Applications call for Commonwealth Foundation COVID-19 Special Grants Call

The Foundation’s Grants Programme supports innovative project ideas and approaches that seek to strengthen the ability of civic voices to engage with governments to improve governance and development outcomes through their active participation. In lieu of the Commonwealth Foundation, annual grants call, the foundation is launching a special grants call in response to the COVID–19 pandemic.

Aim

The purpose of the Commonwealth Foundation COVID-19 Special Grants Call is to enable the Foundation to deliver support to Commonwealth civil society organizations in response to COVID-19 quickly, efficiently, and in a way that both reflects and advances our broader mission. To that end, the focus will be on supporting national initiatives that aim to engage constructively with the government in strengthening relevant institutions, policies, and practices as communities and countries seek to recover and rebuild.

The Foundation is also aware that the pandemic has created a novel and urgent priorities for civil society action and engagement: from the emergence of acute vulnerability among certain groups to the need for insight into how new laws and policies are impacting on different groups of people. Proposals for Commonwealth Foundation COVID-19 Special Grants Call should address such priorities the rough the lens of participatory governance.

Grants

Grants of £10,000 – £30,000 will be available for a maximum 12-month duration.

Eligibility

• The applicant and, where applicable, partner(s) must be registered not-for-profit civil society organizations (CSOs).
• The applicant must be registered in an eligible Commonwealth Member State and the project should take place in the country of registration. Partner(s) must also be registered in a Commonwealth Member State.

Focus Areas

• Research into, and monitoring of, government and civil society responses to the pandemic that aim to identify gaps, weaknesses, and good practices that could be used to inform current practice and future policy: including the impact of laws and policies in general, or in relation to specific groups such as women; workers in the informal economy; migrants and refugees or specific issues such as, for example, gender-based violence and access to treatment.
• Support to civil society organizations, networks, and coalitions to enable more effective engagement with government on development and implementation of policies and plans to address the pandemic in the longer term or respond to new health emergencies.
• Promotion of civil society engagement with the national government, private sector, and academic institutions to innovate and develop quality products for vulnerable groups that reduce risks associated with pandemics
• Facilitating multi-stakeholder discussions or bodies (e.g. taskforce) to review and suggest reforms to policies and programs that can better protect: vulnerable populations; informal workers; and frontline staff during and after the pandemic.
• Awareness raising and other forms of community engagement aimed at improving social and other protections, especially for vulnerable groups in collaboration with a national government.
• Convening and/or participating in discussions with the national government aimed at improving transparency and strengthening institutions, policies, and practices.

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