CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERS OF ISDAO’S ACTIVIST GRANTMAKING PANEL

Would you want to become a key player in the cause of our movement? Are you an activist in West Africa who has an excellent background of collaboration on LGBTQ rights? Are you engaged and invested in the struggles of LGBTQ people1 in West Africa and the movements of sexual and gender minorities as well as in issues of human rights, diversity and equality? Do you command credibility, integrity and trustworthiness among your peers? Would you like to participate in decision-making about the allocation of resources to our movements?

This is an opportunity for you to join ISDAO’s Activist Grantmaking Panel.

ISDAO is an activist-led fund dedicated to building a West African movement for LGBTQ sexual and gender minorities through a flexible approach to grantmaking, capacity support and the strengthening of a culture of philanthropy committed to promoting human rights and social justice. Currently and for this call, ISDAO focuses on the nine West African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. In future ISDAO will be expanding her reach in the region.

In the context of grantmaking, ISDAO calls for applications for the recruitment of skilled activists to form her Activist Grantmaking Panel. The application form can be downloaded at http://www.isdao.org/news/.

I. MISSION AND RESPONSIBILITIESUnder the responsibility and direct supervision of the Interim Governing Body (IGB), members of the Activist Grantmaking Panel will review proposals in accordance with the Vision, Values and Mission of ISDAO.

1 The acronym “LGBTQ people” used here stand for “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer people.” We use this acronym (as well as the identities represented) with a strong sense of awareness that they are not exhaustive of the people and communities we represent. We also use the acronym to describe the collection of the people and the communities we represent as a whole, but without disregarding the self-determinism of queer and gender non-conforming people. The etymology of “Lesbian”, “Gay”, “Bisexual”, “Transgender” or “Queer” are not indigenous to West African societies, hence whilst we use and adopt them here, we recognize that these terminologies and/or descriptions may not adequately define or fully describe queer and gender non-binary people in West Africa and beyond. We also recognize that especially as communities organize and as there are expanded spaces for self-determination, there may be identities that fit within the spectrum of diversity that are not yet named or defined within the LGBTQ acronym. We commit to remaining attentive and attuned to the diversity of ways in which queer and gender diverse people in West Africa identify.

The Activist Grantmaking Panel will have powers to review, to ensure the fairness and transparency of the process of selecting proposals submitted by organisations or groups. The Activist Grantmaking Panel will make determination on the performance of a proposal based on the criteria set out in the call documents but also provide an analysis of the context and knowledge on the LGBTQI movements in the different priority countries. The panel's decision as a result of the selection of proposals based on the scoring grid of each panel member will be made by consensus.

No member of the panel alone can make a decision with respect to awarding a grant, or unilaterally influence funding decisions. It is a joint decision-making process conducted by all the members of the panel.

The primary mandate of the members of the panel will be to:

● Participate actively in the review and scoring of the proposals, including but not limited to participating in in-person or virtual meetings to discuss and make decisions about funding by ISDAO;

● Share knowledge and skills with other panel members and ISDAO staff in order to ensure effective decision-making on proposals;

● Devote their time to the proposal review process and provide assistance and special technical advice on a voluntary basis;

● Commit to and comply with the provisions of the conflict of interest and confidentiality agreement required, with respect to the activities of the panel.

More generally, they are essential resource persons in the context of strategic thinking and implementation of ISDAO’s activities.

II. EXPERIENCE AND SKILLSA member of the panel should:

a. Have a great background of collaboration working with LGBTQI people or on the rights of sexual and gender minorities;

b. Exposure to diverse fields and contexts of activism; c. Have a knowledge and/or relevant experience in West Africa; d. Demonstrate a strong commitment to human rights, diversity and equality;

e. Be easily accessible by email or by telephone; f. Currently be an activist, based on the ground within the West African region; g. Have a good understanding of LGBTQI issues in West Africa;

h. Have private access to a computer and to the internet, and ability the to work in MS Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, and to use email systems;

i. Demonstrable experience of implementation of community and social programs with LGBTQI people;

j. Have fluency and good communication and writing skills in at least one of the languages used by ISDAO (English and French).

k. Ability to work in a team and in a multicultural settingl. Ability to work virtually and face-to-facem. Flexibility and ability to adapt to changen. Integrity, transparency, tolerance and discretion

III. TERM OF OFFICEDuring their term of office, and for each cycle, each panel member will be required to:

● Participate in a physical in-person orientation clarifying their roles and responsibilities, contractual obligations, and elaborating the review process. This will take 4 to 7 days including travel days;

● Review the grant applications (remotely) over the course of a month;

● Participate in a physical in-person review meeting which will constitute the final evaluation and selection of the successful applicants by the committee as a collective. This process will take 4-7 days including travel days.

Members of the panel will receive an email with the subject heading “RESERVE THE DATE,” which will indicate the type of engagement, the precise dates and the duration of the specific engagement.

In accordance with ISDAO values on strengthening of leadership in West Africa, a renewal of the panel members is organised in such a manner as to guarantee continuity and the entry of new members at the same time. Members of the panel shall join for a minimum of 2 cycles and a maximum of 3, and shall be replaced according to the needs and practicality of finding and selecting the replacements in such a manner as to ensure that the panel maintains the representative nature and diversity of the communities with which ISDAO works. Members of the panel who will have left will not be eligible to apply for

subsequent calls. This is to ensure that the opportunity is given to different activists to be part of the panel.

IV. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONSThe deadline for receiving applications is 20th September, 2018 11:59pm GMT.

The following documents must be attached to your application:

a. Your completed application form (available for download at http://www.isdao.org/news/);

b. Your curriculum vitae;

Applications should be addressed to the Interim Governing Body of ISDAO and sent to the following email address: proposals@isdao.org with a subject line “Application to ISDAO’s Activist Grantmaking Panel”.