Rosa: Voices from the Frontline

Overview

The programme will offer grants of £500-£2,000 to support charitable advocacy work across Rosa’s four pillars (leadership and representation, safety, health and economic justice). Rosa has already compiled compelling evidence of the need for change to move closer to social justice and equality for women in the UK and we are now looking for new voices to stand up and take action.

Together we can make change happen faster.

1. The programme aims to:

• Support advocacy and influencing work across any one of Rosa’s four pillars
• Amplify the voices of individual women at the frontline of grassroots work in the UK
• Support work which can, long-term, tackle the underlying causes of a problem and createchange
• Nurture talent. Advocacy driven by inspiring, committed leaders can achieve remarkable results

2. What do we mean by advocacy?

We envisage supporting a range of organisations, from those who are just beginning to make their voices heard, to those looking to begin to catalyse change at a higher level. We hope to support projects which:

• Stimulate debate and amplify women’s voices
• Raise awareness of one or more of Rosa’s four pillars
• Influence the public, policy makers, media and/or government
• Change behaviours, attitudes or policies

3. What sort of work will be supported?

The money can be used to pay for increasing the skills, capacity and credibility of women who wish to challenge gender inequality and promote awareness and change. Creative approaches are encouraged, but examples of the work we will support include:

• Coaching or travel costs for a service user to speak at an event or national conference
• Presentation, media or lobbying training to support organisational advocacy strategies.
• Costs of creating campaign materials, such as posters, infographics or videos
• Articulating the story of one woman to champion an organisation’s work
• Making a case to local commissioners for the value of your service
• Meeting costs with local/national government representatives or for planning a campaign

How much can I apply for?

Grants of between £500-£2,000 are available and we expect to support up to 25 projects in 2015/16.

5. Who can apply?

If you meet of the following requirements, you can apply for a grant:

• You are a women’s sector voluntary or community organisation. You do not have to be a registered charity, but your activities must be charitable, legal and for the benefit of women
• You have a written governing document, e.g. a constitution or set of rules
• You have a governing body with at least 3 unrelated members
• You have a UK-based bank or building society account in the name of your organisation
• Your bank or building society account has at least 2 unrelated signatories

In exceptional cases grants will be considered to individuals where the individual has first-hand experience of the issue associated with their campaign and where it is clear that their participation will make a significant contribution. Such grants will be made through organisations, with resources supporting the activities of individual advocates. Individuals wishing to apply must identify a lead organisation to receive the funds on their behalf. The organisation must then meet each of the above criteria.