Towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Recovery: A Call from the Global South

Towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Recovery: A Call from the Global South

Request for Letters of Intent

April 2021

Background & Context

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis as well as an economic and social one. It has brought into sharp focus the structural failings of the global economy, particularly on those in the Global South living in precarity and suffering the worst impacts of the climate crisis. The long-term implications of the pandemic, coupled with existing structural failures in global finance, debt, and climate, will be profound for the hundreds of millions living in the Global South. There is a real risk of, not only an acceleration towards the next global recession, but also of significant reversals on the incremental gains made over the past several years to meaningfully reduce poverty, encourage deeper climate financing, advance human rights, and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In order for the recovery to be inclusive, environmentally sustainable and legitimate for the Global South, ongoing policy discussions must challenge mainstream approaches to economic recovery, address persistent inequalities around the world, and ensure the realisation of all human, individual and collective rights without discrimination. Therefore, policies for economic recovery should prioritise the various transversal macroeconomic issues affecting the Global South, such as the high risk of debt distress and unsustainable debt levels of lower income and middle-income countries, unproductive and regressive tax regimes, preferential trade agreements, cuts in vital social services and social transfers, and dependence on extractive industries. Equally, responses will need to contest the underlying principles that underpin mainstream economic development models that are harmful to workers, women, youth, and

Within this context, the Ford Foundation has identified a window of opportunity to ensure that prevailing global and regional policy discussions, on short and medium-term recovery from the crisis, advance alternative and credible policy proposals that are more socially just, centre the priorities and interests of the Global South, and maximise prospects of reducing structural inequalities.

Objectives

It is the intention of the Ford Foundation, in partnership with the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS), to solicit proposals for grants aimed at advancing efforts towards just, green and sustainable economies in the Global South. In particular, the objectives of this initiative are to:

1. Promote alternative visions for structuring of the global economic system in a way that is inclusive, improves livelihoods, and centres the role of women, indigenous peoples and local communities¹ in the post-COVID-19 social and economic recovery;
2. Advance viable policy solutions for addressing the multiple social and economic challenges currently facing developing countries, indigenous peoples and local communities in the Global South;
3. Create opportunities for civil society organisations, social movements and researchers (global, regional, national and local) to build collective power, collaborate across sectors and regions, and develop pathways towards a more equitable and sustainable post-COVID-19 economy; and
4. Support advocacy and interventions by civil society organisations, social movements and researchers aimed at reducing harmful tax practices, promoting sovereign debt transparency, and/or developing macroeconomic and sectoral policies and frameworks for the implementation of a just, green transition,and a sustainable recovery for all.

^United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues “Who are indigenous peoples?” https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/5session_factsheet1.pdf

This Request for Letters of Intent is open to all networks, partnerships and organisations in the Global South seeking financial support to develop or advance their vision for an inclusive and sustainable post-COVID-19 economy and economic recovery. As part of the first open call for proposals, organisations are required to prepare a letter of intent of no more than 1,000 words, outlining the alternative economic vision they wish to develop or advance, and the particular policy space(s) they wish to influence with the proposed vision. Between 20 and 25 organisations will be shortlisted and invited to submit a full proposal. The shortlisting process will be entirely at the discretion of the Ford Foundation, in consultation with the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies and members of the Advisory Committee. A maximum of 6 (six) organisations will be selected to be awarded grants as part of this process. In the case of applications by networks or partnerships, grants will be awarded to fiscal sponsors, or a representative organisation on behalf of the group.

Selection Criteria

The Ford Foundation seeks to support networks, organisations or partnerships that:

• Are based, or deeply rooted, in the Global South;

• Are able to articulate a clear vision for an inclusive and sustainable post-COVID-19 social and economic recovery; and demonstrate the ability to translate that vision into concrete policy proposals;

• Can identify promising strategies to bring such policies and visions to key global, regional, national or local spaces or processes;

• Are intersectional and address multiple issues facing communities in the Global South, while committed to working across movements and/or regions.

New or existing networks, partnerships and individual organisations are eligible to apply. In the case of an application by an individual organisation, it is important to outline how your organisation will work with new or existing networks and partnerships to advance the initiative. Your letter of intent must outline how this will beaccomplished.

Letters of intent should address the following keyquestions:

• What alternative vision does your organization, network or partnership propose for achieving an inclusive and sustainable post-COVID-19 economy?

• What do you propose to do to advance that vision and how do you propose to coordinate with other organizations in the Global South?

• What is your organization’s capacity to amplify the voices of traditionally marginalized groups in the Global South?

• What are the international decision-making spaces and processes that you aim to influence, and what are the challenges and opportunities during the proposed time period?

• What prior experiences has your organisation and/or network had that can be of use to this particular project?

Letters of intent should provide key information about your organisation, network or partnership, including who you are, what you do, and how you work.

Grant Awards

The timeframe for grant implementation is 18 to 24 months from the date of the award. Grant amounts are expected to be between US$250,000 to US$500,000. Applicants should specify if their proposed initiative is partly funded, and outline any possibilities for leveraged funding.

To Submit a Letter of Intent

All letters of intent must be submitted to Pauline Dhlamini (Southern Centre for Inequality Studies Research Coordinator) at pauline.dhlamini@wits.ac.za by 2 May 2021 at 24:00 UTC. The subject line of the email should include “Ford Inclusive Recovery Letter of Intent”. Once letters of intent have been shortlisted, invited candidates must submit full proposals to the above address by the date specified in the invitation. Details of the proposal format and supporting documents will be shared with the shortlisted organisations.

This Ford initiative is managed by a cross-programmatic team of grant-making staff from across the Ford Foundation. The purpose of these types of initiatives is to amplify the foundation’s impact by funding areas of intersection between approved strategies that advance outcomes or approaches that will benefit more than one strategy or region, have the potential to be real force-multipliers, and cannot be adequately funded by any one program/office. This particular initiative is a one-time funding initiative in response to the challenges and opportunities resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants allocated through this process may not be renewed once this initiative has been concluded. The Southern Centre for Inequality Studies provides secretarial and research support. Prospective grantees may contact David Francis, Deputy Director at SCIS on david.francis@wits.ac.za for any further questions regarding this initiative.