Call for Proposals: USAID/UGANDA CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING ACTIVITY

Published By UNNGOF |  March 28, 2022

Request for Proposals: Fostering Public Awareness of Effective Civil Society-Government Collaboration on Enabling Environment Issues in Uganda

The USAID/Uganda Civil Society Strengthening Activity (CSSA) is pleased to invite proposals from civil society organizations (CSOs) and media practitioners that seek to highlight effective initiatives between CSOs and government institutions or other actors to improve the enabling environment for civil society in Uganda. Grants are available for amounts of up to $7,500 USD.

       Background
The USAID/Uganda CSSA is a five-year USAID-funded Activity implemented by East-West Management Institute (EWMI) in partnership with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), Uganda’s Development Network of Indigenous Voluntary Associations (DENIVA), and Common Ground Consulting (CGC). The CSSA supports the capacity strengthening of Ugandan CSOs to influence and contribute to improved development outcomes in a) health, with particular attention paid to achieving the country’s HIV/AIDS reduction goals; b) education, youth, and child development; c) agriculture and food security; and d) democracy, rights, and governance. Component 3 of the CSSA under which this Call applies specifically seeks to promote a more supportive enabling environment that sustains a vibrant civil society.

CSSA invites organizations to submit proposals with innovative ideas and approaches to showcase initiatives that CSOs are undertaking in collaboration with government institutions to improve the enabling environment for CSOs. Competitive proposals will focus on highlighting how this cooperation has improved the ability of the civil society sector to better exercise or address any challenges to one or more of the following rights, whether exercised in the physical realm, or online:

  1. Freedom of association;
  2. Freedom of peaceful assembly;
  3. Freedom of expression, and access to information.

Examples of possible activities include:

  • Innovative media coverage of specific cross-sector (state and non-state) initiatives and their impact.
  • Developing a performance rating and feedback platform to assess existing initiatives and their objectives, success stories etc.
  • Community radio broadcasts, podcasts, short videos, blogs, print articles and photo-essays on a particular initiative.
  • Townhalls or other stakeholder discussion forums.

These are illustrative examples, and we encourage applicants to suggest their own innovative activities based on the theme of this Request for Proposals.

       Proposal Instructions

To apply for a grant, applicants must submit the following fully completed items via email to grantsafrica@icnl.org with the subject “CSSA Uganda Public Awareness small grant proposal”

  • Proposal Coversheet;
  • Proposal and Budget (no more than $7,500) using the provided template.

       Proposal Requirements

Using the template provided, and strictly adhering to the sentence limits, please address:

  • The initiative to be highlighted in the project;
  • Your organization’s experience and expertise in carrying out successful public awareness activities;
  • Impact statement and proposed deliverables;
  • Proposed timeline for project activities; and
  • Contingencies or adaptations, if any, to handle delays, impediments, etc. stemming from COVID-19 safety measures.

       Eligibility Requirements

Proposals are welcome from registered local and national non-profit organizations operating in Uganda, as well as media practitioners (including print and electronic media journalists, photographers, videographers, bloggers, among others).

       Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on the following factors:

  1. Compliance with eligibility requirements and application procedures;
  2. Experience in the proposed project area;
  3. Ability to comply with grant requirements and deadlines;
  4. Quality of proposal, including innovation, feasibility and likely impact;
  5. Timeline for the project;
  6. Reasonableness and level of budget;
  7. Reasonable indicators and clearly articulated project deliverables and impact;
  8. Sustainability of the proposed project beyond the grant period.

        Additional information
Interested applicants can apply by completing the application coversheet and proposal template and submitting it to grantsafrica@icnl.org. Please ensure that the subject of your email is: “CSSA Uganda Public Awareness small grant proposal.”

Only successful candidates will be contacted. This call for applications does not constitute an obligation or commitment of any kind by CSSA, nor does it commit CSSA to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an application.

All grant recipients will be required to submit progress reports during the grant period and a final report on the use of funds, activities conducted, and outcomes of their projects prior to receiving their final grant disbursements. All project activities must be completed no later than November 30, 2022.

       Deadline
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis; the final deadline for applications is March 31, 2022.


CLICK HERE to download the Call for Proposals

CLICK HERE to download the Proposal Template