2022 INGENUITY FUND – REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Who is eligible: Winners of the 120 Under 40: The New Generation of Family Planning Leaders
Applications Open: Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Application deadline: Monday, August 8, 2022 at 11:59 PM EST
Finalists Notified: September 2022
120 Under 40: The New Generation of Family Planning Leaders recognizes and highlights the achievements of the next generation of family planning leaders worldwide. Launched on World Contraception Day in 2015, 120 Under 40 shines a light on the “positive disruptions” made by young leaders in family planning, enabling others to model their behavior and build on their success. The project is led by the Gates Institute, with support from Bayer.
Over the course of four years, 120 family planning champions, 40 years old or younger, have been chosen by the public and a jury of experts in family planning. The selection of the last cohort of 40 winners in 2019, resulted in an impressive roster of 120 outstanding young leaders being assembled. Since launching, 120 Under 40 has quickly become an integral part of the global family planning landscape. 120 Under 40 winners are recognized as leaders in their communities and countries, and on the global stage. The program has supported the winners individually and has invested in strengthening them as a community and a network, enabling them to use 120 Under 40 as a key that can unlock doors to new opportunities.
As 120 Under 40 has grown and matured, the Gates Institute and Bayer have looked to extend the reach and impact of the program beyond the final selection of leaders. Together, winners from the 2017 cohort developed a proposal for a funding mechanism that would support and expand the visibility of their work further. Beginning in 2019, the 120 Under 40 Ingenuity Fund was launched to fulfill this request and provide funding to 120 Under 40 winners for creative and innovative solutions to family planning and reproductive health. The 120 Under 40 Ingenuity Fund seeks to galvanize the 120 Under 40 winners to think big and bold about family planning challenges. We are delighted to be launching the fourth round of 120 Under 40 Ingenuity Fund. This round of funding will build momentum toward the 2022 International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP), connecting sexual and reproductive health to Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
SCOPE & OBJECTIVES
The overall purpose of the 2022 120 Under 40 Ingenuity Fund is to encourage the winners of 120 Under 40 to think creatively and inventively about ways to advance family planning and reproductive health for women and men, communities, and countries around the world. The fund is designed to reward fresh, inventive thinking that will enable breakthroughs in family planning and reproductive health — the kind of thinking that can cause a “positive disruption” in some aspect of family planning, and in this unique circumstance also alleviate a much-needed gap in family planning and reproductive health. The primary objectives of the 2022 120 Under 40 Ingenuity Fund are the following:
- Award funding to 120 Under 40 winners to implement creative and inventive problem-solving about challenges in reproductive health and family planning, encouraging them to grow as thought leaders and participate even more fully in charting the course of the family planning movement.
- Infuse additional creative energy and ideas into the thinking around the future of family planning.
- Amplify the visibility and reach 120 Under 40 Ingenuity Fund winners’ projects, including spotlighting their work at the 2023 World Contraception Day, 6th International Conference on Family Planning, and through multiple Gates Institute and 120 Under 40 promotional activities and materials, such as website, social media posts, and e-mail newsletters.
APPLICATION & AWARD GUIDELINES
Please review the following eligibility criteria prior to submission. Only submit if you meet the eligibility criteria:
- The applicant(s) is/are a 120 under 40 winner.
- The applicant(s) is/are not a previous Ingenuity Fund winner(s). Previous Ingenuity Fund winners are not eligible to apply for this round of funding. This round of funding will not include any additional money for previous Ingenuity Fund winners.
Please review the following application and award guidelines prior to submission:
- Applicants may apply as individuals or can team up with other 120 Under 40 winners to submit a proposal for a larger amount.
- Applicants may select any family planning and reproductive health topic or challenge to address in their proposal. This round of funding is not limited to any specific issue.
- Awards will be given at several levels up to $10,000. Applicants may request the level of funding they think is appropriate to their proposal, and funds will then be disbursed as the committee deems appropriate.
- The total number of proposals funded will depend on the number of submissions and the amount available in the fund.
- The 2022 Ingenuity Fund winners will be selected according to the Evaluation Criteria.
- Gates Institute will select winners in collaboration with the previous 120 Under 40 Ingenuity Fund and manage the award process.
- Applicants must submit a written proposal (no more than 10 pages) to be considered for the 2022 Ingenuity Fund.
APPLICATION TIMELINE
- June 29, 2022: 120 Under 40 Ingenuity Fund Application opens
- August 8, 2022: 120 Under 40 Ingenuity Fund Application closes at 11:59 PM EST
- September 2022: 120 Under 40 Ingenuity Fund recipients are announced and notified via email