Request for Expression of Interest (EOI) Content Creators for WUSC's GRIT Social Marketing Campaign

Request for Expression of Interest (EOI)

Content Creators for WUSC's GRIT Social Marketing Campaign

1. Background

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization dedicated to fostering inclusive economic growth, gender equality, and youth empowerment. WUSC’s vision is a world where every young person thrives and belongs, and its mission is to catalyze positive education and economic outcomes for young people. WUSC together with partner organizations implement the Growth, Resilience, Investment and Training (GRIT) Project (2023–2029), a six-year initiative aimed at strengthening and building a more inclusive, gender-responsive entrepreneurial ecosystem in Northern Sri Lanka.

As part of the GRIT Project, WUSC has developed a Social Marketing Campaign Strategy (2025–2028) to address deeply rooted social norms, attitudes, and behaviors that limit women’s participation and leadership in entrepreneurship. Despite policy attention and programmatic support, women from Northern Sri Lanka continue to face stigma, family resistance, restricted mobility, and institutional bias that discourage business start-up and growth.

This Expression of Interest (EOI) invites qualified teams, content creators, journalists, media collectives, digital creators, filmmakers, artists, and storytellers consultants, firms, or individuals to partner with WUSC in developing content and designing and implementing selected deliverables of the social marketing campaign. The assignment focuses on piloting innovative, culturally responsive content and campaign products that reposition women’s entrepreneurship as a respected, desirable, and legitimate career pathway.

2. Campaign Overview

The central objective is to shift the social norm that "entrepreneurship is not an appropriate or respectable path for women" to "Entrepreneurship is a respected career for women."

The campaign will adopt a balanced approach combining mass communication (social media, newspapers, visual media) with deep community engagement (dialogues, events, role modeling). Content must be delivered in the Tamil language and demonstrate deep cultural resonance with the Northern Sri Lankan context.

3. Objectives

The overall objective of this assignment is to support GRIT Project’s social marketing campaign by designing and implementing high-quality, contextually grounded social marketing products that contribute to positive shifts in attitudes, norms, and behaviors related to women’s entrepreneurship being seen as a respectable and admirable career in Northern Sri Lanka.

Specific objectives include:

• Increasing public visibility and positive representation of women entrepreneurs as role models.
• Increasing active and expressed support from family members, men, and community influencers for women’s entrepreneurial aspirations.
• Improving attitudes and practices among entrepreneurship ecosystem actors so that women’s entrepreneurs are treated as capable, legitimate and deserving of equitable support.

4. Scope of Work (Content Development)

The selected applicant(s) will be responsible for creating a range of culturally appropriate and impactful campaign assets, likely to focus on  campaign branding within GRIT Project and messaging for an online media campaign in the initial phase.

Feel & Tone:

In general, content should:

• Be hopeful, dignified, and aspirational
• Avoid blaming, shaming, or confrontational framing
• Reinforce family, community, and regional pride

Narrative Framing:

Creators should work within one or more of these frames:

• Respect & dignity – Women entrepreneurs are admired and respected
• Family pride – Women’s businesses strengthen households and futures
• Community strength – Women’s entrepreneurship builds the North
• Leadership – Entrepreneurship is leadership, not exception
• Normalisation – Women in business are ordinary, not unusual

Branding & Visuals

• Please note that the GRIT Project already has a well-established brand identity, including official logos, brand videos, and visual guidelines. As such, applicants do not need to create new branding or develop a new logo for this assignment.
• The selected applicants will be expected to work within this established framework and adapt it as necessary to develop campaign-specific content, such as:
  • Written: articles, reports, scripts, social media posts;
  • Visual: posters, infographics, presentations and
  • Digital: website text, videos, reels. short clips, campaigns, toolkits.
• The purpose of this approach is to ensure coherent, recognisable, and uniform messaging across all project platforms, reinforcing the identity that has already been created and shared with stakeholders.
• The assignment is structured as a menu of deliverables (outlined in Section 5). Applicants may apply to implement all deliverables or select a few components, depending on their expertise, capacity, and confidence. Proposals should clearly specify which deliverables the applicant is applying for and demonstrate relevant experience.
• Geographic focus will be Northern Sri Lanka, with strong emphasis on cultural sensitivity, Tamil-language communication, and locally grounded approaches.

Target Audiences:

• Primary: Women aged 20–45 seeking recognition and practical support for their entrepreneurial journey.
• Secondary: Men (Spouse , fathers, brothers) and community influencers.
• Tertiary: Ecosystem actors (e.g., Business Development Service providers, Financial Institutions).

Key Desired Behaviors:

• Women: Find new respect, dignity and pride in being an entrepreneur.
• Men/Community: View women's entrepreneurship as strengthening household finances and community resilience; express respect, dignity and pride in their success.
• Ecosystem Actors: Understand and respond to women's distinct entrepreneurial needs; provide inclusive, equitable support.

5. Methodology 

This is an open call for Expressions of Interest. Interested teams, consultants, firms, or individuals with relevant experience in social marketing, behavior change communication, gender equality, media production, community engagement, or related fields are invited to submit proposals.

Applicants are expected to:

• Propose a clear methodological approach aligned with social marketing and behavior change principles.
• Demonstrate understanding of gender and social norms affecting women’s entrepreneurship in Northern Sri Lanka.
• Apply participatory, inclusive, and culturally appropriate methods.
• Collaborate closely with the GRIT Project team and a Northern-based working group of ecosystem actors.

WUSC may select one or multiple applicants based on quality, relevance, feasibility, and value for money.

6. Key Deliverables:

Content Type

Purpose

Mode/ Medium

Examples

Campaign advertisement

Creating awareness about the

campaign and the key message

One minute video(s)

Ring the bell,

 not on my bus

Storytelling Campaigns

     Role model and storytelling products featuring women entrepreneurs and supportive families.

Men & boys being allies

Online/ social media (FB, Instagram, TikTok) 

Print media

Production of social media and digital content (e.g., short videos, graphics, reels, testimonials, graphics, photo essays, Talk show), 24 hours clock of a WE

Community engagement activities

Create a space and drive discussion and participation in community dialogues

Hybrid events

(In-person & online events)

Talkshow, dialogues, workshops, forum theatre, artwork or exhibitions, openmic, roadshows

Educational/

Informative

Communicate the value proposition of women's entrepreneurship to key audiences, Incubators & Accelerators and other business service providers, including government business development service providers

Media engagement products (newspaper articles, opinion pieces, influencer collaborations)

Podcast, experience sharing

Mentorship and business advice

Training and tutorial videos

Networking

Bringing women to a platform to cherish each other as business women

In-person events and spaces

Women entrepreneurs networking spaces (informal/formal)

7. Timeframe / Duration

The initial contract will cover a 12-month pilot phase, tentatively starting in February 2026.

• Year 1 (Pilot Phase): Development, testing, and refinement of selected social marketing products and approaches.

• Years 2–3 (Scale-Up Phase): Subject to performance and learning, effective campaign products may be refined and replicated over the subsequent two years.

 8. Application Process

Interested applicants should submit an Expression of Interest including:

• Profile: Brief organizational or individual background and core competencies (evidence of experience in social marketing, behavioral change communications, or community mobilization, experience in Northern Sri Lanka is desirable).
• Relevant Experience: Summary of 2–3 comparable assignments (links to sample work encouraged).
• Statement of Interest: Briefly explain why you are interested in working with WUSC on this campaign
• Proposed Scope: Clear indication of whether applying for the full scope or selected deliverables.
• Technical Approach: A short concept note (maximum 3 pages) outlining the proposed approach and preliminary ideas.
• Team Composition: CVs of key personnel leading your proposed work.
• Indicative Budget: Estimated cost range aligned with the proposed scope.
• Applications may be submitted in English or Tamil.

 9. Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed based on:

• Demonstrated ability to produce culturally resonant Tamil-language content.
• Proven experience in social marketing or behavior change communication.
• Strong content production capabilities across digital, print, and community platforms.
• Experience working in Northern Sri Lanka or with comparable contexts.
• Ability to collaborate through a co-design and iterative process.

WUSC is committed to inclusive and transparent procurement and strongly encourages applications from Organizations working in the North, women-led firms, and consultants with strong contextual knowledge of Sri Lanka’s gender and entrepreneurship landscape, especially from Northern Province.

Please send your Expression of Interest to [email protected]
with the subject line: EOI - GRIT Social Marketing Campaign

Submission Deadline: 18 January 2026, 12:00 midnight (Sri Lanka time)

Applications must be submitted electronically in English or Tamil by the deadline specified in the call. WUSC is committed to an inclusive and transparent procurement process. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to participate in further discussions and to submit a detailed technical and financial proposal. For more information and clarifications, please contact us via email at [email protected]