The Commonwealth Foundation Grants Program 2022 is now accepting applications. The Foundation is looking to support initiatives through this request that aim to encourage positive interaction between civil society and the government, including civil society involvement in decision- and policy-making.
The three themes of the call are freedom of expression, ecology and climate change, and health. One or more of these three themes must be covered by projects.
The Foundation functions in that crucial area between government and the people as one of the Commonwealth’s three intergovernmental pillars. The Foundation strives to include the voice of civil society in all facets of governance by encouraging civil society participation in formulating the laws and choices that have an impact on people’s lives.
Eligibility Criteria
- 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 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).
Benefits
- The total grant amount requested must be between £15,000 and £30,000 per year, and for a maximum of two years.
Documents Required For Application
- All applications must include the following additional documentation:
- A logic model (using the template provided).
- A copy of the organisation’s registration certificate. This should be a clear scan of an official registration document provided by the relevant authorities in the country where the applicant organisation is registered. Trust deeds will not be accepted in lieu of a registration certificate. When the original registration certificates are not in English, shortlisted applications can be expected to be asked to provide a certified translation.
- For grants of £15,000 per annum: a copy of the organization’s most recent audited accounts or annual accounts. Note that annual accounts must include a balance sheet, a profit and loss statement and notes about the account. They must be signed off by the organization’s Board or its principal executive officer. Audited or annual accounts must not be older than December 2020.
- For grants of £15,001 and above: a copy of the organization’s most recent audited accounts. Note that audited accounts n must include both the accounts and the opinion of the external auditor who has certified them. They must be signed off by the auditor and the organisation’s Board or its principal executive officer. They should not be older than December 2020.
How To Apply
Go to Commonwealth Foundation (CF) to apply
Each applicant must submit a fully filled out online application.