Call for Proposals: Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)

1. Objectives and Purpose of the Call for Proposals

The overall purpose of this call for proposals is to provide grants to local civil society organizations in Lebanon for the protection of women and girls and participation of women, particularly those focused on women’s peacebuilding work in conflict and humanitarian contexts

The call for proposals specifically contributes to the following WPHF Impact Areas:

• Impact Area 5: Enhanced safety, security and mental health of women and girls’ and their human rights respected.
• Impact Area 6: Improved participation and decision making of women and young women working in peacebuilding processes and contexts.

This is in line with the WPHF’s overall goal of contributing to peaceful and gender equal societies, and with the UN Cooperation Framework objectives and outcomes.

2. Country Context Linked to Call for Proposals

Lebanon continues to experience a profound economic and political crisis, rattling institutions – many of which are near collapse, and rolling back hard-won gender gains. The economic situation is desperate and characterized by severe depreciation of the Lebanese Pound and fuel, electricity, water and medical shortages. WFP and FAO estimate that around round 2 million people in Lebanon, including 1.29 million Lebanese residents and 700,000 Syrian refugees, are currently facing food insecurity. The World Bank has called the crisis one of the top 10, possibly top 3, most severe crises episodes globally since the mid- nineteenth century. Signs of conflict and violence between communities are increasing, exacerbated by the deep socio-economic, political, and financial crises. Several incidents of social tensions are reported, particularly in Akkar, Baalbek-Hermel and Beqaa, both between Lebanese and Syrians, but also amongst Lebanese.

This multifaceted crisis is happening within a context of deep and structural gender inequalities. Lebanon has one of the highest overall gender gaps in the world (ranking 145 out of 153 countries in the World Economic Forum Gender Gap report 2020). Gender-based violence (GBV) is increasing amongst Syrian refugees and Lebanese women. Rates of domestic violence, cyber harassment, and economic violence have increased dramatically with the onset of the current crisis. The 2021 Multisectorial Needs Assessment (MSNA) found that almost a third (27 per cent) of Lebanese households reported having safety and security concerns for women in their community (including as being exposed to sexual violence and harassment, kidnapping, and sexual exploitation), and the percentage is even higher (35 per cent), if girls are considered (UNFPA, 2021). Safety concerns are exacerbated for women and girls in governorates in more rural areas, with rates increasing to 49 per cent of households reporting this concern in Akkar, 39 per cent in the North and 38 per cent in Baalbek El Hermel (OCHA, 2022), and these areas often have few resources to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.

For both outcomes (Outcome 5 and 6), special attention will be provided to applications supporting women and girls multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, such as those marginalized and excluded due to poverty, ethnicity, disability, age, geography, migratory status, HIV status, among others, which is in clear alignment with the 2030 Agenda and the principle of leaving no one behind.

3. Scope (Location and Duration)

The WPHF will fund qualifying projects throughout Lebanon.

Multi-country projects, or projects outside the geographical focus will NOT be accepted. CSOs can apply for funding for projects with a duration of a maximum of 2 years.

4. Eligibility

4.1. Who can apply and receive funding?

National, regional or local/grassroots women or young women led, women’s rights, youth rights, feminist, or civil society organizations with a proven track record working with women, young women and girls, and those working on peacebuilding are eligible to apply.

The following are NOT eligible to apply for a grant from the WPHF:

• International non-governmental organizations;
• Government agencies or institutions;
• UN agencies or UN Country Teams;
• Private individuals;
• Private sector entities;
• Universities, Think Tanks or Education or Research Institutions

4.2. Do we need to be legally registered as an organization in our country to apply?

YES, for the lead applicant. The lead applicant organization must have legal status with the competent national authority in the eligible country of project implementation and must submit proof of legal registration with the application package. Note that articles of incorporation are not proof of legal status.

NO for co-implementing or consortium partners. Co-implementing partners are not required to provide legal registration, only the lead applicant organization.

4.3. Can we apply in partnership or consortium with other organizations?

YES. Joint projects with other local women’s rights, youth focused organizations, women or young women led civil society organizations are encouraged. For joint projects, only the lead organization is required to meet the eligibility criteria.

For joint projects, the roles and responsibilities of each organization must be clearly detailed within the application template.

4.4. May we apply for funding for an ongoing or existing initiative or project?

YES. The WPHF accepts proposals for ongoing projects funded by other donors. However, the specific value added of the contribution should be clearly outlined.

4.5. Does my organization have to contribute to the project budget?

NO. Civil society organizations are not required to contribute to the budget.

5. Type of Funding and Requirements

Under this call for proposals, WPHF is accepting applications for both institutional/core funding and programmatic funding.

An organization (lead applicant or co-implementing partners) can submit one application for institutional funding AND/OR one application for programmatic funding. Organizations who apply for both institutional and programmatic funding need to submit two separate applications packages based on the related templates of each stream as noted in Section 6.

Institutional Funding: Stream 1 (USD $2,500 - $30,000)

Aims to reinforce the institutional capacity of women’s rights/led organizations working on gender specific issues in peace and security and humanitarian contexts, to ensure they are able to sustain themselves and to improve their impact. Prospective applicants will need to demonstrate how the current context affects their institutional and financial capacities and how the funding would support them as an organization. It will finance a limited range of activities to support the development or strengthening of a CSO’s institutional capacity. The purpose of this funding stream IS NOT to finance programmatic activities.

AND/OR apply for:

Programmatic Funding: Stream 2 (USD $30,000 - $200,000)

This funding stream will finance projects which aim specifically to fund programmatic activities aligned with the following impact area(s):

• WPHF Impact area 5: Enhanced safety, security and mental health of women and girls’ and their human rights respected.

OR

• WPHF Impact area 6: Improved participation and decision making of women and young women working in peacebuilding processes and contexts.

Please read through the WPHF Indicator Tip Sheets for guidance on the result framework (Section 9 below) and required indicators in the attached proposal template.

6. Application Package and Procedures

Applicants are required to use only the WPHF templates provided. DO NOT submit photos or additional documents other than the ones listed.

• WPHF Proposal Template (attached, no more than 10 pages, excluding Annex A and B)
• Results Framework (Proposal Template Annex: A)
• Project Budget (Proposal Template Annex: B) 
• Proof of valid legal registration or status of the lead organization (if you are in the process for renewal, please share proof)

Submission: Application packages should be emailed to wphfapplications@unwomen.org by 24 April 2023 at 11:59pm (Beirut time).

Please Note:

• Applications can be submitted in English and Arabic. Only applications in these languages will be accepted.
• Applications can be submitted in .doc or .docx format.
• Legal registration certificates can be submitted in jpeg, doc., docx., or pdf format.
• All documents should be submitted together as one package.
• You may not make changes to your application after it is submitted.
• Incomplete applications, or use of different templates will not be considered.
• Please DO NOT resend your application unless you do not receive a confirmation of receipt within three days.

7. Obtaining More Information about the Call for Proposals

Information sessions will be organized with prospective applicants in English and Arabic online. Please register by 19 March 2023 by visiting the respective links for each language:

• English: 21 March 2023 at 11 am, https://ee.humanitarianresponse.info/x/aNKReZ6O
• Arabic: 22 March 2023 at 11 am, https://ee.humanitarianresponse.info/x/RYAHGOAe

Questions about this CfP can be sent to the UN Women Country office at: cfp.lebanon@unwomen.org no later than 14 April 2023. Please allow a minimum of 48 hours for responses to any questions.

8. Evaluation Criteria

As you write your proposal, keep in mind that proposals will be evaluated against the following criteria:

9. Useful Resources

• The WPHF’s website www.wphfund.org
• Indicator Tip Sheet: Impact Area 5 [English] [Arabic]
• Indicator Tip Sheet: Impact Area 6 [English] [Arabic]
• Indicator Tip Sheet: Institutional Funding [English] [Arabic]
• Results Based Management Capacity Building Webinar
• The Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund’s Operations Manual
• M&E and Results Based Management Terms. The OECD/DAC Glossary of Key Terms in Evaluation available in English, French and Spanish. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/29/21/2754804.pdf

About the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)

The WPHF is a global pooled funding mechanism which aims to stimulate a significant increase in financing for women’s participation, leadership, and empowerment in peace and security processes and humanitarian response. The WPHF is a flexible and rapid financing mechanism. It supports quality interventions designed to enhance the capacity of local women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities. The overall goal of the WPHF’s theory of change is to contribute to peaceful and gender equal societies. Achievement of this goal will require that women are empowered to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from conflict prevention, crisis response, peacebuilding, and recovery. Since its launch in 2016, WPHF has been supporting over 450 civil society organizations and is present in 26 countries or group of countries.

The WPHF is governed by a Funding Board at the global level, which is comprised of four UN entities (currently UN Women, UNHCR, UNFPA and PBSO), four donor Member States (currently Norway, Germany, Italy and the United States), as well as 4 Civil Society Organizations (currently Feminist Humanitarian Network, Kvinna till Kvinna, Action Aid and Women’s Refugee Commission).

At the country level, the final selection of shortlisted proposals will be undertaken by a National Steering Committee, which is comprised of UN agencies, civil society organizations, donor representatives and governments.