Pathways to Peace is pleased to invite Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) in Sri Lanka to submit concept notes designed to support implementation of Sri Lanka's Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan. Following the selection of concept notes, the selected organisations will be invited to submit a full proposal if they meet the objectives of the Women Peace and Security Fund (WPSF), and the eligibility criteria detailed below.
Women’s Rights Organizations that do not meet the eligibility criteria but whose concepts are assessed as meriting further exploration, have the opportunity to enroll in a program designed to build their capacity. Following completion of the program, they could become eligible to reapply to the Women Peace & Security Fund.
A Women’s Rights Organization (WRO) is defined as an organizations demonstrating that its core work is in the field of women’s rights, gender equality, the elimination of violence against women and/or girls, or sexual and gender-based violence
1. Introduction to Pathways to Peace
Pathways to Peace: Building Inclusive Governance and Social Cohesion is a five-year (2024-2029) project that aims to strengthen peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka among and within religious, ethnic and linguistic communities, particularly for women and girls.
The purpose of the WPS Fund is to improve leadership and participation of women and WROs in addressing conflict, fragility, and insecurity, aligned with the United Nation’s WPS agenda.
In addition to supporting women’s rights organizations and civil society, the project plans to work with the ministries responsible for public administration, women’s affairs and the Office of National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), as well as 15 sub-national institutions in seven districts, in five provinces, to:
01. Deliver inclusive, equitable and accountable public services, and
02. Implement Sri Lanka’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) National Action Plan (NAP) in the areas of language rights, gender – responsive services, and social cohesion
Inclusive Services
Creating relational and experiential environments where all people feel that they are welcome and belong.
Equitable Services
Recognises that barriers and privileges mean not everyone has the same access to resources. Equitable services aim to correct for those imbalances by improving procedures and processes so that no one is left behind
Accountable Services
The obligation of the State to account for its actions as well as the right of citizens to hold the State accountable. This includes the right to information, complaints mechanisms, and citizens’ charters, for example.
Please note that a separate Call for Concept Notes for the Women Peace & Security Fund (WPSF) will be launched in November this year, exclusively for Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs).
Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs): WROs are defined as demonstrating that its core work is in the field of women’s rights, gender equality, the elimination of violence against women and/or girls, 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.
2. Organizations Eligible to Apply to the Women Peace and Security Fund
| Type | Description | Eligibility Criteria |
| Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) | Formally registered organizations which are voluntary, and non-profit making and have mandate(s) or objective(s) relating to women’s rights, women and development, gender equality, gender-based violence, transparency, peacebuilding and/or reconciliation. The organizations could be national, provincial, district level or divisional secretariat level. | Concept Note Stage:
Proposal Stage:
|
| Professional Associations | Organizations that confer certification upon professionals such as lawyers, accountants, doctors, technicians and other professions. Associations are voluntary and non-profit and should align with promoting inclusive governance and social cohesion. Eg: Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), Social Scientists Association (SSA), etc. | |
| Academic/Research Institutions | Institutions having expertise and experience in conducting research and development, including making policy recommendations in the thematic areas of inclusive governance, social cohesion and gender equality. For example, universities, colleges or organizations of a voluntary and/or non-profit nature. | |
| Community Based Organizations | Organizations that are registered as voluntary and non-profit making at the district or divisional secretariat level which are working closely with the communities on issues of concern locally and representing the community in broader regional and national forums. | VARIATION FROM THE ABOVE (otherwise same criteria):
|
3. Partnerships and Consortia
Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) may work in partnership with other WROs, Women’s Rural Development Societies (WRDSs) and/or Co-Existence Societies (CES) . WROs are encouraged to consider the following criteria when selecting WRDS or CES to support or partner with through their interventions:
- Is a duly registered society under the relevant Ministry
- Has been in operation for a minimum of one year
When two or more organizations apply together, only the lead partner is expected to meet the eligibility criteria detailed in Section 2. In this situation, the contract will be with the lead partner, which will be accountable for the funds received. The lead partner will be required to contract with the partner organization(s) and submit a copy of the contract to Pathways to Peace.
CES are voluntary, non-profit making organizations administered under the purview of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR). CES are mandated to support inclusion, national integration and co-existence amongst religious/ethnic/linguistic groups and national reconciliation.
4. Due Diligence Process
Successful completion of the due diligence process, which includes safeguarding checks, is a prerequisite for WROs to be granted funding under the WPSF.
Applicants will be required to submit the following supporting documents with their concept note:
- 01. Certificate of Registration (Copy)
- 02. Audited financial reports for the past two years for NGOs, Professional Associations, Research and Academic Institutions and for the past one year for CBOs.
- 03. Copy of the institutionalized financial and internal controls policy (if available)
- 04. Copy of the organization’s Safeguarding Policy (if available)
Provided that all other due diligence requirements mentioned above are met, Pathways to Peace will support WROs that do not have a Safeguarding Policy in place with capacity building opportunities to develop a Policy.
- Capacity Building Program
In the event WROs do not have an institutionalized financial and internal controls policy, WROs are invited to enrol in the capacity building program offered by Pathways to Peace to receive support to develop these policies and in doing so become eligible to reapply to the WPSF.
A maximum of 15 WROs, that meet the following criteria, will be admitted to the Capacity Building Program:
- The organization has been registered for a period of at least one year
- The organization has a bank account in its name
- The organization has implemented activities that align with the objectives of the WPSF over the past year
- Preference will be given to WROs that are headquartered in the Divisional Secretariat Divisions where the project’s targeted institutions are located
5. Geographic Focus
Priority will be given to CSOs headquartered in the districts targeted by the project. National-level or provincial-level CSOs must work in the geographic areas targeted by the project and demonstrate their ability to do so.
Priority will be given to projects working in the communities serviced by the following targeted institutions.
| Province | Districts | Targeted Institutions |
| Northern | Jaffna | 1. Head Quarters Police Division – Jaffna |
| Vavuniya | 2. Head Quarters Police Division – Vavuniya | |
| Eastern | Trincomalee | 3. Divisional Secretariat – Trincomalee Town and Gravets |
| 4. District General Hospital – Trincomalee | ||
| Central | Kandy | 5. Divisional Secretariat – Kandy Four Gravets – Gangawata Korale |
| 6. Municipal Council – Kandy | ||
| Nuwara Eliya | 7. District Secretariat – Nuwara Eliya | |
| 8. Municipal Council – Nuwara Eliya | ||
| 9. District General Hospital – Nuwara Eliya | ||
| 10. Divisional Secretariat - Talawakelle | ||
| 11. Magistrate and District Court – Hatton | ||
| 12. Divisional Secretariat – Norwood | ||
| Southern | Galle | 13. Divisional Secretariat – Galle Four Gravets |
| 14. German - Sri Lanka Friendship Hospital for Women – Karapitiya/Galle | ||
| North-Western | Puttalama | 15. Divisional Secretariat – Puttalam |
6. Expected Results
All proposed concepts must be designed to align with one or more of the focus areas listed below. Concept Notes will not be scored higher simply because a project is focusing on more than one focus area. When it comes to impact, depth rather than breadth is encouraged.
| Objective: Improved ability of WROs to promote and advocate for the Implementation of the WPS Agenda | |
| Focus Area 1 | Women have enhanced protection against gender-based violence and discrimination through legal and policy reforms. |
| Focus Area 2 | Women at the grassroots levels have enhanced access to gender-sensitive State supported resources and services. |
| Focus Area 3 | Women who have been subject to conflict and disaster related displacement have access to State-sponsored and gender-sensitive psychosocial support services, and sustainable solutions. |
| Focus Area 4 | Women have enhanced access to gender-sensitive and regularized disaster management mechanisms. |
| Focus Area 5 | Military and police widows, women ex-combatants, and female headed households have increased access to gender-sensitive State services that enhance their standard of living. |
| Focus Area 6 | Measures are adopted to prevent violence against women, especially in relation to elderly women, girl children, women with disabilities, and trans persons, and to enhance their socio-economic opportunities and participation in decision-making. |
| Focus Area 7 | Gender focused and mainstreamed interventions concerning microfinance practices impacting women at the grassroots level of Sri Lanka are adopted. |
| Focus Area 8 | To promote the democratic ideals of Sri Lankan society through the equitable involvement of women in peacebuilding, conflict-prevention, and conflict resolution and the involvement of women in decision-making at all levels of governance and politics. |
| Focus Area 9 | Equitable and increased involvement of women in decision making of society at all levels of governance. |
7. Project Duration and Budget
Pathways will fund initiatives up to LKR10,000,000, based on proposed project complexity, scope and impact. Proven capacity of the applicant to deliver a project of this scale must be demonstrated, including examples of previous projects with similar budgets. Applicants will have the option of implementing 12-month, 24-month or 36-month projects.
Please note that the following costs are not eligible for WPSF-funded projects:
- Purchase of property
- Purchase of vehicle
- Purchase or rental of luxury goods/services (e.g. hiring luxury vehicles for travel)
- Direct financial support to government institutions/public servants
- Expenses incurred prior to the signing of the agreement, or after it expires
8. Evaluation Criteria for Concepts Notes and Invitations for Full Proposals
| 1. Organizational Capacity | 30 Points |
| Capability of organization to undertake the activities proposed: Organisational experience (management and project implementation). How long has the organization been in operation? Does the organization have audited accounts? Compare size of annual budget and budget of proposed initiative. Review donors and projects that the organization has already completed / is presently implementing. Staff composition (number, internal expertise). | 15 |
| Experience in implementation of activities in the geographic focus areas Review thematic areas in which the organization has experience and the projects that are being implemented; women’s rights, gender equality, women peace and security | 15 |
| 2. Merit of Activities Proposed | 50 Points |
| The proposed activities are relevant to the WPSF’s focus areas and have the propensity to protect and promote the rights of women and/or girls and gender equality. | 10 |
| The proposed activities are relevant to the needs and priorities of target groups in the project locations proposed. | 10 |
| The project is designed to make significant impact in one or two thematic areas rather than spreading resources too thin over several areas (i.e., depth over breadth in design of activities). | 10 |
| The proposed activities also engage and involve men and boys to ensure a deep and sustainable impact | 10 |
| The proposed activities are innovative. | 10 |
| 3. Reach | 10 Points |
| The estimated budget and estimated direct and indirect beneficiaries are proportionate and justifiable | 10 |
| 4. Sustainability and Visibility | 10 Points |
| The proposed activities have the potential to bring about sustainable results | 10 |
| Total points | 100 |
10. Timeframe
| Details | Nov 2024 | Dec 2024 | Jan 2025 | Feb 2025 | March 2025 | Apr 2025 | May 2025 |
| Launch ‘Call for Concepts’ | 1 | ||||||
| Deadline for concept/capacity building enrolment form submission | 20 | ||||||
| Applicants informed of status of application | 22 | ||||||
| Deadline for submission of full proposals | 1 | ||||||
| Applicants informed of status of applications | 10 | ||||||
| Contracting begins | 1 |
Once concept notes are submitted, applicants are requested to refrain from contacting Pathways to Peace to inquire about the status of their application.
How to Apply
Please complete the Survey Monkey ‘Section A: Eligibility Screening Form’ which will assess
your eligibility.
If you are eligible, Pathways will send you a Concept Note Form by email. If you are not eligible and are interested in following the capacity building program, Pathways to Peace will forward the Capacity Building Program Enrolment Form by email. Once the applications for the Capacity Building Program are evaluated, the selected applicants will be notified.
Submit the Concept Note Form with the required supporting documents noted under Section 4 by email before 23:59hrs on December 20, 2024. Concept notes may be completed in Sinhala, Tamil or English. Please follow the instructions provided on the Concept Note template. In the event, you do not meet the eligibility criteria and have been invited to enrol in the capacity building program and wish to do so, please forward the completed enrolment form before 23:59hrs on December 20, 2024.
