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.