The Open Society Foundations (OSF)-Africa: Call for Proposals

Description

1) Objective

The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) is a growing African institution committed to deepening democracy, protecting human rights and enhancing good governance in the region. OSISA’s vision is to promote and sustain the ideals, values, institutions and practices of open society, with the aim of establishing vibrant and tolerant southern African democracies in which people, free from material and other deprivation, understand their rights and responsibilities and participate actively in all spheres of life. In pursuance of this vision, OSISA’s mission is to initiate and support programmes working towards open society ideals, and to advocate for these ideals in southern Africa. According to their Strategy, their programmatic areas have been consolidated into the following clusters: 

EXPRESSION AND PARTICIPATION:
• Resisting the capture of democratic processes and institutions
• Resisting the capture of electoral processes and institutions
• Promoting access to information, digital rights and independent media
• Promoting arts and culture
• Supporting human rights defenders (HRDs)
SECURITY AND RIGHTS:
• Supporting civilian oversight of and an accountable security sector
• Supporting narrative change around insecurity and terrorism
• Advancing the security and safety for women and girls and sexual and gender minorities, including in conflict areas
ACCOUNTABILITY AND JUSTICE:
• Promoting institutional transformation and renewal
• Strengthening national, regional and continental human rights and legal accountability mechanisms
• Challenging corporate power as relates to capture
• Supporting and strengthening broad-based intersectional human rights and accountability movements
OPPORTUNITY AND EQUITY:
• Supporting access to justice and the rights of the marginalized
• Addressing inequality through policies and practice
• Supporting enablers and catalytic economic reforms
• Working towards fair global climate governance and justice
WOMEN’S RIGHTS:
• Strengthening intersectional feminist knowledge production and uptake
• Supporting intersectional feminist movements
• Strengthening the field to anchor the work of the other pillars
• Positioning African women’s rights globally
SPECIAL INITIATIVES:
• Re-invigorating pan-African civil society: decolonizing academia and research
• Advancing African influence globally

2) Eligibility

OSF-Africa primarily awards grants to African organizations. OSF-Africa may provide funding to Africa-based international organizations committed to African leadership, voice and agency on exception. OSF-Africa can grant to public institutions as well as sub-regional and continental organizations.

3) Location

OSF-Africa’s priority countries are Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

4) Budget

The grant size is not mentioned.

5) Application

Proposals should be sent via e-mail to OSF-Africa-Proposals@osisa.org. Proposals will be accepted until May 13, 2022. OSF-Africa encourages early submission of proposals. Proposals received after the due date will not be considered.