Expanding the Female Talent Pipeline in Europe - OSF call for proposals

The Open Society Foundation (OSF) has a call for proposals open to applications in Europe (EU member states) to expand the female talent visibility in panels, conferences, symposia. New ideas on how to do it are welcome, as well as action ideas to connect existing female talent to conference circuits in Eurpe.

As OSF found in its publication An End to Manels II, roughly three out of four speaking roles at high-level conferences across Europe are held by men. While increasing the engagement of women in these debates is one way to make these symposiums more diverse, figuring how to bring more women into these discussions remains challenging. We are requesting proposals from those with new ideas about how to do just that.

All responses to this call for proposals should aim to increase the number of female experts who speak at these conferences. Such conferences concern issues such as foreign policy; the European Union; crime, terrorism, and security; economics; the environment, climate, and energy; and technology.

Specific funding priorities include developing actionable ideas on how to connect existing female talent to conference circuits in Europe; how to bring new female speakers into the pool of experts from which conference planners draw; and how to more effectively mentor women in think tanks and other research institutions—with the specific goal of promoting their presence on high-level conference panels.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible countries: Member States of the European Union (including the United Kingdom).

Eligible organizations: We explicitly invite think tanks, and organizations that host high-level conferences to submit proposals. Consortia of women’s rights organizations and the private sector are also encouraged to apply. Academic, government, and international institutions are equally eligible to apply.

Deadline for applications: 1st March