Strengthening Women's Access to Justice

Guidelines

The mission of IWP is to use grant-making and programmatic efforts to promote and protect the rights of women and girls in priority areas around the globe where the principles of good governance and respect for the rule of law are absent or destroyed because of conflict. IWP seeks to promote the advancement of women's rights and gender equality in law and practice, and the empowerment of women to ensure participation in the democratic processes.

IWP invites proposals from local, national, regional or international organizations which focus on one or more of the following objectives:

1) Reducing discrimination and violence against women
IWP seeks to support initiatives that improve the status of women by:

1. Strengthening legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms that focus on women's rights
2. Strengthening civil society's capacity to hold governments accountable to implement laws
3. Increasing women's capacity to understand and claim rights

2) Strengthening women's access to justice
IWP seeks to support initiatives that strengthen judicial response to women and reduce the obstacles to access by ensuring:

1. Legal aid, counsel and assistance is available and resourced
2. Judges, lawyers and prosecutors understand and apply gender justice
3. Transitional justice mechanisms are equitable and inclusive of women

3) Increasing women's role as decision-makers and leaders*
IWP seeks to support initiatives that encourage and increase women's role as decision-makers in a number of arenas including the following:

1. Peace and reconciliation processes
2. Electoral and legislative processes
3. Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), Security Sector Reform (SSR) and reconstruction programs

Grant Support

Organizations can apply for general support grant or support for a specific project "General support" grants are intended for organizations which focus one or more of the listed objectives. A general support grant supports unspecified organizational costs. Such a grant is not awarded for any particular project or purpose. The review process for this grant type will be exceptionally selective. The "project support" grants are intended to fund targeted initiatives related to one or more of the listed objectives.

Preference is given to:

1. Organizations managed and led by women
2. Organizations that have a five-year plus track record and demonstrate sustainability
3. Organizations that forge partnerships with other civil society groups working on similar issues
4. Local/indigenous independent non-governmental organizations or initiatives that link local and international organizations

Eligible Countries

Proposals are solicited from the following countries only:

Africa:
Democratic Republic of Congo
Liberia
Sierra Leone
Uganda
Zimbabwe

Asia:
Burma
Cambodia
Nepal
Tajikistan

Middle East and North Africa: Algeria
Iraq (including refugees in region)
Lebanon
Occupied Palestinian Territories

Latin America:
Guatemala

Europe:
Bosnia & Herzegovina

Proposals benefiting populations in other countries will NOT be considered at this time

Grant Amount & Funding Timeframe

Organizations can apply for one to three year grants ranging from $25,000 to $200,000. Please note multi-year proposals will require an annual assessment report prior to releasing the subsequent trench of funds.

Timeline

Proposals must be received in English by email (preferred), fax or mail on or by July 7, 2008. Incomplete proposals or proposals received July 8 or later will NOT be considered under any circumstances.

Please email completed proposals to: women@sorosny.org (please write "proposal call 2008" in the subject line of your email)

If your organization does not have email access, please fax or mail application to:
International Women's Program / Open Society Institute
400 West 59th Street
New York, NY 10019, USA
(Fax) 1.646.557.2601

Organizations will receive notification of decision by the first week of October 2008 and for those awarded grants and funding will be allocated by December 2008.

General Support Proposal Guidelines

Title page

1. Organization name
2. Amount requested
3. Proposed effective dates of grant period (calendar year, or organization's fiscal year)
4. Contact information (mailing address, street address, telephone, fax, email, website) of organization
5. Contact person(s), including the executive director or signatory of the grant letter and the proposal contact

Requirements

1. A description of the organization, its mission, goals, history and capacity to carry out the work.
2. Statement of need for the organization's work and its relevance to the mission and mandate of the OSI International Women's Program.
3. General overview of the previous year's activities     
4. Detailed explanation of expected activities in the year for which the organization is seeking support, related timelines, and methodologies.
5. Explanation of how organization's outcomes and impacts will be measured.
6. Bios or C.V.'s of the organization's executive director and key staff members working on the project and a list of the Board of Directors or other managing body, if applicable.
7. Annual organizational budget, noting all sources of funding received or anticipated from other donors. Include all aspects of organization's budget, including salaries, overhead (e.g., rent), communications, specific project costs, etc.

Project Support Proposal Guidelines

Title page

1. Organization name
2. Amount requested
3. Proposed effective dates of grant period
4. Contact information (mailing address, street address, telephone, fax, email, website) of organization
5. Contact person(s), including the executive director or signatory of the grant letter and the proposal contact

Requirements

1. A description of the organization, its mission, history and capacity to carry out the work.
2. Statement of need for the organization's work and its relevance to the mission and mandate of the OSI International Women's Program.
3. Detailed explanation of project activities and objectives, related timelines, and methodologies.
4. Explanation of how organization's outcomes and impacts will be measured.
5. Bios or C.V.'s of the organization's executive director and key staff members working on the project and a list of the Board of Directors or other managing body, if applicable.
6. An organizational budget and project budget, noting funding request to OSI, and additional sources of funding received or anticipated from other donors. Include those donor names.

* Please note that OSI cannot provide funding for electoral purposes