Application Deadline: October 29 2013

The Commonwealth Foundation grants programme contributes to sustainable development in the context of effective, responsive and accountable governance with civil society participation.

The programme brokers knowledge and ideas. It supports innovation and sharing of replicable and sustainable models, whilst promoting good practice in participatory governance.

Participatory governance grants

Participatory governance is about how the state, the market and civil society interact to effect change. These interactions involve the inclusion of civil society in decision-making processes, enabling citizens to exercise voice and vote, and engage in policy formation.

By awarding grants to support participatory governance across the Commonwealth, the programme aims to:

• Deliver an efficient and effective programme which is responsive to the development needs of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) across the Commonwealth
• Complement the effectiveness of the Foundation’s projects by providing grants to CSOs beyond those supported through the projects
• Generate knowledge and understanding of participatory governance and its benefits in promoting effective, responsive and accountable governance within the Commonwealth by supporting models of good practice

At a glance

• Up to £30,000 per year
• Multi-year funding available (up to three years)
• For civil society organisations
• Funding for new projects delivered in Commonwealth Foundation member countries

The grants programme will be particularly supportive of proposals that mainstream the Foundation’s cross-cutting outcome areas in their project design:

• Gender equality
• Environmental sustainability
• Cultural respect and understanding

How do I apply for a grant?

This is a two-stage process and civil society organisations will have approximately four weeks to submit a preliminary application when the grant call opens. This will then be followed by a short listing process.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to submit a full application within a month of notice and will be emailed a link to an online application form. At this stage, applicants will be expected to submit a logic model, a full budget and a project plan with templates supplied along with a link to the full application form.

a) To facilitate your application, please read the following documents carefully before proceeding:

 Grants application guidelines

 How to prepare your grants application

 Commonwealth Foundation logic model

b) You will need to register or sign in and complete the eligibility questionnaire before starting a new application. To register, you will need to supply an email address and a password.

c) In addition to your application form, you will need to submit

 a copy of your organisation’s registration certificate

 a copy of your organisation’s most recent audited annual accounts or annual report

 a copy of the registration certificate and most recent audited annual accounts/report for any joint applicant organisations