Frequently asked questions

The 2022 Call for Proposals is closed and no longer accepting applications.


Table of contents

Eligibility

Application and appraisal process

Writing a quality application

Budgets and Funding Requests

Online Application Technical Questions


Eligibility 

Who is eligible to apply for a UN Trust Fund grant? 

The UN Trust Fund will only accept applications from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), especially Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) with specialized knowledge, expertise, and a track record of working on defending and advocating for women’s rights and elimination of violence against women and girls. The following organizations will be prioritized: 

  • Women’s rights organizations (WROs), in full recognition of their being the driving force of the ending violence against women agenda and feminist movements, as well as being at the forefront of EVAW/G work, directly reaching women and girls survivors and those at highest risk of exclusion and marginalization.  
  • CSOs/WROs led by and for marginalized women and girls (e.g., constituent-led), that have specialized knowledge, expertise and a proven track record of working with women and girls facing or at risk of violence, especially survivors-led organizations. Girl-led and girl-centered organizations are also particularly encouraged to apply.  
  • CSOs/WROs with local or community-level reach that are best-placed to meet the needs of women and girls in their contexts, including through collaboration and equitable partnerships. Applications from organizations that are not local (but meet other criteria) are still welcome if the proposal includes an equitable partnership with local women’s rights organizations or constituent led groups for greater impact or community reach. The proposal must demonstrate how the partnership will ensure an equitable power balance that empowers community/locally based groups and CSOs/WROs.  

Who is considered a women’s rights organization (WRO) and what information do I need to provide? 

  • To be considered a “women’s rights organization”, the organization must demonstrate that its core work is in the field of women’s rights, gender equality, the elimination of violence against women, or sexual and gender-based violence. The organization’s official mission and vision statements must reflect its commitment to pursuing gender equality and empowering women and girls. 
  • We require supporting documents (constitutions, by-laws, official mission and vision statement, organigrammes) as part of the application to help determine whether an organization is a women’s rights and/or a women-led organization

Who is considered a women-led organization and what information do I need to provide? 

  • To be considered a “women-led organization”, the organization must demonstrate that it is governed and led by women. This requires evidence that a minimum of 61 per cent of leadership positions across various decision-making levels, including in management, senior management and board levels are held by women.  
  • We require supporting documents (constitutions, by-laws, organigrammes) as part of the application to help determine whether an organization is a women’s rights and/or a women-led organization

Who is considered a constituent-led organization and what information do I need to provide? 

  • To be considered a “constituent-led organization” the organization must demonstrate that it is led by members of the group it represents and/or sets priorities driven by its constituents’ lived experiences and based on a strong understanding of their needs. For example, organizations of disabled persons, organizations of indigenous women, associations for lesbian, bisexual and transwomen, etc. To be considered a “constituent-led organization”, the organization must be representative, meaning that the constituent group must be/represent a majority of the overall staff, board, and volunteers in all levels of the organization (61% as a guide).  
  • This information must be provided in the narrative section of your project concept application. 

What type of international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) are eligible? 

International and larger National NGOs that have EVAW/G experience may apply on the condition that they demonstrate a clear intention to engage with and strengthen the capacities of local WRO/CSO partners on programming and/or coordination in a mutually enabling manner. Beyond trainings, larger organizations applying to the UN Trust Fund special focus for protracted crises will only be considered if they adopt risk sharing strategies with women-led CSOs/WROs, as well as an advisory, backstopping and mentoring role for smaller grass-roots women-led CSOs/WROs. This may be achieved, for example, by supporting the establishment of consortia that would allow for increased decision making, control and ownership from women-led CSOs/WROs, contributing to their empowerment and ensuring programmes can be embedded more effectively and more sustainably in the local context.  

For international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), can more than one local, affiliate or associate office apply? 

NO 

  • Only one office may apply per funding cycle. That office must be legally registered (or present its co-implementing partner’s legal registration) in an eligible country and/or territory of implementation. 
  • This is extended to include national affiliates/chapters of INGOs (i.e. only one national affiliate is eligible per grant). Further, an INGO can only apply once under this Call for Proposals, either in the capacity of the applicant organization or of a co-implementing partner, across all countries under this Call. 

Can several organizations apply together? 

YES 

  • Organizations may work with relevant co-implementing partners to complement their expertise, outreach capacity and build the capacities of grassroots organizations. 
  • It is recommended that the proposal includes no more than 4 co-implementing partners that will receive a portion of the requested funding. In these cases, grant proposals must clearly indicate which organization will take lead responsibility for project management and contractual obligations. 

If several organizations are applying together, how should they divide up the roles and responsibilities? 

  • The roles and responsibilities of all implementing partners should be clearly described in the proposal. For example, the implementation of specific components of the proposed intervention can be attributed to specific implementing partners. However, the lead applicant (whose contact details are provided in the proposal) is overall accountable for the entrusted funds, programmatic and financial delivery, monitoring, progress reporting, associated risks and results of the overall project across the work of all implementing partners. 
  • As per the terms of the contract that will be signed between a successful grantee and UN Women on behalf of the UN Trust Fund, only the lead applicant is accountable for the management of the grant in its entirety. It is the responsibility of each lead organization to make sure that its co-implementing partners understand and comply with the requirements and obligations of the UN Trust Fund grant and that this information is shared with them in a timely and comprehensive manner. If awarded a grant, the applicant organization will also be responsible and liable for its co-implementing partner’s performance and results delivery in an audit-proof manner. 
  • The UN Trust Fund highly recommends that lead applicants do consider signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)/contract with all of their co-implementing partners, setting out specific roles, responsibilities, deliverables and lines of accountability (Internal Control Framework) as relevant to the project and for the duration of the grant. 

Do we need to be a legally registered entity/organization to apply? 

YES 

  • The applicant organization must have legal status with the competent national authority. The applicant organization or at least one of its co-implementing partner organizations must be legally registered in the country and/or territory of implementation. Applying organizations must attach proof of legal registration (or legal status) as part of the grant application. 
  • For multi-countries applications, applicants also need to provide the legal registration documents of co-implementing partners in the countries of operation. 
  • Applications without clear proof of legal status will be considered incomplete and removed from the review process. Note that articles of incorporation are not proof of legal status. 
  • Applicants need to have been legally registered for at least 5 years. On an exceptional basis, the UN Trust Fund may consider organizations that have been legally registered for between 3-5 years. A formal letter stating the exceptional circumstances should be attached. 

Can organizations that are not legally registered apply? 

NO 

Organizations that are not legally registered are not eligible to apply. 

Can an eligible organization submit more than one application? 

NO 

  • An organization may not submit more than one application either in the capacity of the applicant organization or of a co-implementing partner, across all countries under this Call. 

What are the other mandatory requirements? 

  • The full eligibility checklist with mandatory requirements can be found on the Applications Guidelines page on our website.
  • Mandatory requirements notably include the provision of annual financial statements for the previous three fiscal years (2019, 2020, 2021) and audit reports for the previous three years (2019, 2020, 2021) . 
  • Applicants should also have expertise and experience in implementing projects in the field of ending violence against women and girls over the past five years. In exceptional circumstances (e.g. for new organizations that have been in existence for less time) three years of history may be accepted. Please attach a formal letter stating the exceptional circumstances. 

Can grantees with ongoing projects funded by the UN Trust Fund apply for new grants under this Call for proposals? 

NO 

  • Organizations that have received a grant are eligible only if their grant has been programmatically and operationally closed by March 2023.  

Can an organization that has received a grant from the UN Trust Fund in a previous funding cycle submit a new proposal? 

YES 

  • An organization that has previously received a grant can apply as main applicant as long as the previous project funded by the UN Trust Fund is operationally and financially completed and closed by March 2023. 
  • If the new proposal builds on the past work funded by the UN Trust Fund, the organization is encouraged to showcase how the proposed project intends to accelerate successes achieved, responds to lessons learnt and take efforts forward to end violence against women and girls. 

Can an eligible organization submit the same proposal to another funding source besides the UN Trust Fund? If yes, what if two or more funding sources approve the same proposal for a grant? 

YES 

  • Eligible organizations are encouraged to submit their proposals to additional funding sources, as the UN Trust Fund Call for Proposals process is extremely competitive and the UN Trust Fund receives many more proposals than it is able to fund. In the case of two or more funding sources approving the same grant, organizations would be expected to communicate: 
  • Whether funding from the UN Trust Fund and additional sources covers the entire cost of the proposed project; 
  • Whether there is still a funding gap, and the organization’s proposed strategies to bridge that gap. 

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Application and appraisal process 

Where can I find information about the Call for Proposals? 

  • The Call for Proposals is published on the UN Trust Fund’s website, on the UN Women’s website, and on the SHINE hub
  • Information about the Call for Proposals is also shared via UN Trust Fund and UN Women social media accounts. 
  • Please note the deadline for finalizing the applications has been extended to 25 January 2023. It applies only for the finalisation of applications initiated prior to 18th January 2023 in the online platform. Applications started after 18 January 11.59 pm New York time will not be considered.  

How can I apply? 

  • Applicants must submit initial proposals in the form of a Project Concept. 
  • All applications must be submitted online via the UN Trust Fund’s web application system at https://grants.untf.unwomen.org/
  • The UN Trust Fund will not accept applications submitted via e-mail, regular post and/or facsimile. 
  • Guidance on the online application can be found here. A tutorial on the the Grant Management System online application is also available here

What language can I submit my application in? 

  • Applications may be submitted in English, French and Spanish. 
  • Please note while the Call is also available in Arabic, Chinese and Russian, applications are only accepted in English, French and Spanish. 

What is the process for appraising and shortlisting applications? 

  • Applications are assessed through review by independent experts and UN Inter agency Regional and Global Programme Advisory Committees (PAC). 
  • The process is very competitive and only a subset of applicants are selected for a grant. In 2021, out 1396 applications, 37 applicants were awarded a grant. 
  • The below process is indicative for the 2022 Call for Proposals: 
  • Call open for applications 
  • Applications longlisted by independent experts 
  • Applications shortlisted by UN inter agency Programme Advisory Committeees  
  • Pre-selected grantees develop a detailed Project Proposal 

What is the process for pre-selected applicants? 

  • A final group of applications is pre-selected by the Global UN Inter agency Programme Advisory Committee (GPAC). 
  • Pre-selected applicants will be invited to submit a detailed Project Proposal. 
  • Following the final selection and acceptance of the grant, and agreement will be signed with UN Women on behalf of the UN Trust Fund. 
  • Once agreements are signed, first year funding is disbursed to the grantee. 

If my application was not successful, can I receive feedback on how to improve it? 

Due to the high volume of applications, the UN Trust Fund is unfortunately unable to provide individual feedback on specific proposals. 

How are unsuccessful applicants informed? 

The UN Trust Fund informs applicants of their status via email. The email is sent to the email addresses provided by applicants in the online application. Please make sure you provide an email address that will remain valid and operational for at least a year when entering your contact information. 

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Writing a quality application 

What makes a strong application? 

Successful Project Concepts have the following characteristics and are:  

  • Specific: they identify and benefit specific women and girls; focus on specific named forms of violence against women and girls—as opposed to just addressing all forms of violence generically; they are designed to respond to a specific context which is described clearly. This ensures more effective and dedicated interventions which have a clear scope. 
  • Demonstrate a clear articulation of results to be achieved, for and with whom, where and how, and for what ultimate purpose in relation to the intersections being focused on. 
  • Articulate an intersectional approach to ending violence against women and girls (VAW/G), recognizing that appropriate responses to violence take into account that different identity characteristics and circumstances lead to certain groups of women being more at risk for experiencing violence in different contexts, and make a context-specific case for who they have identified and why.  
  • Demonstrate equitable partnerships, especially with women’s groups, and describe their specific roles in the project.  
  • Indicate both qualitative and quantitative mechanisms for monitoring and reporting. 
  • Integrate considerations to strengthen preparedness by strengthening organizational resilience, developing internal capacities, investing in partnership building, leadership and advocacy to prevent and address VAW/G before, during and after crises.  

Successful applicants avoid:  

  • Ticking the maximum of boxes in the online applications without analyzing specific problems, needs and strategies to address those in the Project Concept.  
  • Lack of coherence between strategy and goal. 
  • Trying to do too much.  
  • Unrealistic budget according to their absorptive capacity. 

 Where can I find guidance on how to successfully design a Project Concept? 

  • The Annex 2 Project Concept Form that can be found in the Application Guidelines lists the questions that applicants will have to answer in the online application. Those questions have been developed to guide applicants in their reflections and project planning. Therefore, it is important to allocate enough time to review each question, discuss and analyze them with the relevant project partners and beneficiaries, and (co-) write the Project Concept accordingly.  
  1. Project Context and Problem analysis 
  2. Theory of Change, Intervention logic, Strategies and Results  
  3. Considering risks, in particular Ethical and Safety risks. 

What does employing intersectional approaches to working with women and girls with intersecting vulnerabilities typically entail? 

An external analysis, commissioned by the UN Trust Fund and co-produced with former grantees, finds that organizations employing intersectional approaches to working with women and girls with intersecting vulnerabilities typically entails one or more of the following aspects:  

  1. identify the specific group or specific groups of women and/or girls who are at high risk of violence because of overlapping aspects of their identities, status, or situation,  
  2. co-produce programming with women living with overlapping vulnerabilities wherever possible,
  3. address how the invisibility of certain groups of women and/or girls is created and reinforced,  
  4. pay attention to multidimensional power relations, by engaging with individuals, groups and systems that may together combine to put women and girls at risk of violence and  
  5. work collaboratively with partners, including women’s movements, that engage with different groups of women and build an intersectional approach in ways that maximize resources and learning by building synergies and shared agendas.  

For more information, you can refer to:  

What are the EVAW/G Programming principles and how should my proposals embody them? 

All proposals are expected to embody UN Women EVAW/G programming principles24 within project design as contextually relevant and feasible.   

  1. Adopting a human rights-basedapproachthat places paramount priority on promoting, protecting and fulfilling the human rights of all women and girls. A human rights-based approach requires developing the capacities of ‘duty-bearers’ and ‘rights- holders’.   
  2. Ensuring a survivor-centered and women’s empowerment approachthat integrates women’s and girls’ own experiences and inputs within all initiatives and strategies as an essential part of successful programming. A survivor-centered approach is fundamental to the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls affected, and to their empowerment.   
  3. Operating under ethical guidelines that ensure interventions and services prioritize, and guarantee women’s and girls’ rights to safety and security, confidentiality and privacy, expression of opinion and autonomy to make decisions.    
  4. Ensuring gender responsiveness and transformative approachesthat seek to create or strengthen equitable gender norms and dynamics for fundamental, lasting changes for women and girls.  
  5. Employing culturally and contextually relevant entry points through interventions that involve cultural, community, faith-based, youth and other leaders. All project proposals should aim to include clear community feedback mechanisms with participation of women from the communities where the projects are to be implemented.    
  6. Addressing specific forms and settings of VAW/G through a clear understanding of specific contexts in which violence takes place for effective programme design and implementation, with knowledge about specific forms, settings, and population groups affected.   
  7. Adopting an intersectional approach and focusing on groups most at risk of being left behind especially excluded or disadvantaged women and girls (such as women and girls with disabilities, LBT, internally displaced and refugees, indigenous, older and members of ethnic minorities).   
  8. Operating within a socio-ecological model of understanding violence which aims to ensure that interventions consider and address the conditions across different levels (e.g. individual, family, community and society), which affect women and girls’ risks of experiencing violence.   
  9. Working in partnership with different stakeholders such as government, donors, UN agencies, civil society and community-based groups, inter-sectorial actors, academic and research institutions; and importantly, women and girl survivors and women-led organizations.   
  10. Drawing on existing evidence of “what works” (or does not), to respond to and prevent violence against women and girls, drawn from formal evaluations and assessments, research and studies, expert consensus and recommendations, shared practitioner experiences and – importantly -  the feedback of survivors, and women and girls at risk.   

For more information on how to embody EVAW/G principles, read the presentation at your disposal in the Application Guidelines and on the website of the UN Women Virtual Knowledge Center to End Violence against Women and Girls.

What kind of activities and initiatives could be supported through the general funding window on addressing violence against women and girls under this year’s Call for Proposals? 

By way of illustration only, proposals might consider:  

  • Developing specific strategies for primary prevention of violence against women and girls that will lead towards stopping violence from occurring altogether in the first place. Examples include: community and/or school-based approaches and interventions or working with men and boys on changing gender norms and the acceptability of violence, among various others. 
  • Ensuring survivors’ access to justice, by strengthening implementation of existing national legislation, and alignment with international and regional human rights’ standards; and to quality health and other services and support. This may include establishing or expanding access to services such as hotlines, safe spaces, legal assistance and crisis counseling, among others. 
  • Empowering women to understand and claim their rights and mobilizing communities on ‘zero tolerance’ through legal literacy about international, national and local laws and policies, as well as through socio-economic (including employment) opportunities for women and girls to break out of the cycle of violence. 
  • Increasing the availability of safe spaces and psychosocial support to women and girl survivors of violence, as well as innovative approaches to support their socio-economic reintegration
  • Securing strategic policy commitments and budgets for implementation, by working to ensure that ending violence against women and girls is incorporated into leading national development and funding frameworks, such as Poverty Reduction Strategies, National Development Plans, Crisis Prevention, Response and Recovery Plans, National HIV and AIDS Plans, Sector-Wide Approaches, post-conflict peace-building and reconstruction frameworks, or contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 5.  
  • Enlisting relatively ‘new’ stakeholders who have a critical, but largely untapped, role to play in preventing and addressing violence against women and girls, such as working with men and boys, young people, faith-based organizations, humanitarian actors, employers and trade unions, the media, among other strategic groups.  
  • Supporting the implementation of all internationally and regionally agreed human rights instruments, and recommendations as relevant to preventing and ending violence against women and girls, including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee, and the recommendations of the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on Status of Women, as well as Maputo Protocol, Istanbul Convention and Convention of Bélem do Pará. 
  • Supporting a feminist and gender-transformative localization agenda at regional and national/sub-national levels, as part of preparedness actions, in order to end violence against women and girls even in emergencies or crises settings. This includes supporting the establishment or ongoing functioning of local / national coordination fora to EVAW/G that can also be activated or linked during crises in order for CSO/WROS to participate in and inform eventual humanitarian coordination and decision-making mechanisms. 
  • Strengthening partnerships for holistic, coherent and coordinated action against VAW/G, which can be sustained at the onset of eventual disruptive events such as emergencies and crises. This includes for example, implementing advocacy strategies for the recognition of CSO/WROs as first responders in the prevention and response to VAW/G, facilitating their access to sustained funding, or enabling their participation in decision making bodies to exercise their leadership, including key considerations for the continuity of their work and leadership in the eventual onset of disruptive events such as humanitarian emergencies or crises. 

What kind of activities could be supported to strengthen preparedness and organizational resilience? 

Applicants are encouraged to dedicate some resources from the overall grant for building their preparedness to adapt and be able to pivot to potentially disruptive events. 

By way of illustration only, activities could include:  

  • Strengthening participatory monitoring, evaluation and learning systems or practices for EVAW/G programming that can be more flexible and adaptive in the context of disruptive events like emergencies and crises. This includes preparing monitoring and risk assessments, developing risk mitigation plans and ensuring contingency measures are factored into project design. It may also include actions to strengthen internal systems to be more flexible and adaptive in a changing context.  
  • Strengthening internal advocacy and staffing skills to participate, engage in and influence the different humanitarian preparedness and response mechanisms of the country. This may also include strengthening institutional and operational capacities and accountability systems that facilitate access to resources, including humanitarian funding in the eventual onset of an emergency or crisis. 
  • Investing in capacity building or strengthening to engage in data collection and needs assessments, including the application of standards, and ethical and safety protocols that ensure “do no harm” and a survivor centred approach. This may also entail capacity building or strengthening, as part of preparedness actions, to collect and analyze data in the eventual context of a disruptive event such as an emergency or crises, to ensure capacities are in place to inform humanitarian planning processes and assess the impact of humanitarian intervention to prevent and address violence against women and girls. 
  • Supporting local, sub national and/or national emergency preparation efforts to recognize VAW/G programming as a key lifesaving issue that must be integrated into service continuity plans and funding. This includes advocating for the integration of EVAW/G (risk mitigation, prevention and response) in emergency preparedness, and DRR/M national and local policies, plans and programmes. 
  • Integrating measures for the well-being of staff, volunteers and service providers, including front-line workers, and HR management that allows for sufficient leave take, time for rotation of shifts, rest and recuperation, psycho-social support and/or stress counsellors, and protection from harassment, including sexual harassment and abuse of authority in the workplace. This may relate to protection, safety and security considerations.  
  • Supporting safe movement and working environments for essential staff, for example, in the absence of public transport, the movement of staff working in shelters as well as those working in crisis settings. 
  • Investing in strategic activities related to leading and defining the vision of the organization within the framework of shifting global realities, as well as representing the organization in advancing its mandate with key stakeholders in a time where EVAW/G and gender programming has become more topical than ever.  
  • Improving organizational systems, tools and processes that enables the organization to effectively fulfill its mandate in support of women and girls as well as investing in costs linked to change management and new ways of operating to ensure business continuity in an evolving and ever-changing working environment. 

What kind of activities and initiatives could be supported through the special focus on addressing violence against women and girls in the context of protracted crises under this year’s Call for Proposals?

By way of illustration only, proposals might consider: 

  • Strengthening advocacy and humanitarian skills of CSO/WROs to participate, engage in and influence the different mechanisms of the humanitarian architecture in country. This may also include strengthening institutional and operational capacities and accountability systems to enable access to humanitarian and other sources of funding for resilience building, crisis prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. 
  • Investing in alliance building to increase CSO/WROs influence, visibility and resource base, and to ensure the specific needs and capacities of women and girls are recognized and addressed in order to mitigate risks, prevent and respond to VAW/G. This includes removing barriers for CSO/WROs to participate in humanitarian coordination structures to end VAW/G through, for example, training, paying for transportation, translation services, salaries for coordination staff, etc. 
  • Amplifying the voices of women and girls from the affected communities in decision-making platforms and fostering their active engagement and direct participation in consultations and events organized by humanitarian and development stakeholders and donors. This may include support to prepare, issue and disseminate Charters of Demand and/or Gender Alerts, highlighting the key VAW/G issues to be addressed by the HCT and humanitarian clusters/sectors operating in the response to the crisis. 
  • Supporting the establishment of WROs networks or national NGO networks that include WROs, orienting women organizations on roles they can play at the decision-making levels (including with Government partners, the HCT or in sectoral coordination at national and sub-national levels), and building their own capacities to take on increased roles and responsibilities as members of crisis decision-making bodies and to access funding to EVAW/G. 
  • Supporting movement building to prevent, mitigate and address VAW/G as part of crisis prevention, response and recovery by resourcing bottom-up approaches that support women’s agency and leadership capacities of women-led CSOs and feminist grassroots movements from crisis-affected communities. 
  • Increasing access of women and girls’ survivors of VAW/G to quality essential and comprehensive intersectoral services, beyond critical life-saving interventions. This may include, but is not limited to, the provision of case management, mental health and psychosocial support, access to justice and legal assistance, establishment of spaces tailored to the needs of marginalized women and girls, economic empowerment, cash and voucher assistance and access to livelihoods. 
  • Providing high quality services that are accessible to marginalized women and girls most at risk who are affected by crises, ensuring application of standards applicable for Gender Based Violence in Emergencies that may apply to the context and key guiding principles for a survivor centred approach. 
  • Sustaining work with men and boys and community leaders to end harmful practices and violence against women and girls. 
  • Dedicating resources and investing in the capacity of women, girls and WROs to safely engage in local, sub-national and/or national coordination and accountability mechanisms. This may include : engagement in efforts that strengthen community feedback and complaints mechanisms, work in networks for the Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), participation in sectoral working groups focusing on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and EVAW/G working groups or Gender-Based Violence (GBV) risk mitigation, GBV sub-cluster/sector. 

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Budgets and Funding Requests 

Is there a recommended range for funding requests? 

YES 

  • All civil society organizations can apply for a grant amount between US $150,001 and US $1,000,000. 
  • Small civil society organizations are eligible to apply for a ‘small grant’ of between US $50,000 and US $150,000 that includes additional core support for the organization. To be considered a “small organization”, the organization’s annual operational budget must have been lower than US$ 200,000 (on average) over the last three years. 
  • Organizations should consider their own operational and absorptive capacity when submitting a funding request. In general, an organization cannot request a grant amount more than thrice its annual organization budget (using last 3-years average organizational budget). We will assess absorptive capacity against financial and audit reports as well as annual organization budget information submitted as part of the application.  

Must applicants contribute to the project budget? 

NO 

While all applicants – whenever possible – are encouraged to make financial and/or in-kind contributions, it is not a requirement to do so. 

What costs are covered by a UN Trust Fund grant? 

For all details, please refer to the UN Trust Fund Call for Proposals Annex 3: Budget Summary (available in the Application Guidelines).

What costs are NOT covered by a UN Trust Fund grant? 

The UN Trust Fund will NOT fund the following : 

  • Costs of infrastructure such as purchase of land, property, acquisition of office space, construction, repair of existing buildings or offices, including for example, the building of service facilities, shelters or short-stay homes unless this is specifically justified by inclusivity needs.  
  • Purchase of any type of large vehicles (i.e. cars, boats, etc.).  
  • Furnishing of service facilities, shelters or short-stay homes, unless those are specifically for a facility established or utilized for the purpose of the project.  
  • Monetary incentives for participation in trainings, workshops, etc. or honorariums to outlets/journalists for publishing articles.  
  • Costs that can be financed by other funding sources in the country or by the government (i.e. providing antiretroviral treatment).  
  • Sub-granting (awarding grants using funds provided under the agreement with the UN Trust Fund).  
  • Loans (funds extended for the purpose of investment/ return of capital) and debt servicing.  
  • Duties, taxes and charges, including VAT, that are recoverable/deductible by the organization.  
  • Non statutory bonuses, provisions, reserves or non-remuneration related costs.  

For all details, please refer to the UN Trust Fund Call for Proposals Annex 3: Budget Summary (available in the Application Guidelines). 

What are the UN Trust Fund auditing requirements? 

  • Each selected project may be subject to an audit during its lifetime by an UN-Women designated auditor. 
  • A provision of 3.5 per cent (3.5%) of the total amount requested should be included in the first year of implementation to cover this cost. 

Is creating additional budget lines permissible in the template? 

NO 

The existing budget lines should be used to detail all costs relevant to the satisfactory completion of the project. 

If I am pre-selected, can a budget submitted with the Project Concept be increased when developing a detailed Project Proposal? 

NO 

The budget submitted with a Project Concept represents the total funds available and allocated for the detailed Project Proposal. However, budget lines may be modified as long as the budget is in line with the approved programme strategy or strategies. 

Can the budget of a selected intervention be increased after the final budget is approved? 

NO 

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Online Application Technical Questions 

Is there a tutorial on how to apply online? 

YES 

You can find a tutorial on how to apply on the Grant Management System here. 

I don't remember my user password. 

To retrieve your password, click the Forgot your password?" link that "on the login page. A verification code will be sent to the email address associated with your account. Type the verification code and then you will be able to reset your password. 

Can I switch the language of my application once I have started filling out my application? 

NO 

Once you select your preferred language in the User Profile when you register to the system, you will not be able to switch to another language. 

Do I have to fill out the application in order? 

NO

  • The application does not have to be filled out in the order the questions are asked. 
  • Use the navigation links (the Home icon or the Home link) on the left side of the application to move from section to section. 
  • Please note that data you enter into the form is only saved when you hit the “Save” button on the right side of the application or at the bottom of the application. 
  • Make sure to save your work often. 

Do I have to complete the application in one sitting? 

NO 

The application does not have to be filled out in one sitting. With your username and password, you can log in as many times as needed to complete your application before the deadline. Just always remember to hit ‘Save’ before logging out. 

Can I print my application? 

YES 

You can print your application by clicking on the "Print" button on the homepage. 

How do I know when I have completed my application? 

  • Once a section has been completed, a check mark will appear next to its section title in the navigation bar. You can also view your application progress in the Applicant Dashboard. You will be able to submit your application only after each section is 100% complete. 
  • Check marks must appear for all sections for the application to be considered complete. 

What do the green checkmarks next to the application sections mean? 

The green check marks in the navigation bar signify that a section has been fully completed. Check marks must appear for all required sections for the application to be considered complete. 

What do the red circles next to the application sections mean? 

  • Sections in the navigation bar with a red circle signify that there are mandatory questions that are either unanswered or answered incorrectly in that particular section. 
  • The number in the red circle indicates the number of questions unanswered or answered incorrectly. You may click on the Inspect button on the right side to investigate and address the questions that need to be filled out in order to complete a particular section. 

What does the "Inspect Application" button do? 

  • The "Inspect Application" button is located on the home page as well as on each application page of the application form. It is a tool that assists users in accurately completing application forms. 
  • The "Inspect Application" button vets an application to ensure that all required fields are completed. 
  • Any required fields that are left blank or contain an invalid answer will be flagged in red. You must then go to the relevant question or section and correctly fill in the required fields to pass the inspection. 
  • You can click the "Inspect Application" button at any time and as many times as you like prior to submitting your application. 

Can I make changes to sections that I have already completed? 

YES 

  • You may edit any part of your application as many times as you want before submitting it. 
  • It is not possible to make any changes after an application has been submitted. 

How do I submit my application? 

Once your application is complete you will be able to click on the “Submit Application” link on the left side of the application form. 

Can I make changes to my application after I have submitted it? 

NO 

It is not possible to make changes to a submitted application under any circumstance. 

What if I only have my documents (audit reports, annual financial reports, etc.) in hard copies, not on a computer? 

  • Please scan all your documents and upload them as PDFs in the online application system. 
  • No mailed documents will be accepted. 

I am trying to upload a file but am having problems. What should I do? 

  • Your files cannot exceed 50 MB in size. 
  • If your file is larger than 50 MB, please split it into two parts and upload them separately. 
  • If the file is still larger than 50 MB, consider scanning only the pertinent sections and re-trying. Please note document upload will also depend on your Internet speed and bandwidth. 
  • If you are still having problems, please send an email to [ Click to reveal ] with the following subject line: “APPLICATION HELP: Country of implementation / Organization name”. 

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