Announcing: "The British council Gender and Development
Small Projects Fund" / For more information, please see:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/education/helinks/gender.htm
or contact Collette Dean at:
[email protected]

The removal of gender discrimination and the promotion of gender equity
remain central elements within the Higher Education Link scheme. The Gender
and Development (GAD) small projects fund supports projects that specifically
target gender issues. These projects focus on gender and development and are
intended to either add a gender dimension to an existing Higher Education
Link or to stimulate interest in a gender area in a particular country to
form the basis for future HE links activity. These GAD projects can also be
used to supplement existing main link activities, for example the wider
dissemination of outputs that illustrate a gender dimension of a project.

Eligibility
Those seeking funds are encouraged to be innovative and original but also to
have definite outputs that reflect DFID objectives of sustainable
development, poverty alleviation and the promotion of gender equity. The GAD
small projects fund is open to any institution or organization that would be
eligible to apply for a HE link and it is essential that there are at least
two partners involved in any project, one in the UK and one overseas.
Examples of previous GAD projects include:
Women in Communications - the use of media and radio in Chile
Formation of self-help groups among slum dwelling older women in India
A partnership in rural women's development - HIV/AIDS awareness in South
Africa
Yemeni voices - a book on key development issues for Yemeni women

Funding
DFID releases approximately £100,000 of the main FICHE funding each year to
fund these GAD small projects. There is no limit on how much can be allocated
to an individual project but as there is only a small amount of funding
available it is unusual for any one project to be allocated more than £10,000.

Management and Administration
The overall management of the GAD small projects fund is the responsibility
of the HE links section at the British Council, Manchester. The Gender and
Development Taskforce, which comprises of a broad range of gender specialists
from UK Higher Education institutions and the British Council, on behalf of
the HE Links Steering Committee monitors the use of this fund. The Taskforce
approves and makes decision on how much money can be allocated to each of the
GAD project applications. All project activity is the responsibility of the
project partners and should be arranged in collaboration with the appropriate
British Council office overseas.

Applying to the GAD small projects fund
Application forms and guidance notes are available from any of the overseas
British Council offices participating in the main HE Links programme or by
contacting the HE links team in Manchester. Applications should be submitted
via the relevant overseas office to Manchester in mid February of each year
for funding to be released at the beginning of the financial year in April.