PLAY FOR EQUITY FUND opens

What is the Play for Equity Fund?

The Play for Equity Fund is a new approach to trial the mobilisation of unrestricted funding to innovative community initiatives aimed at advancing gender justice in and through sport in the Pacific. This fund will provide core/catalytic/seed financial support to groups and individuals with new and radical solutions derived from community-based activism. Groups and individuals will be selected by a committee made up of experts in women’s rights, feminist activism, and sport from the Pacific.

Selected applicants may get the opportunity to present their project to a panel and audience at the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport Conference in Auckland, New Zealand on 16 November 2022 (either virtually or in-person).

Team Up with support from Women Win are the administrators of the Play for Equity Fund and will be responsible for the fiscal management and general operations of the Fund.

Who is eligible to apply?

During this funding call, the Play for Equity Fund is targeting groups and individuals based in the following countries: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

The Play for Equity Fund will support both registered or unregistered non-profit community-based organisations, collectives, sporting bodies, groups, and cooperatives, as well as individuals.

For individual applicants, people that self-identify as women, nonbinary, transgender or identify as belonging to marginalised or vulnerable populations such as people with disabilities, can only apply.

Groups led by and benefitting more underrepresented and marginalised communities, including groups led by young women, people with disabilities and nonbinary individuals are encouraged to apply.

How do I apply?

Applicants are asked to produce a 3–5 minute video pitch which will be submitted via an application form on Survey Monkey. Applications can be submitted in whichever language you feel most comfortable and if you need assistance with uploading the videos or have any questions kindly contact Roshika Deo on roshika.deo@ghd.com 

The Survey Monkey application will also require applicants to provide contact information and written narrative responses about how they intend to use the funding to advance gender justice in and through sport.

The video submission guidelines are:

As a general guideline, your 3–5-minute video application should include:

● 30-60 seconds brief introduction of you/your organisation and its work

● 30-60 seconds on the barrier/issue you are trying to address

● 60-90 seconds explanation of how you would plan to use the funding

● 60-90 seconds explanation of how this work would advance gender justice in and through sport or the change/outcome you expect to see

As you prepare your video application, please adhere to the following guidelines:

● Keep videos under 5 minutes in length

● Ensure that you have the informed consent of all people visible and present in the video

● Please review your video to ensure that the audio is clear and comprehensible

● For organisations: Have multiple (at least 2) people from your organisation speak in the video

The Play for Equity Fund is accepting applications until 16 October 2022.

Frequently Asked Questions:

We are an emerging group and do not have an annual income – can we still apply?

Yes, you can still apply. In the application form, you will be asked to provide the name and contact details of an organisation or group that you have previously worked with, whether formally or informally, which will allow us to confirm and verify your group.

I am an individual – can I still apply?

Yes, if you self-identify as a woman, non-binary, transwoman, transmen, or identify as belonging to a marginalised or vulnerable population such as people with disabilities, you can apply.

Our organisation/group is NOT legally registered - can we still apply?

Yes, you can still apply. Your organisation/group does not need to be legally registered in order to apply for the Play for Equity Fund. We are accepting applications from both registered and unregistered organisations, sporting bodies, collectives and groups.

We use yoga, dancing and other forms of physical movement within our work - can we still apply?

Yes, you can still apply. The Play for Equity Fund will support applications using all forms of physical and play-based activity aimed at promoting physical and mental well-being.

How can we use the funding from the Play for Equity Fund?

The Play for Equity Fund will provide unrestricted funds to groups and individuals. These groups and individuals are free to decide how to best use the funds, in line with the mission of the Play for Equity Fund to advance gender justice in and through sport in the Pacific.

What is the maximum amount of funding we can request?

• Groups may apply for up to $15,000 AUD from the Play for Equity Fund.
• Individuals applying to the Play for Equity Fund will be able to apply for funding up to $7,500 AUD.

We advise all applicants to apply for an amount of funding that directly matches the initiative you wish to implement and be clear about why the amount you are applying for is appropriate. It is highly recommended to apply for no more than 50 per cent of your annual organisational income. For example, if you have $5,000 AUD in organisational income, to apply for no more than $2,500 AUD.

Do we need to have a bank account to be able to receive funds?

Yes, it is preferable that you have access to a bank account, either an organisational account or the personal account of one of the leaders of your organisation/group, in order to receive international transfers. If this is not possible, we can discuss this with you and explore alternative options.

What is the Play for Equity Fund selection process?

The Play for Equity Fund selection process has 2 phases: (1) Firstly, a screening process will be conducted by Team Up and Women Win staff in order to create a shortlist of eligible organisations and groups. (2) This shortlist will then be sent to a selection committee made up of experts in women’s rights, feminist activism, and sport from the Pacific, who will review the applications and make a final decision on which groups and individuals will receive funding.

Selected applicants may get the opportunity to present their project to a panel and audience at the IWG Women and Sport Conference in Auckland, New Zealand on 16 November 2022 (either virtually or in-person).

Furthermore, all the unselected applications will be housed on the Team Up YouTube channel for public viewing in the hope they attract potential funding for their projects. This will be subject to approval by the applicants.

What information will be collected from applicants, and who has access to this information?

Within the application form, we ask for the contact details (name, email address and telephone number) of someone from your organisation or group, as well as those of a reference. Only Women Win, Team Up, and the Play for Equity Fund Selection Committee will have access to this information. This information may be made available to organisations or donors interested in funding the unselected application however this information will be shared subject to approval by the respective applicants.

Is this the only call for Play for Equity Fund applications?

As this is a new approach that we are trialing, this is currently the only call planned for the Play for Equity Fund.

If we are successful, when will we hear, and when can we expect to receive funding?

Selected grantees will be notified by 30 November 2022. Funding will be distributed in January and February of 2023 by Women Win, with the expectation that the funding will be spent in 2023.

What are the reporting requirements?

If the project is implemented over a period of 12 months there will be a one-page brief report due every six months. If the project is for six months or less, a one-page brief report will be required. Template/questions will be provided to guide with the report writing.