Call for proposals for three-year grants

 

Healing Across the Divides, an American charitable organization (www.healingdivides.org) aims to improve the health of marginalized (both citizens and non-citizens) populations living in Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel via community-based interventions.

 

Healing Across the Divides is interested in funding innovative community efforts to improve health within a community framework. We are pleased to announce a new call for proposals for NGOs/Community-Based Groups (CBOs) that seek to improve the health of marginalized Palestinians in any manner within a community framework in Palestine. Proposals must address health challenges, broadly defined, that are common in the community. We do not fund direct medical care at all. We fund CBOs to improve care within a community context; this often involves engagement with the medical care system in Palestine. Please see our website  https://healingdivides.org/ for many examples of the types of initiatives we fund.

 

If a Palestinian proposal comes from Gaza, the community-based group in Gaza must have offices in the West Bank.

 

Available funds are a maximum of $ 30,000 (can be less and we welcome that) per year per CBO for three years.

 

The due date for a preliminary maximum 2-page proposal is July 15, 2023

 

We are interested in proposals that will result in:

• Documented improved health status of the population in the context of empowerment of individuals and communities.
• Increased awareness, on the part of policymakers and other interested parties, of the obstacles to improvement in the health of marginalized populations.

 

Health is influenced by a wide range of factors, many of which can fall outside the healthcare sector. These determinants of health include, for example, the characteristics of how people live, work, learn, and play. The health care system generally functions to provide care to those who have become sick. Yet it is where people live, learn, work, play, and worship that most influence their opportunities and chances for being healthy. Layered on top of these issues which impact individuals in every country in the world are issues specific to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza which simply put is the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. There are also different but still challenging issues for Palestinians living in Israel.

 

The challenge that we have as individuals or as community-based organizations is to connect improvement in health status occurring at the community level to changes in the healthcare system.  Examples include:

• Addressing chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes by improving the availability and safety of physical activity environments (e.g., parks, sidewalks).
• Addressing violence, against women, by implementing prevention programs and practices for women,
• Addressing the psychosocial needs of women, children, and youth

 

To be successful in improving health these social determinants of health must be addressed by us as individuals, by community-based organizations, and by the healthcare system.

There are 2 phases to the application process.

1. Preliminary proposal (Letter of Interest (LOI) of no more than two pages – this is due July 15, 2023, but we welcome the two pages as soon as you are ready.
2. A full proposal from those organizations Healing Across the Divide shortlist from the LOI stage. The full proposal will be due 4 weeks later and funding will start September 1.

 

Healing Across the Divides will provide organizational consulting to small groups receiving funds and facilitate meetings between all organizations receiving funds.

 

Healing Across the Divides will provide grant money that may be supplemented with money from other foundations.  In general, Healing Across the Divides does not give grants to organizations already receiving funds from other foundations on the same exact topic.

Lengths of Grants: All grants are for a minimum of three years, provided satisfactory progress is evidenced during each time period. However, each grant needs to be renewed on an annual basis and must demonstrate the results of a formal rapid-cycle evaluation and continuous cycle improvement process.

 

Healing Across The Divides believes that in general year 1 should concentrate on a pilot around an innovative model, year 2 focusing on the dissemination of the model improved by the lessons learned from year 2, and year 3 around an inter-sectoral partnership with institutions with the aim that other organizations consider adopting the model.

Healing Across The Divides expects the program funded to be evaluated in a proper way that will enable both funders and the organization to learn from it, leading eventually to an article to be published for the good of the community. We are committed to adequately funding an appropriate evaluation.

 

Sum requested:  Strongly recommend that the funds requested not be more than 1/4 of the total year's organization's budget and 1/2 of the sum needed for the project itself.

 

Grant Review Process. All Grant Applications must be reviewed by the Healing Across the Divides' board of directors and technical advisory committee. 

 

Timing of fund distribution: Forty percent of the grant will be funded on receipt of a signed agreement by all parties. Another twenty percent will be given after a six-month evaluation approved by the funder. The remainder will be given after the first half of each year upon receipt of ongoing evaluation and clarification if requested by the funder.  

 

Details of Application Guidelines: in English

There is a two-step application process: 

• Expression of Letter of Interest application (two pages) should be sent by July 15, 2023. The max two-page expression of interest should include:
• A summary of your organization’s mission (2 – 3 sentences)
• A one-paragraph summary of the project for which you are seeking funding specifically identifying the social determinant(s) of health that your project will be addressing. 
• A one-paragraph description of how your organization works to develop and enhance the health of underserved and/or marginalized individuals. What is your experience in this area? Note your experience does not have to specifically be in women’s health. But you must have some experience working with building community strength broadly defined.
• Number of people to be served by the project and overall estimated cost of the project.
• A one-paragraph summary of your approach to project evaluation and background in this area.
• Appendices can be included documenting organizational strengths in the above areas. Note the entire Letter of Interest must be no more than 2 pages. Material included in the appendices should be extremely relevant and illustrate your organizational strengths, registration in Palestine, and annual reports.

2. If selected, a full proposal- will be requested upon the orientation of the possible grantees and with the support of our representative in the field.

For more information or for any questions please contact Nehad Fattah (West Bank and Gaza) at [email protected]