Commonwealth Foundation Grants Program 2021-2022

Apply for the Commonwealth Foundation Grants Program 2021-2022. 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.

Deadline

November 30, 2021

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: Health; Environment and Climate Change; and Freedom of Expression. Civil society projects that aim to advance these themes will be supported through this open grants call.

Grant

• The total grant amount requested must be between £15,000 and £30,000 per year for a maximum of two years.

Eligibility

• The applicant must be a registered not-for-profit civil society organisation (CSO).
• The applicant must be registered in an eligible Commonwealth Foundation member country, and 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, the Foundation encourages collaboration with partners in each involved country.
• The applicant must be able to provide documented experience, over at least two years, of working on participatory governance and advocacy within the proposed area / theme(s).
• The requested grant amount cannot 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.

Application

Applicants must also provide the following documents:

• A logic model and activity timeline (completed using the provided template).
• A copy of the organisation’s registration certificate (the official registration document provided by the relevant authorities in the country of registration). Trust deeds will not be accepted in lieu of a registration certificate. When the original registration certificates are not in English, shortlisted applications may be asked to provide a 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 2019.
• For grants of £15,001 and above: a copy of the organisation’ most recent audited accounts. Note that audited accounts must include both the accounts and the opinion of the external auditor who has certified them. They should not be older than December 2019.

Click here to apply