Skip to content

Hybrid Short Courses

Timelines and template download links is at the bottom of this page.
Please read this page thoroughly.

GRÓ GEST invites applications for alumni-led hybrid gender equality trainings. These trainings combine GRÓ GEST’s Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) with locally organised, in-person short courses. The format builds on successful recent rollouts, where alumni used GRÓ GEST content to spark transformative conversations and learning in their own communities.

Through this call, GRÓ GEST offers 50% co-funding of up to EUR 5,000 (or less) to support selected alumni in delivering locally relevant trainings. Each training should be tailored to a specific audience and grounded in critical reflection and practical application. The format must include 3 to 6 weeks of online learning followed by at least five consecutive days of in-person engagement.

Whether your target group is grassroots leaders, civil society actors, educators, or youth groups, this is your opportunity to lead, collaborate, and expand the reach of gender justice education. We are seeking strong proposals that demonstrate local ownership, meaningful use of GRÓ GEST course content, and clear potential for positive impact.

Background

In mid-2024, the GRÓ GEST Programme joined the MenEngage Africa Training Institute (MATI) as partner for a new kind of collaboration: a hybrid training model that combined online learning with an in-person intensive in Nairobi. Through this partnership with MenEngage Africa, Sonke Gender Justice, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), selected GRÓ GEST online courses were adapted to meet the needs of gender equality advocates from across the African continent. Over the course of one month, participants engaged with GEST’s MOOC content, culminating in a five-day in-person training focused on peace, security, and gender justice in African contexts.

The MATI 2024 experience marked the beginning of a new approach for GRÓ GEST: using its online courses as a flexible foundation for targeted and localised hybrid rollouts. Since then, alumni have taken this model forward with great success.

In Karachi, alum Sarmad Soomar led a highly successful rollout of the Men, Boys and Masculinities course in collaboration with the Aga Khan University. Combining four weeks of guided online learning with targeted in-person discussions and events, the training reached participants from academia, civil society, and development organisations. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many participants reporting a deeper and more practical understanding of how masculinities operate in their daily work and social environments.

Graduates of the pilot Men, Boys, and Masculinities hybrid course in Karachi proudly display their certificates at the closing ceremony,
held at the Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery (AKU-SONAM) on 18 April 2025

In rural Kenya, GEST alumna Fariah Lalaikipiani and her team at Uzury Empowerment Hub are currently delivering a hybrid course for 50 grassroots feminist leaders. The training integrates content from two GEST MOOCs into a tailored curriculum focused on intersectionality and masculinity studies. These leaders will go on to reach thousands more through community dialogue and advocacy.

These rollouts reflect the core values of the GRÓ GEST Programme: local ownership, gender transformative practices, and the strengthening of feminist leadership in low-income and post-conflict societies. They also answer a long-standing request from alumni: more opportunities to use their knowledge, networks, and organisations to keep advancing gender justice after the GRÓ GEST programme.

This Call for Applications builds directly on these successes. Through co-funding of up to EUR 5,000, GEST invites alumni to apply for support to organise and deliver hybrid gender equality trainings in their own countries, based on one or more of the GEST MOOCs and tailored to the needs of a specific local audience.

Each training will consist of three to six weeks of online learning in preparation for locally organised in-person sessions. Selected alumni will work closely with GRÓ GEST Academic Programme Manager Dr. Thomas Brorsen Smidt to adapt the course materials and ensure that content reflects relevant social, cultural, or political conditions.

This model offers several key advantages. It reinforces the capacities of local organisations, while creating inclusive spaces for new learners to engage with gender equality content that is both globally informed and locally grounded. It is also a cost-effective way of carrying out Global South-North collaborations, as it requires no international travel, which also makes it more environmentally sustainable. Above all, it recognises and invests in alumni as trusted change agents in line with the GRÓ GEST Theory of Change and Alumni Strategy.

 

Who Can Apply?

  • Only alumni of the GRÓ GEST Programme may apply.

  • Applicants must be currently employed by or affiliated with an organisation (e.g., NGO, university, research institute, or grassroots initiative) that will serve as the main implementing body and recipient of the grant.

  • The alum must serve as the designated project manager and main point of contact for the proposed training.

  • The organisation must provide co-funding equivalent to 50 percent of the total project cost, which may include financial contributions or in-kind support (such as venue provision, staff time, or materials).

  • The organisation must have a registered bank account in its own name that can receive international transfers.

  • In exceptional cases, another legally registered entity may act as a fiscal sponsor. This entity must assume full legal and financial responsibility for the project’s implementation and reporting. No part of the GRÓ GEST contribution may be used to compensate fiscal sponsors for fulfilling this role.

 

What Kind of Trainings Are Eligible?

Eligible trainings must:

  • Be based on one or more GRÓ GEST Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
  • Combine 3 to 6 weeks of online learning with a minimum of 5 consecutive days of in-person intensive training.
  • Be tailored to a specific local audience, such as community leaders, NGO staff, educators, youth groups, etc.
  • Be designed to promote gender transformative thinking and action, with an emphasis on critical reflection, practical application, and community relevance.
  • Be implemented in a least developed, low income, or lower-middle income country, as defined by the OECD DAC list.
  • Be organised and led by a GEST alum who has reviewed and familiarised themselves with the relevant online course content prior to applying. The application must clearly explain why the selected course(s) are relevant to the local context, and how content will be adapted.
  • Include an in-person training component that is designed by the applying alum and their organisation. While local guest speakers or facilitators may be invited, GRÓ GEST will not fund external consultants or local experts.

Alumni selected for co-funding will collaborate with the GRÓ GEST academic team to adapt and align the online materials with the in-person component, ensuring coherence and local resonance.

 

Funding Available

GRÓ GEST will provide up to EUR 5,000 per training as co-funding. This amount may be used for:

  • Participant support (e.g. refreshments, transport, internet/data access, etc)
  • Local coordination or venue costs
  • Printing of Certificates of Participation
  • Monitoring and evaluation

Funding may not be used for:

  • Salaries, rent, or ongoing organisational overheads
  • International travel
  • Audit services or commercial activities

50% co-funding from the host organisation or a local partner is required and must be reflected in the budget (this can be in-kind or financial).

 

Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed based on:

  • Feasibility and clarity of the proposal (including budget and timeline)
  • Relevance and local ownership (whether the training meets a clearly identified need)
  • Potential for impact (number and profile of beneficiaries, and anticipated outcomes)
  • Quality of integration of GEST MOOC content and tailoring to local context
  • Alignment with GRÓ GEST’s gender transformative values
  • Track record of the applicant in terms of ethical engagement, collaboration, and past involvement with the GEST Programme
  • Track record of the applicant’s organisation, including relevant experience, credibility, and capacity to deliver

Projects involving collaboration between alumni from different countries or regions are encouraged.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting
GRÓ GEST provides a standardized survey, which must be sent to all participants post-training. A brief final report, including a financial summary, must be submitted within 30 days of the project’s completion.

 

The deadline for applications is 22 September 2025 at 9am CET. Applicants will be notified of the results by the end of October 2025.
Initial work for selected projects must begin before the end of 2025 and trainings must be concluded no later than Q1 2026.

Download Application Template | Download Budget Template

Applications must be sent in PDF format and the budget in excel format to tbs@hi.is and cc to gest@hi.is before the application deadline.