InterAction Launches New Funding Opportunity to Initiate Change in NGO Safeguarding

InterAction with its members are working to change the structural and cultural barriers to addressing sexual harassment and abuse within the international aid sector. In March 2018, a taskforce of CEOs along with InterAction’s leadership launched the CEO Pledge on Preventing Sexual Abuse, Exploitation, and Harassment by and of NGO staff. The Pledge commits organizations to take ambitious steps towards strengthening their capacity to prevent and respond to misconduct and harassment.

In early 2019, InterAction launched From Pledge to Action, a three-year project to work in collaboration with member organizations and the broader sector. The goal is to achieve long term sustainable change by advancing collective learning, strengthening and developing policies, procedures, and trainings, and supporting new ways of working that result in safe environments where NGO staff and beneficiaries can thrive.

In order to support organizations in their efforts, InterAction is providing two funding opportunities to support internal organizational improvements in safeguarding measures and to facilitate innovative approaches that will lead to sector wide learning. The two award opportunities are:

Current Funding Opportunity: Initiating Change Grants

This is the funding opportunity relevant to this Call for Proposals. These smaller grant amounts will support organizations to invest in small scale initiatives that facilitate their progress towards meeting the commitments of the CEO Pledge or their own strategic goals in strengthening safeguarding.

Funding Proposal Package Includes: Proposal and budget template; budget narrative (please see attachments)

Proposal Submission Deadline: May 31, 2019

Forthcoming Funding Opportunity: Piloting Solutions Grants

These larger awards to individual organizations, or a collective of members, are designed to support innovative solutions and pilot new approaches to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and abuse. Proposals must demonstrate the anticipated impact and outline how evidence and learning within the program will benefit collective NGO progress on safeguarding. A forthcoming Call for Proposals for this funding opportunity will be issued in June 2019.

To Apply

This Call for Proposals for Initiating Change is open to all InterAction members and signatories of the CEO Pledge. Proposals will be evaluated by an advisory committee comprised of external subject matter experts and InterAction staff. InterAction welcomes a wide range of proposals that contribute to organizational capacity building, systems strengthening, quality improvement and sustainable organizational change. Submit your Initiating Change Proposal by May 31, 2019 to be considered.

For additional questions or information on these funding opportunities, contact InterAction’s Sub-grants Manager, Soshana Hashmie at frompledgetoaction2019@interaction.org