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GBV Solve: Open Funding Call
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इस वेबपेज को हिंदी में पढ़ना हो, तो यहाँ क्लिक करें।
We are excited to announce that Aparajita, in collaboration with J-PAL South Asia, is launching GBV Solve: Open Funding Call to support individuals and organizations passionate about addressing the pervasive issue of sexual harassment and violence, as well as other forms of gender-based violence (GBV).
This Open Funding Call seeks innovative, practical, and sustainable solutions to combat GBV, offering financial support for implementation and technical support in designing/conducting rigorous impact evaluations to deepen our understanding of what truly works to address GBV.
Applications for LOI are now CLOSED.
The team is currently reviewing the submissions, and will inform applicants on the status of their applications by mid-June. Thank you for your patience.
About Aparajita
Aparajita is a newly launched initiative by Mr. Pramod Bhasin dedicated to preventing sexual harassment through education, advocacy, and systemic change. Aparajita intends to work at the intersection of areas including root causes/ norms, law and justice, and safety in workplaces, public places, and educational institutions, among several other related areas.
About GBV Solve: Open Funding Call
Sexual harassment and GBV remain pervasive issues in India that affects the lives of countless individuals, particularly women, across public and private spaces. Despite widespread media coverage of sexual harassment and violence in India, there is a lack of representative data on the extent of the problem. There is also little evidence on what works to solve this problem. To address this solutioning gap, Aparajita and J-PAL South Asia have come together to launch GBV Solve: Open Funding Call.
The GBV Solve: Open Funding Call invites groundbreaking actionable solutions to tackle sexual harassment and GBV in India. The funding call will focus on sexual harassment and violence outside the home, as well as other forms of gender-based violence. Successful proposals submitted to this call will be offered funding for implementation alongside technical/expert support in designing/conducting randomised evaluations.
One of the key objectives of the funding call is to support organisations and individuals committed to addressing harassment and GBV, and close the evidence gaps on what works to eliminate it in all forms. We aim to achieve this by identifying and funding solutions that could be tested for impact, and work with partners to take effective solutions to scale.
Participating in the GBV Solve: Open Funding Call offers:
- An opportunity to build a sustainable, large-scale, and impact-driven program addressing GBV and harassment in India.
- Catalytic funding for your programme.
- An opportunity to evaluate the impact of your program with J-PAL-affiliated researchers.
- Avenues to learn about using evaluations to strengthen programming.
Awards Granted
Selected awardees will receive:
- Flexible funding up to INR 50 lakhs to pilot and implement their new intervention ideas or support the implementation of existing solutions.
- Please note this funding is specifically to support implementation activities including piloting new interventions/ideas. This does not include funding for any research activity such as scoping, data collection, data analysis, etc.
- Access to the Evaluation Incubator by J-PAL South Asia and Aparajita, offering:
- Technical support to design impact evaluations and use of evidence/data.
- Partnerships with J-PAL researchers to conduct randomised evaluations of their solutions.
- Advisory support and ecosystem connections as needed.
Eligibility
Any institution, company, organisation or individual(s) passionate about addressing this problem and meeting the following criteria below are invited to send their best ideas:
- Geographical Scope: Suggested solutions must operate in India
- Focus Areas: Approaches should focus on solutions addressing sexual harassment and GBV in any form, including preventative or rehabilitative interventions. These include but are not limited to root causes of harassment, support for citizens impacted, education, and awareness programmes, social and behaviour change programmes, capacity building and training, etc.
Please refer to this note to get more information on potential solutions and key themes for programming to reduce GBV in India. Please note that the potential solutions and ideas listed in this note focus on GBV in workplaces, educational institutions, and public spaces, and are suggestive approaches and not exhaustive. We encourage you to explore approaches beyond those suggested herein.
Application Process, Support, and Timeline
The open funding call will comprise the following application stages post-launch:
Stage 1 - Letter of Interest Submission: February 1 - April 20, 2025
Applicants will be invited to submit a Letter of Interest assessing their initial fit for funding. The LoIs will be due on April 20, 2025, 12 midnight, IST. Shortlisted applicants will be announced in July 2025.
Stage 2 - Full Proposal Submission: July 25, 2025
Shortlisted applicants submit a detailed full proposal. This stage involves refining the program design, articulating the theory of change, budgeting, and outlining how the project can be evaluated for impact.
Applicants will be supported through an Information Webinar, which offers guidance on proposal and budget development, integrating a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) lens, and a live Q&A session.
Stage 3 - Review of Proposals: Late July to Mid-August 2025
A Programme Secretariat team will conduct a review of all submitted proposals. Proposals will be evaluated on alignment with the funding call’s goals, feasibility, and scalability. Applicants selected as finalists will be notified by mid-August 2025 and invited to the next stage of the process.
Stage 4 - Notification to Finalists: Mid August 2025
Finalists will be notified in mid-August 2025 and will be invited to the final stage of the selection process. In the weeks following their selection, finalists will have the opportunity to further refine their proposals and prepare for a final pitch presentation.
Stage 5 - Final Pitch Presentations to Review Board: Early September 2025
Finalists will present their refined proposals to an independent Review Board composed of experts from academia, policy, and practice. This pitch session will allow applicants to highlight their approach, address key questions, and receive feedback from the Review Board.
During this session, the Review Board will assess each proposal’s originality and potential for meaningful change, with a strong emphasis on innovation and scalability. Applicants will be encouraged to articulate what sets their solution apart from existing efforts and how it could be adapted or expanded to different contexts. This stage offers a final opportunity for applicants to communicate the strength of their idea and the clarity of their vision.
Stage 6 - Final Decisions Announced: October 2025
Final funding decisions will be announced in October 2025, following the Review Board’s assessment. Awarded projects will receive implementation funding.
Evaluation Incubator and Ongoing Support
Awardees will participate in an Evaluation Incubator, where they will access technical support to help design and implement rigorous impact evaluations with J-PAL. Depending on their needs and fit, participants may receive technical assistance from experienced J-PAL staff and partnerships with J-PAL-affiliated researchers to design and conduct randomized evaluations.
For more details on the GBV Solve: Open Funding Call, please refer to this concept deck.
For more information read through these Frequently Asked Questions or connect with us at [email protected]
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