Call for Proposals for the Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation Research

Deadline- 10 September 2013

The Department for International Development (DFID) in partnership with the  Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is inviting new and innovative proposals across 3 new areas in the fields of international development and humanitarian assistance.

The mission of this program is to provide insights into the specific barriers to inclusion facing disabled people in low income countries, such as access to health care, education, social protection and labour market services. Up to £2 million is available for this research programme.

Urbanisation and Risk in Africa

This research programme will address the evidence gaps around urbanisation and risk in an African context. The programme will map and measure the different dimensions of risk in urban Africa, and will produce policy relevant evidence that can help inform decision-makers in building urban resilience and manage risk and uncertainty. Up to £3.3 million is available for this research programme.

Poverty in Urban Spaces

This research will investigate how urban spaces are changing and what the emerging challenges for tackling urban poverty are. The programme will also consider what interventions can tackle urban poverty at scale in low income countries. Up to £2 million is available for this research programme.

Disability, Inequality and Poverty

This research programme will provide insights into the specific barriers to inclusion facing disabled people in low income countries, such as access to health care, education, social protection and labour market services. The programme will also consider how these barriers can be overcome. Up to £2 million is available for this research programme.

The objectives of this program is to-

    Fund new thinking on international development issues.
    Raise the quality and impact of social science research in development
    Encourage multi-disciplinary research
    Give access to international development research funding to a broader set of actors

Eligibility & Criteria-

All 3 research programmes are open to UK and non-UK researchers based in higher education institutions, research organizations and other organizations with a credible research capacity. Each programme will last for a maximum of 3 years.

For more information, visit this link

Jewish Helping Hand’s Tikkun Olam Grant Program

Deadline- 3 September 2013

Tikkun Olam grant program has been announced by Jewish Helping Hands which aims to inspire and support tzedakah, justice and righteousness throughout the world. The objective of this program is to focus on reaching needy and vulnerable populations in the United States and abroad, particularly those that have been overlooked or marginalized. The goal is to promote projects that will make a tangible and lasting difference in the lives of the populations served.

A typical grant award may be up to $5,000.

Eligibility & Criteria-

    Jewish Helping Hands is actually seeking partners,  individuals and organizations with a passion for the work of tikkun olam—of improving the world—who will continue to persevere until those in need are helped in a significant way.
    Potential partners are those who look to take on what may seem to be intractable problems, to address the needs of overlooked or ignored populations, and to use their creativity and personal commitment to find solutions where others may be convinced there are none.
    JHH especially seeks to partner with grassroots organizations who utilize resources local to their communities.

For more information, visit this link

Ockenden International’s $75,000 International Prize for Organizations working for the Displaced

Deadline: 16 August 2013

Ockenden International is accepting applications  from organisations with projects, programmes or activities that help refugees and displaced people in Africa, the Middle East or Asia for the Ockenden International Prize that provides funding of $75,000.

    Applicants must be registered as a charity. Applicants can apply on their own organization’s behalf or nominate a non-profit partner or affiliated organization.
    Applicants must be financially sound with high standards of governance.
    Applicants must include a copy of their organization’s most recent accounts with their application and also, if nominating a partner or affiliate, a copy of that organization’s most recent accounts.
    All applications should be made via the online Entry Form.
    For registered charities without access to the Internet, postal entries will be considered.

The project, programme or activity (referred to as the ‘project’) is the focus of the application

    The project submitted must benefit refugees or displaced people anywhere except the United Kingdom.
    The project submitted must have been initiated no earlier than May 1, 2010 (i.e. no more than 36 months before the opening date for the current year’s applications).
    Helping refugees and displaced people must be the prime focus of the project rather than an ancillary benefit and there must be a strong emphasis on promoting self-reliance.
    The applicant must be able to show that there have been measurable achievements and outcomes leading to real change in the lives of those helped.
    Where possible evidence of independent external evaluation should be provided. Shortlisted applicants Shortlisted applicants will be required to provide further evidence of their, and any nominee’s, financial and governance status to advance to the final round of judging, during which there will be an examination of both, as well as the project outcomes.

Judging criteria

The judges will, in particular, look for:

    initiatives that promote self-reliance among refugees and displaced people.
    approaches that have proved to be highly effective in improving the lives of refugees and displaced people.
    Work which has been carried out in especially difficult circumstances.
    Organizations with strong governance and financial management.

Payment of the prize

    The prize monies will be paid to the applicant to use directly or to transfer to their partner or affiliate if they nominated one.
    Two runners-up, second and third from the short-listed finalists, will win $10,000 each.
    The jury’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

For more information, visit this link.

Common Fund Call for Proposals: Funding Innovation to Make a Difference

Deadline: 4 October 2013

The Netherlands-based Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) has issued a call for proposals to support commodity development activities that benefit the poor in more than hundred countries around the world. CFC is a membership-based organization comprising of 105 countries and 10 institutional members such as the  European Union (EU), the African Union/African Economic Community (AU/AEC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and most recently, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Through financial support, the CFC seeks to support implementation of innovative interventions that target new opportunities in commodity markets leading to commodity based growth, employment generation, increase in household incomes, reduction in poverty, and enhancement of food security. The intervention should be scalable, commercially viable and financially sustainable and have a measurable positive impact on the stakeholders in commodity value chains.

The objectives of the CFC-supported projects are:

(i) Social: Create employment particularly for youth and women, increase household incomes, reduce poverty, and enhance food security.

(ii) Economic : Enhance production and productivity, achieve higher local value addition; improve competitiveness of producers, producer organisations and small and medium sized industries; support the financial sector development.

(iii) Building partnerships: Build effective and cost efficient collaboration between producers, industry, governments, civil society organisations and other stakeholders for commodity based development

The CFC supports organisations and enterprises engaged in commodity value chains. Through financial support, the CFC seeks to promote innovation to encourage established organisations and enterprises to extend their core activities in ways that create additional opportunities for commodities and the stakeholders in the commodity value chains.

The CFC partner organisations can be bilateral and multi-lateral development institutions, cooperatives, producer organisations, small and medium enterprises, processing and trading companies, and local financial institutions

Organizations have to submit an initial application following which on review, full and detailed proposals can be submitted. The deadline to submit initial proposals is 4 October 2013. For more information, visit this link.

Nexus Grants 2013: Call for Proposals

Deadline: 31 August 2013

Nexus-Carbon for Development has issued a call for proposals for the 2013 Grants for Innovation (“G41″) to provide funding for innovative projects that scale up low-carbon technologies contributing towards the  Millennium Development Goals, including innovations which enable such projects to overcome financial, social and legal barriers. Innovations are expected to:

-have strong potential for social impact, in particular poor populations

-have strong potential for climate change mitigation

-be feasible for scale-up, or replication in other areas or countries

-be built on a robust business model

Applications are invited from NGOs, social enterprises and other development-focused organizations. The Grant is US$60,000 per project; G4I will award up to two Grants in 2013.

G4I is administered by Nexus-Carbon for Development, a non-profit cooperative of development organizations that support vulnerable communities by scaling up successful climate-friendly projects. Nexus Members are award-winning development organizations, including social enterprises and NGOs, recognized for their significant impact in their fields.

For more information, visit this link.

JWF’s Peace Projects Request for Proposals

Deadline: 30 September 2013

The Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF) has announced a Request for Proposals for innovative conflict resolution and peacebuilding projects focused on preventing, managing and resolving violent conflict and promoting post-conflict peacebuilding, reconciliation and dialogue in communities experiencing conflict. JWF awards will support projects that apply a broad range of disciplines, skills and approaches.

Eligibility

Non-profit organizations and individuals (including but not limited to academicians, activists, artists, community organizers, educators, filmmakers, journalists, scholars, social workers, and students) from all nationalities are eligible to apply.

Proposals for supporting or advancing already existing projects are not eligible.

At least one member of the team must be over 18 years old.

There are no geographical restrictions on applicants.

For each key personnel (those in charge of managing and overseeing the implementation of the project, such as project directors, project managers, and those who will be involved in implementing the project), please provide a CV that shows the qualifications and competencies of the individuals to successfully perform the duties and responsibilities involved in project implementation.

Proposals must be submitted on the website http://peaceprojects.net by 11:59 am on September 30, 2013.

    Proposals must be typed and must follow the requirements outlined in the section entitled “How to Apply”. No changes to proposals will be accepted after the deadline.
    All proposals must be submitted in English.
    JWF is not liable for any costs incurred by applicants prior to the issuance of an agreement with JWF.
    Submitting a project gives JWF permission to use project materials in relevant outreach or public relations activities.
    Project duration should be a maximum of 2 years from the award date.
    JWF does not condone fraudulent projects of any kind. This includes plagiarism and the presentation of another’s work as one’s own. Fraudulent proposals will be rejected; if such a proposal is found to be fraudulent after receiving a grant, JWF will demand the return of the awarded amount.
    JWF may cancel or change the conditions of this solicitation at any time prior to awarding the contract. JWF will announce any changes made on Peace Projects website. Please check the website regularly.
    Questions concerning this solicitation should be submitted on the website. No questions will be accepted after the Summary Proposal submission deadline.

The Award:

Subject to funding, JWF’s plans for this solicitation are as follows:

    Total funding: US$500,000
    Project grants: US$50,000 maximum (to be used in the implementation of the project)
    Grants will be given in three installments. Details of these installments will be determined according to the work plan of each project and the grant agreement that will be signed between JWF and the awardees.
    Successful implementation awards (awarded upon successful implementation of projects):
        First Place Award: US$30,000
        Second Place Award: US$20,000
        Third Place Award: US$10,000

For more information, visit this link.

World Bank’s SIEF Call for Proposals

Deadline: 1 November 2013

The World Bank’s SIEF is a multi-donor trust fund, supported by DFID and administered by the World Bank’s Human Development Network. It has now announced its second call for proposals to improve the effectiveness of development policies by expanding the evidence base on the impact of scalable programs affecting human development outcomes.

The Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund (SIEF) promotes rigorous evidence-based decision making in development policies and programs designed to alleviate poverty. Similar to the first call for proposals in 2012, this second call focuses on thematic clusters chosen for their strategic policy relevance: (i) early childhood nutrition, health, and development; (ii) water supply, sanitation, and hygiene linked to human development outcomes; (iii) basic education service delivery; and (iv) health systems and service delivery. Within these clusters, impact evaluation teams may consider a range of program types as outlined in the cluster notes below.

The application process has two stages. The first stage requires completing the online SIEF Proposal Form and submitting a completed Budget Proposal Template by email by November 1, 2013. Proposals will be reviewed and scored by the Evaluation Review Committee according to the explicit criteria outlined in section VI. Selected proposals will have the opportunity to receive seed funding up to

US$25,000 to develop a full technical proposal for the impact evaluation. Selection in this round is not a guarantee of funding beyond the seed funding; in this stage, evaluation teams will be invited to submit full technical proposals with detailed budgets from which several will be selected to receive funding in the next stage.

In the second stage, the evaluation team will submit a full technical proposal with detailed budget that outlines the various aspects of the evaluation. SIEF management will work with teams selected in the first stage to ensure that the full technical proposals submitted are consistent with the focus of the thematic cluster notes, given the other evaluations in the cluster portfolio.

Proposals must be submitted by the World Bank TTL via the online form.

For more information, visit this link.

ONE Africa Award 2013: Grant Opportunity for NGOs working to reduce poverty

Deadline: 19 August 2013

The 2013 ONE Africa Award is accepting applications from NGOs to provide $100,000 grant prize for organizations working towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the world’s blueprint to a better future, ranging from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education.

The 2013 ONE AFRICA Award will award best practices by an African organization or individual addressing social development issues through innovative advocacy in promotion of MDG attainment.

Organizations will be graded in 5 categories and will be awarded between 1-10 points in each of these categories:

1. Extent to which the organization has designed and implemented an innovative advocacy program that employs new approaches to impact in a given sector(s).

2. Ability to demonstrate and communicate specific indicators of progress and impact linking work to a given sector(s) in a clear results-oriented framework.

3. Demonstration of the ability to replicate efforts of the organization to take intervention to scale.

4. Demonstration of strong internal and constituency accountability mechanisms (i.e. community leadership consultations and involvement in programs to demonstrate the interventions are relevant to the majority of the poor in the target community and empowers them in a sustainable way) along with transparency of operations.

5. Extent to which the organization has employed creative partnerships to achieve its goal(s) and ensure coordination with other development actors. These partnerships may include public and/or private sector players.

For more information, visit this link.

Call for proposals: Civil society in Cyprus

Deadline- 30 October 2013

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Cyprus are invited to apply funding from the NGO fund. The goal of this program is to  promote broad public interests such as environment, health, gender equality and education are weaker since organisations active in these fields are generally new.

Thematic areas-

    Democracy and participatory democracy
    Human rights, including minority rights (ethnic, religious, linguistic and sexual orientation)
    Good governance and transparency
    Combat racism and xenophobia and promoting anti-discrimination
    Social inequalities, poverty and exclusion, including in rural areas
    Gender equality and combating gender-based violence
    Provision of welfare and basic services

    Provision of key services to vulnerable groups

    Protection of the environment and climate change

    Awareness-raising and civic participation
    Develop umbrella organisations and/or new networks on biodiversity/climate change
    Mobilising local involvement to protect biodiversity
    Environmental educational activities and training for teachers

Eligibility & Criteria-

Eligible applicants are NGOs established as a legal entity in the Republic of Cyprus. NGOs operating in the areas not under the control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus are eligible as partners. Religious institutions and political parties are not considered NGOs. End-beneficiaries of projects are wider groups in society ranging from the general public to civil servants, disadvantaged groups and media. Bi-communal cooperation is promoted. Children and youth are also targeted.

For more information, visit this link

Call for Proposals: Common Fund for Commodities (CFC)

Deadline- 4 October 2013

Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) is accepting applications for support of Commodity Development which aims to provides financing to organizations and enterprises engaged in commodity value chains. The objective of this program is to support implementation of innovative interventions that target new opportunities in commodity markets leading to commodity based growth, employment generation, increase in household incomes, reduction in poverty, and enhancement of food security.

Objectives-

    Social- Create employment particularly for youth and women, increase household incomes, reduce poverty, and enhance food security.
    Economic- Enhance production and productivity, achieve higher local value addition; improve competitiveness of producers, producer organisations and small and medium sized industries; support the financial sector development.
    Building partnerships- Build effective and cost efficient collaboration between producers, industry, governments, civil society organisations and other stakeholders for commodity based development.

Thematic areas-

    Production, productivity and quality improvements
    Processing and value addition
    Product differentiation
    Diversification
    Marketing
    Technology transfer and up gradation
    Introduction of measures to minimise the physical marketing and trading risks
    Facilitation of trade finance
    Risk Management

Eligibility & Criteria-

    The CFC partner organisations can be bilateral and multi-lateral development institutions, cooperatives, producer organisations, small and medium enterprises, processing and trading companies, and local financial institutions that-

    operate in commodity value chains or provide financial services to small business operators, SMEs, cooperatives, producer organisations
    have a clear plan focusing on developing and/or diversifying their production/services
    have the ability to invest in the value chain to reduce transaction costs or increase revenues of producers/processors/storage /marketing
    have a clear plan to expand their markets at local, national, regional and international level
    have the technical, managerial and financial capacity to effectively and efficiently implement the intervention.

For more information, visit this link

Innovations for Poverty Action’s Global Financial Inclusion Fund Call

Deadline- 23 August 2013

The Innovations for Poverty Action’s (IPA) Global Financial Inclusion Fund (GFII) has issued a Call for Expressions of Interest seeking submissions of new projects under the GFII Competitive Funds.

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit Expressions of Interest (EOI) for conducting rigorous research on identifying innovative products and programs. This program is supported by Global Financial Inclusion Fund (GFII) at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA).

GFII manages two research funds these are-

The Yale Savings and Payments Research Fund (YASPR) focuses on-

    Innovations that most effectively enable improved usage of savings and payments services by the poor (through reduced cost, reduced risk, improved learning, behavioral incentives, regulatory reform, etc.)
    The impact that the use of improved savings products and payments channels has on the welfare of the poor

The Citi IPA Financial Capability Research Fund (FCRF) focuses on-

    product-linked financial education
    incentives for behavior change and use of financial services
    product design as a way to encourage appropriate use of financial instruments

Eligibility & Criteria-

    Each application must be presented by a team consisting of-

    one or more researchers involved in the design of the intervention and responsible for carrying out a rigorous evaluation of the program and
    one or more practitioner institutions from the financial sector who will partner with the research team on the proposed intervention. Researchers must be affiliated with a research institution or a university and either hold a PhD or be a current PhD candidate in a relevant social science or engineering discipline, such as economics, statistics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, public health, education, or computer science.  They must demonstrate experience in field research and randomized trials.

    The Yale Savings and Payments Research Fund (YASPR) encourages research projects focused on Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are as well as applications from in-country researchers based in those regions or from teams with one or more in-country researchers in those regions.
    The Citi IPA Financial Capability Research Fund (FCRF) encourages research projects in all countries except the United States, with a particular interest in projects from emerging markets such as Brazil, China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, and Turkey.

For more information, visit this link

Japan Water Forum Fund 2013 for Grassroots NGOs

Deadline: 19 August 2013

The Japan Water Forum (JWF) Fund 2013 is accepting proposals from grassroots organizations in developing countries to work on projects related to water and sanitation.

The Japan Water Forum’s vision is of a world where everyone enjoys the lasting benefits and values of safe water. It promotes an understanding of the fundamental impact of water on everyone’s lives, leading to decisive action to address the water issues on the planet. It works in Japan, in the Asia-Pacific Region and Worldwide. It acts as a facilitator between  acts as facilitator for Governments, international & UN organizations, developments banks, water partnerships, private sector, NGOs / Civil Society Organizations and the Academia.

JWF Funding can be requested for projects related to:

    Installation of rainwater-harvesting tanks, ponds or digging wells;
    Development of small scale water supply systems;
    Building new toilets and upgrading existing sanitation facilities;
    Prevention of water-related disasters projects;
    Establishment and encouragement of water-efficient irrigation;
    Solving gender issues on water and sanitation;
    Water environment restoration activities.

The JWF Fund provides grants of US $1000 per project/organization. Grassroots-based NGOs in the following countries can apply for this funding opportunity:

Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Rep., Chad, Comoros, Congo, Dem. Rep., Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, São Tomé e Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia (49 countries)

For more information, visit this link.

CNIHR Funding Opportunity for HIV Research

Deadline: 16 October 2013

The CNIHR (Creative and Novel Ideas in HIV Research) has announced funding of up to 2 years in length and with up to $150,000 direct cost per year for both international and U.S.-based early stage investigators from outside the field of HIV research to help address key scientific questions in HIV research, including emerging issues of long-term survival with HIV infection, prevention of HIV transmission and research towards a cure.

Eligible applicants include junior investigators who have either completed their first terminal research degree (e.g. PhD, MD, DVM, MMed + postdoctoral fellowship or formal research training and experience) or medical residency within the last ten years from the concept proposal deadline (i.e. 16 October 2003), and who have a faculty or equivalent position (e.g. assistant professor, senior lecturer, etc.) in good standing at an academic institution or have a comparable position in a not for profit organization or institution with a primary mission of research. U.S. Federal Government employees are ineligible to apply.

Research topics could include any aspect of HIV and HIV-related research, but may not include prospective human interventional trials (e.g. clinical trials of new drugs, treatments, or devices; or off-label use of a licensed drug). Studies of animal models, stored samples from existing cohorts, small pathogenesis studies or in vitro trials are acceptable.

Awards will be funded for 1-2 years, up to $150,000 (direct costs) per year plus applicable indirect costs.  Second year funding is contingent upon demonstration of satisfactory progress during year one. International awardee institution’s indirect cost rate is limited to 8%. Awarded funds may be used for salary, technical support, laboratory supplies, equipment, and travel to a scientific conference or other training activities directly related to the proposed research project. Successful applicants will be expected to contribute at least 25% of their time to the CNIHR project. Salary support for the CNIHR effort can be budgeted in the CNIHR project or can come from another source, e.g., an institutional start-up package. Generally, funds may not be used to purchase computers unless they can be justified as key to the conduct of the study (data collection, tied to equipment, etc). Additionally, funds may not be used to offset losses of funding incurred through non-renewal of grant funds or through decreases in grant funds due to across-the-board cuts.

Ten to twelve grants are anticipated to be awarded in conjunction with the XX International AIDS Conference, which will be held in Melbourne, Australia from 20-25 July 2014.

For more information, visit this link.

International Initiative for Impact Evaluation Request for Proposals 2013

Deadline: 30 August 2013

The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) seeks to improve the lives of poor people in low- and middle-income countries by providing, and synthesizing, evidence on what programmes work, in terms of which outcomes, for which group of people, at what cost and under what conditions.

3ie has issued the Systematic Reviews Call 6 Request for Proposals to increase the international community’s use of evidence in policy making. This is the sixth call for proposals under 3ie’s systematic reviews programme.

3ie, together with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the International Fund for Agricultural evelopment (IFAD), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Kingdom Department for International Development, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), have developed seven systematic review questions.

There will be one award for each of these questions, but 3ie and its partners may choose to fund fewer reviews if insufficient proposals of adequate quality are received. This is an exciting opportunity to work on highly policy relevant research which will directly inform the policies of the funding agencies.

Agriculture

Question 1 (AGRA/IFAD)

What are effective modes of delivery of information (for example, on markets, weather, soil conditions) to improve farmer decisions and uptake of improved seeds, better soil management practices and technologies?

Question 2 (AGRA/IFAD)

What are effective types of contractual arrangements (for example, fair trade schemes, cooperatives formation) to increase smallholders’ market power, food security, marketed surplus and net returns?

Question 3 (AGRA/IFAD)

What are the most cost-effective interventions (for example, participatory breeding, village-level agro dealers, post-harvest management) to incentivise smallholders to adopt improved seeds, and better practices and technologies?

Question 4 (AGRA/IFAD)

What combinations of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) technologies are most cost effective in increasing agricultural productivity and smallholder incomes?

Question 5 (USAID)

What are effective interventions in promoting upgrading in agriculture (using investments and/or innovations that add value to products or services at the farm or value chain levels) that foster economic growth and benefits the poor?

Climate change

Question 6 (USAID)

What are effective economic interventions to reduce mal-adaptation and vulnerability to climate change (for example, living in flood plains, developing coastal areas, irrigating deserts for crop production) and to incentivise investments that promote climate change resilience?

Property rights and land policy

Question 7 (MCC)

What property rights and land-policy interventions are most cost-effective at promoting economic development (i.e., reducing costs and increasing productivity and incomes)? These interventions can include, but are not limited to, legal and policy reforms, institutional reforms, decentralisation of landrelated services, improvements to land mapping and surveying systems, formalization of property rights and improved dispute resolution facilities.
For more information, visit this link.