2023 Safe Online Global Open Call for Proposals

This Application Form is part of the full Invitation Pack that serves to collect all available information required for the full proposal to be considered for funding by Safe Online under the Global Open Call encompassing the following three investment pillars:

- Investment Pillar A: Networks and Systems

- Investment Pillar B: Research and Data

- Investment Pillar C: Technology tools

Please refer to the Guidelines, Technical Notes, Scoring Criteria and Annexes set in the Call for Proposals documents of this Open Call when developing your Proposal and completing this Application Form.

Any links you provide will be regarded as supporting documents and may not be studied in detail. Safe Online may review external links and record the content of those links with day and hour stamp upon submission. It also reserves the right not to consider any changes made to the content of these links after the submission date of the full proposal.

Submitting this application in no way guarantees award of a grant. Submissions will be reviewed by technical experts at Safe Online as well as external experts, as applicable.

All submissions must be made in English. Interested entities that meet the eligibility criteria are required to complete and submit the Application Form and provide the information and supporting documents indicated in the form.

Proposal applications must be submitted through this online form available in Safe Online webpage, where you will also find all the relevant information and annexes to apply for this Call.

Proposals will be reviewed after the close of the call. The last day for submissions of applications is 31 October 2023 at 11:59 PM EST.

Only shortlisted will be requested to provide additional clarification, as applicable. The Safe Online team may come back to applicants with feedback and/or requests to reshape or rescope their proposal if needed.

If you have any questions about the Request for Proposals, please submit questions through the FAQ Form available at the Safe Online webpage. Answers to all questions submitted will be shared publicly.

Checklist:

- Completed Application Form (via Jotform online)
- Annex 2- Results Framework and Project Milestones and Implementation Plan (as per Safe Online template
- Annex 3- Budget and Financial Reporting Template (as per Safe Online template)
- Annex 4.a- List of similar projects (as per your own template) (Applicable only for the Investment Pillar A: Networks and Systems)
- Annex 4.b.1- Evidence of research / methodological experience (as per your own template or directly as links/uploads in the Application form) (Applicable only for the Investment Pillar B: Research and Data pillar)
- Annex 4.b.2- Compliance (as per your own template or directly as text/links/uploads in the Application form) (Applicable only for the Investment Pillar B: Research and Data pillar)
- Annex 4.c- Product Requirement (as per Safe Online template) (Applicable only for the Investment Pillar C: Technology Tools pillar)
- Annex 5- Sub-contracting form (as per Safe Online template) (Not applicable to UNICEF applicants)
- CVs of the team (as per your own template)
- Safeguarding policy (if the applicant has one) (as per your own template)
- Audited financial reports or micro-assessment (as per your own template)

All items on this checklist are to be included/uploaded to this online application form.

Is your organisation legally registered within the country or countries of implementation?*

YesNo

If Yes, in which country?

If no, please provide the countries for which you have a Letter of Support from a local Government or organisation

Is your organisation able to provide audited financial statements for the last two years, or a micro-assessment issued by a relevant donor in the last three years?*

YesNo

Does you proposal align with at least one of the main objectives, modalities and areas of investments set in this Call?*

YesNo

Does your organisation have a safeguarding policy (or similar) or is willing to develop one within the first six months of implementation of your project?*

YesNo

Name (Primary contact)

First NameLast Name

Title

Email

example@example.com

Phone Number

Area CodePhone Number

Name (alternative contact)

Title

Email

example@example.com

Phone Number

Area CodePhone Number

How did you hear about Safe Online?

Name of organisation

Organisation address

Organisation webpage and social media account

Type of organisation

NGO/civil society organisationInternational organisation/United Nations agency or fundAcademia /research institute/think tank/foundationPrivate companyOther

Do you have a parent organisation? If yes, please provide its name and complete address

Organisation area of work (Max 100 words)

Organisation’s annual budget and number of employees (staff, contractors, consultants)

List the key partners for the implementation of this project and confirm the status of the partnership via written commitment such as signed MoU or Letter of Support. In the case of verbal commitment only, a support letter for the project from your listed partners is highly encouraged.

Name of organisation, Type or organisation, Area of work, Contact person, Purpose of partnership, Status of partnership (e.g. actual or potential). ADD MORE PARTNERS AS APPLICABLE

Do you have a Safeguarding policy (or similar) in place?

YesNo

In case you don’t have a Safeguarding policy (or similar) in place, are you willing to develop one in the first six months after award?

YesNo

Project title

Total request from Safe Online in USD

Total project amount in USD

Total duration in months

Target country/countries

Identify which of the Investment Pillar your proposal falls under (please select only one investment pillar per application)

Networks and SystemsResearch and DataTechnology Tools

APPLICABLE ONLY FOR INVESTMENT PILLAR A “NETWORKS AND SYSTEMS”

Identify which of the main objectives of Investment Pillar A ''Networks and Systems'' your proposal seeks to address (you can select more than one)

Objective 1: Strengthen national, regional and global infrastructure to effectively tackle digital harms to children with a survivor-centered, inclusive and gender sensitive approach (including boys) through coordinated law enforcement, criminal justice and social care capacity as a necessary precursor to awareness raising and survivor support.Objective 2: Prevent victimisation and strengthen survivors' support via improving early intervention and assisting in recovery through increased child-participation, coordinated and consistent services, and trauma-informed, well-trained personnel across institutions working on preventative and response services.Objective 3: Engage families and caregivers who have a critical role in preventing the sexual abuse of children, responding to harmful or otherwise unwanted experiences online and offline and supporting children and young people after experiences of victimisation

If you have selected more than one objective, please identify the main objective under your proposal (you can only select one)

Objective 1: Strengthen national, regional and global infrastructure to effectively tackle digital harms to children with a survivor-centered, inclusive and gender sensitive approach (including boys) through coordinated law enforcement, criminal justice and social care capacity as a necessary precursor to awareness raising and survivor support.Objective 2: Prevent victimisation and strengthen survivors' support via improving early intervention and assisting in recovery through increased child-participation, coordinated and consistent services, and trauma-informed, well-trained personnel across institutions working on preventative and response services.Objective 3: Engage families and caregivers who have a critical role in preventing the sexual abuse of children, responding to harmful or otherwise unwanted experiences online and offline and supporting children and young people after experiences of victimization.

APPLICABLE ONLY FOR INVESTMENT PILLAR B “RESEARCH AND DATA”

Identify which of the areas of intervention of Investment Pillar B ''Research and Data'' your proposal seeks to address (you can select more than one)

Prevention and deterrence: To prevent harm to children we must identify ways to promote safety in digital environments and put in place deterrence measures that identify and disrupt risky situations before harm happens. Innovative education interventions beyond PSAs and research efforts more broadly are critical pieces of prevention work.Detection and reporting: Advancements in technology must both be leveraged to quickly and accurately identify and act on digital harm such as online CSEA as well as be better understood to disrupt potential new harms bad actors can exploit them for. This includes for example detecting CSAM within new technological environments as well as increasing the ability to detect complex interactions like grooming or solicitation. Alongside technological measures, effective reporting (by or on behalf of children) both to and by trusted adults, hotline and helplines, and technology companies is a crucial tool in identifying online abuse and exploitation and as well as identifying offenders.Response and support: Coordinated, collective response is necessary to maximise impact of interventions. Support systems and resources need to be accessible to victims in their differential experiences of online CSEA, children and families in navigating digital environments, professionals working with children’s digital safety (e.g. content moderators, law enforcement, direct service providers, etc.), as well as potential and actual offenders.

If you have selected more than one objective, please identify the main objective under your proposal (you can only select one)

Prevention and deterrence: To prevent harm to children we must identify ways to promote safety in digital environments and put in place deterrence measures that identify and disrupt risky situations before harm happens. Innovative education interventions beyond PSAs and research efforts more broadly are critical pieces of prevention work.Detection and reporting: Advancements in technology must both be leveraged to quickly and accurately identify and act on digital harm such as online CSEA as well as be better understood to disrupt potential new harms bad actors can exploit them for. This includes for example detecting CSAM within new technological environments as well as increasing the ability to detect complex interactions like grooming or solicitation. Alongside technological measures, effective reporting (by or on behalf of children) both to and by trusted adults, hotline and helplines, and technology companies is a crucial tool in identifying online abuse and exploitation and as well as identifying offenders.Response and support: Coordinated, collective response is necessary to maximise impact of interventions. Support systems and resources need to be accessible to victims in their differential experiences of online CSEA, children and families in navigating digital environments, professionals working with children’s digital safety (e.g. content moderators, law enforcement, direct service providers, etc.), as well as potential and actual offenders.

APPLICABLE ONLY FOR INVESTMENT PILLAR C “TECHNOLOGY TOOLS”

Identify which of the three technological solutions your proposal under Investment Pillar C ''Technology Tools'' seeks to address (you can select more than one)

Design of a proof of concept that demonstrates an innovative use of technology to address a specific challenge with clear plans for further research and testing.Development of new prototypes or products – including hardware/software/content components – or of new features within existing products or toolsAdaptation or combination of existing tools to address current gaps, increase efficacy and/or effectiveness, or apply to new use cases.

If you have selected more than one objective, please identify the main objective under your proposal (you can only select one)

Design of a proof of concept that demonstrates an innovative use of technology to address a specific challenge with clear plans for further research and testing.Development of new prototypes or products – including hardware/software/content components – or of new features within existing products or toolsAdaptation or combination of existing tools to address current gaps, increase efficacy and/or effectiveness, or apply to new use cases.

The problem: Please describe the problem or challenge in online CSEA and related forms of harms to children at the national, regional or global level that your project will address including gender equality and social inclusion dimensions, as and where relevant. (Maximum 500 words)

Research Summary: Please provide a simplified summary for a non-technical audience of the research and principal outputs of your proposal, including any technological components or datasources, methodology and key milestones, as well as any weaknesses or criticisms that could beraised about it. Should your proposal be accepted for funding, Safe Online would like to use this as a project description for external communication purposes. (Maximum 300 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar B: Research and Data)

Technology summary: Please provide a simplified summary for a non-technical audience of the technology and related components of your proposal, including the technological solution itself, its core functions, main components, key users as well as any weaknesses or criticisms that could be raised about it. Should your proposal be accepted for funding, Safe Online would like to use this as a project description for external communication purposes. (Maximum 300 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar C: Technology Tools)

Value add of your research: Please describe how your research builds on existing research and evidence and explain how your project adds values and/or addresses gaps in the existing child online safety ecosystem. (Maximum 250 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar B: Research and Data)

Value add of your solution: Please list organisations doing similar work and explain how your solution aligns with, adds value to and/or challenges existing solutions and ways of working. (Maximum 250 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar C: Technology Tools)

Technology details: As relevant, please expand upon the type of technology you will use, how it will be used and who will be the primary user(s)? Describe your initial proof of concept/piloting/prototyping and share results (quantitative and qualitative) of any work you have conducted to date. (Maximum words) (Maximum 750 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar C: Technology Tools)

Project summary & methodology: Please provide a summary of the project describing: • Project objectives • Methodology in terms of how your project will address the problem particularly key activities,outputs and milestones, main techniques, models or assumptions involved • Gender-sensitive approach and social inclusion dimensions addressed. • Any intersection considerations and implications with new or evolving trends, when applicable • Piloting of any new ideas and innovative approaches or building on any existing projects and evidence (Maximum 2000 words)

Expected results: Please describe the key results that your project aims to achieve as outlined in the Results Framework that will be submitted as part of the Full Proposal Application Pack. As relevant, please expand upon the change(s) you expect the project to bring to (a) Strengthen national, regional and global infrastructure to effectively tackle digital harms to children, (b) Prevent victimisation and strengthen survivors' support via improving early intervention and assisting in recovery, (c) empowerment of families and caregivers to prevent online CSEA and (d) any other areas that positively impact (direct/indirect) on children’s digital safety. Safe Online encourages applicants to develop a theory of change during the proposal design stage which defines the causal pathways of impact/change and provides a rationale for the proposed results and describes the links between different levels of the results chain (from outputs to outcomes) as outlined in the Results Framework. (Maximum 750 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar A: Networks and Systems)

Expected results & impacts: Please describe the key results that your solution or research aims to achieve as outlined in the Results Framework that will be submitted as part of the Full Proposal Application Pack. As relevant, please expand upon the change(s) you expect the project to bring to (a) Technology facilitated risks and harms to children in humanitarian contexts and during conflicts and crisis, including children on the move, (b) Gender-based risks and harms, including for boys, facilitated by technologies, (c) Greater understanding of the existing and emerging forms of online CSEA including risky behaviours, as well as the effectiveness of prevention and response efforts to address them, and (d) any other areas that positively impact (direct/indirect) on children’s digital safety. Safe Online encourages applicants to develop a theory of change during the proposal design stage which defines the causal pathways of impact/change and provides a rationale for the proposed results and describes the links between different levels of the results chain (from outputs to outcomes) as outlined in the Results Framework. (Maximum 750 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar B: Research and Data)

Expected results: Please describe the key results that your solution aims to achieve as outlined in the Results Framework that will be submitted as part of the Full Proposal Application Pack. As relevant, please expand upon the change(s) you expect the solution to bring to (i) detect, remove and refer known and new CSAM, (ii) prevent and disrupt online sexual grooming of children, (iii) prevent and disrupt of live streaming of child sexual abuse, (d) expand tools and services to prevent victimisation of children and harmful behaviour by offenders, and (e) any other areas that positively impact (direct/indirect) on children’s digital safety. Safe Online would like to encourage applicants to develop a theory of change during the proposal design stage which defines the causal pathways of impact/change and provides a rationale for the proposed results and describes the links between different levels of the results chain (from outputs to outcomes) as outlined in the Results Framework. (Maximum 750 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar C: Technology Tools)

Solution licensing and business plan: Please state if any components of your (proposed) technology currently have an open-source license, and whether part of all the technology components would have a closed-source license. Please provide any additional information here, including by: • Explaining the intended open and/or closed-source licensing according to user group(s); • Identifying the intended open-source license(s), if applicable; • Defining the intended business model for the solution, including cost structure, licensing, use, sustainability and scaling. Please note that Safe Online encourages and will give preference to solutions that are open source. It also aspires to have any tools that it invests in be available to the widest range of actors possible and free of charge or at a very low cost. If there are restrictions based on confidentiality, privacy or security concerns, please provide a detailed explanation of the limitations to open-source licensing and share other ways that your solution reflects open working techniques, for example: use of open standards, common components or patterns; ways of working in the open, for example sharing learnings with stakeholder groups or publishing elements of assets produced; use of open and reusable source code. (Maximum 500 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar C: Technology Tools)

Communications: Advocacy and communications will amplify the impact of your program or project, ensure learnings are disseminated and contribute towards influencing policy makers, key stakeholders and the general public. As relevant, describe how you plan on using advocacy and communications (at local, national, regional and/or global levels). We recommend that you allocate 5% of the total budget to advocacy and communications, including the attendance to key events related to the scope of your project. (Maximum 500 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar A: Networks and Systems and Investment Pillar C: Technology Tools)

Risks / barriers: What are the key potential barriers or obstacles you can foresee to the effective delivery of this project? Describe any quantifiable risks, dependencies or framework conditions (such as regulation, standards, public acceptance, workforce considerations, financing of follow-up steps, cooperation of partners), that may determine whether and to what extent the expected results and outcomes will be achieved. Please provide details specific to your risk mitigation plan in relation to successful completion of the project. (Maximum 250 words)

Dissemination: Advocacy and communications will amplify the impact of your research, ensure learnings are disseminated and contribute towards influencing policy makers, industry, key stakeholders and the general public. As relevant, describe how you plan on using advocacy and communications (at local, national, regional and/or global levels). We recommend that you allocate between 5% of the total budget to advocacy and communications, including the attendance to key events related to the scope of your project. (Maximum 250 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar B: Research and Data)

Monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) plan: Please expand how you will monitor, evaluate and learn during the project period? Safe Online would like to learn more about the existing MEL systems or processes currently in place within your organisation for data collection, storage, processing, analysis, learning and/or reporting on the project. How do you monitor change and generate reliable data? Please elaborate if your project has already been assessed/ evaluated before or is already part of a funded research or evaluation plan. Attach any supporting documents as evidence, e.g. project review assessment report, evaluation report, peer-reviewed published papers, etc. Safe Online advises applicants to think about MEL needs at the design stage of the project and will give preference to proposals that has a rigorous MEL component built in. Applicants must make provisions for regular monitoring and independent external evaluation of their projects (~10% of the total direct costs for Investment Pillar A ''Networks and Systems'', and ~5% of the total direct costs for Investment Pillar C ''Technology Tools'' one; applications for the Investment Pillar B ''Research and Data'' are not required to fill this). Please align the answer to this question with the Results Framework and Project Milestones and Implementation Plan that will be submitted as part of the Full Proposal Application Pack. Please also elaborate on the existing MEL capacity within your organisation in terms of staffing and MEL skills (Maximum 500 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar A: Networks and Systems and Investment Pillar C: Technology Tools)

Country selection/Roll-out plan: Please outline the criteria you have used or will use to identify the country/countries listed above where your project will be implemented. (Maximum 250 words)

Relevant experience: Please expand upon the relevant prior work of your organisation and/or team for performing this work. Please include relevant links in response or as attachments in the field below. Please also describe how your project will ensure: - Multi-stakeholder engagement, cross-sector collaboration and international cooperation: key stakeholders and networks that will be engaged during the project at national or transnational level and outline alignment with national and/or regional action plans (or similar initiatives) and relevant frameworks (e.g. WeProtect Global Alliance Model of National Response) - Local buy-in and sustainability plan (Maximum 250 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar A: Networks and Systems)

Evidence of research / methodological experience: Please expand on a demonstrable trackrecord of previous research experience or methodological expertise to successfully perform theproposed research. Does your organisation have internal technical capacity to support any technological aspects of the project? If not, how are you planning to ensure adequate technical capacity is available for the entire duration of the project? Supporting evidence requested includes at least 2 previous research outputs, such as journal articles, publications, Master or PhD thesis. Please include links below in the response box or as direct uploads of attachments to this Application Form as evidence. (Maximum 250 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar B: Research and Data)

Organisational tech-related and relevant experience: Please expand upon the relevant experience of your organisation in using this technology. Does your organisation have internal technical capacity to support the technological component of the project? If not, how are you planning to ensure adequate technical capacity is available for the entire duration of the project? (Maximum 500 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar C: Technology Tools)

Technology/Data: As relevant, please expand upon any technology or data sources you will use, how they will be accessed and used, and who will be the primary user(s)? Does your organisation have access to the relevant technologies and data required for the successful completion of this research? Please include relevant MoUs/ support letters. If not, how are you planning to ensure adequate access is gained for the successful completion of the project? If your organisation would like to be considered for support in access to data sets for development, testing or validation of your solution or research, please share what types of data and why it would significantly improve the impact of your work. *There is no guarantee of support in data access and therefore your proposal should have clear impact and feasibility without this provision. Please also detail your compliance with all existing and relevant data privacy and protection regulatory frameworks applicable to the work. (Maximum 500 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar B: Research and Data and Investment Pillar C: Technology Tools)

Research ethics & open access: Describe the research ethics approach of your proposed project. Please be sure to include if your research will include interviews or direct data collection with children, victims or offenders. Please include how you have or will obtain ethical approval for the proposed project, such as approval from a university’s ethics/institutional review board. Which, if any, components of your proposed research could not be released publicly or be made openly accessible? If components of your research cannot be open access due to sensitivity of the research area, please describe why not and how you will ensure impact for specific stakeholders. Please note that Safe Online encourages research projects that are open access. It also aspires to have any research or outputs that it invests in be available to the widest range of actors possible. (Maximum 500 words) (Applicable only for Investment Pillar B: Research and Data)

Team structure: What are the different roles and responsibilities of key personnel for the project? Describe the composition of the core team, how it works together, and how responsibilities have been split across different individuals. Please include anyone who will be included as ‘key personnel’ during the project period with details on the strengths, skills, experience and qualifications that each key person brings to the project. Does the team represent diverse perspectives, including across gender or underrepresented groups? Do you already have a network of experts? (Maximum 250 words)

Safeguarding: Safe Online defines safeguarding as "the responsibility that organisations have to make sure their staff, operations, and programmes do no harm to children and that they do not expose children to the risk of harm and abuse." You can read more about our Safeguarding Framework and definitions (link below box). Please describe what steps you will take to safeguard children and ensure data privacy, including for your implementing and downstream partners/sub-contractors, etc. (Maximum 500 words)

https://www.end-violence.org/sites/default/files/2022-10/End%20Violence%20Safeguarding%20Framework_0.pdf

Please include attachments, as applicable (i.e. Budgets, CVs, Audit reports, List of Similar Projects)

2023 Safe Online Global Open Call for Proposals: A) Networks and Systems; B) Research and Data; C) Technology Tools

Eligibility

About you (contact details)

About your organisation and your partners

Summary of the project

Details of the project you would like Safe Online to support

Thank you very much for completing the Full Proposal Application Pack!