideas promoted for replication vary significantly, but they all address challenges for young people to become entrepreneurs and aim to provide opportunities for the youth to start a business or improve their existing businesses.

The best replication proposals will receive grants of USD $5,000 – $10,000 along with technical assistance from the Youth Entrepreneurship Facility. YEF is looking for organizations with demonstrated experience in implementing similar projects with positive results; organizations with strong financial management, project management, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting experience.
For more information, visit this link.

Call for proposals: Civil society in Portugal

Deadline- 1 July 2013

EEA and Norway Grants are inviting applications to strengthen civil society’s role in Portugal. The major goal of this program is to strengthen the development of civil society and enhance its contribution to social justice, democracy and sustainable development. Three priorities areas are as follows-

    Participation of NGOs in the implementation of public policy design and instruments at the local, regional and national levels
    Active role in human rights, minorities and anti‐discrimination
    Effectiveness of NGO action

Eligibility & Criteria-

    Portuguese Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), i.e. non-profit, voluntary, private legal entities, may apply if they-

    are legally established
    pursue the general interest or common good
    are independent from local, regional or national authorities and other public or socio-professional or business organizations
    are not party organizations or political parties
    are not religious organizations

    Partner entities, which may be entities from Portugal or from either Donor or or Beneficiary countries, must comply with the general conditions of eligibility of the Programme established in article 15 of the Rules of the Programme.
    In order to apply for ‘large projects’ it is also necessary that the NGO has been created and registered for more than one year before the date of application.
    Each project promoter may submit only one application per field of intervention, whether for large or small projects.
For more information, visit this link

2013 SEED Awards for Sustainable Development Call for Applications

Deadline: 12 June 2013

The SEED Initiative has launched a new call for applications for the 2013 SEED Awards to support entrepreneurs for sustainable development.

If you are a start-up entrepreneur, women-led enterprise or have an idea to integrate social and environmental benefits, solving pressing local issues or making significant contributions to mitigating climate change or if you need support to help establish and grow your enterprise, then you can apply for this funding.

The SEED Awards 2013 receives support from the European Union, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, the government of Flanders, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the international law firm Hogan Lovells.

For the 2013 cycle, SEED will make available up to:

    15 SEED Awards to enterprises in Ethiopia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda;
    5 SEED Awards for enterprises in South Africa;
    3 SEED Awards for South African enterprises in the provinces of Free State, Limpopo and KwaZulu Natal;
    10 SEED Low Carbon Awards for enterprises in Colombia, India, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam;
    2 SEED Gender Equality Awards, for enterprises in other countries (except countries that are OECD or EU members).

You will be able to apply for a 2013 SEED Award if your enterprise:

    demonstrates entrepreneurship and innovation
    delivers economic, social and environmental benefits
    has the intention and potential to become financially sustainable
    is a partnership between different stakeholder groups
    is locally driven or locally led
    has potential for scale up or significant replication
    is in the early stages of implementation
    is in a country with a developing or emerging economy

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, June 12th, 2013, 23:59 Central European Time (CET).
For more information, visit this link.

Conference and matchmaking seminar in Slovenia

Deadline- 7 May 2013

All interested participants are invited to participate in conference and matchmaking seminar in Ljubljana on 19 June 2013.

Focus areas of this conference are-

    Human rights
    Democracy
    Social equality
    Empowerment of vulnerable groups, in particular children and youth
    Environmental protection
    Provision of welfare and social services

Eligible activities include-

    Advocacy, awareness raising, participation in decision-making processes
    Monitoring, watchdog
    Education & training
    Fostering active citizenship
    Fostering the mechanisms of direct democracy
    Transnational cooperation
    Research, analyses and survey in limited scope as a basis for follow up activities if not available yet
    Promotion of NGOs at local level
    Fostering of mechanisms of direct democracy

Eligibility-

Slovenian NGOs are invited to apply.

For more information, visit this link

Berghof Foundation’s Grant for Conflict Transformation: Youth as Change-makers

Berghof Foundation has announced the 2013 Call for Proposals for ‘Grant for Innovation in Conflict Transformation: Youth as Change-makers – from conflict actors to peacebuilders’

The grant focuses on the roles and nonviolent strategies by which young people contribute to constructive conflict transformation.

The call encourages the submission of project proposals based on research, education, arts and practice that are complementary to activities carried out by the Berghof Foundation. The projects the Foundation seeks to fund should empower young people to act as agents of conflict transformation and to become actively engaged as change-makers and motivated peacebuilders.

Proposals should offer creative ideas and innovative approaches on:

• Fostering nonviolent strategies and approaches of youth to resist against repression, injustice or foreign occupation
• Developing applicable youth-specific approaches to post-war reconciliation, conflict transformation and peacebuilding
• Dealing constructively with youth-related violence and its root causes
• Strengthening youth organisations as bridge-builders (across borders, ethnic barriers, cultures or social classes)
• Empowering youth as agents for a culture of peace

Initial Applications for this call can be submitted through the Foundation’s online grant application form from 1 May 2013 until 31 May 2013.

For more information, visit this link.