Implementation & Research Organizations
Practical expertise and embedded support that strengthens research, program design, delivery, and scale.
Implementing organizations are expected to deliver results across complex, multi-sectoral portfolios in rapidly shifting contexts, and often under significant resource and time pressure. Gender equality is increasingly both a funder expectation and a programmatic requirement, yet many organizations lack the capacity to meet that bar consistently, particularly in sectors where its relevance isn't always clear.
The gap between commitment and capacity is real. Program teams may understand the importance of gender integration but struggle to translate it into concrete design decisions, indicators, and implementation approaches — especially across varied country contexts, conflict settings, or sectors where the pathway isn't obvious. Others shy away from the work entirely, wary of causing harm without the right support. Meanwhile, critical insights go uncaptured from data systems that fail to surface gender differences.
What We Do
We partner with iNGOs and other implementing and research organizations to provide on-demand gender equality advisory support at key program decision points, from design through implementation and scale.
Research & Evidence
Identify gender-related barriers and gaps most relevant to your sector, geography, and target populations
Advise on gender-integrated research design, including question formulation, sampling strategies, data collection tools, and analytical frameworks
Translate complex research findings into accessible and compelling narratives for policy audiences, funders, and practitioners
Advise on dissemination strategies that ensure research findings reach and resonate with relevant communities and decision-makers
Advisory & Capacity Building
Develop gender action plans with clear priorities, accountability mechanisms, and a realistic path forward
Design and deliver gender integration trainings, workshops, and convenings tailored to your team, sector, and goals
Support the development of risk mitigation plans that anticipate and address potential unintended harms or cultural backlash
Advise on program and project design to identify where gender barriers may affect reach, uptake, or outcomes; and, offer solutions on how to address them
Develop policy briefs, practice guides, and learning tools that bridge the gap between academic evidence and on-the-ground application
Strategy Development
Review and strengthen MEL plans, results frameworks, and indicators to ensure gender-related change is meaningfully captured
Advise on approaches to measure complex outcomes — including empowerment, agency, and shifts in social norms — that standard frameworks often miss
Support the development of impact narratives that demonstrate how gender-inclusive design drove stronger program results
Inclusive Leadership
Advise on the design and implementation of women's leadership programs, including curriculum development, participant selection criteria, and how to identify and measure meaningful change
Advise on how to build the enabling organizational environment needed for women's leadership programs to take root and deliver lasting impact beyond the program itself
Identify the structural policies, systems, leadership models, and workplace norms needed to address the root causes of gender inequality within your institution
Impact Storytelling & MEL
Develop project-specific or organizational theories of change
Apply a gender lens to the design or refresh of organizational or program-level strategies
Build learning agendas that deepen and sustain your organization's gender focus and inform future direction
© Gates Foundation 2024