The Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Initiative invites proposals from researchers to expand on planned or ongoing randomized trials for the fifth round of the IPV research fund. The purpose of this request for proposals is to leverage existing research studies to advance our understanding of the underlying factors contributing to intimate partner violence and provide insights into what policies and programs can reduce IPV. Please read our application guidelines for more information about this request for proposals and the required submission materials.

Globally, violence against women is a leading cause of premature death and morbidity for women. Almost one-third of women report experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) at some point in their life, and nearly 40 percent of all homicides of women are committed by an intimate partner. Given the pervasive and complex nature of the problem, a wide range of social, economic, and psychological factors can drive changes in violence among intimate partners. Many of the factors that may shift IPV can be influenced by a range of development programs, government programs, or societal changes. However, what policies and program components that can reduce IPV, and why these changes may occur, is not well understood.

The IPA IPV Research Initiative seeks to inform global development policy and practice through expanding and improving the scientific evidence on pathways to mitigate IPV. By building on existing studies, the IPV Research Initiative aims to generate insights on the types of development programs that shift IPV outcomes and what factors drive these changes. Thematically, there is particular interest in studying increased women’s economic productivity and labor market engagement; “plus” components of livelihoods programs; socio-emotional and relationship skills development; family planning; adolescent mentorship and soft skills training programs; and programs that engage men in a way which could possibly reduce perpetration. However, we are open to consider a broader range of interventions so long as the research studies are ethically designed and there is a plausible theoretical basis for why we would expect to see changes in IPV based on the intervention. Examples of projects that received funding in previous rounds can be found here.

With this call for proposals, IPA solicits proposals from research teams interested in expanding their existing studies to further investigate this important topic. In most cases, we expect to fund studies in which the intervention was not originally intended to target IPV, and the measurement of IPV outcomes were not part of the original study design. However, we will consider funding for the expansion of studies already focused on IPV where there is a unique opportunity to add novel insights. Examples of projects that received funding in previous rounds can be found here. 

Proposals are due by 11:59 pm EST November 17th, 2023. We particularly encourage multidisciplinary teams that include researchers that are from the countries where the field research occurs and includes researchers with expertise in gender or GBV research. Those interested in applying are asked to first read through our funding priorities below.

In this round, the IPV Initiative will consider proposals that fulfill one or more of the following criteria:

● Add IPV-focused survey modules to existing studies. These are smaller grants that would fund the cost of adding IPV-focused survey modules to upcoming data collection rounds for existing studies. They are intended for research studies that are not already focused on IPV reduction but are likely to have notable impacts on IPV and related outcomes. In addition to our general thematic focus, we encourage researchers to build in questions on online GBV where relevant. Each award is estimated to be between $35,000 and $50,000.

● New survey rounds focused on the long-term impacts to IPV or surveys of additional respondents. These are moderately-sized grants to fund additional survey/data collection rounds focused on IPV. The types of proposals could include but are certainly not limited to: (1) a long-term follow-up survey of a concluded study, (2) supplemental household or spouse surveys with respondents that are not part of the original data collection plan, and (3) cases where it is important to separate any IPV data collection from the primary study’s data collection for safety reasons. Each award in this category is estimated to be between $50,000 and $150,000 each.

● Add an IPV targeted treatment arm to an existing study. These are large grants that will support expanding a study by adding a treatment arm focused on reducing IPV to a randomized evaluation. In cases where there is a truly innovative or extraordinary research opportunity, applicants can request funding for the costs of expanding the study sample and survey as well as the IPV focused intervention. In exceptional cases we will fund proposals to add a treatment arm to a study. Each award in this category is estimated to be up to $250,000 for a truly innovative or extraordinary study.

● Improve IPV measurement and methods. These grants will support projects to develop and test IPV measurement tools and methods. These grants are intended to provide insights that could improve how IPV research is conducted. For example, projects under this category could include studies that test ways to reduce under-reporting of IPV, reduce surveyor bias, or reduce respondent distress in field research (see Park et.al as an example). In addition, we welcome proposals for field work that allows for important analytic analysis (see Chatterji et.al) or novel ways of using qualitative methods to improve quantitative measurement of IPV (see Jayachandran et.al as an example). We anticipate funding 1 to 4 of these measurement-focused studies. Each award is expected to be between USD $15,000 to $50,000, though higher amounts will be considered in exceptional circumstances.

Eligibility Criteria

The IPV initiative will only accept proposals from studies of high statistical power that present a rigorous study design for expanding a randomized evaluation to include a focus on IPV and a clear set of hypotheses of why this is important. In very rare circumstances we will consider quasi-experimental designs where the study provides an exceptionally unique opportunity to generate insights on IPV that is unlikely to be studied through a randomized design. We will not provide pilot or start-up funds for researchers interested in doing early-stage research. Studies should have already received an award notification from a primary funder before applying. In very rare cases the IPV Initiative will consider being the standalone researcher funder for an RCT that only has a follow-up survey round of a relevant intervention.

All awardees are expected to coordinate with the IPV initiative on the selection of survey modules and reporting of IPV-related results. Awardees will be mandated to use all or a portion of the World Health Organization’s Violence Against Women survey module, unless there is a reason the module is unsuitable to the research. Studies must also be willing to accommodate all best practices for ethical research of IPV (see here). Submissions proposing to conduct field-based data collection should specify the research implementing partner organization that will assist the research team with the management and implementation of the randomized evaluation. The research organization must demonstrate experience implementing randomized evaluations and have a presence in the country.

Lead researchers must be affiliated with a research institution or a university and hold a PhD or be currently pursuing a PhD in a relevant social science discipline. Collectively, the team must demonstrate experience in field research and randomized evaluations and published works. IPA encourages proposals from diverse research teams. We welcome applications from researchers from multiple disciplines and historically underrepresented groups and we strongly encourage research teams to include researchers from the countries where the project will take place, with clearly defined contributions from all members of the research team. To learn more about IPA’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, please see our website.

If researchers are not working with IPA to carry out the study, an award will be issued from IPA to the research implementing institution. Research institutions must be able to accept the subaward funding and have policies and procedures in place that demonstrate an ability to comply with subaward terms and conditions and be willing to undergo a due diligence process prior to being awarded funding.

Although all research products must be submitted in English, the IPV Initiative has limited capacity to offer translations of the application documents to help you understand the requirements. If you are interested in translated application materials (Spanish, French, or Swahili), please contact ipvinitiative@poverty-action.org. We will try to accommodate you as much as we can.

You can find more detailed information on eligibility in the guidelines.

How to Apply:

Applicants should submit their completed application and all supporting material using the link by 11:59 pm EST November 17th, 2023.

IPA will hold two virtual information sharing sessions to give applicants the opportunity to learn more about the RFP and ask questions: on Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 9:00am PDT, and Friday, October 20, 2023 at 2:00pm EAT. If you would like to receive the link to join one of these sessions, please email us at ipvinitiative@poverty-action.org.