VZCZCXRO8466
OO RUEHIK
DE RUEHC #2094/01 3642130
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 302125Z DEC 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR POSTS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI IMMEDIATE 1713
RUEHRY/AMEMBASSY CONAKRY IMMEDIATE 2859

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 132094 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN PREL KPAO PHUM AID CDC COM TRSY
SUBJECT: THE SECRETARY'S OFFICE OF GLOBAL WOMEN'S 
ISSUES' SMALL GRANTS INITIATIVE - PROJECT PROPOSAL 
SOLICITATION 
 
STATE 00132094  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  The Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues (S/GWI) 
is pleased to announce the launch of its first 
small grants initiative designed to fund worthy projects 
that promote women's political, economic and social 
advancement in developing countries.  Project proposals 
should not exceed $100,000.  The deadline for proposal 
submission via cable is February 15, 2010.  Posts will 
be notified of S/GWI decisions by March 19, 2010. 
Please include "S/GWI Project Proposal" in the subject 
line of the cable.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  Background:  S/GWI's mandate is to develop and 
coordinate U.S. foreign policy and programs with the 
goal of advancing women's political, economic and social 
rights worldwide.  To that end, S/GWI works to increase 
women's and girls' access to education and health care, 
to combat violence against women and girls in all its 
forms, and to ensure that women's rights are fully 
integrated with human rights in the development of U.S. 
foreign policy. 
 
¶3.  Funding source: S/GWI is soliciting project proposals 
to be funded with FY 2009 Development Assistance (DA) 
funds.  These funds were appropriated for the purpose of 
supporting "programs to improve women's leadership 
capacity in developing countries."  Congressional report 
language further specifies that funds are intended "for 
programs which enhance leadership and economic 
opportunities for women in developing countries.  Funds 
should also be used to provide technical assistance and 
capacity building for women's organizations."  Funds 
must be obligated by September 30, 2010. 
 
 
¶4. Potential initiatives:  Within the general scope 
described above, posts are encouraged to think 
creatively to identify and address priority issues 
facing women in the host country.  (Please note that the 
funding for this small grants initiative comes from 
foreign assistance, which can only be used for programs 
that promote women's political, economic and social 
advancement in developing countries.)  Project 
initiatives through this fund could include, but are not 
limited to, the following themes: 
 
-- Education: women's literacy and innovative ways to 
keep girls in school and help ensure safety while 
attending school; also, health education initiatives; 
-- Food security: supporting small holder female farmers 
through women's leadership and property rights training 
and land tenure reform advocacy initiatives; 
-- Climate change: support to women's community groups 
for training in adaptation and mitigation, and enhanced 
participation of women in climate change problem 
solving; 
-- Gender-based violence (GBV): support to NGOs or 
community-based resource centers in combating GBV 
manifesting in practices ranging from honor killings to 
indentured servitude; support for victims of domestic 
violence as well as rape as a tool of war, particularly 
in light of the Secretary's recent visit to the DRC and 
her focus on this issue; 
-- Economic opportunity: programs to provide training in 
business and management through mentoring, and support 
for women's artisan groups for product design, 
marketing, and related needs; 
-- Democracy and political empowerment: political and 
policy reform and leadership training initiatives; 
-- Legal reform: judicial and law enforcement training 
initiatives; promoting women's property rights; and 
equal access to justice. 
 
¶5.  Proposals: Proposals should not exceed six pages in 
length and must include the following: a statement 
clearly identifying the problem to be addressed; a 
summary of the proposed program; a project description, 
including specific activities, desired outcomes and 
performance measures; a detailed budget of no more than 
$100,000; and a description of the recipient 
organization, including their technical and management 
capacity.  The project should not exceed eighteen months 
in duration.  S/GWI strongly prefers to support grants 
to local organizations.  Local organizations may also 
need to comply with any applicable pre-award financial 
management control standards for organizations receiving 
 
STATE 00132094  002.2 OF 002 
 
SUBJECT: THE SECRETARY'S OFFICE OF GLOBAL WOMEN'S 
ISSUES' SMALL GRANTS INITIATIVE - PROJECT PROPOSAL 
SOLICITATI 
development assistance funds.  Proposals should indicate 
the agency or office at post that will manage the grant 
and should address how the proposed project relates to 
and will be coordinated with other USG foreign 
assistance efforts in the country. 
 
¶6. Post will be responsible for project and financial 
oversight and for project monitoring and evaluation. 
Post will provide detailed reporting midway through the 
project period and again at the conclusion of the 
project.  Reporting should include an assessment of 
whether the project is achieving/achieved the results 
identified in the organization's approved proposal. 
 
¶7. Proposal Submission:  Posts must submit proposals to 
S/GWI via cable by February 15, 2010.  Posts requesting 
consideration of multiple projects should submit a 
consolidated and prioritized request.  S/GWI will notify 
posts of funding decisions by March 19, 2010.  Please 
include "S/GWI Project Proposal" in the subject line of 
the cable. 
 
¶8. Proposal evaluation: Proposals will be evaluated 
based on how effectively the proposal addresses the 
issue(s) described in the problem statement, the 
sustainability of program accomplishments, the capacity 
of the recipient organization to account for the funds 
and ensure that funds are spent for the intended 
purposes, and the expected results.  Priority will be 
given to proposals that describe a project that, if 
successful, would have the potential to be expanded to 
reach a broader community. However, no additional 
funding commitments can be made, so the proposals should 
be stand alone, discrete activities that can be fully 
funded and completed with the resources requested 
through this program. 
 
¶7. Minimize considered. 
CLINTON