Call for concept notes: Scaling up women and youth’s participation in the labour force in Jordan

This call has a 2-stage application process. The submission of a concept note is the first stage of a two-stage application process. To be considered for funding:

• use Partners@International
• follow all instructions carefully

Submit your application by 12:00 p.m. (noon) EST September 12, 2024.

The total amount of funding available under the Scaling up Women and Youth’s Participation in the Labour Force in Jordan call is CAD$40M over 5 years. We may fund up to 5 proposals or none, up to the maximum funding available.

You must submit your concept note through the Partners@International portal before the deadline. We will not accept any late submissions. Please read the portal instructions carefully and plan to submit your application at least 3 working days before the deadline to ensure that technical difficulties do not prevent you from submitting your proposal by 12:00 p.m. (noon) EST September 12, 2024.

Funding cannot be provided based on a concept note. Be sure to review the instructions in Concept note guidance before beginning your application.

If you apply in consortium with other organizations that would co-sign the funding agreement, make sure to register each organization in Partners@International and upload all required documents. See details under “Organization eligibility”. Please allow approximately 10 business days for the portal registration process.

Objectives

The call aims to support organizations registered in Canada or in Jordan to develop innovative models to promote women and youth’s economic empowerment by:

• Addressing policies and norms that inhibit participation in the workforce;
• Promoting environmentally sustainable economic growth, with a focus on green jobs;
• Reducing income and power inequality and promoting inclusive growth.

Under this call, your proposed project must contribute to the achievement of the following ultimate outcome: Improved economic well-being for women and youth in Jordan, particularly for marginalized groups such as refugees and those living with disabilities or in remote areas

Your proposed project must also contribute to at least one of the following intermediate outcomes:

• Increased labour force participation in decent jobs, of vulnerable female and youth, with an emphasis on green jobs.
• Enhanced competitiveness and sustainability of women-owned and women-led enterprises, with emphasis on those contributing to Jordan’s transition to a low-carbon and climate resilient economy.
• Reduced gender-specific barriers to women's entrepreneurship and participation in the labour market.

Your organization can create additional outcome statements to complement the results statements selected from the above (again, with a maximum of 3 intermediate results statements in total). You may adjust the call’s ultimate and intermediate outcome statements to ensure they are grounded in the reality of your project design, making them more specific in terms of the who, what, and where of your project. Refer to the Results-Based Management How-To Guide to ensure that your outcome statements respect Global Affairs Canada’s definition for intermediate and ultimate outcomes.

In alignment with the FIAP, the following terminology will be used for this call:

• Programming for youth must align with Jordan’s national laws governing labour law and youth rights, as well as all child labour conventions to which Canada and Jordan are party.
• Enterprises will be considered to “contribute to Jordan’s transition to a low-carbon and climate resilient economy” if they fully integrate the need for climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Your ultimate and intermediate level outcome statements should appear in ALL CAPS in the Solution section of the concept note template. Concepts must specify expected ultimate and intermediate project outcomes that align with the call’s expected intermediate and ultimate outcomes.

The project’s ultimate and intermediate expected outcome statements must be supported by evidence documented in the analysis of the proposed project’s context and reality. The statements must specify:

• What will change?
• Who will experience the change? The intermediaries or beneficiaries? (at a minimum, disaggregated by sex and other relevant identity factors); and
• Where will the change take place?

To help ensure concepts and outcome statements respect Global Affairs Canada (GAC) standards, please refer to the following references:

• Results-Based Management for International Assistance Programming at Global Affairs Canada: A How-To Guide 
• RBM Tip Sheet 2.1 Results Chain and Definitions
• RBM Tip Sheet 2.2 Syntax Structure of Outcome, Output and Activity Statements.
• Feminist International Assistance Gender Equality Toolkit for Projects

Outcome statements must be tailored to the proposed project objectives. Do not use generic outcome statements as-is, without adapting them to the reality of the proposed projects.

Environmental Sustainability: Indicate clearly how the project integrates environmental sustainability and climate resilience in planned project activities, budget and outcomes. Refer to the Tip Sheet on Strategic Environmental Assessment: Growth that Works for Everyone for more details. Priority will be given to projects that contribute toward the following indicators:

• ECA1: # of people newly employed in the environment sector, including in technical, supervisory and management roles.
• 1220 Capacity-building for climate-smart projects: Increased capacity of businesses to adopt environmentally sustainable practices and technologies, particularly women-led businesses.

Gender Equality:

Canada’s approach to international assistance requires that the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls require the transformation of social norms and power relations. Priority will be given to proposals that meet the requirement of targeting (GE-03) or fully integrating (GE-02) gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment in their design. A project will be assessed as fully integrating gender equality if it has at least one intermediate outcome that will achieve observable changes in behaviour, practice, or performance that will contribute to gender equality. A project will be assessed as targeting gender equality if the initiative were designed specifically to address gender inequalities and would not otherwise be undertaken. All outcomes in a GE-03 logic model are gender equality outcomes.

Canada advocates for and supports gender equality initiatives through three objectives:

• enhance the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls;
• increase the participation of women and girls in equal decision-making, particularly when it comes to sustainable development and peace; and
• give women and girls more equitable access to and control over the resources they need to secure ongoing economic and social equality.

Canada’s feminist approach requires that our international assistance be informed by a gender-based analysis plus that includes evidence of meaningful consultations with women and girls in all their diversity before a project begins. Canada also encourages programming involving Jordanian women’s rights organizations.

Organization eligibility

Carefully review the following eligibility screening requirements that we will use on submitted application packages for this call. We will not pre-assess or comment on the eligibility of specific potential applicants, but welcome applications from organizations who have not previously received GAC funding. To be eligible, you must meet each requirement and, where stipulated, provide supporting documentation:

• Your organization is legally incorporated in Canada or Jordan, and you can provide proof of legal status (if your original documentation is in a language other than French or English, provide a scan of the original as well as a translation).
• If your organization is Canadian, you must provide proof that your organization is legally incorporated in Canada with a Canada Revenue Agency business number. Your organization must have an office, employees, and/or board of directors in Canada.
• If your organization is an Indigenous organization in Canada, it must provide supporting documentation on its history, and governance, and/or ownership structure.
• If your organization is Jordanian, you must provide proof that you are registered to operate in Jordan. Provide a Registration Document as part of your application package, either from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (companies) or the Ministry of Social Development (associations).
• You are not a sovereign entity (a government of a country) or multilateral institution.
• You must demonstrate in section 3 “Organization Capacity” of your concept note that your organization has recent (within the last 8 years) experience in delivering international assistance projects in one or more action areas highlighted in Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy with preference given to one or more of the following action areas:
• Action area 1 – Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls; and/or
• Action area 3 – Growth that Works for Everyone;
• Past project examples used must include a minimum of three years of economic empowerment programming in Jordan and/or the Middle East and North Africa region within the last 8 years (with preference given to recent experience in Jordan and to past projects demonstrating strong integration of women in all their diversity). The past project examples used must be valued at CAD$5M or more, with a duration of three years or more.
• Provide separate financial statements for your organization’s two most recent fiscal years. Audited statements are preferred. If this is not possible, statements can be signed by a member of the board of directors or delegate, or by the owners. As financial statements usually provide comparative information from the previous year, these statements will be used to do a 3-year trend analysis.
• As a signatory, you may submit only one application through this call. You may also participate as a non-signatory partner on other applicants’ concept notes/proposals.
• If your organization submits more than one (1) application under this call, either on your own or as a co-signatory to a funding agreement, we will only consider the application with the earliest submission time stamp.
• You must provide an Organization Attestation (PDF, 100 KB, 3 pages) signed by your organization’s chief financial officer, financial director or president.
• If your organization is submitting a concept note with other organizations, each organization co-signing the funding agreement must meet these eligibility requirements and provide documents that show their eligibility.

If you are unable to respond to any of the above requirements, your organization is not eligible to apply under this call. Non-registered/inexperienced entities will not be considered. If you do not meet the minimum eligibility criteria, but are interested in this call, please consider the option of forming a consortium with an organization that meets all eligibility criteria. It is not necessary for a consortium to form a separate legal entity for the purpose of applying to this call.

Project parameters

Carefully review the parameters of this call and judge whether your project idea will fit. We will not respond to questions about the eligibility of your project idea. You must be able to answer “yes” to all the following statements for your application to be considered for funding under this call.

• Value: You are requesting Global Affairs Canada funding of at least CAD$7M and no more than CAD$10M.
• Duration: Your proposed project will last at least 3 years but no more than 5 years.
• Geographic scope: The geographic focus of your project is on Jordan. Projects taking place in geographic regions in Jordan with particularly high poverty or particularly low access to services may be prioritized.
• Local partners: The proposed project clearly identifies one or more local organizations as a local partner (this could include the private sector or a civil society organization). Jordanian organizations are exempt from this requirement.
• Not-for-profit project: Your proposed project would not generate a profit for your or any other implementing organization.
• Cost sharing: Your organization will provide at least 5% of the total eligible direct project costs over the life of the project in cash and/or in-kind in accordance with GAC’s Policy on Cost-Sharing for Grant and Non-Repayable Contribution Agreements. Your organization must certify that it will meet this requirement in the Organization Attestation form (PDF, 100 KB, 3 pages), which must be signed and included with your application.
• Innovative finance: Your proposed project must not include activities such as loans, micro credits, and repayable components with reflow exceeding an aggregate value of CAD$100,000 as per the Policy on Transfer Payments.
• Language: Your application package documents are complete and presented in either English or French.

If your proposed project does not conform to the above statements, it will not be assessed because it cannot be considered for funding under this call.

Additional guidance

GAC seeks to fund a diversified portfolio of projects. Preference may be given to applications that address the following:

• Localization and participatory approach: it could be a strong asset if the project concept note demonstrates that the project is supporting locally-led development (localization) by: providing evidence that the project responds to local needs; being developed by a Jordanian organization or jointly developed with at least 1 local partner; reinforcing the capacity of local partner(s), and; ensuring that local partner(s) will be involved in co-managing the project over its life cycle, including the design and implementation stages. The project concept note demonstrates that women’s and youth’s specific needs are considered, potentially by working with local women’s rights organizations; 
• It could be a strong asset to demonstrate clear strategies for sustainability and local ownership, such as by applying a feminist Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) approach within projects and ensuring that knowledge generated through MEL activities are gender-sensitive, owned and used by beneficiaries and implementing partners in support of their social change agendas.
• Innovation: Global Affairs Canada is interested in funding projects that take a novel approach to addressing the issue of labour force participation rate in Jordan. To Global Affairs Canada, innovation in international assistance is a process and mindset. It could be a strong asset if your project works to enable new or improved locally driven solutions for better results and greater impact, which benefit and empower the poorest and most vulnerable, including women and girls. Innovative solutions can include business models, policy practices, approaches, partnerships, technologies, behavioural insights, and ways of delivering products and services. For more information, see Canada’s approach to innovation in international assistance .

• Leveraging: Specific consideration will be given to proposals which
  leverage other sources of funding, balanced alongside other priorities. If your project contains this component, present the types of leveraging strategies that are foreseen (such as cost sharing in addition to the minimum requirement, pooled funding or other).

Partnerships and Consortiums

In arrangements where only the applicant or lead applicant (one organization) will sign the funding agreement with Global Affairs Canada (should one be offered), the legal entity which is the applicant/lead applicant must meet all eligibility requirements by themselves and provide required documents and demonstrate organization experience applicable to only themselves.

In cases where applicants are applying in a consortium wherein both or all members of the consortium will be signatories to the funding agreement with Global Affairs Canada (should funding be offered), each member of the consortium must meet all of the organization eligibility requirements independently although the experience provided in section 3 of the concept note may be supplied by any signatory. Financial statements from the last two years but providing information which will allow for an analysis covering the last three years, must be submitted for each signatory. Each signatory must also submit a completed and signed Organization Attestation. Each signatory is jointly and severally responsible for meeting the obligations of the funding agreement with Global Affairs Canada (should one be offered).

In either case, non-signatory partners are not required to meet the eligibility requirements of this call.

How we assess your application

Concept notes submitted under this call will first undergo an eligibility check to verify that they meet all organization eligibility requirements and required project parameters identified on this call page.

Next, eligible concept notes will be assessed to ensure that applicant organizations demonstrate the required project experience. Concept notes that do not meet all organization eligibility requirements, or demonstrate required project parameters or project experience, will not be further assessed. You will be notified if your organization is found to be ineligible or if it does not meet the project experience requirements.

Finally, applications that meet all the above requirements will be assessed, based on how well their concept note addresses the following 3 core components:

• Development challenge
• Solution
• Organization capacity

1. Development challenge
   Briefly describe the development challenge your proposed project will address, in relation to the objectives of the call that you are applying to.
• Explain how your proposed project aligns with Global Affairs Canada’s, and related call, programming and policy priorities, including Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy, the Growth that Works for Everyone Action Area, as well as the host country’s international and national commitments (i.e. Sustainable Development Goals and other relevant priorities).
• Briefly demonstrate understanding of how gender equality, human rights and environmental sustainability pertain to your proposed project. This may include the following:
• Human Rights: Briefly identify rights-holders, including the groups living in most vulnerable and marginalized conditions, responsibility holders and duty bearers, challenges and capacity gaps to achieve the access and fulfillment of human rights.
• Gender Equality: Briefly identify the gender equality gaps, inequalities, barriers and power dynamics relevant to this project and how these differently affect women, men, boys, girls and other people in all their diversity living in marginalized and vulnerable conditions. A Gender Based Analysis (GBA+) will be required at the full proposal stage for organizations whose concept notes have been short-listed.
• Environment:  In keeping with Canadian and Jordanian laws and policy objectives to build a sustainable and green future, consider development challenges that require climate and environment action, and how these could be supported through your project.
• In the spirit of localization and the participatory approach, note any prior formal or informal consultations and discussions with rights holders, duty bearers and responsibility holders, including women’s rights organizations or other ways that you are ensuring your proposed project will be based on local needs and priorities.
• Describe your development challenge using fact-based evidence (i.e. cite your sources).
2. Solution
   Briefly describe how your proposed solution presents a logical and realistic way to sustainably address the development challenge(s) identified. 
• Identify your project specific ultimate outcome and intermediate outcomes that address the problem identified, and which align with the call Objectives, and Global Affairs Canada’s international assistance programming approach to Results-Based Management. Clearly label them with the following formatting: Ultimate Outcome: [insert outcome] and Intermediate Outcome: [insert outcomes].
• Identify the targeted intermediaries and beneficiaries of the project and estimate how many, if possible. Sometimes beneficiaries also act as intermediaries. If this is the case, point this out.
• Briefly explain how your solution will address the gender equality, human rights and environmental, including climate, considerations that you identified in the development challenge section.
• Human Rights: Briefly explain how the project is designed to address the challenges and strengthen the capacity gaps of rights-holders, including the groups living in most vulnerable and marginalized conditions, responsibility holders and duty bearers, to achieve the access and fulfillment of human rights.
• Gender Equality: Briefly explain how the project is designed to address gender equality barriers and the overall approach planned by the organization to achieve gender equality outcomes and women’s and girls’ empowerment.
• Environment: In consideration of Canada and Jordan’s commitment to climate and environmental action (e.g. building climate resilience, halting and reversing biodiversity loss, preserving ocean health, reducing pollution, and moving toward net-zero emissions), briefly explain how the challenges identified could be supported in the proposed initiative.
• In the spirit of localization and the participatory approach, briefly explain local consultations and discussions with local stakeholders, including women’s rights organizations, already undertaken to support the solution proposed in your project and/or why you believe it will solve the development challenge sustainably.
• Identify the local partner/s and its/their role(s).
• Identify the risks associated, trade-offs, and potential unintended consequences with your proposed project that could have the greatest impact on the achievement of development results.
• If relevant, briefly highlight any innovative elements in your proposed project and how they align with Canada’s approach to innovation in international assistance including the eight paths to effectiveness, which reflect and underpin the G7 Whistler Principles in practice.

A limited number of applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal based on the concept note. The timeline given for submission of full proposals will be approximately eight weeks.

Available resources

Before you begin your application, Global Affairs Canada encourages you to review the many online resources that may be helpful. Failure to meet the mandatory requirements, minimum standards and deadlines detailed therein will result in your application package not being considered for funding.

• Canada’s Policy for Civil Society Partnerships
• Results-based management (international.gc.ca)
• Glossary of results-based management terms (international.gc.ca)
• Feminist International Assistance Gender Equality - Toolkit for Projects
• Advancing human rights
• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Intersectionality: Resource Guide and Toolkit
• Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy
• Canada Labour Code (justice.gc.ca)
• Contribution Agreement – General Terms and Conditions
• Environmental Integration Process - Development Programming (see EIP Screening Tool, Tip Sheets on Strategic Environmental Assessment)
• Canadian Impact Assessment Act
• Conditionally Repayable Contributions (CRCs)
• Funding guidance
• Getting involved in international development
• Guidance on Eligible Costs for Development Initiatives
• How to apply for funding through a call
• Policy on Cost-Sharing for Grant and Non-Repayable Contribution Agreements
• Questions and answers about applying for funding
• Sustainable Development Goals

• Tip Sheet on Strategic Environmental Assessment: Growth that Works for Everyone

• Tip sheet 5.1 - Reporting on innovation in international assistance
• Concept note guidance
• Partners@International Frequently Asked Questions

How to submit your application package

To be considered in this call, you must submit your complete application package to Partners@International by 12:00 p.m. (noon) EST September 12, 2024. Your application package must include all the following documents:

• Completed concept note form (PDF, 339 KB, 5 pages) with validated label showing on first page;
• Separate financial statements for the two most recent fiscal years, signed, from each signatory (audited statements are preferred). See “Organization eligibility” section above for more information;
• Completed Organization Attestation (PDF, 100 KB, 3 pages) form (separate forms for each organization that would sign the funding agreement with Global Affaires Canada, if applicable);
• Letter of Incorporation or proof of legal status;
• Applicable to Indigenous organizations only: supporting documentation regarding the history, governance structure, and/or ownership of the Indigenous organization.

As explained in How to apply for funding through a call, submitting a concept note or proposal through a call does not guarantee funding. Funding decisions will be made on the merit assessment of your application.

Accessing and using PDF forms

Use only Adobe Reader/Adobe Acrobat to work on the standardized PDFs to be submitted with your application package. If you use other software, the data you enter may not appear once submitted to the department, and the application will be considered ineligible.

If you are having difficulty downloading the concept note form, it is due to the type of software you have (or do not have) on your computer. Please read and follow the help instructions. If you have all the correct software installed, download the form to your desktop and open it directly in Adobe Reader; otherwise, other software installed on your computer may try (and fail) to open the form using your default settings.

Questions on using the Partners@International portal

Please read and follow all the instructions for using the Partners@International portal (linked on the right-side menu). Do not open multiple windows within the portal as this may cause technical problems.

It may take up to 10 business days to register your organization. If you encounter technical difficulties while registering or trying to submit a proposal, send an email to: partners-partenaires@international.gc.ca  Please note during the last two weeks before a call closes, the service standard for replying to your enquiry is three (3) business days. Technical support for the portal is only available 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday.

Questions specific to this call

If you have any questions about this call after reading the questions and answers about applying for funding, please email them to correspondance.pid@international.gc.ca by 12:00 p.m. (noon) EST Wednesday, August 14, 2024. We will not respond to questions received after this deadline, or questions on specific organizational circumstances or specific project proposals. Applicants will not receive emails with responses. Answers only appear on the Scaling up Women and Youth’s Participation in the Labour Force in Jordan Questions and Answers page to ensure that all applicants have access to the same information at the same time.