Granting Opportunity from War & Peace Reporting: Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood (BREN)

Project: Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood (BREN)

Open to: Civil society organisations and women’s rights organisations from Armenia.

Closing Date:  14 August, 2022

Grant Amount: Up to 5 small grants for a minimum amount of 20,000 GBP and maximum amount of 50,000 GBP may be awarded. Up to 2 large grants for up to 75,000 GBP may be awarded.

Estimated number of awards: 4-6.

Project timeframe: Up to 5 months

 

 

About the Call

 

The Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) is currently accepting applications from civil society organisations and women’s rights organisations from Armenia as part of the project Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood (BREN).

The aim of this call is to increase the participation of civil society organisations (CSOs) and women’s rights organisations (WROs) in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Armenia.

This call is a part of the wider BREN project and the applicants are required to participate in the project’s national and regional experience-sharing and capacity-building activities.

In addition, it is mandatory for the applicants to fill out the capacity assessment questionnaire. Please note that the questionnaire may become the basis for further funds available for CSOs and WROs to strengthen their organisations.

 

 

Requirements

 

Applications are open to CSOs and women’s rights organisations registered in Armenia. Interested applicants should aim to build on existing efforts in Armenia around WPS issues and try to identify and fill gaps in these efforts.

 

IWPR can fund activities that focus on:

 

• Production of materials: this can include research, production of educational, promotional, or media content around project issues.
• Advocacy: this can include advocacy activities targeted at national and local government or community entities such as educational and religious institutions. Activities involving the creation of networks for advocacy purposes are encouraged.
• Community work: activities focusing on increasing knowledge around WPS in communities, especially in border regions, among the displaced and other underrepresented communities, and ethnic and religious minorities. Activities should aim to increase the participation of these communities in the discussion, decision-making, and promotion processes around the WPS agenda. 

 

The proposed projects should be no longer than five months. The advised budget range for the projects is between 20,000-50,000 GBP for small grants and up to 75,000 GBP for large grants. We strongly encourage applications from:

 

• Organisations led by women and/or youth;
• Organisations with a specific experience in WPS;
• Organisations led by displaced people, ethnic or religious minorities, and other underrepresented communities;
• Organisations working outside Yerevan, especially in the border regions;
• Newly formed organisations;

 

With the goal of facilitating partnerships and network development, joint applications are encouraged, especially with the following combinations:

 

• Organisations based in and outside Yerevan;
• Organisations that have different areas of expertise;
• CSOs partnered with media organisations;
• Organisations led by majority (ethnic, religious, and other) and minority (ethnic, religious and other) groups.

 

The potential applicants should demonstrate:

 

• Respect for gender equality and diversity;
• Conflict and gender sensitivity;
• Ability to identify, analyze and mitigate risks;
• Transparency and accountability in project management, including management of finances;
• Willingness to learn and share the experience with other grant recipients.
• A sustainability plan to continue the work started under the grant.

 

Below is a non-exhaustive list of thematic areas for potential projects:

 

• Advocacy activities conducted in partnership with the local and/or central governments focused on the advancement of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda in Armenia.
• Activities and advocacy efforts on the development, advancement, monitoring, and evaluation as well as budgeting of the Armenian National Action Plan on the UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
• Creating robust partnerships/connections/communication among non-state and state actors to advocate for women’s meaningful participation in peace, stability, and human security processes.
• Activities and advocacy campaigns focused on increasing women’s participation in security/human security and peace processes.
• Localisation of the Armenian National Action Plan on the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 outside Yerevan, particularly in border regions. It is highly encouraged to conduct these types of activities in close partnership with the local governments.
• Awareness raising and capacity building of CSOs, women’s organisations, and young women and girls to combat GBV and address human security issues.
• Awareness raising campaigns aimed at decreasing harmful patriarchal narratives around the WPS agenda in Armenia and promoting awareness and a better understanding of the pillars of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
• Development of media materials, research products, curriculum, etc., on the WPS agenda, gender equality, and equity to be used to increase awareness among different actors. The products can also be used for advocacy purposes.
• Activities and campaigns aimed at identifying and advocating for the needs, experiences, and interests of displaced communities and women and girls that have been directly affected by the wars over the Nagorno–Karabakh.
• Informal educational opportunities for displaced women and girls to increase their knowledge of peace and human security issues.

 

 

Specific Requirements for Large Grant Applicants

 

Large grant applicants (up to 75,000 GBP) must demonstrate they have successfully implemented a grant project of at least 50,000 GBP in the past three years. Applicants who do not demonstrate this requirement will be rejected.

 

Large grant applicants must address their sustainability plan for the project, including identifying the multiplier effect of the project and funding sources for activities following the grant project.

 

 

Evaluation Criteria

 

Applications will be evaluated by IWPR based on the set criteria as described in the below table. Applicants who earn at least 70 points total, and at least half the maximum points for each criteria listed below (e.g., at least 15 points for a criteria with a maximum of 30 points), will be shortlisted and considered for the next evaluation stage. IWPR will then invite the selected applicants to submit full grant applications. 

Nr.	Criteria	Maximum points
1.	Adequate response to the call objectives The project design responds to the objectives outlined in this call and proposes adequate solutions to the relevant challenges in Armenia.  It is related to the proposed thematic areas.	30 (small grants) 25 (large grants)
2.	Technical approach The proposed project design presents clear situation analysis, identifies coherent objectives, outputs, and activities of the project. The project design addresses local needs.	30 (small grants) 25 (large grants)
3.	Feasibility The project considers the situational risks and it is reasonable to conclude that the proposed intervention can be implemented with moderate risks. The project timeline is reasonable.	20
4.	Cost evaluation The project budget is clear and corresponds to the technical approach. The included costs are reasonable and needed to achieve the project objectives.	20
5	Sustainability (Large grant applicants of up to 75,000 GBP only)   The proposal should clearly explain how the project will have a multiplier effect and be sustainable beyond the life of the grant.  A good proposal will show it will have an impact beyond the direct beneficiaries of the grant (e.g. participants trained under a grant go on to train other people; workshop participants use skills from a workshop to enhance a national level election that affects the entire populace).  A good proposal will also show how it will garner donor support for the continuation of the activities after IWPR funding ceases.	10
Maximum total technical scoring:		100

 

 

Application Process

 

Interested organisations should submit the filled-in application and budget form to [email protected]

 

Applications can be submitted in Armenian or English. The preferred language is English; however, the language of the application form will not affect the decision on the award.

 

In addition, the applicants shall submit the capacity assessment questionnaire. Please note, that the capacity assessment questionnaire may be the prerequisite for additional available funding in the areas of organisational and capacity building.

 

Questions can be directed to [email protected]

 

Replies to questions will be provided by IWPR staff until 12 August 2022.

 

An information session about this grant call will take place on 29 July, 11:00am Yerevan time 2022 via Zoom. Interested organisations can register for the information session here: shorturl.at/juVY4

 

To download the budget and concept note templates, please clock the respective links.

 

 

About IWPR

 

The Institute for War and Peace Reporting (iwpr.net) is an international non-profit organisation with head offices in London and Washington DC. IWPR builds peace and democracy through free and fair media. It strengthens local media at the frontlines of conflict and change, working in three dozen countries and territories around the world. This includes establishing independent local media; training local reporters, editors, and producers; supporting extensive in-depth reporting on human rights, good governance, and related issues; disseminating professional reporting in developing countries and internationally; and strengthening the communications capacity of local human rights, international justice, and women’s organisations.

 

 

About BREN

 

The project Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood (BREN) is supported by the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund of the United Kingdom and implemented by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR)  in partnership with the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP).

 

The BREN project contributes to enabling CSOs to deliver transformative change in the peace and security area to increase human security for women and marginalised, vulnerable and socially excluded groups in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Moldova.