CFAs: Commonwealth Foundation Grant Program

Deadline Date: October 24, 2024

 Donor Name: Commonwealth Foundation

 Grant Size: $10,000 to $100,000

The Commonwealth Foundation is seeking grant application to facilitate constructive engagement between civil society and decision-makers, including civil society participation in policy development and implementation.

Themes

• Health Justice
  • Projects could support civil society to engage meaningfully with government on:
    • Universal health coverage.
    • Realising the right to health: better availability, accessibility, quality, participation and accountability in health services and delivery.
    • Programmes and policies that focus on social determinants of health as part of the inclusive right to health.
    • Challenging systemic discrimination in health systems and promoting equitable access to health services for marginalised groups and those with special needs.
    • Promoting the participation of marginalised groups and those with special needs in decision-making processes.
    • Promoting health and well-being by combating communicable and non-communicable diseases.
    • Equitable access to essential medicines.
• Freedom of Expression
  • Projects could support civil society to engage meaningfully with government on:
    • Advancing a legal and regulatory environment that protects and upholds freedom of expression for all. 
    • Advancing a legal and regulatory environment that promotes the freedom, growth, and vibrancy of civil society. 
    • Promoting access to information and transparency in governance, including through a free and independent press, robust freedom of information laws and their practical application. 
    • Advancing civil society engagement in national, regional and/or international mechanisms and processes to promote freedom of expression (e.g., national human rights institutions; Universal Periodic Reviews). 
    • Promoting art and creativity as means of advocating for and raising awareness of freedom of expression.
• Climate Justice
  • Projects could support civil society to engage meaningfully with government on:
    • Ensuring representation, inclusion, and protecting the rights of those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. 
    • Addressing the social, political, and economic root causes of climate injustice. 
    • Strengthening the voices of those most affected by the climate crisis in multilateral and national spaces. 
    • Ensuring that the voice, agency, and leadership of young women and men are at the centre of policy discussions and decision-making at all levels. 
    • Advocating for corrective justice for environmental harm, including compensation mechanisms, access to justice and effective remedy, and legal empowerment. 
    • Ensuring accountability and effective remedy for human rights harms caused by climate change. 
    • Developing, reviewing, improving, and monitoring laws, policies and practices promoting climate justice. 
    • Exposing and addressing the factors that contribute to the increased vulnerability of social groups to the consequences of climate change. 
    • Exposing and addressing negative social and distributional outcomes of climate change mitigation policies and/or encourage support for the development of pro-poor mitigation approaches.

Funding Information

• The total grant amount requested must be a minimum of £15,000 or between £15,001 and £30,000 per year, and for a maximum of two years.

Eligibility Criteria

• The applicant must be a not-for-profit civil society organisation (CSO) registered in an eligible Commonwealth Foundation member country.
• Newly registered organisations (those that have been registered and operating for less than three years) are not eligible to 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 project must seek to facilitate change through constructive engagement between civil society and decision-makers, including civil society participation in policy development and decision-making, within one or more of the Foundation’s priority themes .
• The applicant organisation must have a minimum of three years’ demonstrable experience working on participatory governance and advocacy within the area/theme(s) of the proposed project. 

For more information, visit Commonwealth Foundation.