Applications for Women’s Economic Empowerment WEE are open to supporting women. As we all know women face unique economic challenges and therefore require support that is responsive to their specific challenges and needs. Urgent Action Fund – Africa (UAF – Africa) is calling for proposals to provide financial support to women’s rights organizations and collectives in order to catalyze women’s active participation towards economic empowerment through initiatives tailored at addressing the specific economic challenges faced by women running small and medium-sized (informal and formal) businesses in the rural, peri-urban and urban areas of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
The program is hopeful that the grant will support women to seize opportunities for sustained activism, increase women’s engagement in economic empowerment discourses, and enhance public awareness on issues that have an impact on women’s economic empowerment and in turn, gender equality.
The initiative will provide Rapid Response Grants and Advocacy and Alliance Building grants to collectives/organizations working to:
- Advance women’s economic empowerment, through advocacy for better and gender-sensitive fiscal and financial policies at national and institutional levels;
- Increasing women’s voice in decisions concerning the economic terrain;
- Challenging inequitable distribution of resources and improving opportunities for women to acquire, utilize, add value to and gain value from assets and investments
- Informal and formal, small / medium women-led organizations, groups, cooperatives or collectives in rural, peri-urban, and urban areas of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, such as (but not limited to):
- women’s rights organizations;
- associations of women with formal businesses;
- associations of women with informal businesses;
- women’s self-help groups;
- women’s collectives;
- women’s cooperatives;
All organizations/collectives must fit the following criteria:
- based in Kenya, Uganda or Tanzania;
- led by women who are part of the initiative;
- have a majority (at least 70%) of women members or staff/board with women holding positions of power and authority;
- committed to gender equality;
- the project/initiative to be carried out within 3 months for Rapid Response Grants and 6 -9 months for Advocacy and Alliance Building Grants;
- for informal organizations or collectives, the group should be made up of at least 10 members.
Benefits
UAF-Africa is offering two types of grants:
- Rapid- Response Grants (RRGs) – Grant Amount: up to USD 12, 000.
- Grant Period: The grant is for time-sensitive situations, activities should be carried out within 3 months.
- Advocacy and Alliance Building Grants – Grant Amount: up to USD 20, 000.
- Grant Period: Grant is to support advocacy activities with policymakers, traditional leaders to influence decision making regarding the implementation of laws. These activities are more long-term and can take place within a 6 – 9 month period.
What can you do with the grants:
The grant must aim at influencing the implementation of relevant policies, programs, and processes around; land tenure and ownership for grassroots women, market tools, and opportunities available for advancing financial inclusion and strategic communication on WEE. It may also be used for a range of activities/initiatives which advocate for or facilitate the following:
- inclusive market infrastructure development;
- increasing women-owned enterprises’ productivity;
- inclusion of informal enterprises in local development;
- response to emerging issues pertaining to land access and ownership;
- access to market opportunities;
- holistic security, safety and well-being for the women and activists championing WEE;
- mobilizing and sustaining movements and coalitions that support WEE for strategic engagement;
- capacity development/organizational development support for emerging WEE organizations;
- women’s engagement in economic discourse and decision making;
- safeguarding and defending resources and opportunities;
- an enabling environment for WEE;
- advocacy work towards policymakers, traditional leaders to influence their decision making regarding the implementation of laws;
- knowledge products production on issues of economic injustices, market opportunities pertaining to women’s market;
- access and economic prospects (through blog pieces, workshop reports, newspaper articles, and media OpEds);
- media engagement for radio-TV programs to speak about WEE experiences and lessons learned.
Application process
- To apply for funding contact UAF-Africa by emailing: proposals@uaf-africa.org
