The Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms (ALIGN) project is inviting proposals for its second round of funding. The new micro-enterprise scheme aims to support knowledge generation, synthesis and brokerage to understand effective action on the gender norms that underpin gender-based violence in the workplace.

Workplaces include any place where people are engaged in paid labour, whether in agriculture, manufacturing, small businesses or parliaments, for example. Small-scale projects will be funded, initiated or based on existing research and practice, to communicate knowledge and experience and inform future action.

Focus Areas

Within the broad area of focus on changing norms that contribute to GBV in the workplace, possible areas of focus could include:

• Behaviour change and related scale-up programmes;
• Legal reforms, implementation and enforcement;
• Policy development and implementation;
• Social movement campaigning for change and support for those affected;
• Mass campaigns and social networks;
• Financial or other incentives;
• Improvements to services or infrastructure;
• Engagement with leaders and leadership initiatives;
• Tools and strategies to change hearts and minds and/or policies that affect norms around GBV.

Financing information

• Budget size: The maximum budget is £8,000 GBP.

Duration

• Duration and start: The awards must be carried out and completed within a maximum period of 4 months, scheduled to start within 2 weeks of the contracting schemes being carried out.

• The following eligibility requirements need to be met to allow assessment by the Review Panel. Failure to fulfil any of the criteria below will result in your application not being considered and being excluded from further consideration.
• Requirements:
  • Eligible organisations and individuals: organisations (corporate or non-profit) based in Africa, Asia or Latin America; individuals from these countries can only apply if they are affiliated to an organisation/institution. In any other case, individual applications will not be considered.
• Language of proposals: Applications must be completed in English.
• Application format: Only fully completed ALIGNED application forms will be accepted:
• Technical proposal:
  • Only technical proposals lined up in .doc or .docx format will be accepted - requests in any other format or template will be rejected.
  • The word limits set out in the application form will be strictly enforced. Any text above the word limit specified for each section will be deleted and will not be made available to reviewers, which could jeopardise the application.
• Financial proposal:
  • Only the ALIGN excel template will be accepted. Any changes to the format will not be accepted.
  • Make sure that all budget costs are inclusive of VAT (where applicable) and general limits.
• A range of permitted requests: Organisations can submit more than one proposal, either as the lead organisation or in partnership with another organisation, as long as they are substantively different. If the proposals are not substantively different, the chairs reserve the right to disqualify a proposal from review.

How to apply

• The deadline for submitting applications is 6 December 2020 at 23:59 GMT. Applicants must also confirm their intention to apply by email by 27 November 2020.
• The application form consists of two documents: a technical proposal and a proposal financial. Make sure you send both forms with your application, otherwise they won't be able to accept your submission.
• Completed application forms should be sent to the email address mentioned on their website (please use a subject for your email such as 'ALIGN 2020 micro-grant APPLICATION [your organisation's name]'). They expect to notify applicants of the preliminary outcome of their full proposal submission in December 2020 or early January 2021. Any offers of funding will be subject to any clarifications and modifications requested.

For more information, visit https://www.alignplatform.org/funding