Grants & Support for Women’s Influence in Peacebuilding: Rapid Response Window of the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)

Launched in 2020, the Rapid Response Window (RRW) of the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) aims to address urgent funding gaps and dismantle barriers that women often face in meaningfully engaging and influencing peace processes and the implementation of peace agreements worldwide.

Flexible Funding for Women Peacebuilders

The WPHF RRW provides flexible funding and support for strategic, short-term, and urgent initiatives led by women peacebuilders and local women’s rights organizations. This funding mechanism is designed to increase women’s meaningful influence on national, regional, and international peace processes at various stages.

See the Call for Applications

Two Available Streams:

1. Direct Support:
   • Provides logistic and technical services to local women’s rights organizations (WROs) — including informal women’s groups, women peacebuilders, and unregistered civil society organizations
   • Aims to enhance women’s participation and/or influence in a peace process (track 1 & 2) or peace agreement.
   • Services provided, not a grant, with a budget of up to USD 30,000 and a maximum duration of six months.
   • Check Details Here
   • Apply Here

1. Short-Term Grants:
   • The Short-Term Grants stream is a tool for local women’s rights organizations (WROs) to implement urgent projects that address diverse barriers to women’s meaningful influence in peace process or the implementation of a peace agreement.
   • A grant of up to USD 100,000 through an INGO partner with a maximum duration of six months.
   • Legal registration is required
   • Exceptionally, a registration in another country can be accepted if the registration in the country of intervention is complicated due to conflict or security risks
   • A short-term grant that show high impact or catalytic results and identify an opportunity to capitalize on those results can request an extension of up to 50,000 USD for three additional months.
   • Check Details here
   • Apply Here

There is no deadline for applications. The RRW is demand driven and accepts submissions on a rolling basis.

Eligibility Criteria

The RRW is a targeted global funding window of WPHF that finances initiatives to increase women’s meaningful influence and participation in track I and track II peace processes or the implementation/monitoring of a specific peace agreement in all ODA eligible countries.

Who Can Apply?

The RRW funding mechanism is open to women’s rights organizations and women peacebuilders aiming to influence ongoing, upcoming, or stalled peace processes – including track 1 and track 2 peace processes or peace agreements – in all ODA eligible countries.

See definitions of peace process, track 1 and track 2, and implementation of a peace agreement

For Short-Term Grants:

• Local or national women’s rights organizations (WROs) with legal registration.
• Local or national youth-focused or young women-led organizations with legal registration.
• Local WROs that are registered outside of the country of intervention due to security risks.
• Applications from consortiums & coalitions of WROs are also accepted, with the lead organization meeting the above criteria.

For Direct Support:

• Local or national WROs or coalitions (legal registration not required).
• Individual women peacebuilders or informal delegations of women peacebuilders.
• Informal groups of women or women’s movements.
• Applications from consortiums & coalitions of WROs are also accepted.

Who Cannot Apply?

• International non-governmental organizations.
• Government agencies, institutions, political parties, or local authorities.
• UN agencies or UN Country Teams.
• Private sector entities, universities, think tanks, or education/research institutions.

Apply for support today and email your application to WPHF-RRW@UNWOMEN.ORG:

For any questions regarding the application, visit the FAQs section or the official website.