Commonwealth Foundation - Open call
Overview
About the Foundation
The Foundation’s vision is of a Commonwealth of equal, just, and inclusive societies. Our mission is to contribute to that vision by:
- Supporting the active and constructive participation of Commonwealth citizens in all aspects of their governance
- Nurturing the growth of vibrant and free civil societies in all Commonwealth countries •
- Advancing the principles and ideals of the Commonwealth.
The Foundation’s Strategic Plan 2021-2026 is strongly linked to the Commonwealth Charter and its values and aspirations. It also seeks to reflect and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDGs 3, 5, and 13-16, including all relevant targets focusing on participation in decision-making at all levels.
Open Call
The open call grants seek to facilitate constructive engagement between civil society and decision-makers, including civil society participation in policy development and implementation.
Who can apply
The applicant must be a not-for-profit civil society organisation (CSO) registered in an eligible Commonwealth Foundation Member State. The UK is ineligible to apply for a grant as a lead applicant but can participate in a project as partner, so long as the lead applicant is from another eligible country.
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.
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 (see above).
Proposals must relate to projects that are expected to begin after the 1 August 2025 and before the end of September 2025.
To check your eligibility, please refer to the eligible countries map and complete the eligibility quiz. [See webpage]
Applications must address one or more of their three priority themes. All applications are required to demonstrate how they will integrate gender considerations into their project design and implementation.
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.
Examples of previous projects funded under this theme can be found here.
Please note: this is not an exhaustive list but rather a set of examples to demonstrate the range of possible areas of focus under this theme.
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.
Examples of previous projects funded under this theme can be found here.
Please note: this is not an exhaustive list but rather a set of examples to demonstrate the range of possible areas of focus under this theme.
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.
Examples of previous projects funded under this theme can be found here.
Please note: this is not an exhaustive list but rather a set of examples to demonstrate the range of possible areas of focus under this theme.
Other important funding considerations
The Foundation’s three themes overlap and connect in myriad ways. For example, freedom of expression and protection of the free flow of information are critical to ensuring meaningful progress on health justice and climate justice.
Applicants are encouraged to explore the intersections between the three themes when developing their proposals and, where appropriate, to consider addressing more than one.
For example, a project could focus on using freedom of information legislation to ensure access to reliable information on the state of the environment or to promote government accountability in relation to climate laws and policies. Another project might focus on the links between climate change and health and how these can be addressed at the national level in ways that make a difference to vulnerable groups.
Gender as a cross-cutting theme
They ask all applicants to demonstrate an understanding of how gender operates within their chosen theme/s and show how they will integrate that understanding into their project. For example, a persuasive project proposal that seeks to promote free access to healthcare for workers in the informal sector would likely demonstrate an understanding of how gender affects access and what this means in terms of different needs and priorities.
Partnerships
The Foundation welcomes partnerships to enhance the scale, depth, and breadth of the proposed work. Only the lead applicant organisation, and not the partner(s), needs to satisfy the core eligibility criteria. Partners might be informal groups, social movements, individual artists or advocates whose contribution to the project will increase its impact. If any proposed partners are registered organisations in the country of implementation, their registration certificates should also be provided as part of the application.
Creativity for change
The Foundation believes art can create meaningful social change. This year they welcome applications from organisations that use art and creative advocacy to achieve policy change.
Participation of young people
While not a formal cross-cutting theme, young people are central to the Foundation’s mission and its vision for a future Commonwealth of equal, just, and inclusive societies. Applications are encouraged from youth-led organisations working on constructive engagement.
Small and vulnerable Member States
The Commonwealth Charter explicitly affirms the role of the Commonwealth as a champion of small states and a special duty on the Commonwealth to support and advocate for the interests of small states as well as those that are otherwise vulnerable. Applications from civil society organisations in small and vulnerable states that are members of the Foundation are strongly encouraged.
Note that applicants from small and vulnerable states whose projects are not selected under this open call may be contacted to discuss other potential funding opportunities.
Capacity Strengthening
This call is for specific project proposals. It means that the budget which is submitted must relate to the costs that will be incurred in implementing the proposed project.