Partnerships with RFSU
RFSU works with civil society organisations to advance SRHR through equitable, locally rooted partnerships guided by an intersectional feminist, anti-racist and human rights-based approach.
Geographic criteria
RFSU’s choice of countries and regions is guided by contextual factors, including unmet SRHR needs, opportunities for change, the presence of an active civil society, unmet donor funding, synergies with other CSOs, relevance to RFSU’s strategy and networks, and overall feasibility and safety.
Partner selection criteria
When identifying new funding partnerships, RFSU prioritises organisations that have:
- The capacity to implement programmes and contribute to change that improves access to SRHR for all.
- Core values and a vision that sufficiently aligns with RFSU.
- A commitment to democratic governance, transparency, mutual accountability and participation of rights-holders.
Selection process
- Identification & scoping
RFSU conducts a context and stakeholder analysis, identifies potential organisations, and makes recommendations regarding which organisations to invite to submit a Concept Note. Approval is decided by RFSU’s International Management. - Invitation for Concept Note and decision
Selected organisations are invited to submit a Concept Note (covering context, objectives, strategies, and an indicative budget) as well as an Organisational Description Form outlining basic organizational details (governance, thematic areas, financials). These are then reviewed by RFSU. - Invitation for application and decision
Invited organisations submit a narrative application, budget and requested organisational documents; RFSU conducts a detailed assessment of the organisation's governance, internal control and application and, depending on back-donor requirements and other contextual factors, follow any additional steps. Management makes the final approval decision, after which the process moves forward with the signing of an agreement.
Note: Steps may vary depending on the context. When funding becomes available, RFSU proactively identifies and invites organisations that meet the criteria and process above. RFSU does not process unsolicited grant proposals.