Background:
Founded in 2011, Kaleidoscope Trust works to uphold the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) people in countries around the world where they are discriminated against or marginalised due to their sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression. We work with British and international institutions and partners to support the work of LGBT+ activists to bring about positive legislative, policy, and social change for LGBT+ people everywhere. We do this principally through our research- and evidence-based advocacy and our high-impact programmes.
Kaleidoscope Trust is a founding member and host to the Secretariat of The Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN), the first civil society network to sustainably advocate on behalf of LGBT+ people in the Commonwealth. Since its foundation in 2013, TCEN has actively participated in Commonwealth spaces to raise the profile and mainstream the discussion of LGBT+ people and their rights and concerns, and to engage with national-level decision-makers and policymakers on these topics. A significant result of this work was our contribution to influencing former Prime Minister Theresa May to express her deep regret for the legacy of discrimination and violence that colonial-era legislation continues to inflict on people across the Commonwealth, at the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
TCEN currently comprises 66 member organisations representing 47 Commonwealth countries drawn from all regions. It was accredited to the Commonwealth in 2017, the first LGBT+ focused group to ever receive this status which recognises commitment to the values and principles of the
Commonwealth as laid out in its Charter. The networkâs trajectory has been one of increasing profile, effectiveness and influence â an energy which we intend to sustain by supporting TCEN members with facing challenges they are currently working to address, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scope of Work:
Kaleidoscope Trust is seeking several consultants/consultancy teams to conduct a series of short-term, focused Capacity Development Interventions for TCEN member organisations in thematic areas identified through a Learning and Development Needs Assessment (LDNA), recently undertaken by the TCEN Secretariat to inform the networkâs long-term capacity building strategy.
This series of short-term interventions is intended to lay the foundations of such a strategy by piloting and testing a diverse range of capacity building formats and initiatives that the Secretariat and the network could take forward in the foreseeable future. By inviting a multidisciplinary cohort of consultants/teams of consultants, we expect to be able to address a range of learning and development needs identified by TCEN members themselves in innovative, learner-centered, âout-of-the-boxâways but also we intend to utilise the resulting interventions to expand the Secretariatâs repository of capacity development resources at the disposal of existing and prospective TCEN members.
At this time, we are inviting proposals for capacity development interventions in any of the following areas. Some sub-themes are already suggested as reference within each of the areas :
- Governance and organisational health and development, including strategic planning, organisational leadership and management, staff burnout prevention and retention improvement;
- Financial management, fundraising and economic empowerment, including identifying funding opportunities and diversifying funding streams, proposal writing, budgeting, economic empowerment and income generating activities;
- Monitoring and evaluation, including developing frameworks and plans for organisational and/or project-specific needs, community-led monitoring and evaluation, impact evaluation and report writing;
- Advocacy, including short-term/long-term strategy design, contextual analysis, stakeholder analysis and engagement, effective communication and information sharing (including the use of social media), paralegal case management, strategic litigation;
- Effective outreach to LGBT+ groups and communities most affected by intersectional discrimination, with a particular focus on geographically isolated people especially in rural areas, people living with disabilities, intersex people, ethnically delineated communities, migrants and refugees, and older people;
- Research, including on how evidence-building improves legitimacy and effectiveness of civil society work, community-led research; research methodologies and methods, including for collecting, aggregating and analysing quantitative and qualitative data, dissemination strategies;
- Information technology, including technical training on the use of key IT products including automated online tools, such as advanced Zoom training on organising workshops and webinars and use of the google drive to share documents; simple website designing, online safety and security tools and measures
The consultants/consultancy teams are welcome to submit proposals for interventions under any one or more of the areas provided above – with a limit of three (03) proposals per consultant/ consultancy team -, given they can prove they have sufficient knowledge and experience providing training or other capacity building interventions on the specific topic. If the proposed intervention format is a training, we expect such interventions to be delivered in a maximum of 10 hours, distributed in one or more days, with a preference for online and interactive formats.
The assignment is an exciting opportunity for professionals and groups of professionals who can demonstrate knowledge and experience working in civil society empowerment, organisational development and capacity strengthening. Kaleidoscope Trust expects to be able to contract several consultants/consultancy teams for the development and delivery of the interventions between now and the end of March 2022, contingent on the quality and variety of thematic proposals received. Proposals received and shortlisted but not awarded under this Expression of Interest may be kept on file for future capacity development consultancy opportunities.
The consultancies will be carried out as part of an Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)-funded programme aimed at supporting LGBT+ civil society organisations in Commonwealth countries.
Methodology:
The development and execution of the proposed capacity development interventions (i.e., training, educational videos, guides, templates) should be participatory and consultative and based on methods agreed with Kaleidoscope Trust and TCENâs Management Committee. While training is the preferred method of capacity development intervention under this project, alternative and more innovative methods of capacity development and information sharing are very welcome and encouraged.
If the proposed intervention is a training, it should be conducted virtually and may require multiple sessions as TCEN members are located across the globe in different time zones. The training methodology should recognise the different capacities of the participants to engage online due to their geographical location, lack of high-speed internet access and/or accessibility conditions.
Regardless of the proposed intervention format, the consultants /consultancy teams should make all finalised materials, products, training evaluation/outcome reports, and information shared during the trainings (i.e., presentations, links, handouts) available to Kaleidoscope Trust before the consultancy period has come to an end.
Deliverables:
Under the supervision of Kaleidoscope Trustâs Programmes Team and, where necessary, in close collaboration with the TCEN Management Committee, and depending on the proposed capacity development intervention, the selected consultants /consultancy teams will be expected to deliver the following deliverables:
- Design concept notes, methodologies, and/or other relevant materials to support the execution of the proposed capacity development intervention(s) on the topic(s) identified within the scope of this consultancy;
- Conduct the proposed capacity development intervention(s) based on the designed concepts, methodologies, and other relevant materials;
- If the proposed intervention is training, submit the training evaluation/outcome report capturing key discussion points, challenges and successes, evaluation of improved knowledge of the topic by participants, and any other relevant observations and participants’ feedback;
- Submit finalised educational product(s)/material(s), developed as part of the proposed capacity strengthening intervention.
Qualifications and Experience:
The consultant/consultancy team should demonstrate experience in:
- developing capacity developing interventions/programmes for civil society organisations working on human rights and/or social justice, including on topic(s) identified within the scope of this consultancy;
- conducting capacity development interventions/programmes for civil society organisations working on human rights and/or social justice, including on topic(s) identified within the scope of this consultancy;
- delivering high-quality products from start to finish;
- managing deliverables to strict timelines;
- working on international development, human rights (especially LGBT+ rights and women and girlsâ rights) and social justice in the Global South and Global East.
This position is open to suitable candidates, regardless of their current location. Due to the current COVID-19 related situation, it is expected that this consultancy will be based remotely (home-based).
The successful consultant(s)/consultancy team(s) will be expected to attend online meetings with Kaleidoscope Trust in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) during standard time and British Summer Time (BST) during Daylight Saving Time (DST) and/or respective focus country time zones.
Timeline:
An agreed timeline for deliverables and a work plan will be discussed with the selected consultant/consultancy team. However, Kaleidoscope Trust expects this assignment to be completed in full by 11:59pm GMT on 30th March 2022. The number of days required to complete the deliverables will be based on the agreed work plan.
| Activity | Expected timeline |
| Application submission | before 7 February 2022 |
| Selection result and kick-off meeting | before 9 February 2022 |
| Submission of the finalised work plan and drafting the intervention concept, methodology, and/or other relevant materials | before 14 February 2022 |
| Submission of the finalised intervention concept, methodology, and/or other relevant materials | before 18 February 2022 |
| Rolling out the trainings and the development of educational product(s)/material(s) | February – March 2022 |
| Submission of the finalised educational products, training reports, and/or other relevant materials | before 30 March 2022 |
Budget:
Kaleidoscope Trust is open to consider budget offers that donât exceed ÂŁ2,800 as total per intervention. Depending on the quality and variety of thematic proposals, Kaleidoscope Trust may suggest increasing budgets for some of the proposed interventions.
How to Apply
Kaleidoscope Trust is committed to equality and diversity and we particularly encourage applications from women, all sections of the LGBT+ community, and all minorities. To apply, please submit your CV and written proposal explaining:
- your interest in consulting with Kaleidoscope Trust;
- how your relevant skills and experience meet the qualifications, experience, and the scope for this consultancy;
- how you expect to conduct this work, including a proposed timeline for the work and budget.
Please email the above documents to katsiaryna.borsuk@kaleidoscopetrust.com, titling your communication: âTCEN Capacity Development Training in (topic(s)) â.
Closing date: 11:59 pm GMT 7th February 2022
This project was funded with UK aid from the UK government
