Deadline: 5 September 2019

The French Embassy to Sudan has launched its 2019-2021 call for proposalsto support projects from local civil society organizations through its development fund called PISCCA (Innovative Projects from Civil Societies and Coalitions of Actors).

The PISCCA development fund aims at encouraging local civil society efforts to gain better leverage in society while addressing critical issues by a two-track approach which consists in:

• a direct support to local civil society projects fighting for women’s rights and gender equality through programming, provision of services and advocacy;
• the provision of capacity-building support through targeted trainings and workshops.

Priorities

For the 2019-2021 PISCCA call for proposals, the French Embassy will give priority to local NGOs working on the promotion and support of women’s socio-economic empowerment particularly targeting the most vulnerable groups of women, i.e. refugees and internally displaced, women living in rural areas, victims of GBV, low-skilled women, domestic workers, imprisoned women, disabled women, the youth, etc.

The list below provides guidance on the nature of the projects the French Embassy seeks to support but cannot be considered as exhaustive:

• Providing technical and vocational training as well as employmentopportunities, for women based on identified labour market needs;
• Building and strengthening women’s advocacy and leadership capacities in order for them to call for reforms in favour of gender equality and women’s increased economic participation;
• Developing women savings and loans groups as a way to increase financial literacy, learn about money management, and save money for emergencies, basic needs and/or small business investments;
• Increasing rural women’s participation in groups (co-operatives, self-help groups) and assisting them with improved crops, water and farming equipment to create sustainable economic opportunities by expanding markets and trade;
• Raising awareness among men and women on the need to recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid care and domestic work, thus improving women’s well-being and empowerment at individual and household levels;
• Developing rural women’s access to microcredit and financial services;
• Raising awareness of existing laws that discriminate on the basis of gender and affect women’s economic rights;
• Connecting women and encouraging women’s business mentorship, coaching and networking;
• Advocating for a safe working environment where women are protected from exploitation and gender-based violence;
• Engaging different actors who have a critical but untapped role to support gender equality and promote the socio-economic empowerment of women (men and boys, employers, local governments, cultural leaders, media, private sector, etc.)

In case of specific expertise and/or proven track record, proposals might also include:

• Developing and promoting ‘on-demand’ domestic work via platform apps to allow for flexibility, choice and independence for women;
• Increasing the use of technology, digital tools and social media to promote women’s products and businesses;

Eligibility Criteria

• Officially registered Sudanese civil society organizations (associations, NGOs, CBOs, association networks, self-help organizations, etc.)
• Profit-based organisations and international NGOs are not eligible.

Requirements

• Funded projects cannot include religious or political activities of any type, nor favour any community on the basis of religious, political, or ethnic criteria.
• The duration of the project can range from 12 to 18 months but should not go beyond 31^st December 2021.
• No project will be excluded on a geographical basis; however the Embassy will give priority to projects in accessible areas.
• The expected nominal requested amount of the grant should be around 15 000 to 50 000 euros even though lower or greater budget could be considered.
• The beneficiaries are expected to contribute at least to 20% of the total cost of the project.
• This participation can take the form of financial contribution and/or provision of human resources, land, premises, equipment or materials in kind.
• Projects are likely to be co-funded by other donors, but this extra contribution may not replace the mandatory contribution of the applicant.

How to Apply

The proposal should be written in English and sent it at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit https://sd.ambafrance.org/Call-For-Proposals-Civil-Society-Projects