The eligibility criteria refers solely to the lead applicant:

1. The applicant organisation must:
   1. Be registered in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and MENA region (see eligible country list above). AmplifyChange’s grants are intended to strengthen civil society organisations originating from the Global South. In this round we are seeking to support southern-based networks, emerging from and rooted in their own communities, with the aim of advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights. Lead applicant organisations must be sub-Saharan African, South Asian or MENA with the ability to define a strategy, raise funds, set performance targets and other objectives, define a brand identity and have a governance structure fully independent of a Global North-based headquarters or support office
   2. Be an established civil society organisation₁ with transparent governance structures, and will be required to submit, as part of their full application, their (i) organisational strategic plan and governance structure; (ii) a results framework of expected results and outcomes (linked to AmplifyChange’s Theory of Change); (iii) annual audited accounts for past three years
   3. Have a registration status that enables them to receive funds from foreign sources
   4. Have a bank account
2. The applicant organisation will be required to show:
   1. A proven track-record of working in at least one of the five priority themes of AmplifyChange;
   2. A proven track record and capability to provide support to the SRHR movement, with experience of working with or supporting SRHR networks, coalitions, partners or civil society organisations;
3. The applicant organisations must meet the financial eligibility criteria:
   1. The annual value of the Network grant cannot exceed 50% of the organisation’s average annual expenditure over the past three years. For example: if an applicant applies for £300,000 (GBP) over 3 years, the annual value of the grant is £100,000 (GBP). Therefore, in this case, the average annual expenditure of the applicant organisation over the past three years must be £200,000 (GBP) or more. Put another way, if your average annual expenditure for the past 3 years is less than £200,000 (GBP) you will not be eligible for this call (as this is the minimum needed for a £300,000 GBP grant)

We strongly advise you to download our calculator to check if you are financially eligible to apply for this grant.

• Network Grant Calculator

Applicant organisations can only submit one application as the lead, however they can be downstream partners on other applications. If you have a pending application with AmplifyChange you can still apply for this round.

_{“Civil society is an arena of voluntary collective actions around shared interests, purposes and values distinct from families, state and profit seeking institutions. The term civil society includes the full range of formal and informal organisations that are outside the state and the market – including social movements, volunteer involving organisations, mass-based membership organisations, faith-based groups, NGOs, and community-based organizations, as well as communities and citizens acting individually and collectively.”
(Voice and Accountability for Human Development: A UNDP Global Strategy to Strengthen Civil Society and Civic Engagement, UNDP 2009)}

 

In 2021 AmplifyChange developed a strategy which highlights that AmplifyChange is more than a fund; it is a wider platform committed to organisational strengthening, generating and sharing knowledge for advocacy, reflecting on lessons and impact, and in engaging selectively to influence SRHR policy. We ask applicants to consider how these elements, outlined in more detail in our strategy, will form part of the application.

In addition, we welcome all applications that address at least one of our five priority themes from the AmplifyChange Theory of Change:

• Eliminating gender-based violence, including sexual violence, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and child marriage
• Addressing the causes of unsafe abortion including decriminalisation of abortion
• Challenging stigma and discrimination, attitudes and laws that undermine human rights, including based on gender or sexual orientation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals
• Improving sexual health of young people and girls, including comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), promoting menstrual health and youth-friendly service delivery
• Increasing access to comprehensive reproductive health services for poor, vulnerable and marginalised people

AmplifyChange welcomes all applications that address our five priority themes. Please note that whilst we will consider applications that support all five priority themes, if more applications are recommended for funding by our Independent Technical Review Panel than we can fund, we will moderate in favour of projects that fulfil our fund results framework.

We take a broad and inclusive interpretation of the five priority themes and recognise their intersection and the relevance of cross-cutting approaches which may include gender norm transformation, sex positivity.

Network grant funding is part of a growing range of contributions already made by AmplifyChange to southern-led SRHR advocacy organisations and networks. We will therefore consider the current composition of the AmplifyChange portfolio and the underrepresented themes within it when make the final selection of grant awards.

What type of Networks are we looking to support?

Applications should be developed jointly with network members. The proposal development, share of the budget and governance of the network should reflect the participation and involvement of the whole network.

Applications should propose an effective approach to ongoing monitoring and relationship-building with civil society organisations. This may include:

• Inclusive leadership: advocates are stronger when they work together, but more resilient when actors can each stand in their own right. Successful advocacy benefits most from a combination of SRHR expertise and diverse connections. Network grants therefore support efforts to coordinate campaigning across multiple organisations and their public supporter base.
• Connecting and community-building: including (but not exclusively) physical convening, mentoring, or facilitating exchanges as part of establishing a stronger community of professional advocates and emerging leaders to SRHR. This would help to create the development of professional identity and career pathways for emerging advocacy leaders.
• Linking and learning: to support stronger learning within SRHR advocacy communities. We will support learning activities such as the sharing of best practice or the honest appraisal of failed initiatives. We will also support the production of evidence on advocacy impact and effectiveness of advocacy practice.

How much funding is available?

Network grants will initially be between £300,000 to £825,000 (GBP) for up to 3 years (36 months). The minimum time-period for a Network grant is 2 years (24 months). Please ensure you meet the financial eligibility criteria outlined above.

In this Network grant round applicants will be able to apply for grants that last up to 3 years (36 months) initially. AmplifyChange’s support will be based on regular grant performance reviews and the availability of funding to AmplifyChange. All awarded contracts will reflect these clauses and timings. AmplifyChange is seeking to establish long-term relationships with Network grant holders and potentially extend the grants up to 5 years (with a maximum of £1,375,000 (GBP) grant support over the entire grant period). The extension will depend on grant performance and the availability of AmplifyChange funding to continue support.

• We work with several networks; can we submit more than one application?
  Organisations may submit only one application as a lead organisation in this Network grant round. It is possible for an organisation that is awarded a Network grant as a lead organisation to also be indicated as an implementing partner in another Network grant application led by another organisation.
• Is it possible for a project to be implemented in more than one country?
  There are no limits in terms of the number of implementation countries. Applicants can propose to implement their project in any number of eligible countries.
• We like to work in consortia can we still do this?
  Applications from individual organisations or consortia are welcome to apply for this grant, the consortium members would be implementing or downstream partners. There are no limits to the number of organisations in a consortium.
• How many themes can we work on?
  AmplifyChange has five priority themes and you are welcome to work on any of these themes, you can chose one or work on more than one as you see fit.
• How do we determine the exchange rate for the budget?
  For guidance on this and other financial concerns please look at the financial guidance on our Resources page.
• We are an INGO can we apply?
  International non-government organisations (INGOs) may apply as a partner within a Network grant led by a southern-based organisation where relevant and where they demonstrate good value for money.

If you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact enquire@amplifychange.org

We run a two-step process to identify network grantees – consisting of a concept note phase, followed by an invitation to submit a full application for shortlisted entries.

Requests for Network grant proposals are posted four to six weeks in advance of the opening date for submission of applications. Applicants generally have four weeks to complete their concept note and a further six weeks to complete full applications after we have shortlisted concept notes.

All applications must be submitted online using our online application system. You need to complete a narrative describing your project using the online form. You will also need to upload a budget, workplan and definition of milestones against the AmplifyChange indicator framework using the most up-to-date AmplifyChange templates. These templates can be downloaded from the online application system.

How do I write a good application?

We asked our Technical Review Panel (TRP) to provide their top-tips for writing a strong application. Watch the film below and download the PDF guide to see their advice.

For more help to develop your proposal please see the selected films below and watch our full user guide series.

Learn from AmplifyChange grantees

Some of the best AmplifyChange grantees have shared practical advice from their experience of strengthening their organisations and the tactics they have successfully used to advocate for improved SRHR.

Check out amplifychangelearn.org to read practical how-to guides.