2017 Human Rights INGO Call for Proposals: Preventing discrimination in development and promoting the right to health of women and girls

The Unit for Human Rights Policy at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland announces a Call for Proposals directed to international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) that focus on promoting human rights and preventing discrimination in development or promote the implementation of the right to health of women and girls. The deadline for proposals is Friday the 14th of July 2017 (at 16:15 Finnish time, GMT+3, i.e. note daylight saving time)

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs (the Ministry) allocate development cooperation funds to INGOs, whose objectives and activities are in line with Finland's development policy priorities and goals. This form of support complements Finland’s human rights policy activities, Finland's regional and sectoral development cooperation and policy objectives in areas of strategic importance. The Ministry values synergies with ongoing cooperation funded by Finland and in Finland’s focus countries. The INGO support is a discretionary government transfer granted by the Ministry. The Discretionary Government Transfers Act (Valtionavustuslaki 688/2001(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.)) is applied in INGO support procedures and the use of the grant.

Grants to INGOs may be either core funding or project support.

The overall eligibility is defined below.

Minimum requirements for applicants

From the point of view of development cooperation funding, the Ministry considers INGOs to be non-profit organisations that operate politically and administratively independently of governments. In order to be eligible, an INGO has to meet the following minimum requirements:

The INGO has to have:

  • at least three different nationalities represented in its leading governing body/bodies;
  • global approach with operations in more than two countries;
  • been registered or legally competent for at least two years;
  • funding from at least one other source.

Requirements related to objectives of the funding proposal:

1. Thematic Focus Areas of the Call

The selected overall objectives of the Call this year are promotion of economic, social and cultural rights, in particular the right to health of  women and girls, as well as preventing discrimination in development. The objectives and focus topics of this Call for Proposals are listed below. The applicants are requested to indicate under which focus area they apply for funding. The same INGO can send maximum one application per focus area (A and/or B). Proposals which do not relate to these objectives cannot be funded.

A. Preventing discrimination in development Support will be considered for proposals that:

  • Aim to promote human rights through work with development impacts which address discrimination in development. In order for a proposal to be successful, the applicant has to demonstrate that the objectives related to the grant cover both the international levels and national levels in more than two countries. The applicant has to also demonstrate solid experience in capacity building for the promotion of human rights of both duty-bearers and rights-holders and in promoting awareness concerning discrimination in development. Proposals should to contribute to both development impacts at country levels as well as progress in international human rights and development policy work Priority will be given to applicants whose work is focused on the rights of persons with disabilities, or LGBTI persons and/or proposals which address intersectional and/or multiple discrimination. The Ministry prioritises proposals which contribute to capacity building, advocacy, data collection and studies aiming at identifying and addressing underlying causes of discrimination, inequality and poverty and in identifying best practises to strengthen the rights of the focus groups in development. .

The Grant is allocated by the Unit for Human Rights Policy (POL-40). Financing will be available to 0--3 proposals with contract duration of 3 years. The total amount of funding available for this thematic focus area is maximum 3 000 000 euros (for 3 years), the funding being subject to Parliamentary approval.

B. Promotion of the right to health of women and girls: Support will be considered for proposals that:

  • Aim to promote the realization of the right to health of women and girls in ODA recipient countries and in international policy work to strengthen the human rights based approach to health service delivery and accountability of the health sector. In order for an applicant to be successful, it has to demonstrate that the activities related to the grant cover international and national levels in more than two countries. Proposals should to contribute to both development impacts at country levels as well as progress in international human rights and development policy work. Priority will be given to applicants whose area of work includes some of the following objectives; promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and/or health services for target groups such as girls in and outside school, young women, or migrants, refugees and victims of trafficking or other groups risking discrimination and marginalization including in situations of fragility and conflict. Proposals have to show how they mirror international human rights standards in development outcomes and contribute to building capacity of both duty-bearers and rights-holders and address identified capacity gaps (i.a. legislation, policy and administration).The applications should indicate how other priority areas of Finland’s human rights policy, in particular economic, social and cultural rights and non-discrimination are enhanced.

The Grant is allocated by the Unit for Human Rights Policy (POL-40). Financing will be available to 0-2 proposals with contract duration of 3 years. The total amount of funding available for this thematic area is maximum 1 295 000 euros (for 3 years), the funding being subject to Parliamentary approval.

The discretionary grant to INGOs is used to complement other activities aiming to implement Finland’s human rights policy. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs therefore prioritises applications that promote the flagship projects and cross-cutting objectives outlined in the Human Rights Strategy of the Foreign Service of Finland in addition to the implementation of the Finnish Development Policy principles and priorities.

2. Principles and objectives of funding proposals

The INGO- support is an instrument for development cooperation. In order to be successful, a proposal should be aligned with the goals and priorities in Finland’s Development Policy, the Finnish Government’s Human Rights Report and the Human Rights Strategy of the Foreign Service of Finland, demonstrating that the proposal is at least human rights sensitive according to the guidance on the application of the human rights based approach to development and be compliant with results based management principles. The proposals should reflect the development policy cross-cutting objectives; gender equality, reduction of inequalities and climate sustainability.

Criteria for review of applications

Applications thatmeet the above mentioned minimum requirements will be assessed according to the following criteria:

  • Relevance of the proposal with the specific priority objectives of  the call
  • Alignment with the Development Policy of Finland and the Human Rights Strategy of the Foreign Service of Finland
  • Quality of the proposal. in particular;
    • Application of  Results Based Management principles according to the guidance
    • Clearly defined results matrix and results chain outlining impact, outcome, outputs or based on another corresponding methodology, including clearly set targets and indicators, and also desirable clear set baselines for successful results reporting;
    • Clearly defined outline of how the HRBA is applied and motivations for the selected HRBA level.
  • Relevant previous experience and successful operations in the specific focus area applied for
  • Previous  experience of work in developing countries and of advocacy at international and regional levels
  • Financial stability (e.g. ability  to cover its operational expenditure by its core funding or fund-raising activities)

The successful INGO candidates will sign an agreement with the Ministry and agree to follow the General Terms and Conditions for the Government Grant:

How to Apply

The attached application form, the project/programme/organisational plan related to the grant application, the budget, the result framework and other attachments should be sent to the Ministry as attachment files to an e-mail, and/or as a hard copy. The list of required attachments can be found on page 6 of the application form:

The completed application form, the project proposal and attachments must be received by the Ministry no later than Friday the 14th of July 2017 (at 16:15 Finnish time GMT+3, i.e. note daylight saving time!). The submission time and date is based on the arrival of the electronic copies or the date of arrival of the hard copies at the Registry office.Applications arriving after the given deadline will not be considered. Applicants are advised to send the application ahead of the deadline to limit the risk of technical problems during submission.

The electronic application and attachments (no links) shall be sent to the following e-mail addresses: Kirjaamo.UM@formin.fi  and pol-40@formin.fi

The maximum size of the e-mail message is 7 MB. In case the completed application form and project proposal exceed 7 MB allowed, the remaining attachments shall be sent by mail to the Ministry by mail. The hard copy should be marked with "2017 Human Rights INGO Call for Proposals" and sent to the following address:

Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
Registry / POL-40
Unit for Human Rights Policy
P.O.Box 176, FI-00023 Government
FINLAND



If applications are hand-delivered or sent by courier service, the street address of the Registry office is: Ritarikatu 2 b 22, 00160 Helsinki, Finland. The Registry office is open on working days 8.00-16.15 Finnish time.

The decision on funding of successful applications will be made at the latest by the end of the year 2017. All applicants will be informed of the decision.

Questions and Contact Information

The administration of this particular call for proposals is administered by the Unit for Human Rights Policy (POL-40) of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Questions on the Call for Proposals can be made by email to pol-40@formin.fi at the latest by Monday 19th of June 2017. All answers will be distributed in a coordinated manner to all potential applicants who have indicated their contact information and interest in receiving the answers. Questions on the Call cannot be answered by phone.

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