Gender Justice Fund – Direct

Country focus - Sierra Leone

This funding call is now closed

ELIGIBILITY

This funding is available for women’s rights and feminist organisations with an annual income of £25,000 to £500,000 delivering a range of different types of work in the gender justice space. This can be delivered by the applicant organisation alone, or in partnership with others.

Further criteria for DIRECT funding are explained in the online eligibility questionnaire.(opens in new window)

APPLICATION PROCESS

Organisations should start with the relevant online eligibility questionnaire to see if they are eligible to apply. If your organisation is eligible, you should read the guidance before completing the application form. Links are available at the end of this page.

Submitted applications will be shortlisted based on the details below. If your proposal is shortlisted, we will be in touch to invite you to a ‘getting to know applicants - proposal assessment’.

The shortlisting and assessment process will be led by sector experts who are based in Sierra Leone and have experience of the country’s women’s rights and feminist movements.

The Details

Introduction

Comic Relief recognises that feminist movements and women’s rights organisations are a vital factor in creating sustainable change for women, girls and communities experiencing social injustice and poverty. We also know that less than one percent(opens in new window) of all gender-focused funding is going directly to these actors.

The aim of the Gender Justice Fund is therefore to resource women’s rights and feminist movements in Sierra Leone. The programme intends to shift decision-making power to communities facing discrimination and injustice based on their gender by funding organisations and actors that are led by these groups. The programme will offer core, multi-year, flexible funding as we believe that this will support them to adapt to changing contexts whilst nurturing and strengthening their organisations and their networks both now and for the future.

Funding priorities

This funding is for women’s rights and feminist organisations delivering work directly.

The programme does not have a specific focus within the overarching theme of gender justice. Comic Relief is looking to fund organisations that strive for fairness and equity for communities facing discrimination and injustice based on their gender. This means that we would like to support communities to identify themselves what is a priority for them within this overarching theme.

Organisations that we fund within this programme could have a focus on (but not be limited to):

directly providing services and/or
supporting communities facing discrimination and injustice based on their gender, nurturing the feminist or women’s rights movements, and/or
influencing and advocacy, focusing on improved outcomes for the communities supported,
or a combination of all three.

Flexible, core funding is designed to support the good work of organisations, and not just projects. This could mean core funding of the organisation’s annual budget to continue its good work, or funding to expand the work, or to add something new that amplifies the work or its results. As flexible funding, it can be allocated for expenses that are harder to fund, such as salaries of senior management or administration, or ongoing costs that are not covered by other grants. Please note:

Flexible, core funding has to be used for an agreed purpose, and in an agreed time period.
Core funding is not the same as unrestricted funding, which you can put in a bank or investment and spend however you want. Essentially, flexible, core funding, although restricted to priorities of funding programme, and the time period.

When making funding decisions, the programme will also consider organisations that support and work with communities that have intersecting identities that are disproportionately experiencing prejudice, marginalisation, discrimination and/or exclusion in Sierra Leone. As part of this, the programme will ring-fence part of the funding to organisations working on disability rights.

This funding programme will also prioritise organisations that involve people with lived experience in developing the organisation’s work and priority areas, and/or in the running of the organisation. It could also include plans for reinforcing existing good practice for involving people with lived experience.

Who can apply?

Women’s rights and feminist organisations registered in Sierra Leone which meet the relevant eligibility criteria for direct funding.

Comic Relief predominantly funds charities. For this programme we will fund women’s rights and feminist organisations registered and delivering work directly in Sierra Leone and that are led by communities facing discrimination and injustice based on their gender. Proposals can be made by single applicants, or by partnerships of two or three organisations that will receive funding (but only one organisation can be the lead applicant).

You are welcome to include collaboration with government organisations, but Comic Relief will not fund government organisations.

To give as many organisations as fair a chance as possible, organisations can only submit one proposal (though they can be named as partners on any number of applications). Please be aware we will never read more than one proposal per organisation.

Next steps

We know that demand is high and resources are scarce, and we expect to receive a high number of applications for this fund.

We welcome your application if the criteria and priorities of this funding call are well suited to the work of your organisation.

Q&A Sessions

We will be hosting four Zoom Q&A sessions to answer any questions you have about the fund. We strongly recommend you read the programme guidance(opens in new window) and FAQ document(opens in new window) in advance of booking. If you still have any unanswered questions, please book using the links below, outlining your question(s) when you register.

Session 1: Wednesday 3 April, 11:00 - 12:00 BST. Register here.(opens in new window)
Session 2: Thursday 11 April, 14:00 – 15:00 BST. Register here.(opens in new window)
Session 3: Wednesday 17 April, 10:00 – 11:00 BST. Register here.(opens in new window)
Session 4: Tuesday 23 April, 14:00 – 15:00 BST. Register here.(opens in new window)

The application deadline is 12 noon BST on Tuesday 30th April 2024. If your application is shortlisted, your organisation will be invited to a ‘getting to know applicants - proposal assessment’, and you will be asked to submit additional information and supporting documentation including:

Memorandum and articles of association or constitution
Audited or independently verified accounts
Management accounts
Safeguarding policy*
Equality and diversity policy*

* If you do not have these policies in place, please don’t worry – this does not exclude you from funding.

All the information for this funding opportunity is made available through this webpage and the below links. If, however you have a question that has not been answered here, please join us for the webinar Q&A sessions. Alternatively, you can email us at fundinginfo@comicrelief.com(opens in new window). (NOTE: please allow at least three working days for us to respond).