Call for letters of interest: Addressing neglected areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub-Saharan Africa (ANeSA)

Scope

Addressing Neglected Areas of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in sub-Saharan Africa (ANeSA) is launching Stage 1 of a two-stage funding opportunity to support Cohort 2 of Implementation Research Teams. The initiative will fund implementation research focused on sustainable, evidence-informed and gender-transformative interventions that address neglected areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights for under-served populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Up to six grants of up to CAD 1.2 million each will be awarded, and up to 12 applicants will be invited to advance to the Full Proposal stage.  

Successful projects will address at least one of ANeSA’s five priority areas:  

• Improving access to family planning and contraceptive services  
• Expanding access to safe abortion care, where legally permitted, and post-abortion care (APAC)  
• Upholding SRHR rights and ensuring access to services for adolescents  
• Preventing sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV) and improving services for people experiencing SGBV  
• Strengthening advocacy for SRHR  

For more information, please consult the Call for Letters of Interest.   

Eligibility

This call is open to Implementation Research Teams led by a sub-Saharan Africa-based researcher affiliated with an eligible institution in an eligible country. Please refer to the Call for Letters of Interest for the full team composition and eligibility requirements. 

More details

Learn more about ANeSA 

More questions? Please contact the ANeSA team at SRHR-SDSR@idrc.ca by August 09, 2026, to receive a response before the submission deadline. 

The informational webinar scheduled for July 15, 2026, has reached full capacity. Due to the high level of interest, a second webinar will be held on July 16, 2026. Attendance to the informational webinar is not required to apply for the call. The registration link for  the  informational webinar is available here.

Eligible countries

Principal Applicants must be affiliated with organizations based in one of the following eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso*, Burundi*, Cameroon*, Central African Republic*, Chad*, Congo (Brazzaville), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa)*, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia*, Gabon*, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali*, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique*, Namibia, Niger*, Nigeria*, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Eswatini, South Sudan*, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda*, Zambia and Zimbabwe*.  

*Applications from some countries may be subject to an additional stage of internal approval within IDRC. 

KEY DATES

• Call for Letters of Interest Launch: June 29, 2026 
• Informational Webinar: July 16, 2026 at 9:00am Eastern Time (GMT/UTC-4). Please register for the webinar using this link. 
• Deadline for Submission of Letter of Interest: August 23, 2026 
• Applicants Notified on the result of their submission: December 18, 2026 
• Proposal Development Workshop: February 9-11, 2027 
• Call for Full Proposal Launch: February 12, 2027 
• Deadline for Submission of Full Proposal: May 2, 2027 
• Applicants Notified of Funding Decisions: July 21, 2027