Support Fund for Feminist Organizations

The Support Fund for Feminist Organizations was announced in 2019 by the President of the French Republic. Its goal is to support feminist civil society organizations (CSOs) operating in partner countries of France’s development policy. The fund is co-managed by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and AFD. It falls within the framework of France’s feminist diplomacy and its International Strategy for Gender Equality 2018-2022.
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Fonds français génération égalité, OSC féministes, égalité femmes-hommes

BACKGROUND

France has undertaken to conduct a feminist foreign policy. As part of that commitment, it is actively promoting the rights of women and girls and hosted the Generation Equality Forum in the first half of 2021. 

The Support Fund for Feminist Organizations (Fonds de soutien aux organisations féministes - FSOF) will round out the other international initiatives and bilateral projects on equality issues funded by France. It will mobilize €120 million over three years (2020, 2021, 2022) to fund the activities of feminist movements around the world. It will target organizations of local civil society working to promote gender equality and the rights of women and girls. 
 

Support Fund for Feminist Organisations

The Fund will concentrate on the priority countries of France’s development policy (initiatives in Africa have a priority of 65%), but it will also target civil society organizations in other countries where significant gender equality issues exist.

The themes covered by the Fund over its three years of implementation include: 

  • sexual and reproductive health and rights, and comprehensive sexuality education;
  • the fight against gender-based and sexual discrimination and violence, including the fight against harmful practices (female genital mutilation, child and forced marriage);
  • women’s empowerment and economic participation;
  • women’s social and political leadership;
  • girls’ access to primary, secondary, and higher education;
  • the “Women, Peace and Security” agenda and the role of women in crises; 
  • gender and climate.

In 2020, special attention will be given to the theme “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Comprehensive Sexuality Education.”

Consultation with civil society will take place twice a year, in particular to exchange views on the themes and countries to which the Fund should give priority. 


Three types of funding proposed

The Support Fund for Feminist Organizations offers three complementary funding channels adapted to the needs of each type of CSO, which can apply for funding from the channel that matches their profile:

  • AFD projects and calls for projects targeting feminist CSOs in partner countries;
  • AFD’s CSO Initiatives mechanism, targeting French CSOs;
  • The FSPI/PISSCA funding mechanism of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, for feminist CSOs in partner countries.

CALLS FOR PROJECTS FROM FEMINIST CSOs OF THE SOUTH

The projects and calls for projects of the Support Fund for Feminist Organizations implemented by AFD are aimed at CSOs in the partner countries of France’s development policy. One or several CSOs in consortium that have the capacity to manage and implement large-scale projects will act as intermediary.

AFD is also developing specific initiatives aimed at feminist NGOs, within the framework of projects led by Expertise France or feminist CSOs. 

These projects and calls for projects shall: 

  • implement DAC 2 projects according to OECD gender equality markers;
  • be implemented by local CSOs in partner countries; 
  • be led by one or several CSOs in consortium that have the capacity to manage and implement large-scale projects, or by Expertise France;
  • provide budget allocations of varying amounts to local CSOs in partner countries, to enable participation by CSOs of various sizes;
  • deal with at least one of the above-mentioned themes.

Information for candidate CSOs:

  • Applicant CSOs with the capacity to manage and implement large-scale projects will have to demonstrate expertise in the issues of women’s and girls’ rights and gender equality.
  • These CSOs will have to give evidence of prior experience of partnership with local feminist CSOs in the partner countries.
  • In their response to the call for projects, they will have to show that they have engaged in approaches of genuine partnership with local CSOs and of capacity building for the latter.
  • These calls for proposals will be circulated by local AFD offices to ensure their availability to local CSOs.

Timetable: 

Calls for projects will be drawn up every year and launched at regular intervals.

2024 CALL FOR PROJECTS

Call for proposals "gender-based violence and justice”

This call for projects aims to select two CSO consortium that, one in Latin America and one in Africa, will create and implement a financing mechanism (intermediated fund) for feminist CSOs active locally in 4 countries respectively.

Opening: 10/04/2024 Closing: 05/06/2024

Geography: Latin America and Africa
Sectors concerned: Gender-based violence and justice
Budget available: Each regional lot has a budget of € 3.92M
Project duration: 4 years

2023 CALL FOR PROJECTS

IMPROVING MENSTRUAL HEALTH AND HYGIENE

enfants, Ethiopie
© Maheder Haileselassie Tadese/AFD


AFD is lauching a multi-country call for proposals on Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH). This call for projects aims at recruiting a consortium of CSOs that will build and implement a financing mechanism (intermediated fund) for local feminist CSOs and SSEs in different countries. The overall objective: to support the action of feminist CSOs and SSEs in French development policy partner countries. The project will pursue a goal of improving menstrual health and hygiene for women and girls, especially the most vulnerable, using a rights-based approach and taking into account the multidimensional factors of inequality.

Opening: May 5, 2023 Closing: July 5, 2023 (8am CET)

Eligible projects proponents: National or international associations, structured in consortium, and working in partnership with local entities

Geographical areas: partner countries of France’s development and international solidarity policy, in which AFD has a mandate to intervene – but outside the so-called “major emerging” countries and with the exception of the countries of the Sahel region.

 

Strengthening feminist CSOs working for gender equality in and through education

Open to French and international civil society organizations (CSOs, this call for projects aims to fund feminist civil society organizations in partner countries of French development and solidarity policy and their actions in favor of equality between women and men in and through education.

2022 CALL FOR PROJECTS

Strengthening feminist CSOs working for gender equality in and through education

Open to French and international civil society organizations (CSOs, this call for projects aims to fund feminist civil society organizations in partner countries of French development and solidarity policy and their actions in favor of equality between women and men in and through education.

Find below all the necessary documents:

STRENGTHENING FEMINIST CSOS WORKING IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA IN CRISIS AND CONFLICT ZONES

AFD proposes to subsidize organizations CSOs or other non-profit organizations for the establishment of a mechanism for financing, strengthening and structuring feminist organizations whose main objective is equality between women and men. The call for projects is aimed at three areas of crisis and conflict: the Sahel, Central Africa and the Middle East, with a concentration of funding on CSOs on the African continent up to 65%, according to a defined framework.

This call is funded by the Support Fund for Feminist Organizations (FSOF) and the Minka Peace and Resilience Fund

2021 CALL FOR PROJECTS

Support to feminist CSOs in combatting gender-based violence

This call for proposals aims to support the capacity building of feminist civil society organisations in the partner countries of French international development and cooperation in their efforts to eliminate gender-based violence. The purpose of this call is to select the consortium of French and / or international and / or national CSOs from partner countries, which will serve as an intermediate fund and manage a 14 million euros grant envelope. 

Potential applicants will find below the link towards the full application forms and the minutes of a consultation meeting held with NGOs concerning the initial concept note of the call.

INITIATIVES MECHANISM FOR FRENCH CSOs

The Support Fund for Feminist Organizations also funds projects led by French feminist CSOs via AFD’s CSO Initiatives mechanism.

Projects awarded as part of the Fund will have to meet the following criteria: 

  • implement DAC 2 projects according to OECD gender equality markers;
  • be led by French CSOs in partnership with local CSOs in partner countries;
  • provide budget allocations of varying amounts to French CSOs, to enable participation by CSOs of various sizes;
  • deal with at least one of the above-mentioned themes.

Information for candidate CSOs: 

  • Only French CSOs with expertise in women’s and girls’ rights and in gender equality will be able to propose projects.
  • The application procedures will be the same as for other projects granted under AFD’s CSO Initiatives mechanism.

Timetable: 
Some projects, whose main purpose is to promote gender equality within AFD’s CSO Initiatives mechanism, will be part of the Support Fund for Feminist Organizations for 2020, 2021 and 2022.

FSPI/PISSCA FUNDING MECHANISM

The Support Fund for Feminist Organizations will also provide direct support to local feminist CSOs in the partner countries, in particular to small organizations.

To this end, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs will mobilize two financing mechanisms: the Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects (Fonds de solidarité pour les projets innovants - FSPI) and the Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects of Civil Societies and Coalitions of Actors (Fonds de solidarité pour les Projets innovants pour la société civile et les coalitions d’acteurs - PISSCA).

The aim of the FSPI projects included in the Fund will be to support local CSOs in projects dedicated to gender equality, by granting allocations of up to €1 million.

More specifically, the FSPI/PISCCA projects are funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, at the initiative of embassies. They are designed to support local CSOs. They will be able to finance CSO gender projects of small and medium amounts (between €10,000 and €300,000 each). Each of the FSPI/PISCCA beneficiary CSOs must be able to finance 10% of the total amount of the project.

Project duration of FSPI and FSPI/PISSCA projects is a maximum of two years. 

The FSPI and FSPI/PISCCA projects accepted as part of the FSOF must meet the following criteria: 

  • implement DAC 2 projects according to OECD gender equality markers;
  • be led by local CSOs in partner countries;
  • deal with at least one of the above-mentioned themes;
  • comply with the procedures and timetable of the FSPI and FSPI/PISCCA.

Information for candidate CSOs: 

  • The FSPI/PISCCA projects are prepared locally, by embassies/cooperation services, in conjunction with local CSOs.
  • The French embassies/cooperation services formalize the applications and forward them to the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.  
  • Multi-country FSPIs can be proposed by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs by involving CSOs from partner countries.
  • A committee meets at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and selects—once a year, in the first half of the year—the projects to be funded and implemented during the year.

Timetable: 
In 2020-2021 and 2021-2022: 

  • Embassies, in contact with the CSOs, shall finalize and send the FSPI and FSPI/PISSCA applications before the strict November 16 deadline.
  • In the first half of the year, the selection committee of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs announces the projects selected for funding
  • The implementation period of the FSPI and FSPI/PISSCA projects shall be a maximum of two years.