The Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) is a national not-for-profit that works to advance the substantive equality of women, girls, trans, and non-binary people in Canada through litigation, law reform, and public legal education.
We are funding an environmental scan of the strategic litigation capacity of organizations in the gender-based violence/violence against women (GBV/VAW) sector. We will consider applications from individuals as well as applications from collaborations of two or three researchers.
This application can be completed in English or in French.
Proposals are due by 11:59 pm ET on November 12, 2023. Further information follows.
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Overview
| Number of awards | 1 |
| Value | $20,000* |
| Duration | November 2023 to March 2024 |
| Application deadline | November 12, 2023 (11:59pm ET) |
| Results announced | By November 21, 2023 |
*Note: The contract value listed here is compensation for the researcher/researchers’ labour – LEAF has an additional budget for honouraria and translation. If two or three people who are collaborating are awarded the contract, this value will be split between the researchers.
Context
Addressing GBV/VAW requires action on both individual and systemic levels. Feminist strategic litigation (FSL) is one key tool for pushing systemic change. FSL moves beyond individual cases to push for broader changes to legislation, policies, and practices by centering and building on the expertise of communities. The use of FSL by GBV/VAW sector actors can have a significant effect on GBV prevention and response. It can also empower the communities they serve.
The ability to use FSL, however, is deeply uneven in the GBV/VAW sector. Litigation is expensive and time-consuming. The colonial legal system can be difficult to navigate. This particularly creates barriers to accessing FSL for women, trans, and non-binary people who are Black, Indigenous, racialized, low-income, disabled, and/or newcomers, and for the organizations working with and for them.
LEAF’s Strengthening Community Capacity Project aims to develop, put in place, and evaluate the tools, resources, and relationships necessary to strengthen the GBV sector’s ability to use FSL. We are funding an environmental scan that will assess the strategic litigation capacity of organizations in the gender-based violence/violence against women (GBV/VAW) sector. As described below, this will involve both caselaw research and organizational engagement.
Description
The environmental scan can be broken down into three main components: (1) caselaw research, (2) organizational engagement, and (3) final report.
- The successful applicant(s) will review caselaw to compile statistics on the use of FSL by GBV/VAW organizations in the past 10 years. This will include data points on the type of involvement, the nature of that involvement, the location of involvement (both geographic and institutional), and organizational information.
- The successful applicant(s) will also engage directly with GBV/VAW organizations to get a better understanding of sector exposure to and experience with the legal system and FSL. This will involve developing and distributing a survey, as well as facilitating smaller targeted focus groups.
- The findings from the first two components will inform the contents of a final report, which we anticipate:
- Summarize the key findings of the caselaw research and organizational engagement;
- Provide an analysis of existing GBV/VAW sector capacity for FSL, and identify sector needs for additional capacity.
The written portions of the environmental scan can be completed in English or in French. The organizational engagement component will primarily take place in English.
The successful candidate(s) will be supported by the Strengthening Community Capacity Project Director.
Value and Duration
The successful applicant(s) will be awarded $20,000 to complete their research and write their report. LEAF has an additional budget for honouraria and translation costs.
The successful applicant(s) will be expected to adhere to an agreed upon schedule of deliverables, including:
- submitting a detailed research and engagement plan by December 15, 2023;
- circulating organizational survey by January 15, 2024;
- completing organizational focus groups by February 29, 2024;
- submitting a draft of the report by March 11, 2024; and
- submitting a final report by March 31, 2024.
By applying for this funding opportunity, the successful applicant(s) consent(s) to LEAF publicly sharing the resulting research products.
Application Process
Applicants must submit the following as a single PDF attachment:
- A 1-2 page letter of intent summarizing the applicant’s relevant expertise/experience in relation to the research topic;
- Applicant’s CV;
- A brief writing sample (5-10 pages).
Applications will be accepted by email only. In the subject line of your email application, reference “Call for Proposals – Strengthening Community Capacity”. Applications are to be submitted to Cee Strauss (they/them) [email protected], and must be submitted by 11:59 pm ET on November 12, 2023.
The successful applicant(s) will be notified by November 21, 2023. Only the successful applicant(s) will be contacted.
LEAF welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities for all available opportunities. Where possible, accommodations will be made available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.
LEAF encourages applications from candidates who reflect the diversity of our communities. We strongly encourage applicants who are Black, Indigenous, racialized, newcomers, gender-diverse, and/or part of other equity-deserving groups to apply. If you are comfortable, please indicate in your letter of intent if you identify as a member of an equity-deserving group.
Contact Information
For more information about this funding opportunity, or if you have any accommodation requests related to the application process, please contact Cee Strauss at [email protected].
Download a PDF of the Call for Proposals.
