Nutrition-Sensitive Social Protection: Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) in Tonga

Call description

The World Food Programme (WFP) Pacific Multi-Country Office seeks international and local non-governmental and civil society organisations as delivery partners under Field Level Agreements for the Tonga portion of its project. The approach embeds social and behaviour change communication in existing community structures to improve food security, nutrition and resilience through nutrition-sensitive social protection. Household targeting covers people receiving or eligible for government social protection cash transfers, prioritising households with pregnant and lactating women and children under 5. The mandatory NGO registration conditions apply separately.

The detailed call describes an indicative 6-month project delivered in four stages. Its schedule gives an estimated start of 1 February 2027 and estimated end of 30 July 2027; the proposal template uses the same implementation dates.

Priorities and eligibility

The mandatory lead-partner condition is a legally registered, non-profit and non-political NGO in the country of implementation, Tonga. All interested NGOs must register in the UN Partner Portal (UNPP). The call seeks both international and local organisations, but the supplied evidence does not establish the eligibility of any particular applicant.

All NGOs must undergo WFP due diligence and Implementing Partner Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse screening. An NGO not verified through due diligence cannot become a WFP partner, regardless of proposal merit. The call also requires that the NGO not be implicated in corruption, fraud or crimes against humanity. For an NGO that has applied for a WFP Field Level Agreement before, the call says further cooperation is based on a finalised and successful performance evaluation; it does not specify a screening date.

Mandatory partnership conditions include relevant experience in similar activities and target areas, project and financial capacity, qualified personnel, and established reporting, procurement and financial management systems with two years of audited statements. Required qualifications include relevant expertise in social and behaviour change communication, nutrition, social protection or community health/food security programming, and operational capacity in the target locations.

WFP states that separate panels will evaluate technical and financial proposals using weighted criteria. The published areas and weights are clarity of activities and expected results 30%, sector expertise and experience 20%, project management 20%, local experience and presence 15%, and cost effectiveness 15%. These are stated criteria, not an indication of any applicant's likely score.

Which subnational locations should an application cover? The portal listing names Tongatapu, while the detailed call's target table also lists Vava’u, Ha’apai and Eua. The portal listing does not explicitly say that Tongatapu is the only eligible location, so the intended coverage needs confirmation rather than assuming either list is exhaustive. Seek clarification through the UN Partner Portal before finalising the geographic workplan and budget.

Funding and application requirements

The application package must be uploaded to UNPP as a ZIP file and include a letter of intent signed by the organisation's head, the project proposal narrative using Annex 1, and the project proposal budget using Annex 2, the Field Level Agreement budget template. The narrative template also asks for justification of major costs based on the budget summary. The supplied extracts do not specify separate file formats for each component.

The proposal template asks applicants to describe measures to prevent, identify, report and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse. It identifies institutional systems, staff awareness and training, accessible confidential reporting, and response procedures as features of a strong answer. This narrative request is distinct from WFP's partner screening process.

The call lists an inception report and workplan, communication materials and plans, training, an operational community feedback mechanism, reports, and a sustainability and scale-up roadmap as project deliverables. These are not listed as separate application attachments in the submission package. The proposal template asks for a workplan and timeline within the narrative.

Must the application itself be written in English, and is any translation of application documents required? The qualifications require strong English communication and reporting skills and describe Tongan fluency as desirable, but the supplied extracts do not state an application-language rule. This is distinct from the requirement to translate project messages before rollout.

What funding is available for the Tonga partnership, including any ceiling per project or total allocation? The portal's indicative budget field is blank in the supplied extract, while the call says implementation is subject to funds availability. No amount can be established from these passages. Request the available budget and any cost limits before finalising the proposal budget.

The application deadline is 14 December 2026. Interested NGOs must register and submit the complete package through UNPP only; no alternative submission channel is stated in the supplied call extracts. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

Recommendations

Local access and staffing are both eligibility considerations and assessed features. The proposal should demonstrate how personnel, community networks and logistics will support delivery, including in remote islands and during cyclone-season access constraints. Align staff roles and levels of effort with the budget and describe realistic mitigation for access and coordination risks.

Participation and protection should be operational parts of the programme design. The template asks applicants to address gender-related barriers, include persons with disabilities meaningfully, and give affected communities opportunities to influence implementation. Describe accessible engagement and feedback arrangements and how identified barriers will be addressed, rather than relying on a general statement of commitment.

The indicative project period must accommodate preparation, rollout, reinforcement and handover, not only community sessions. WFP also describes a go/no-go review before scale-up. Sequence material mapping, training, community entry and monitoring early enough to support that review, and include time for adaptation and sustainability work within the indicative period.

Cost effectiveness is assessed, but the supplied extracts establish no funding ceiling. The template asks for cost justification and the use of existing resources and community networks. Build the budget around the proposed delivery, translation, access and staffing arrangements, and explain how existing resources reduce costs without assuming an unconfirmed budget limit.

The principal programme-design choice is how to use existing government and community delivery structures, rather than proposing a standalone campaign or a new cash-distribution channel. Explain how messages will reach eligible households through named structures and how government counterparts and community groups will support delivery. Whether a particular organisation can do this cannot be assessed without its profile and proposed approach.