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 face a profound crisis with overlapping economic, political, and social instabilities that exacerbate long-term vulnerabilities. In early July 2022, the World Bank downgraded Lebanon to a lower-middle-income country. Following a cumulative four-year contraction of 37.2 percent of Lebanon’s Gross Domestic Product (2018–2021), real GDP is estimated to have declined by 2.6 percent in 2022. As a result, Lebanon’s financial and humanitarian situation ranks among the most severe crises in the world[1].

Political deadlock is another manifestation of the current crisis that has nearly paralyzed public institutions. In 2023, the local municipal elections were postponed until May 2024, which hampered women’s political participation and access to decision-making positions. However, it also provided an opportunity to better strategize and lobby for reforms to enhance women’s chances to participate and win in the up-coming municipal elections.

The crisis in Lebanon is further compounded by the recurring cross-border hostilities along the Blue Line especially in the southern region[2], as well as concerns in the Lebanese population over hosting the largest number of refugees per capita in the world.

In 2023, Lebanon ranked 135 out of a 163 countries on the Global Peace Index, with a score of 2.581[3], indicating a low level of peace. As a result, protection has deteriorated – including from violence against women and girls – and contributed to urgent immediate and longer-term humanitarian needs with significant consequences on the well-being of women, children, and marginalized groups such as SOGIESC persons, migrants, people living with disabilities, and women and girls displaced due to the conflict in south Lebanon[4].

3. Scope (Location and Duration)

The WPHF will fund qualifying projects in any location in Lebanon. Multi-country projects, or projects outside the geographical focus will NOT be accepted. 

CSOs can apply for a project duration of maximum 2 years (24 months)

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, are eligible to apply. Organizations who are led by women who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination are encouraged to apply, including displaced persons, LGBTQI+, disabilities, ethnic minorities, etc.

• Women’s Rights or Feminist Organization: The organization’s must have gender equality and women’s rights at the core of their official mission/vision statement. The organization’s experience should clearly reflect addressing multiple/intersecting forms of discrimination and advancing gender equality and women’s rights and aim to address the underlying drivers/systems/structures, including patriarchy and gendered power dynamics,  and work to transform these. 
• Women-Led Organization: must be headed by a woman as director/head of organization.
• Youth Focused Organization: To be considered “youth focused", the organization's core mission/vision must focus on supporting the social, economic and political participation of young women and young men and addressing multiple/ intersecting forms of discrimination against young women and men. WPHF will provide specific attention to youth focused organizations supporting young women, advancing gender equality and peacebuilding.
• Young Women Led Organization: must be headed by a young person aged between 18 - 29 years old who serves as director/head of organization

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 Available

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 Impact and Indicator Tip Sheets for guidance on the impact focus and required indicators.  (Section 9 below)

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 - Institutional Funding Proposal Template (download)- And/Or Impact Area 5 (Protection) Proposal Template (download) OR Impact Area 6 (Peacebuilding & Recovery) Proposal Template (download)
• 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 14 May 2024 by 11:59pm Geneva CET.

Please Note:

• Applications can be submitted in Arabic and English. Only applications in these languages will be accepted.
• Applications can be submitted in .doc, .docx, or .pdf 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.
• Proposal templates, including any annexes cannot be altered. 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

Two information sessions were organized with prospective applicants online on 3 and 4 April 2024, in Arabic and English, respectively, at 11 am Beirut time. You can find both Q&As in the below section titled "background document" and/or access the recordings of the sessions on the below links:

• Arabic session link: 2024 صندوق المرأة للسلام والعمل الإنساني جلسة اعلامية
• English session link: WPHF 2024 CfP English Info Session

Should you have any questions about this call for proposal, you can send them to: cfp.lebanon@unwomen.org no later than 7 May 2024. Also, 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 criteria that can be found under section 8 in the attached document.

9. Useful Resources 

• Info Session in Arabic.
• Info Session and Q&A session in English.
• The WPHF’s website www.wphfund.org
• Institutional Funding Impact and Indicator Tip Sheet
• Impact 5 (Protection) Impact and Indicator Tip Sheet
• Impact 6 (Peacebuilding & Recovery) Impact and Indicator Tip Sheet
• 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

Footnotes:

[1] 8 World Bank ”Lebanon Economic Monitor, Spring 2023”, accessed at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/lebanon/publication/lebanon-econom…;

[2] Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, 10 November 2023.

[3] GPI-2023-Web.pdf (visionofhumanity.org)

[4] UN Women, Gender Alert on the conflict in South Lebanon, December 2023.