KIX Call for Proposals to Strengthen Gender Equality and Social Inclusion at School: Frequently Asked Questions

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Please refer to the detailed call document for comprehensive information about the call and its requirements.  

CALL THEME AND GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS 

1. What is this call for proposals about?  

This is a call for proposals for applied research projects. It intends to identify projects that will generate and mobilize evidence to contextualize and scale the impact of innovative approaches to strengthen gender-responsive and socially inclusive education and safe schooling experiences for all children, especially those facing multiple forms of gender inequalities and marginalization in Global Partnership for Education (GPE) partner countries.  

2. Which countries are the focus of this call?    

Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominica, El Salvador, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, FS Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe 

3. How does the gender equity and social inclusion call differ from the KIX data systems and data use call launched in April?

The only difference between the two calls is their thematic focus. Despite their thematic differences, both calls will fund applied research in support of scaling the impact of promising and proven innovations that address the identified thematic challenges.

4. Where can I learn more about the two sub-themes featured in the call document?

You can learn more about the two sub-themes by reading the working paper that has been produced to accompany the call.

5. What marginalized groups of learners does this call target?

We encourage applicants to think about children that face overlapping issues of gender inequalities and social marginalization within the contexts in which the project will be implemented. We understand that marginalized groups of learners vary across contexts and that marginalization can manifest itself in different ways. Based on the data collected across GPE partner countries, the most referenced marginalized groups were:

• children with disabilities (including those with physical and/or learning disabilities)
• girls (in general and including pregnant adolescents and adolescent parents)
• children living in rural, remote, or other marginalized geographic areas
• children who are migrants, refugees, or internally displaced people (IDPs)
• children living in poverty (including both urban and rural forms of poverty)

Other marginalized groups include child labourers, ethnic or linguistic minorities, indigenous populations, nomadic and rural pastoralist communities, children in incarceration or detention, children impacted by HIV/AIDS, children who are single or double orphans, children impacted by legal and illegal substance abuse, over-aged learners, LGBTQI+ children, and children associated with armed forces and armed groups, among others. These identities are often overlapping.

WHO CAN APPLY 

6. Who is eligible to submit an application as an individual organization or to lead a consortium?   

Proposals must be submitted by nationally/internationally registered or incorporated organizations. These could include, inter alia, research institutions, universities, think tanks, network secretariats, associations, civil society organizations, non-profits, or the private sector.  

Applicants must have independent legal status (or “legal personality”), be capable of contracting in their own right and name, receiving and administering funds, and have the authority to direct proposed project activities.  

There are additional specific eligibility criteria depending on grant type: 

• Single-country grant proposals must be submitted by eligible national organizations based in the country of focus. They may apply as individual organizations or lead a consortium that includes other organizations whether from within or outside the country.  
• Multi-country grant proposals must be submitted by an organization based in a low- or middle-income country. Other consortium members may include organizations from within or outside the region; national, regional, or international offices of multi-lateral organizations; or international NGOs.  
• Regional/global grant proposals may be submitted by any organization that meets the general eligibility criteria, as an individual organization or leading a consortium. 

7. Who is not eligible? 

• Individuals 
• Government ministries and agencies are not eligible for funding but can be involved in projects  
• For-profit providers of core education services 

8. Is priority given to applications from organizations in low- and middle-income countries?   

Yes, KIX will prioritize funding to organizations based in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). 

9. What do you mean by “individual organizations”?  

Individual organizations may be NGOs, civil society organizations, universities, academic institutions, research institutions, think tanks, private sector organizations, or private foundations (not for profit).  

10. What is meant by “consortia”? Who can be a member of a consortium?    

• Consortia are groups of organizations that come together to submit a proposal to receive KIX funding and to implement the project. Groups of up to three organizations (maximum) may submit an application as a consortium.  
• Proposals from consortia must name one lead organization, which can subgrant to the others. Proposals from, or that include, private sector partners should demonstrate how private sector resources – financial or technical knowhow - will contribute to the project. Organizations/consortia must have a strong presence and track record of work in the education sector of GPE partner countries. 
• Fair and equitable partnerships must be established among consortia members.   
• There are no specific geographic criteria for consortia members in any of the three types of grants. 

11. What criteria will you look for in a lead organization?   

• Ability to manage a large-scale grant from a financial and operational point of view;   
• Presence in the field;   
• Thematic experience in the subject of the proposal;   
• Ability to coordinate multiple partners and members of a consortia;  
• Ability to participate in knowledge exchange with the other KIX-funded projects; and  
• Be an independent, legally incorporated entity capable of contracting in its own right and name.   

12. What documentation would need to be provided by the lead organization for IDRC to verify its legal status?  

A copy of (or internet link to) the legal documentation will be required to confirm the lead organization's creation and independent legal status. The documentation provided to IDRC should clearly indicate the name of the institution. Documentation that is in a language other than English, French or Spanish require a certified translation that also needs to be submitted.  

Legal documentation varies depending on the location and the type of organization. By way of illustration, this legal documentation may include:  

• letters patent,  
• articles of incorporation,  
• articles of association,  
• certificates of incorporation,   
• certificates of registration, or   
• récépissés issued by government authorities for private sector/non-governmental organizations. 

13. May consortia have additional partners?   

Yes, consortia may name additional partners involved in the project. It may be necessary to include additional partners, such as teachers’ associations, a relevant NGO, or people with specific research expertise.  

Each project should consider stakeholders relevant to the project’s objectives, including stakeholders relevant to knowledge-mobilization strategies, and how to best engage them.   

14. May consortia include national governments?   

No. The majority of GPE funding goes directly to governments to implement their education sector plans. KIX is an additional mechanism in support of education sectors that targets different actors.  

Applicants are encouraged, however, to involve national and local governments as strategic partners in their projects. Scaling in education systems will most likely need connections with governments.   

15. Does the “lead” organization assume all financial responsibilities? May other consortia members assist in the financial, administrative, and logistical management?   

The lead organization is responsible for ensuring that there is one grant agreement with one main recipient who is responsible for all aspects of the grant. The lead recipient may enter into sub-grant arrangements with partners who can then be responsible for portions of the work (reporting back to the lead), but ultimately the lead organization is responsible for reporting on all financial and technical matters related to the work. Only in exceptional circumstances, and at its sole discretion, IDRC may be willing to provide a direct subgrant to a consortium member. 

16. Can one entity submit more than one proposal; either as a lead or a sub?  

Lead organizations and consortium members are welcome to submit multiple applications in response to the call. We, however, continue to recommend that organizations focus on their strongest and most strategic proposals, aligned to the call. 

17. Is IDRC able to directly grant to UN Agencies? 

Yes. 

18. Do consortia need to include Canadian organizations?    

No.   

19. Should partners be in the same geographical region?   

Not necessarily. Consortium partners do not need to be in the same geographical region. 

20. Can KIX help match applicants to form a consortium?   

No. It is the responsibility of the applicant to find partners and form a consortium. 

21. May an organization that has previously or is currently receiving funding for initiatives from IDRC, the Global Partnership for Education, or the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange be allowed to apply to this call?   

Yes.

22. May an organization with a pending registration in an eligible country apply to a call? 

No. Organizations must already be registered or incorporated. 

23. May for-profit organizations apply for KIX grants?   

Yes.  

• However, for-profit organizations that provide core education services (e.g., private schools) are not eligible for KIX funding. Organizations which own, manage or run schools in the primary or secondary system (provision of core education services) are not eligible to apply. KIX will remain consistent with GPE’s private sector engagement strategy.   
• Proposals that include private-sector actors should demonstrate how private-sector resources (for example, financial or technical know-how) will contribute to the project.   
• All grant recipients, including for-profit organizations, must comply with IDRC’s Open Access Policy.   

APPLIED RESEARCH TO BE FUNDED  

24. What are the policy challenges?  

The past few decades have seen a notable improvement in opportunities for all children to realize the right to education. Countries have affirmed their commitment to ensuring that the most marginalized – including girls, children with disabilities, and those living in poverty – can access, participate in, and complete their education. Yet, gender equality and issues of equity and inclusion remain critical topics in primary and secondary education and an identified priority among policymakers and stakeholders in GPE partner countries. This has become even more important in recent years as the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced existing inequalities, resulting in decreasing global rates of basic literacy.  

Addressing the intersecting disadvantages many groups face is critical to ensuring quality and safe education for all. Therefore, countries are seeking evidence to help them adopt more gender-responsive and inclusive policies and practices to support learner-centred approaches to education, as outlined in a recent scoping study. While there are many important issues within the broader lens of gender equality, equity, and inclusion, this call for proposals focuses on two core issues that can make a difference in children’s learning: inclusive and gender-responsive curriculum, pedagogies and leadership; and safe, inclusive, and supportive schools for all.  

25. May projects be related to higher education or technical and vocational education and training (TVET)?  

No. As a GPE mechanism, KIX focuses on early childhood to secondary education, in addition to teacher training. However, higher education institutions may be involved in addressing these challenges and teams based at these institutions are welcome to apply.  

Although other IDRC programming focuses on strengthening TVET and higher education, it is not a focus of KIX calls.  

26. Can proposals respond to multiple sub-themes?  

Yes, proposals can respond to multiple sub-themes. We encourage applicants to consult the detailed call document for further information on the call’s challenge and sub-themes.  

27. What should we consider in identifying innovative approaches to address the challenge?   

Proposals should identify existing innovative approaches to address the challenge and how their impact could be scaled, connected to public education systems and policy. Innovative approaches to address the challenges can originate from anywhere – from within the countries involved, or beyond. We encourage applicants to work with culturally relevant and contextually appropriate interventions that are feasible, cost-effective and scalable in the countries the call targets. Overall, as part of the research process, selected projects should adapt their interventions in the countries of focus and then test their effectiveness to determine which conditions facilitate successful implementation and scalability. That work can vary by country within the same project.  

28. What do you mean by “innovation”? 

Innovation refers to a combination of tools, practices, policies, programs, technologies, approaches, methodologies, or any other interventions that can be used to improve education access and quality in developing countries. The combination of different elements can vary according to contexts and needs to produce new solutions to education problems.  

29. Does the innovation have to be tested and mobilised in all countries in the proposal, or can an innovation be tested in one country and the knowledge shared and mobilised in the other countries?    

Proposals should have one set of overall objectives and research questions. However, project activities and foci may appropriately vary from one country to another. Proposals should include applied research in each country involved along with a knowledge mobilization strategy.    

30. May the design of the innovative approach differ in any way between countries of focus?      

Yes. The design can differ in the countries of focus as long as the various approaches are relevant to each country's contexts and policy landscape.

31. What is meant by supporting knowledge generation “about and for scaling”?  

Scaling is the process of improving and deepening the reach, breadth, scope, quality, equity, and sustainability of the changes, benefits, and solutions that innovations bring to education systems. Proposals will be encouraged to take a critical approach to scaling (see more in Gargani and McLean, 2017). 

The call will fund applied research in support of scaling the selected innovative solutions. This could include:  

• adapting and refining the innovations to the contextual needs of the selected countries;   
• developing and testing means and models to scale them;   
• supporting capacity strengthening of stakeholders who will adapt, adopt and scale the innovations;   
• conducting a cost analysis of the innovations; and  
• assessing results.   

32. Can the proposal focus on scaling up be on existing strategies by government and/or other not-for-profit?     

Yes.  

33. What is meant by “research”?  

• KIX applied research grants are intended for research for development projects that are problem-focused, action-oriented, and designed to generate new knowledge and evidence.   
• They also creatively identify, engage, and involve multiple types of knowledge users to ensure that research is relevant and accessible.  
• Users typically co-create the knowledge alongside researchers.   
• Projects are designed to be relevant to inform policy, practice, and technological development.  

34. What is the “continuum of gender integration”?  

The continuum of gender integration refers to strategies applied in program assessment, design, implementation, and evaluation that take gender into consideration and address gender-based inequalities. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to seek out resources on appropriately addressing gender equality, equity and inclusion in the project proposal, for instance this Guide to Integrating Gender in your Proposal. 

35. Is there a methodology that IDRC prefers?  

No, we have no preference, but the selected methodologies must be appropriate to answer the questions and achieve project objectives in their contexts. Proposals must be explicit and elaborate on the justification for methodological choices. The quality of projects will be assessed against IDRC’s Research Quality Plus Framework (as indicated in the call document). 

36. How can we target more than 3 countries when there is a limit of 3 organizations per a consortium?

Although IDRC sets a limit of 3 members for a consortium, as the administrative figure on top of the research, nothing limits applicants from working in more countries and having other research partners in these countries. While these partners will not administratively be members of the consortium, they may participate in the research and authorship and receive funds from the consortium to implement parts of the research. The consortium is free to a establish memorandum of understanding later with other partners to agree and secure equity, fairness and representation.    

BUDGET  

37. Should time spent on research activities by salaried personnel be included under the ‘Research’ or ‘Personnel’ tab of the budget? 

The Personnel budget should include all remuneration, allowances, and benefits paid to employees of the recipient institution and to advisors hired for a specific project.  

38. How much of the project budget should be dedicated to salaries? 

Salaries should not exceed 25% of the project budget, unless the organization submits an approved detailed rationale explaining these additional expenses. The rationale should justify personnel costs that exceed 25% of the proposed budget and should be submitted as an appendix to the online submission.  

39. Is there a minimum requirement for ‘local contributions’ that must be respected for a project to be considered?

IDRC does not have a fixed quota for the level of recipient contribution; it must however be commensurate with the Recipient’s means. Recipient contributions may be either direct cash expenses or the provision of "in kind" contributions such as use of services, office facilities, allocations of employee time, or absorption of administrative costs charges normally charged to research projects. The provision of a recipient contribution is designed to reflect the recipient's commitment and continuing support for the proposed activity. 

40. In which currency should budgets be prepared? 

The budget should be presented in the local currency of the lead applicant, and the sub-grantee budgets should be presented as one budget line under Research Expenses for each sub-grantee; converted into the local currency of the lead applicant.

41. What does it mean that “IDRC will allow indirect costs up to 13% of all recipient-administered costs”?

The indirect costs are meant to cover costs that are not directly related to the research. These costs may include salaries and benefits of personnel who support and administer the project such as secretaries, clerks, and accountants; stationery, photocopying, and other office supplies; telecommunications costs (unless the nature of the research has warranted a specific budget line item for that purpose); and computer equipment used for the administration or accounting of the grant disbursements. Salaries for personnel working on the project may not include indirect costs added on top of their actual salary.   

PARTNERSHIPS 

42. Who are the education stakeholders? 

Education stakeholders may include (but are not limited to) local education groups, teacher unions, school principals and teachers, parents and children, education ministry officials, development partners, and policymakers.

43. How should I demonstrate work in a GPE member country and engagement with education stakeholders?   

This could be through a letter indicating approval or interest from an appropriate authority in the ministry, or evidence of clear alignment with current official documents such as the partnership compact, the education sector plan, or other similar strategic plan documents. 

TYPES OF GRANTS TO BE FUNDED THROUGH THIS CALL 

44. What is the budget range per project and the amount of overall funding?   

KIX will allocate up to CAD14.5 million in this call. Grants can be one of the following three types: 

Type	Focus	Funding (CA$)	Duration (months)
Single-country grants	targeting impact in a single country; tailored to specific national needs, in direct association with national policymaking institutions	300,000-500,000	Up to 24
Multi-country grants	targeting impact in three or more countries with direct relevance to specific priorities in those countries	800,000-1,500,000	Up to 36
Regional/global grants	Targeting impact more generally at a regional or global level, with grounded work in at least three countries; generating public goods such as toolkits or platforms	Up to 2,500,000	Up to 36

TROUBLESHOOTING  

45. Can additional documents or appendices be added to the application?  

Yes, additional tables and figures can be attached in PDF format at the end of the online application.  

46. Can I submit my application as a PDF?  

There is no PDF version of the application, so you are required to submit through the online submission portal. Once you pass the privacy agreement and eligibility section of the application, you will be able to see the entire form and then can review the proposal structure with your team. You can save the next sections of the form as you go along and come back to them as needed. 

47. How can I access the Institutional Profile Questionnaire (IPQ)? 

Please download the Institutional Profile Questionnaire and use Adobe Reader to access the interactive questionnaire. Please complete the questionnaire even if your institution has previously done so for another IDRC call. If you are unable to access Adobe Reader, please email kixcalls@idrc.ca 

48. Is it possible to get an extension for my application?

We are currently unable to provide extensions for our call for proposals. Please aim to submit ahead of the deadline in case of technical difficulties. Please email kixcalls@idrc.ca with any technical difficulties encountered when submitting your application.

49. Is it possible to have a phone call or meeting to learn more about this call for proposals?  

Due to the number of applications, we do not arrange meetings with potential applicants. Please email kixcalls@idrc.ca with your questions.  

ABOUT KIX  

50. What is KIX?  

The Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) is a joint endeavour between the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and IDRC. KIX supports countries to have and use the evidence and innovation they need to accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality through equitable, inclusive, and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. KIX achieves this by facilitating direct knowledge sharing across GPE partner countries through four regional Hubs and by funding applied research on their priorities. KIX is part of GPE’s strategy to support transformative change for education in lower-income countries.   

51. What are GPE partner countries?  

There are 87 partner countries in the Global Partnership for Education. GPE works with countries to build stronger education systems as a springboard to stronger economies and fairer and more stable societies, able to withstand shocks and adapt to the challenges of the 21st century. Learn more.  

KIX calls are designed to respond to specific priorities of GPE partner countries in the specific regions indicated. Annex A of the call document and Section 2 above provide a list.