Research and Case Study about Fòs Feminista’s Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab and Feminist Impact Fund

Background

About Fòs Feminista

Fòs Feminista is an intersectional feminist organization centered around the sexual and reproductive rights (SRH) and needs of women, girls, and gender-diverse people. Led and governed by the Global South, Fòs Feminista works as an alliance of 170+ organizations in 40+ countries worldwide to advance sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice (SRHRJ). Fòs Feminista is both the connective tissue that links these diverse partners in an alliance and an active participant in the broader ecosystem of actors working on SRHRJ. Fòs Feminista orchestrates transnational and transregional action by connecting partners throughout the SRHRJ ecosystem, amplifying innovative partner-led solutions to SRHRJ issues, and catalyzing funding and political will for an intersectional feminist agenda on SRHRJ.

Long-term continuity of SRH care: Civil society organizations are crucial in bridging the gap for the most vulnerable women and girls to access quality sexual and reproductive health care when public health systems fail and private options are unaffordable. While many organizations have historically been able to offer care to these users free of cost with the support of donors, this approach is not sustainable in the long term. Reliance on unstable and volatile donor funding jeopardizes these organizations’ capacity to ensure the continuity of essential care, ultimately threatening the well-being and of the most vulnerable communities.

               

Fòs Feminista’s approach: To address this challenge and contribute to continuity of care, for more than a decade, Fòs Feminista has provided targeted technical support and funding through our Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab and Feminist Impact Fund to our partners so they can cultivate and grow income-generating models. Our social entrepreneurship approach leverages business principles and concepts to foster the development of innovative and financially sustainable sexual and reproductive health solutions that serve the most vulnerable while enhancing organizations’ resilience and capacity to navigate uncertainty.

Our Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab combines seed capital grant investments with technical accompaniment delivered through cohort-based programs and individualized coaching that apply human-centered design, lean innovation, and financial leadership methods, to equip partners to design, launch, test, and grow socially impactful, sustainable, and innovative business models that expand access to SRH care, products, and services for women, girls, and gender-diverse people in their local contexts. To date, we have invested $1.54M in grant funding to support 30 partner organizations as they develop social enterprise models.

Our Feminist Impact Fund is a programmatic fund that provides strategic capital through low-interest loans to partners advancing proven and scalable SRH models that are ready for further growth and expansion. Since its launch in 2021, the Fund has offered more than $3.96M in repayable debt financing in 16 end-loans to 10 Fòs Feminista alliance partners launching and scaling sustainable and innovative earned income models that expand access to SRH for women, girls, and gender-diverse people in the Global South.

Purpose & Scope of Work

The overall purpose of this consultancy is to generate insights and evidence of effectiveness  based on Fòs Feminista’s past ten years of work in social enterprise. The project scope seeks to document Fòs Feminista’s approach to innovative financing and social innovation through its Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab and Feminist Impact Fund, and produce comprehensive case studies related to the milestones, performance, evolution, and sustainability of Fòs Feminista partner organizations who have engaged in social entrepreneurship. The information generated by this consultancy will enable Fòs Feminista to more effectively articulate how its integrated approach creates a pathway to building resilient organizations and contributes towards the sustainability of the feminist SRH movement.

 

Objectives

• Create longitudinal (5-10-year span) case studies for at least 3 Fòs Feminista partner organizations who have received grant funding, technical accompaniment, and repayable investments from the Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab and Feminist Impact Fund over the past decade.
• Document key innovative practices, approaches, and tools implemented by Fòs Feminista’s Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab and Feminist Impact Fund which have led and/or contributed to sustainability of Fòs Feminista partner organizations.
• Assess impact return over Fòs Feminista’s investments in grant funding, repayable financing, and technical accompaniment.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

Over the course of up to four months, the firm will undertake the following activities:

Discovery: 

• Desk review of relevant internal documentation and materials about Fòs Feminista’s Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab and Feminist Impact Fund
• Desk review of relevant documentation and materials about select Fòs Feminista partner organizations that have engaged with the Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab and Feminist Impact Fund, including financial information
• Benchmarking of similar initiatives and approaches to Fòs Feminista’s social innovation and financing at other INGOs, multi-lateral organizations, philanthropic actors, and private sector enterprises and funds, among others.
• Meet with key staff from the Social Innovation and Financing unit at Fòs Feminista to understand the scope and focus of the unit’s work.
• Interview key stakeholders from Fòs Feminista and partner organizations (mainly those for which case studies will be developed) to obtain first-hand data and information
• Facilitate at least one focus group to gather insights and perspectives from strategic external stakeholders and experts familiar with the approach of the Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab including, but not limited to, members of Fòs Feminista’s Board of Directors and/or Board Committees, ally organizations, donors/investors.
  
  

Analysis:

• Compile, process, and analyze the information and data collected throughout the Discovery phase, including financial analyses of social enterprise models and strategies advanced by select Fòs Feminista partners.
• Produce a document that gives a succinct, articulate, and clear overview of the results from the research that includes at least:
  
  
  • Up to 3 case studies about individual partner organizations who have engaged in social entrepreneurship with the support of Fòs Feminista grants and technical accompaniment. The case studies should be illustrative of different types of pathways and approaches adopted by partners, written in accessible language, and should include:
    
    
    • Description of the ways in which Fòs Feminista supported the partner
    • Evidence of the impact on partners as a result of this support, demonstrated through increases in SRH service and user reach, organizational sustainability, revenue, and implementation of innovative approaches/models
    • Perspectives from key staff members from Fòs Feminista partners on each organization’s experience with social entrepreneurship
    • Perspectives from other key stakeholders

 

• An identification of the key innovative and impactful practices, approaches, and tools applied by Fòs Feminista’s Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab and Feminist Impact Fund, analyzed in comparison to other similar initiatives and incorporating the perspectives of external stakeholders:
  • Aspects and elements that are innovative or unique to Fòs Feminista’s approach and represent a contribution to the social innovation and/or SRH ecosystem
  • Key challenges to Fòs Feminista’s approach, with ideas on how to address them.
  • Language, narrative, and framing about Fòs Feminista’s approach that can position it as unique and innovative
  • Concrete examples backed by data and testimonials highlighting the impact and success of Fòs Feminista’s approach to social innovation and financing, and how this approach contributes towards partners’ sustainability, resiliency, and growth
    
    
    
• Insights about the return on investment of Fòs Feminista’s Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab (through its grants and technical accompaniment activities) and Feminist Impact Fund:
  • The sustainability of partner organizations who have engaged with Fòs Feminista’s Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab and/or Feminist Impact Fund
  • Estimation of costs and time needed to develop and launch successful social enterprise initiatives/build organizational sustainability, based on Fòs Feminista’s Innovation and Social Enterprise Lab/Feminist Impact Fund’s past performance, with recommendations and ideas of how to improve and optimize.
    
    

Institutional Arrangement

Timeline: The scope of work described should be completed in up to 16 weeks (~4-months – estimated mid-October through mid-February), with the following suggested timeline:

Weeks and Activity

Week 1

·         Contract signing

·         Kick-off

Week 2

·         Gather information

Weeks 3-5

·         Discovery: desk research and document review

·         Discovery: benchmarking

·         Discovery: interviews and desk-study

Weeks 4-7

·         Discovery: interviews and desk-study

·         Discovery: focus group

Weeks 8-12

·         Analysis: 3 case studies

·         Analysis: Identification of key innovative and impactful approaches, methods and tools

·         Analysis: Insights on return over investment

Weeks 12-14

·         Fòs Feminista feedback

Weeks 14-16

·         Final deliverables

Consultancy location: Fully remote, all work associated with this consultancy will be carried out virtually. The consultant or firm must be willing to adjust to different time zones.

Reporting: The consultant will report to Fòs Feminista's Lead, Social Innovation & Financing

Consultant Profile

Fòs Feminista seeks to engage a firm with:

• Proven track record in social innovation, social entrepreneurship, and/or impact investing research, analysis, and strategy development
• Demonstrated experience working with nonprofit organizations and the philanthropic sector, with a preferred background in sexual and reproductive health, gender, and social justice.
• Demonstrated experience working in the Global South
• Team members dedicated to the project who are fully fluent in English and Spanish
• Strong qualitative and quantitative analytical skills and ability to analyze financial and business data
• Excellent communications and writing skills, demonstrated with samples of past reports and results.
  
  
  

Application Process

For consideration, please submit a proposal that includes:

• Examples of past work and clients that demonstrate the competencies described above
• Capacity to execute all the activities outlined in this scope of work in the time allocated, including bios of the team of professionals who will carry out the work
• A description of the key activities to be carried out to ensure all the deliverables outlined in the scope of work are completed
• The proposed rate to accomplish the work
  
  

Deadline to submit proposals: Applications must be submitted by October 1, 2025.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only submissions selected to move on in the process will be contacted.

Safeguarding Commitments

Fòs Feminista is committed to ensuring that the health, rights, and wellbeing of all children, young people, and vulnerable populations who work and engage with F Fòs Feminista's Team Members and Associated Persons are respected and protected in their interactions with them, and requires all its Team Members and Associated Persons to share this commitment.

The successful firm must:

• Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to safeguarding in the United States, in the country of residence, and in the international context.
• Sign and adhere to Fòs Feminista's International Safeguarding Policy and Safeguarding Code of Conduct, including the minimum operating standards for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA).
• Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to safeguarding in the United States, in the country of residence, and in the international context.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Fòs Feminista is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to advancing sexual and reproductive rights and health and dismantling inequities from a feminist intersectional lens. Reproductive justice, racial justice, and diversity are driving forces for us.

Fòs Feminista provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, race, color, disability, national origin, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital and partnership status, genetic information, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.

At Fòs Feminista, we continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our employees. We strongly encourage applications from all kinds of backgrounds to build a diverse workforce in which all social and minority groups are represented.