Applications for the Commonwealth Foundation Grants Programme for Civil Society Organizations in the UK in 2022 are currently open.
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.
Worth of Award
The total grant amount requested must be between £15,000 and £30,000 per year, and for a maximum of two years
Eligibility
To be considered eligible,
- The applicant must be a not-for-profit civil society organization (CSO) registered in an eligible Commonwealth Foundation member country.
- Newly registered organizations (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.
Similarly, the
- requested grant amount should not exceed 70% of the applicant organization’s total annual income, averaged over the past two years.
- annual income of the applicant organization, averaged over the past two years, must be less than £2m.
- project proposal must address at least one of the notified priority themes.
- project proposal must demonstrate appropriate integration of gender considerations.
- 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).
How to Apply
You will first need to login and create your Survey Monkey Apply account to complete and submit an online application form. All applications for the Commonwealth Foundation Grants Programme must include the following additional documentation:
- A logic model (using the template provided).
- A copy of the organization’s registration certificate. This should be clear a scan of an official registration document provided by the relevant authorities in the country where the organization 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: The applicant organization may choose to submit either their audited accounts or a copy of the organization’s most recent annual accounts. 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 organzsation’s 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 must be signed off by the auditor and the organization’s Board or its principal executive officer. They should not be older than December 2020.
Deadline: Applications for the 2022-2023 grants close at 1 pm GMT on Tuesday, November 1.