2. Funding Objectives and Priority Areas

Objective of the funding

This funding aims to support crisis-affected communities in Syria to strengthen their resilience and early recovery, with a strong focus on women, girls, and youth as leaders of change. Through locally led, gender-responsive, and youth-inclusive actions, the funding seeks to improve access to protection, livelihoods, and recovery opportunities, while empowering communities (particularly communities impacted by the 2023 Earthquake) to actively participate in rebuilding safer, more resilient, and inclusive environments amid the volatile context currently.

Priority areas

Proposals should focus on one or more of the following priority areas:

1. Protection and Leadership of Women and Girls

Strengthening the protection, safety, and rights of women and girls affected by the prolonged conflict, repeated displacements, and the Syria–Türkiye earthquake, while promoting their leadership and meaningful participation in humanitarian response and recovery. This includes:

• Gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response, particularly for displaced populations and returnees facing multiple protection risks.
• Community-based protection initiatives that address safety concerns, documentation gaps, and child protection issues identified through protection monitoring.
• Establishment and support of safe spaces and services that empower women and girls to participate in decision-making and recovery activities.
• Programs and interventions led by women or women-led organizations, ensuring local leadership, sustainability, and responsiveness to evolving humanitarian needs.

2. Youth- and Community-Led Resilience and Recovery

Supporting youth and community leadership in addressing ongoing humanitarian needs, promoting early recovery, and strengthening community resilience amidst changing return and reintegration dynamics. This includes:

• Youth-led initiatives that respond to immediate needs and contribute to long-term resilience, including livelihoods, income generation, and economic empowerment.
• Community recovery actions that actively involve women, youth, and marginalized groups in planning, decision-making, and implementation.
• “Build back better” approaches that integrate social cohesion, education continuity, infrastructure support, and environmental resilience, reflecting lessons learned from repeated displacements and the earthquake.
• Strengthening local capacities to lead recovery processes and deliver contextually relevant solutions, particularly in urban areas and northern regions such as Aleppo and Raqqa, where most returnees are settling.

3. Policy, Advocacy, and Collective Influence

Advancing local- and national-level policy and advocacy efforts that elevate the voices, experiences, and agency of women and young people affected by conflict, displacement, the Syria–Türkiye earthquake, and the recent evolving context. This includes advocacy for:

• Protection of women’s and girls’ rights, especially related to GBV, in displaced communities, returnee populations, and high-risk areas.
• Increased, equitable, and safe humanitarian funding reaching the most vulnerable communities affected by multiple displacements and the ongoing crisis.
• Recognition, support, and inclusion of women’s and youth leadership in humanitarian action and recovery efforts.

Activities may include coordination and joint advocacy with partners, participation in key platforms and forums (e.g., SIRF, WPS, clusters), and production of policy, evidence, and learning materials aligned with the Syria–Türkiye earthquake emergency response strategy 2023–2025.

Who should benefit

This Call for Proposals targets women, girls, and young people affected by conflict, displacement, and earthquake impacts in Syria, particularly those facing heightened protection risks, economic hardship, and exclusion from decision-making. Priority will be given to actions that reach internally displaced persons and host communities in high-risk and underserved areas, with a strong emphasis on female-headed households and other vulnerable groups. The call promotes initiatives that are designed and led by local women-led and youth-led organizations, ensuring that affected communities are not only beneficiaries but active leaders in humanitarian response, early recovery, resilience building, and policy and advocacy efforts.

3. Eligibility Criteria

This call is open to Syrian local and National civil society organizations in Syria, including:

• Women-led organizations
• Youth-led organizations
• Community-based organizations and local NGOs
• Grassroots groups working on humanitarian response, protection, recovery, resilience, or advocacy
• Should be registered with Ministry of Social Welfare or a relevant ministry.

Priority will be given to organizations led by women and/or young people and those rooted in affected communities.

Local Presence and Community Connection

Applicant organizations must:

• Be based in Syria and active in the proposed project location
• Have strong community trust and acceptance
• Meaningfully involve women and youth in planning, implementation, and decision-making

Registration Status

ActionAid understands that not all effective local groups are formally registered.

Applicants may be:

• Registered local/national organizations,

ActionAid reserves the right to conduct a due diligence before awarding the grant.

Who Cannot Apply

The following are not eligible to apply:

• International NGOs applying as lead organizations
• Government bodies or political groups
• For-profit or commercial entities

4. Grant Size and Duration

• Implementation must between February- October 2026 per project, depending on the scope and activities proposed.
• Projects should have a duration of 6 months with an expected start date between Feb and first week of March 2026

Funds may be used for:

• Project activities and direct implementation costs
• Staff or volunteer stipends directly linked to the project
• Community activities, training, and workshops
• Protection, livelihood, recovery, or advocacy-related costs
• Small equipment and supplies needed for project delivery
• Monitoring, community engagement, and learning activities

Funds may not be used for (indicative and not exhaustive):

• Purchase of any asset.
• Political party activities or campaigning
• Personal debts or individual cash grants not linked to project activities
• Anything that violates National and International Laws and Regulations.

Budget Guidance

• Grant size: The Amount should be Equivalent to GBP 100,000 per grant subject to partner capacity assessment.
• Number of grants: Subject to Budget and proposals submitted by partners we are expecting between 3-4 grants (one per applicant / one per each prospective partner).
• Eligible use of funds: Funds can be used for project activities, advocacy and policy engagement, staff directly involved in the project, materials and supplies, and community events or workshops.
• Prohibited use of funds: Funds cannot be used for personal income, unrelated political activities, or construction/assets not directly linked to project objectives.
• Budget preparation: Provide a realistic budget that clearly links costs to project activities. A simple budget table is sufficient, with brief justification for each item showing how it contributes to project objectives