A central tenet of membership in the CIVICUS alliance is belonging to a global movement that stands in solidarity. In this spirit, the alliance launched the CIVICUS Solidarity Fund (CSF), a member-led and member-resourced granting mechanism.
You can learn more about the framework for the CSF by clicking here.
Looking for fully-funded opportunities, install the Youth Opportunities Android or iOS App here.
Who can access the fund? The fund is accessible to CIVICUS members that normally struggle to access resources and support due to restrictions in the space where they operate, their organising characteristics (unregistered, recently established organisations, etc) or simply who they are and what they challenge: small CSOs (formal and non-formal), individual activists, movements – particularly from historically oppressed and marginalised groups – and early-stage social advocates and social entrepreneurs that are contributing to transformational impact in the communities served.
The objectives of the CIVICUS Solidarity Fund are to:
- Enhance solidarity within the alliance, fostering a sense of belonging to a global movement for change;
- Support civil society diversity and resilience, especially among smaller, non-formal actors;
- Create opportunities where they do not exist for change-seeking actors to contribute to a more just, inclusive and sustainable world.
When we join forces in our diversity, we build meaningful momentum to tackle challenges facing humanity. This is what drives CIVICUS.
CIVICUS is a worldwide community of informed, inspiring and committed organisations and individuals working together. CIVICUS connects a diversity of members and partners dedicated to defending civic freedoms and democratic values, strengthening the power of people to organise, mobilise and take action within and across borders, and empowering a more accountable, effective and innovative civil society. Together we are a growing community of over 11,944 members from over 175 countries.
Our overall goal is to strengthen civil society and citizen action for a more just, inclusive and sustainable world.
Benefits
What They Fund
- Your application and/or proposed initiative strengthens your community and/or the work that you do, making the world a better place for everyone. If you are requesting core funding, the mission of your organisation or yourself should be aligned with the above.
- Costs of legal action, media coverage, travel/participation support to mission-aligned events and enhancing the safety/wellness of activists and their communities are admissible.
- The CSF will also accept proposals for core or unrestricted funding. This includes funding to sustain the daily activities of your individual advocacy work or your organisation’s work. This can include salary for personnel, office rent, etc.
- You are trying to address a specific problem or need for a particular community. You are aiming to accomplish innovative ideas also geared at assisting or enhancing the needs of a targeted community.
Eligibilities
- You must be a CIVICUS voting member or associate member.
- You belong to one of these groups: women, youth, people with disabilities, LGBTIQ+, Labour rights groups, indigenous and traditional peoples, and rural communities.
- You belong to the same group or community whose issues you are trying to address. For organisations, this implies that you are constituency-led. For example, an organisation working to increase youth participation in civil society is constituent-led if its leaders and members are young people.
- You find it hard to access funds because of government bans, and bureaucracy/donor requirements and are seriously risking having to stop your activities for lacking resources.
- You haven’t been awarded the CIVICUS Solidarity Fund before.
- The activities associated with the grant can be completed within 12 months.
- Funding requests of between US$1.000 and US$10.000.
- For individual applicants: You must belong to a movement/collective which will ultimately and clearly benefit from the grant assigned to the individual and the activities they will plan with these resources.
Application Process
- Apply through their official site
- Fill out the application form carefully.
Looking for fully-funded opportunities, install the Youth Opportunities Android or iOS App here.
Application Deadline: September 16, 2022
Application ClosedOfficial link
