Inroads is postponing competitive project grants and travel support in order to shift network resources towards emergency funding support around COVID-19 response. 

Funding for equipment and subscriptions is now available for inroads members, so that members can more nimbly respond to evolving connection, communication, and safety needs in this time.

Connection, communication, and solidarity are key elements to busting abortion stigma. Due to the current pandemic, inroads members who typically work together with colleagues and comrades are instead separate. Members who bring people from communities together are forced to remain isolated physically and socially. These needs often impact inroads members across sectors and are only exacerbated by the current pandemic. We are now focusing our resources on the essential role of connection and communication in stigma-busting. 

As inroads is uniquely focused on reducing stigma, this funding is intended for members working to reduce stigma and discrimination. It is not intended for safe abortion projects or family planning projects with wider scope. This fund is designed to support the ways that communication, connections, mutual support, and solidarity- essential components of stigma busting and movement work- are being interrupted by the impacts of the current global pandemic. These funds are designed to support economically vulnerable members who typically do not have access to funding that pays for capital expenses such as mobile devices, portable computers, data or internet services, or subscriptions to software for web-based meeting. 

Disponible: Financiación para el aumento de la comunicación y la conexión durante COVID-19 Leer en Español

Disponible : Financement pour une communication et une connexion accrues pendant COVID-19 Leer en Francés

COVID-19 Communications Fund

Applications for these funds will be accepted on a rolling basis until July 30, 2020.  

This fund can accommodate requests for equipment, subscriptions, and services. We expect most requests to be around USD $1000, and all requests must be less than $5000. The purpose of this funding is to prioritize applicants who directly need to address immediate, basic needs to their work. Some examples include:

• Equipment for staff or volunteers who do not have mobile devices or portable computers that are necessary for connection and communication 

• Access to communications utilities such as internet or cellular data

• Subscriptions to secure communications technology that make possible the secure discussions that typically take place in private, in-person conversations

• Making modifications to equipment, facilities, or processes to keep staff, volunteers, and those they serve safe.

Eligibility

This funding is aimed at inroads members who typically do not have access to funding for their stigma-busting work. In order to apply for funding the following must be true:

• You are an individual, organization, network, coalition, or association who is a member of inroads as of June 8, 2020 or are affiliated with a member organization. This fund is prioritizing existing members of inroads. If you are not sure of your membership status, please reach out to Sheila Odongo, the inroads member support specialist, at odongos@ipas.org. 

• You are not soliciting this fund for a project. These funds are specifically designed to support connection, communication, and solidarity during the current pandemic by purchasing equipment and subscriptions.

• You are not an international non-governmental organization (INGO), or an affiliate, member association, or country office of an INGO.  

• You are an individual or locally-based organization who has a bank account that can legally receive wire-transferred funds or Western Union funds from a US-based institution or you have a fiscal sponsorship with a registered entity that can legally receive wire-transferred funds from a US-based institution. 

• Submissions will be reviewed for eligibility by the inroads Member Support Specialist. Eligible applications will be shared with a rotating decision panel consisting of one inroads Director and one inroads Specialist, and one inroads Steering Committee member. Applicants will be assessed on: Need and feasibility of purchasing equipment and subscriptions

Application Process

To apply for emergency funding, please complete this application form. The application window is rolling, and decisions will be made bi-weekly between June 18 and July 30, 2020. Applications or solicitations sent or entered through any other pathway/address after this time will not be considered. 

If you have any problems with the submission form, please email info@endabortionstigma.org. 

This email inbox will be monitored for questions Monday through Friday, East Coast US (EDT) business hours during the application submission window.  The form and this announcement are in English, and you may complete your responses to the application form in English, Spanish, or French.  

A NOTE ABOUT LANGUAGE: Using translation services, we are able to review project proposals and reports submitted in English, Spanish, or French. 

Tips and Suggestions for Requests

Typically, inroads Partnership Fund opportunities are open to all inroads members (currently 1500+ members) and are quite competitive. This round is an assistance fund, not a competition, and is specifically designed to support inroads members who need financial support for equipment, supplies, and subscriptions to connect individuals working to bust stigma virtually. There are a few things to consider as you apply:

• Include a statement of need that demonstrates how COVID19 has interrupted your ability to do your stigma-busting work

• Consider inroads’ goal of distributing funds and resources to the least-resourced individuals and organizations in the network

• Please consider inroads’ vision and goals when designing your requests. Strong proposals can articulate how this support would move your work towards one or more of these goals. 

• In the past, inroads has received applications and solicitations from members who are not doing stigma reduction work but are instead seeking funding for access or advocacy work generally associated with abortion or SRHR. All inroads Partnership Fund opportunities are intended for members working to reduce stigma and discrimination. It is not intended for safe abortion projects or family planning projects. Inroads is uniquely focused on reducing stigma, and we believe that connection, mutual support, and solidarity are at the core of this work. This fund is designed to support the ways that those communications, connections, mutual support, and solidarity are interrupted by the impacts of the current global pandemic. 

Inroads can not fund applications that:

• Are proposing a project or scope of work

• Do not demonstrate how purchase of this equipment or connection subscription will support stigma busting efforts during the pandemic

• Include any language that shames or marginalizes individuals who have or provide abortions, groups, or abortion methods in the application. For example, shaming or marginalizing individuals who use so called “traditional” or herbal methods for abortion to promote safe methods of abortion are not appropriate scopes for this or any inroads Partnership Fund opportunity.

 Apply here!

We appreciate your work! Here are other resources for funding and technical support: 

The following is a list of opportunities and resources that we’ve learned about that may be of interest for inroads members. Most of these are not abortion-specific, but may intersect with members’ stigma-reduction efforts, or with the very real and emergent needs to address the environment surrounding abortion, stigma-reduction and ensuring access.

Open Technology Fund Rapid Response Fund supporting the digital emergency response community

Digital Guides and Trainings, curated by the Global Greengrants Fund

Digital Security Basics

Peace First Rapid Response grants for young people leading community efforts to address the impact of COVID-19

Grantstation Database of COVID-19-related grant opportunities for nonprofits, small business, journalists, and artists

Candid Database of COVID-19-related grant opportunities

Call for Arctivists: funding for partnerships between artists and activists responding to the outbreak of COVID-19