Deadline: 6 September 2022

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as represented by the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation, Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (DDI/GenDev), is seeking your application for a proposed Fixed Amount Award (FAA) for funding a two-year program, followed by a possible three-year Cooperative Agreement with activities related to “Global Fund for Women – Localization Activity”.

The Global Fund for Women – Localization Activity will enable a greater share of USAID resources to be programmed directly with frontline women’s organizations globally, simultaneously advancing USAID priorities on gender equality and locally led development. The activity will provide an efficient way to provide sub awards to local organizations, enabling a rapid response to emerging challenges and opportunities in development and humanitarian assistance while centering feminist and women-led organizations at the heart of any response.

Objectives

• Objective 1 – Strengthen local and regional feminist and women-led organizations as development partners of USAID, including their ability to continue to become stronger organizations after funding from USAID has ended.
• Objective 2 – Create and deploy rapid-response mechanisms to enable women-led and feminist organizations to play a more prominent role in responding to humanitarian crises and development priorities.
• Objective 3 – Strengthen the evidence base regarding the impact of increased investment in local, feminist, and women-led organizations to deliver on overall development objectives.

Funding Information

USAID intends to award one Fixed Amount Award pursuant to this notice of funding opportunity. Subject to funding availability and at the discretion of the Agency, USAID intends to provide up to $10 million in total USAID funding over a two-year period. Pending Satisfactory progress towards meeting award objectives and a pre-award survey that demonstrates Global Fund for Women’s ability to manage a cost reimbursement award, USAID intends to renew the award for up to an additional $15 million in total USAID funding over a three-year period.

Desired Outcomes

• Together, completion of activities supporting the three objectives should result in a strengthened set of local, national, and regional actors capable of partnering with USAID and other donors on a range of development objectives, while simultaneously advancing gender equity and equality.
• Objective one interventions will strengthen global, regional, and national networks of feminist and women-led organizations and build their capacity to respond to emerging development priorities mentioned in objective two.
• Objective three will harness learnings and allow for adaptive management of the networks. It is anticipated that activities will result in the development of an ongoing, permanently strengthened, and rapid response capability that will enable Global Fund for Women to enter into a second phase of relationship with USAID. The Recipient should propose development sector areas where they see opportunities for catalytic investment in the first year.

Geographical Focus

This activity is to be global in scope, with the implementation of regional and/or country-specific interventions that are agreed upon by USAID and the Recipient.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligibility for this NOFO is restricted. USAID’s reasons for restricting eligibility are to increase the Agency’s partner base by restricting eligibility to organizations that have not previously received a direct award from USAID, and to access specialized skills or experience through an award to an entity with exclusive or predominant capability based on proprietary resources, specialized facilities, or unique relationship with the national government or other institutions in the cooperating country or intended beneficiaries.
• Eligibility is restricted to the Global Fund for Women. The Global Fund for Women is a uniquely positioned network with unparalleled ability to reach frontline, grassroots women’s organizations.
• Over its 30-year history, Global Fund for Women has made grants to over 5,000 frontline women’s organizations in 176 countries, and has demonstrated unique ability to work with organizations that larger donors might not be able to reach, or that might not be eligible for funding, and to develop their capacity to manage and utilize resources. Global Fund for Women was created to serve as an international hub capable of mobilizing direct support for local women’s rights organizations, regional and national women’s funds.
• As such, it has predominant capability via its unique global network capable of reaching women’s funds and grassroots organizations in all regions and most countries where USAID works. The organization enjoys a unique relationship with intended beneficiaries, namely frontline women’s rights organizations, in USAID countries of interest. Further, Global Fund for Women has not previously received a USAID award.

For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=342994