SADC: GL & Amplify Change launch Voice & Choice Fund

Friday 22 July: Gender Links (GL) in partnership with Amplify Change, today announces the launch of the Voice and Choice Fund targeting Women’s Rights Organisations in Southern Africa focusing on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). The fund is part of GL’s vision of an inclusive, equal and just society in which women and girls in all their diversities exercise their voice and choice in accordance with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development and related regional, continental and global instruments. The aim of the grants is to increase access to reproductive health; improve the sexual health of young people; remove barriers to safe abortion; eliminate GBV; remove stigma and discrimination.

The call for proposals can be accessed in English, French and Portuguese.

There are two funding windows:

• The Movement Building Grant (CLOSED FOR APPLICATIONS) targets WRO with an annual income of less than GBP 500,000 (approximately R10 million per annum) that build coalitions, alliances and networks for improving SRHR in the region. The grants are for a maximum of GBP 50 000 over the period January 2023 to December 2024.  This call is open to WRO in any of the sixteen SADC countries (Angola,  Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi,  Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland,  United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe). This call is in four parts. Organisations that pass an eligibility test will receive a link to fill out a concept note due by midnight, Monday 22 August 2022. Those whose concept notes are approved will be informed of the outcome by 5 September 2022. They will have until 30 September 2022 to submit full applications. Successful candidates will undergo due diligence after 15 October. Contracting will commence in December, ready for implementation in 2023.
• The Opportunity Grant (CLOSED FOR APPLICATIONS) targets smaller, community based WRO that are often by-passed by mainstream funds. These are organisations with an annual income of less than GBP 50 000 per annum. In this round the fund will focus on South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.  These grants are for GBP 5000 per annum x 2 years, subject to satisfactory performance. The application is in three steps. Organisations that pass the eligibility test will receive a link to the full application (due by midnight, South Africa time on 30 August). Successful organisations will undergo due diligence before 15 October, 2022. Contracting and capacity building will commence in the last quarter of the year, ready for implementation from January 2023 to December 2024.

For more information on the Fund vist the Voice & Choice Southern Africa Fund page here