About the Grant
As one of the three intergovernmental pillars of the Commonwealth, the Foundation operates within that critical space between government and the people. The Foundation works to bring the voice of civil society into all aspects of governance, supporting civil society engagement in shaping the policies and decisions that affect people’s lives.
The Foundation’s Strategic Plan 2021-2026 is strongly linked to the Commonwealth Charter and its values and aspirations, and it identifies three thematic areas of focus which are detailed in the green box below. Civil society projects that aim to advance these themes will be supported through this open grants call.
FOCUS AREAS
Applicants must address one or more of the Foundation’s three priority themes:
(i) Health
(ii) Environment and climate change
(iii) Freedom of expression
Eligibility for grant funding under this call depends on the following criteria:
- The applicant is a registered not-for-profit civil society organisation (CSO).
- The applicant is registered in an eligible Commonwealth Foundation member country and the proposed project will be implemented in the country of registration. Please see a full list of eligible countries at commonwealthfoundation.com/grants. (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, the Foundation encourages collaboration with partners in each involved country (see further information on partnerships below).
- The applicant has documented experience, over at least two years, working on participatory governance and advocacy within the proposed area/theme(s).
- The total grant amount requested must be between £15,000 and £30,000 per year for a maximum of two years.
- The requested grant amount should not exceed 70% of the applicant organisation’s total annual income.
- The average of the applicant organisation’s total annual income over the past two years must be less than £2m.
- The project proposal must address at least one of the priority themes and demonstrate appropriate and meaningful integration of gender considerations.
Proposals must relate to projects that are expected to begin within the second half of 2022.
Grant Size: BPD 30,000
Deadline: November 30, 2021