Freedom of Information Center of Armenia.

CIPE’s Center for Women’s Economic Empowerment (CWEE) has launched an open call for nonprofit organizations located in Armenia and Georgia for local and/or regional women’s empowerment projects. Areas of interest for local and/or regional teams and subgrant support include:

• Increasing opportunities for digital entrepreneurship for women;
• Improving the business enabling environment for women entrepreneurs through advocacy efforts for democratic reforms, especially through engagement with young women entrepreneurs and businesswomen; and
• Preventing and responding to gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH).

The type of work under these subgrants may include, but not be limited to: arranging dialogue platforms, roundtables, and conferences; offering technical and leadership training; surveying, data collection, research and white paper publication; media campaigns and awareness raising; or national and sub-national advocacy.

CIPE will award grants of up to $8,000 to qualifying organizations from both Armenia and Georgia.

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

All proposals should focus on one of the following themes: (1) Enhancing women’s digital entrepreneurship, (2) Improving the business enabling environment for women entrepreneurs through advocacy efforts, or (3) Combating GBVH. Please specify in the proposal which theme the proposal is covering.

The deadline for submission is January 31, 2022. Only organizations that meet the given deadline will be eligible.

Grant amounts will be up to $8,000 to individual organizations. The actual grant amount will be based on a detailed budget and explanation of activities in the proposal.

Proposed projects should aim for a start date of March 1, 2022 and will be up to six months in duration, with one additional month for writing the final evaluation report. CIPE encourages grantees to gather evidence and record data throughout the program, leaving only the report writing for the additional month.

All proposals must include the following elements:

• Organizational background
• Problem statement
• Project goal and objectives
• Description of activities
• Project timeline
• Expected results
• Detailed budget (please submit separate Excel file)

Grant recipients will be required to submit a mid-program progress report due one month after the midpoint of the project, and a final report and an evaluation report due one month after the completion of the project. There will be no extensions allowed. Final grant payment will be based on all reports submitted on time. CIPE will provide reporting templates for all three reports.

Grant recipients will be asked to issue at least three press releases, or take part in three radio or television interviews, to raise the profile of their organization’s efforts directed at women’s empowerment.

 

Sections to be included in the proposal

Organizational Background: Introduce your organization; include its mission and vision. What are your goals as an organization? What change do you hope to achieve through your organization?

Problem Statement: What is the problem you are trying to solve? Craft a problem statement that makes it clear that there is a real problem that needs to be solved.

Project Goal and objectives: A goal gives a general statement of your project’s purpose. Objectives are more concrete and specific in how the goal will be achieved.

Description of Activities: What are the specific activities that will happen during the project? How are the activities linked to and support the intended goal? Thinking about your activities, what are most appropriate, and which will be most effective for this specific initiative? Activities can range from drafting research briefings and positions papers, to meeting with MPs and ministry officials, to leadership and business skills training, working with the media, to cultivating a strong coalition with other organizations.

Contingency Plans: Because of the uncertainties caused by COVID-19, include contingency plans for activities that may not be possible depending on future pandemic restrictions, including travel or in-person events.

Project Timeline: Please include a list of monthly activities; it will help CIPE understand project timelines.

Project Results: What are the real-world impacts of your planned project? What will be changed by your project? Breaking them out into short, medium, and long-term results makes it easier for CIPE to understand why it is important to support your work.

Budget: What justifies the financial and time commitments necessary to execute your project plan? Provide an evidence-based and detailed budget of up to $8,000. Please provide information on: salaries (by month and the position title), travel (for who, to where, how will they travel, how often, and why are they traveling), contractual services (for what service and who are you contracting?), and any other direct costs to the project (i.e. media outreach, policy help, events, trainings, meetings, PPDs, etc.).

 

Please send applications to Vladyslav Stegniy (vstegniy@cipe.org).