Call for proposals for a violence-free life

The three funds strengthen the women's and feminist movement by providing flexible and long-term resources. They take a holistic approach to achieving social and political change by combining financial grantmaking, capacity building and alliance building. They raise funds, motivate people to support the women's and feminist movement and contribute to building feminist philanthropy.

In particular, Calala Women’s Fund has 15 years of experience promoting the rights, participation and strengthening of women's, feminist and sexual dissidence organisations in Central America and Spain.

In the framework of the “SEE Change” project, Calala opens this call for donations addressed to organisations active in Spain that present proposals focused on the prevention and care of gender-based violence in any of its dimensions. It is essential that the prevention and tackling of violence has an intersectional perspective, which allows us to take into account the different forms of violence and the diverse circumstances that condition the lives of women and/or sexual and gender dissidence.

This call aims to contribute significantly to the strengthening of small and medium-sized organisations by funding their strategies to prevent and address gender-based violence.

Criteria for applicant organisations

The following are essential criteria to be fulfilled by applicant organisations:

• Non-profit organisations with legal personality in Spain.
• Respect for the values of the European Union[1].
• Commitment to women's rights and/or women's and feminist movements.
• Organisations integrated and led by women and/or sexual and gender dissidents (trans, non-binary people, and women in all their diversity: lesbian, bisexual, trans and cis women).
• Projects must be focused on preventing and/or addressing gender-based violence in any of its dimensions.

Priority will be given to proposals submitted by:

• Organisations that have no or limited access to public funding, including EU funding.
• Organisations with a small structure and an annual budget of less than EUR 50,000.
• Organisations in the first 5 years of operation.
• Grassroots organisations doing work at the local level.
• Organisations working on prevention and/or attention to gender-based violence with an intersectional approach that includes other forms of discrimination, such as race/ethnicity, migration status, domestic work, economic precariousness, sexual orientation, gender identity, youth and/or disability, among others.
• Organisations led by and made up of rural women, migrant women, domestic and care workers, sexual and gender dissidents (lesbian, trans, bisexual, non-binary), young women, racialised women, indigenous women, Afro-descendants and/or women with disabilities.
• Organisations that have ethical measures and/or protocols in place to ensure that the well-being and perspectives of women survivors of violence are at the centre of their intervention, as well as to ensure the safety of the professionals involved.
• Organisations working on innovative approaches or emerging issues.

Eligible projects

Organisations may submit projects and strategies incorporating the following eligible activities, but this is not an exhaustive list:

• Prevention activities and work for the eradication of gender-based violence with an intersectional perspective.
• Provision of direct support to women and sexual dissidents experiencing gender-based violence, such as legal advice, psychological support, support groups, group care activities, helplines, counselling, women's shelters, etc.
• Coalitions and alliances between civil society organisations in the field of prevention and eradication of gender-based violence.
• Lobbying/advocacy to influence decision-making and policy processes at local, state, European and/or international level in the field of prevention and work towards the eradication of gender-based violence.
• Promotion of the implementation of laws adopted in the field of prevention and attention to gender-based violence.
• Research aimed at analysing strategies for prevention and response to gender-based violence, the dimensions and characteristics of specific forms of gender-based violence, the analysis of gender-based violence from an intersectional perspective, etc.
• Mobilisation, awareness-raising and communication activities in the field of prevention and eradication of gender-based violence.
• Actions that promote culture and art as a tool for prevention, transformation and/or healing.
• Address gender stereotypes as root causes of gender-based violence.
• Community mobilisation with direct participation of target groups (e.g. working with survivors of violence, cultural mediators, community leaders, etc.).
• Training programmes on prevention or care for victims/survivors of gender-based violence.

Selection process

Proposals will be reviewed by a committee made up of members of the Calala team, which will review the proposals based on the criteria set out in this call.

The selection committee will evaluate and score the proposals according to the scale established for this call for proposals, which is based on the following points:

• 25 points the suitability of the organisation in terms of its experience, its approach to work and its networking with other organisations.
• 35 points for the quality of the proposal, taking into account criteria such as clarity, coherence or feasibility.
• 40 points for the priority criteria as described in this call.

The results of the scale table and the final list of selected projects will be shared with the participating organisations. In addition, the organisations will be able to request further information about the evaluation of their proposals and the criteria by which they have been selected or not. In addition, the list of selected organisations will be published on Calala's website.

All enquiries about the process and the rules of the call for proposals should be sent to the following e-mail address convocatoria@calala.org with the subject “Question LIFE FREE OF VIOLENCE”.

Budget and implementation period

The selected projects must be implemented within 24 months: 15 July 2024 to 14 July 2026.

These proposals may be submitted by organisations with small or medium-sized structures and budgets:

• Proposals may be submitted for a minimum budget of 5,000 euros per year and a maximum of 30,000 euros per year.
• Each organisation may apply for a maximum of twice its annual budget for 2023, with a maximum requested budget of 30,000 euros.

The indirect costs of the project must not exceed 7% of the total cost requested.

The submitted project can apply for a grant for 100% of the budget needed for its implementation. It is not necessary for the organisation to have co-funding or assume any percentage of the submitted budget.

Open and transparent process

This call for proposals is public and open to all organisations with legal status in Spain that comply with the rules detailed in this document. The rules of the call and the proposal form will be published in all of Calala's own media (RRSS and website) and sent by email to Calala's directory of organisations. The aim of this wide dissemination is to facilitate access to all organisations led by women and feminists working in the prevention and care of gender-based violence.

• A webinar open to all interested organisations will be held on 13 March at 5pm. This event will be advertised on Calala's social media and website and will require prior registration [Watch webinar]. The webinar will aim to share information about the rules of the call for proposals, the selection process and the scale of proposals, as well as to clarify any general or specific doubts of the participating organisations.

Here you have questions available to answer the most frequently asked questions.

This call for proposals will have a permanent consultation process via email. Organisations will be able to make their specific enquiries during the two months that this call will be open. Questions will be accepted until 2 May at noon. If necessary and at the request of interested organisations, telephone appointments can be arranged to clarify any questions related to the call for proposals. Send your question to convocatoria@calala.org with the subject “Question LIFE FREE OF VIOLENCE”.

An appeal mechanism will be established to receive and address possible complaints from organisations that are not selected in the process. More information on this can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions.

Project justification:

Recipient organisations will have to put the logo of the European Union and the Calala Women's Fund on the activities financed with these funds.

If the project is approved, the recipient organisation must submit two narrative reports with a summary of expenditure in the periods:

• At the end of the first year of the project: mid-term report.
• At the end of the project: Final report.

The reports will include a table with the items and amount of expenditure executed with the funding granted. It will not be necessary to submit a financial report or attach invoices for expenses, however, it is necessary for organisations to have the supporting documents for the entire budget executed, which may be requested by Calala for the justification of the donation.

The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Court of Auditors (ECA), the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) and any person mandated by them may also exercise their rights vis-à-vis the recipients of this grant. Any of these institutions may request meetings, controls, reviews, on-site visits, audits or investigations into the implementation and justification of the project.

Deadline and form

In order to apply for these funds, organisations must respond to the proposal form and send it to the e-mail address convocatoria@calala.org with the subject “LIFE FREE OF VIOLENCE APPLICATION”. Proposals must be sent no later than 2 May 2024 at 23:59h Spanish time.

If you have any questions, please write to the e-mail address with the subject “Question LIFE FREE OF VIOLENCE”: convocatoria@calala.org

Resolution of the call for proposals

Calala will contact organisations that were not selected in mid-June so that they can appeal if they disagree with the results.

After the appeal process, Calala will publish the final list of selected organisations during the last week of June., Those selected will be contacted directly by email to start the process of initiating the projects.

If you have any questions, you can contact us by email at convocatoria@calala.org

Appeals process

On the other hand, there is the possibility of submitting allegations. The submission of allegations can be made by e-mail to (convocatoria@calala.org) with the case «Appeal LIFE FREE OF VIOLENCE » until on 25 June at 12 noon.

• Name of the representative submitting the allegation
• The name of the organisation and a short presentation
• The name of the submitted project and a brief presentation
• A detailed description of the appeal

The Project Appeals Committee shall respond to the appeal within ten working days. The decision of the Committee shall be a final decision without further appeal.

[1] The values of the European Union are enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.