The Commonwealth Foundation Grant Program is an annual initiative that extends vital financial support to civil society organizations operating within the Commonwealth. Established with the aim of fostering positive engagement between civil society and decision-makers, this program provides grants of up to £30,000 for projects lasting up to two years. By doing so, it empowers these organizations to contribute meaningfully to policy development, decision-making processes, and societal progress.
Program Objectives
The core objective of the Commonwealth Foundation Grant Program is to facilitate constructive collaboration between civil society and governmental authorities, promoting inclusivity, accountability, and equality across the Commonwealth nations. It seeks to empower civil society organizations to play a pivotal role in addressing pressing issues and advocating for change.
Priority Themes
The program emphasizes three key priority themes that reflect crucial areas of concern:
- Health Justice: Projects falling under this theme focus on improving healthcare access, quality, and equity. They challenge systemic discrimination within health systems, promote the inclusion of marginalized groups, and combat communicable and non-communicable diseases. Additionally, they aim to ensure equitable access to essential medicines.
- Freedom of Expression: Initiatives aligned with this theme aim to safeguard freedom of expression for all. They work towards creating a legal and regulatory environment conducive to free speech, promote access to information, and engage civil society in mechanisms that uphold this fundamental right. Creativity and art are also harnessed to advocate for and raise awareness of freedom of expression.
- Climate Justice: Projects within this theme are dedicated to protecting the rights of those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. They address the root causes of climate injustice, amplify the voices of affected communities, and advocate for corrective justice for environmental harm. Furthermore, they focus on enhancing accountability and effective remedies for human rights violations linked to climate change.
Gender Considerations
The Commonwealth Foundation is committed to gender equality and requests that all applicants integrate gender considerations into their project design and implementation. This ensures that the projects acknowledge and address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by different genders within the chosen themes.
Key Funding Considerations
Applicants are encouraged to explore the intersections between the three priority themes and consider addressing more than one theme in their proposals. Additionally, the program encourages partnerships to enhance project impact, emphasizes the participation of young people, and supports civil society organizations in small and vulnerable Member States.
The Commonwealth Foundation recognizes the importance of organizational capacity strengthening and invites shortlisted applicants to propose capacity-strengthening initiatives within their project budgets.
Location:
United KingdomBenefits
- Financial support: The Commonwealth Foundation provides grantees with financial support to implement their projects.
- Technical assistance and mentorship: The Foundation provides grantees with technical assistance and mentorship, helping them to develop their skills and capacity to implement effective civic engagement.
- Networking opportunities: The Commonwealth Foundation grants program brings together CSOs from across the Commonwealth, providing grantees with opportunities to network with other organizations and learn from each other’s experiences.
- Visibility and recognition: The Commonwealth Foundation is a well-respected organization and its grants program is highly competitive. Receiving a Commonwealth Foundation grant is a significant achievement and can help to raise the profile of a CSO.
Eligibilities
- The applicant must be a not-for-profit civil society organization (CSO) registered in an eligible Commonwealth Foundation member country.
- Newly registered organisations (those that have been registered and operating for less than a year) should not apply.
- The proposed project must be implemented in the country of registration. Projects can be implemented in one or more eligible Commonwealth Foundation member countries and can have a national, sub-national, regional, or international remit. In multi-country projects, strong local participation in project implementation is required.
- The applicant organization must have a minimum of two years’ demonstrable experience working on participatory governance and advocacy within the area/theme(s) of the proposed project.
- The total grant amount requested must be between £15,000 and £30,000 per year, and for a maximum of two years.
- The requested grant amount should not exceed 70% of the applicant organisation’s total annual income, averaged over the past two years.
- The annual income of the applicant organisation, averaged over the past two years, must be less than £2m.
- The project proposal must address at least one of the notified priority themes.
- The project proposal must demonstrate appropriate integration of gender considerations. For example, the applicant may use the findings of gender analysis to inform the design of the project proposal and / or and ensure allocation of adequate resources to effectively address gender equality in the project cycle.
- Proposals must relate to projects that are expected to begin within the second half of 2023 (i.e., after 1 July 2023 and before end September 2023). Note that applications not meeting the above eligibility requirements will not be considered.
- Note: The Foundation appreciates that CSOs interested in applying for a grant may already be doing significant work that falls within the parameters of this grants call and that would benefit from support for expansion and/or continuation of that work. They are therefore willing to consider supporting an additional component or extension of an existing initiative. This should be made clear in the application.
Application Process
- The applicant should check the eligibility list.
- The applicant should register with SurveyMonkey Apply.
- The applicant should complete the online application form.
- The applicant should provide the required additional documentation.
- The applicant should check that they have successfully submitted their application.
Application Deadline: October 23, 2023
Application ClosedOfficial link
