RfA: Women and Girls Global Economic Empowerment Framework

Overall Objective

The purpose of this request for applications (RFA) is to support the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to engage in development results focused research. The expected result is a published study entitled “Women and Girls Financial Inclusion for Economic Empowerment Framework” and its component parts.

Minimum qualification criteria

1. Any type of organization (commercial for profit firm, educational institution, and non-profit organization) is eligible to compete;
2. Minimum three years of experience in conducting similar assignments in least developed countries, especially covering Sub-Saharan Africa and/or Asia
3. Provide written confirmation (annex 1) that the organization has reviewed the UNCDF Grant Agreement template (available upon request), is prepared to sign it on or around November 1^st 2016, without revision to standard language
4. Submit a complete application

Other requirements and qualifications

1. Previous experience with gender, in particular, women’s and girls’ economic empowerment;
2. Previous experience in financial inclusion, highly desirable;
3. Previous experience in programme design and proposal development;
4. Operational capacity and confirmed human resources (including two senior team members, whose CVs are submitted as part of the proposal) to undertake all planned/required activities in short timeframe;

The Senior team members should have the following key qualifications

1. Advanced degree in economics, finance, business or public administration or related field.
2. A minimum of 10 years relevant, practical working experience on financial inclusion and/or gender sector, preferably in least developed countries (LDCs);
3. Documented, deep technical knowledge and experience with developing frameworks, theory of change, results measurement framework and plans, and other components required as part of comprehensive programme design and proposal development;
4. Have experience of working with multilateral organisations and knowledgeable of development partners and funding landscape;
5. Knowledge of the developments in the financial services sector and economic empowerment of women and girls will be an advantage;
6. Excellent organizational, inter-personal, communication and administrative skills;
7. Experience in fund raising is preferred;
8. Strong report writing, presentation and analytical skills;
9. Familiarity with UN/UNCDF rules and procedures is an advantage;
10. Excellent command of the English language, with outstanding written and oral communication skills.

Submission of the Application

1. Applications submissions and any consultation about this RFA should be submitted in PDF form via email at power.framework@uncdf.org. All queries and submitted applications will be acknowledged. FAQs will be updated periodically and posted (shared with all parties) via the UNCDF website where the RFA was initially advertised.
2. The subject line of the email should be: PoWER Global Framework
3. The deadline to submit the application is October 28^th 2016 at 23:59 EST
4. It is anticipated that negotiations and grant signing will commence within several weeks of application submission.
5. Duration: The overall duration of the study should be not more than 6 months. Expected date of full completion is 31 March 2017.
6. Grant dollar limits: UNCDF has a budget (maximum available) of US$ 145,000

Structure of the Application

• The application should follow the template provided in Annex 1.
• Only applications that follow the Submission Format and include all the necessary documentation will be accepted.