SVRI grants don’t just generate evidence — they drive change. From pilot projects that attract major funding, to research that reshapes national policy, our grant partners are translating locally-led evidence into real-world impact. 

 

“The support of SVRI has not only been technical, but they have also supported us with a community and network, bringing an intersectional and ethical approach that has helped us achieve these transformations.” – Isaac Retana, Psychotherapist for the CORE Model, SVRI Grant Partner 2024, Mexico. 

Why the SVRI Research Grant matters

SVRI grants create catalytic change by:

1. Filling critical evidence gaps that inform field priorities and funding decisions
2. Influencing national policies through locally generated, contextually relevant evidence
3. Opening funding pipelines by demonstrating proof of concept that attracts larger investments
4. Building LMIC research capacity that extends beyond individual grant periods
5. Elevating marginalised voices by documenting experiences often invisible in global research
6. Creating pathways to scale from pilot interventions to rigorously tested solutions

“The SVRI grant is a very flexible grant that has given us the opportunity to generate knowledge, implement a gender transformative approach and adapt it through the process. This has allowed us to generate evidence to influence the future of the project, as well as public policy in Peru.” – Daniel Orrego, Futbol Mas Perú, Peru, 2023

From pilot to scale

Some of the most significant impact from SVRI grants comes not from the research itself, but from what it makes possible next. By establishing proof of concept through rigorous methods — pre-post assessments, quasi-experimental designs, and RCTs — grant partners create the evidence base needed to attract larger investments and scale what works. 

In the past three years alone, four grant partners have secured additional funding on the back of SVRI-supported research. 

Possible Health (Nepal, 2023) piloted a culturally sensitive therapeutic intervention with newly married women, their husbands, and mothers-in-law, showing early promise in reducing domestic violence and depression. The team went on to secure funding for a full randomised controlled trial — moving from a promising pilot to a scalable, evidence-backed solution. 

Strengthening institutions through evidence

Beyond the research itself, SVRI grant partners are driving systemic change — translating findings into concrete policy reforms and improvements in service delivery across health, education, and law enforcement. 

GRADE (Peru, 2019) tested and improved the National Police Home Visits programme for IPV survivors, demonstrating that home visits increased women’s likelihood of seeking justice and police support. The programme has since scaled to additional provinces, and home visit training is now institutionalised for all police personnel. 

Anusandhan Trust (Mumbai, India, 2019) built capacity across 11 public hospitals to replicate their “Dilaasa” model — training health workers to screen, identify, and intervene early with IPV survivors. 

Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública (Mexico, 2022) developed a course and diploma programme for government staff responsible for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse, now embedded in provincial training for child protection workers. 

Emerging evidence: Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV)

As digital spaces become sites of violence, the evidence base must keep pace. SVRI has funded 9 grants on technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) — generating evidence on its forms, impacts, and measurement, with particular attention to marginalised groups of women. 

Muhimbili University (Tanzania, 2025) is developing and validating a measurement tool to assess TFGBV prevalence among students in higher education institutions. 

Meedan (India, 2023) researched gendered disinformation and trained machine learning algorithms to identify and prevent it. Building on this work, Meedan secured additional funding to study how gendered disinformation influences elections in Togo, Pakistan, and Argentina. 

Grant partners in India (2024) and Sri Lanka (2025) are advancing understanding of image-based sexual abuse among diverse women in LMICs — and assessing whether existing laws and programmes adequately respond to their needs. 

Adapting what works to local contexts

Global evidence is only useful if it can be applied locally. SVRI grants support partners to adapt proven intervention models — including Parenting for Lifelong Health, WINGS, and UBL — to the specific cultural, social, and structural contexts of their communities, reaching diverse women, transgender women, women with disabilities, and women living with HIV. 

Social Fund “Center for Scientific and Practical Initiatives” (Kazakhstan, 2023) adapted the WINGS intervention for women who use drugs, sex workers, women living with HIV, and transgender women, with a community advisory board guiding the process. Findings influenced government-run shelters, and the adapted programme was adopted by mainstream crisis centres — with the State Crisis Center expanding services to include HIV-positive women. 

Strengthening LMIC research capacities

Beyond its outward impact, SVRI’s grant-making consistently benefits the individual researchers and organisations involved in each research team. Alongside funding, every grant offers bespoke capacity strengthening and mentorship tailored to each team’s specific needs — whether that means sharpening research methods, deepening ethics practice, or building the confidence to conduct research to the highest possible standard. 

While our partners and their institutions are already strong, this sustained mentorship helps research teams build on their existing strengths and develop new capacities and skills, growing careers beyond the life of the project, mentoring younger staff, strengthening the research capacities of NGOs and other non-research institutions, and fostering collaborations among local and regional actors. 

Partners also grow more capable of advocating for what they need to support their work, making the grant journey as much about people as it is about research. 

“The SVRI has been fantastic for our university and partners. Besides the funds, we had technical assistance on any issues we had to refine such as research ethics and how to make our research better” – Ari Ho-Foster, University of Botswana, SVRI Grant Partner 2023, Botswana

Reaching beyond research

SVRI grant partners don’t stop at publication. They take their findings to global stages, local media, and public conversations — ensuring that LMIC-generated evidence shapes debates far beyond academia. 

On global platforms: AMPF (Morocco) presented research on reproductive violence at the FIGO World Congress, bringing LMIC evidence to an international sexual and reproductive health audience. Stellenbosch University presented at the BRICS 10th Young Scientists Forum in Brazil on TFGBV and digital literacy for women with disabilities in the Global South. 

In local and national media:  

• LAB-CO & ProSociedad (Mexico, 2024) published findings on interventions with male perpetrators of violence in Nexos, one of Mexico’s leading political journals.  
• Stellenbosch University (South Africa, 2024) published articles in national newspapers on the need for safe online spaces for women with disabilities, with lead researcher Babalwa Tyabashe-Phume also featuring on the Disability Dialogues podcast. 
• Researchers from the University of Botswana (Botswana, 2023) appeared in national media to discuss how stigma prevents IPV survivors from seeking help — and what needs to change.
• Yuliana Melkumyan, the lead researcher of Astra Foundation for Health Protection and Prevention of Violence (Armenia, 2024), participated in a podcast show by Hripsime Grigoryan.

 

Request for Proposals
SVRI Data to Evidence Grant 2027: Knowledge for Action to End Violence Against Women and Child Sexual Violence

About SVRI

The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) is a global organisation committed to advancing research on violence against women (VAW) and child sexual violence (CSV), and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Since 2014, SVRI has supported close to USD 11 million in research across LMICs, building a network of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working to address violence driven by gender inequalities. SVRI’s grant-making is guided by its commitment to research that is locally-led, ethically rigorous, and directed toward strengthening policy and practice in the communities where violence is most prevalent.

A New Call: The Data to Evidence Grant

The SVRI’s Data to Evidence Grant 2027 supports researchers based in low- and middle-income countries to analyse data that has already been collected, generating new evidence to answer questions the field has not yet resolved.

A lot of data relevant to violence against women (VAW) and child sexual violence (CSV) already exists, generated through surveys, evaluations and research studies; yet much of it remains unanalysed for what it can reveal. This represents a significant, untapped source of evidence.

Using existing data well is good science and good ethics. It respects the time and trust of the people who took part in the original research, and it generates new evidence without asking communities to give their time and stories again. It also makes better use of the field’s resources, freeing researchers to focus on analysis, interpretation and dissemination rather than new data collection.

The Data to Evidence Grant will fund LMIC-based researchers to conduct secondary data analyses, generating new evidence on questions the field has not yet answered and putting it in the hands of researchers, policymakers and practitioners. SVRI will also provide technical assistance and mentorship, strengthening the skills of researchers in secondary data analysis that then can apply to other datasets in the future.

Applicants may propose analysis of any dataset relevant to VAW and CSV provided the dataset has been ethically sourced and the applicant can demonstrate they have the necessary approval to use it. A number of existing datasets relevant to the field are listed on SVRI’s datasets page. Applicants are encouraged to consult this page, though use of a dataset not listed there is equally welcome, provided it meets the ethical sourcing and approval requirements set out below.

All proposals must:

• Be led by a researcher or research team based in a low- or middle-income country (LMIC) as per World Bank classifications.
• Propose a focused, well-defined research question or questions that can be addressed through secondary analysis of an existing, ethically sourced dataset.
• Confirm that the applicant has the necessary approval and permission to access and use the proposed dataset for this analysis.
• Demonstrate familiarity with secondary data analysis methods, including an understanding of the dataset’s scope, structure, and limitations.
• Clearly articulate the evidence gap the proposed analysis will address, with reference to SVRI’s research agendas where relevant, developed by the field.
• Show how the findings will contribute to policy, practice, or the broader evidence base on VAW and/or CSV in an LMIC context.

We welcome proposals that:

• Are led by, or meaningfully involve, early-career researchers from LMICs.
• Include a clear knowledge output or product and a dissemination plan.
• Demonstrate ethical awareness appropriate to working with sensitive data on violence, including data confidentiality and responsible handling of findings.
• Outline a realistic budget and timeline within the twelve-month grant period.

Eligibility Criteria

• The lead applicant must be based at an LMIC-based university, research institution, or non-governmental organisation. Individuals unaffiliated with an institution, including independent consultants, or affiliated to a for profit company are not eligible to apply.
• The proposed dataset must be ethically sourced, and the applicant must confirm they hold the necessary approval and permission to use it for the proposed analysis.
• The lead applicant must not hold another active SVRI research grant or have previously received an SVRI grant. However, institutions that held a past SVRI grant which is no longer active may apply. Note that preference will be given to organisations that have not yet received an SVRI grant.
• Researchers based in any low- or middle-income country are eligible; there are no further country restrictions.

To help you assess your eligibility to apply, check the FAQ: Data to Evidence Grant.

Grant Value

Individual grants will range between USD 30,000 and USD 50,000. SVRI has a total funding envelope of USD 400,000 for this round, so we expect to make between 8 and 13 grants, depending on the budgets requested.

Grant Period

Grants are for a maximum period of twelve months from the date of the signed grant agreement. Applicants should ensure their proposed timeline reflects realistic milestones for analysis, write-up, and dissemination within this period.

What the Grant May Cover

Grant funds may be used to cover costs directly related to carrying out the proposed analysis, including:

• Researcher time (salary/costs for the lead researcher and any co-investigators).
• Costs associated with data access or data cleaning, where applicable.
• Statistical or analytical software, where not already available at the applicant’s institution. Applicants are encouraged to use open-source software (such as R or Python) where feasible; where the analysis requires licensed software, budgets should cover a single-user licence for the grant period only, up to USD 1,000, with a brief justification.
• Research assistance or support staff directly engaged in the analysis.
• Dissemination costs, including preparation of policy briefs, presentation at relevant forums, or translation.
• Reasonable institutional overhead, not to exceed 15% of the total budget.

Ineligible costs include: primary data collection; travel or conference costs not linked to the dissemination of this grant’s findings; equipment purchases that are not essential to the proposed analysis; and institutional overhead above the 15% cap.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted through our online application system via Proposal Central.
If you are a first-time user of Proposal Central, you must first register before you can proceed with your application.

Languages accepted: English, French, and Spanish
Contact for queries: svri@svri.org

Applications Dates

Applications open: 17 July 2026, 11:59 pm (South African time)
Applications close: 17 September 2026, 11:59 pm (South African time)

We strongly encourage early submissions. Late applications or those not submitted through the online portal will not be considered. SVRI and Proposal Central will not be held responsible for delays in internet connectivity or problems experienced with the online form.

Review and Selection Process

All applications will first be assessed for eligibility and completeness. Eligible applications will then be reviewed by an independent panel of experts, and shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online discussion with the panel. SVRI may contact applicants for clarification at any stage; however, to reduce any risk of conflict of interest, we do not engage with applicants on an individual basis while a call is open, and we are unable to respond to individual queries by email. Questions about the call are answered through the FAQs. We are unable to provide individual feedback on applications before, during or after the review process. All applicants will be notified of the outcome.