Deadline: November 1, 2022
Applications are open for the Commonwealth Foundation Grants Programme 2022-2023. Under this call, the Foundation is looking to support projects that seek to facilitate constructive engagement between civil society and government, including civil society participation in policy development and decision making.
The call is focusing on three themes: health, environment and climate change and freedom of expression. Projects must address one or more of these three themes.
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.
Grant
- The total grant amount requested must be between £15,000 and £30,000 per year, and for a maximum of two years.
Eligibility
- 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).
Application
All applicants must submit a completed online application form. 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 organisation’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 organisation’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 organisation’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.
For more information, see FAQ and visit Commonwealth Foundation Grants.
