Locally Led Humanitarian Assistance Prize Competition 2024 for Women-Led and Women’s Rights Organizations Making a Difference

Submission Period:
Open until November 12, 2024, 12:00 PM EST

Total Cash Prizes:
$1,000,000 USD

The Locally Led Humanitarian Assistance Prize Competition 2024 aims to honor the transformative work and innovative approaches of women-led organizations (WLOs) and women’s rights organizations (WROs) involved in humanitarian efforts. This competition is focused on six countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Guatemala, Haiti, Iraq, Mali, and Ukraine.

Funded by:
USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)

Partnership:
This competition is being implemented in collaboration with USAID’s Exploratory Programs and Innovation Competitions (EPIC) team, and the Innovative Design, Execution, and Acceleration Support (IDEAS) mechanism. The IDEAS mechanism includes Encompass LLC, DT Global International Development UK Ltd, and Challenge Works.

Prize Details

• Grand Prize: $250,000 USD
• Five Additional Prizes: $150,000 USD each

Winning organizations not only receive financial support but also gain recognition for their contributions to humanitarian leadership. However, for organizations concerned about safety, USAID/BHA will work with winners to ensure their safety in public announcements, as outlined in the competition’s Terms and Conditions.

Who Should Apply?

Eligible organizations include women-led and women’s rights organizations that have been actively involved in humanitarian work for at least two years in one of the following countries:

• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
• Guatemala
• Haiti
• Iraq
• Mali
• Ukraine

More details on eligibility can be found in the competition handbook available on the resources page.

Background

Local leadership is crucial for effective and sustainable humanitarian assistance. By involving local voices in policy-making, planning, implementation, and coordination, humanitarian responses can be more targeted, context-appropriate, and sustainable. However, barriers such as non-inclusive norms, exclusion from decision-making, lack of resources, and lower levels of education often prevent women from taking leadership roles in this sector.

The Locally Led Humanitarian Assistance Prize Competition seeks to address these barriers by awarding funding to women-led and women’s rights organizations that have pioneered innovative solutions in humanitarian response.

Goals of the Prize

This competition recognizes and rewards innovative, locally led approaches that have already been established and are delivering positive change. The winners will have the opportunity to showcase their approaches in various forums, and their work will be highlighted as case studies for locally led humanitarian assistance.

Information Webinar

Date: October 22, 2024, 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Registration: Register for the webinar

For more details, including the full competition handbook, rules, and translated versions, visit the Resources section of the competition page. Stay tuned for updates and FAQs.

Apply here:
Locally Led Humanitarian Assistance Prize Competition 2024

Don’t miss your chance to participate in this transformative initiative!