Deadline: 9 January 2020
Open to: not-profit civil society organisations coming from the countries listed below
Benefits: grants up to GBP 200,000 

Description

With more than 2.3 billion citizens, the Commonwealth provides a potentially huge pool of ideas for advancing societies.
The Foundation offers grants in support of innovative project ideas and approaches that seek to strengthen the ability of civic voices to engage with governments and that have the potential to improve governance and development outcomes through their active participation.
The Foundation believes in the power of stories and storytelling for social change and will award grants for creative approaches that have the potential to influence public discourse.

They are interested in supporting projects that strengthen civic voice so that it:

• Is more effective in holding governance institutions to account
• Enhances involvement in policy processes
• Shapes public discourse

Your project should address one or both of the following outcomes and may include the use of the creative expression to achieve project aims:

• Stronger civic voices engaging in policy processes to hold the government to account;
• Public discourse more reflective of less-heard voices.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a grant, the following criteria must be met:

1. The applicant and, when applicable, partner(s) are registered non-profit civil society organizations (CSOs).

2. The applicant and, when applicable, partner(s) must be registered in a Commonwealth Foundation member country and the project should take place in an eligible Commonwealth Foundation member country:  Antigua and Barbuda,Australia*, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Brunei, Darussalam, Cameroon, Canada*,Cyprus, Eswatini,Guyana, India,Jamaica, Kenya,Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, New Zealand*,Pakistan, Papua New Guinea & Seychelles.

3. The application is for funding for a maximum of £50,000 per annum.
4. The applicant is applying for funding for a maximum of four years.
5. The applicant and partner organizations do not have an existing grant from the Commonwealth Foundation at the time the application window is open.
6. The average of the applicant’s total income over the last two years is less than £3m.
7. The project must address one or both the Commonwealth Foundation’s outcomes

Benefits

For this grants call, the Commonwealth Foundation will be approving between 6 and 8 grants in the amount of up to GBP 200,000 over four years.

How to apply?

For more information and how to apply, please visit the official web page.