FUNDING

Commonwealth Foundation Grants Call now open (grants of up to £60,000 awarded to civil society organisations)

Ednah Carrick September 23, 2025

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Closing Date: 23 October 2025

Commonwealth Foundation Grants Call now open (grants of up to £60,000 awarded to civil society organisations)

Introduction

Commonwealth Foundation offer grants of up to £60,000 to civil society organisations in the Commonwealth.

The open grants call seek to facilitate constructive engagement between civil society and decision-makers, including civil society participation in policy development and implementation.

Applications must address one or more of the three priority themes. All applications are required to demonstrate how they will integrate gender considerations into their project design and implementation.

Grant status

This Commonwealth Foundation grants call is now open

What Commonwealth Foundation fund

Applications must address one or more of its three priority themes and other funding considerations such as partnerships and exclusions. Suggested areas of focus under each theme and other important funding considerations are set out below:

Funding priorities

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 Commonwealth Foundation has 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.

Who Commonwealth Foundation fund

Before you apply, please check if you are eligible for Commonwealth Foundation Grants. Only applications meeting the criteria will be considered.

The applicant must be a not-for-profit civil society organisation (CSO) registered in an eligible Commonwealth Foundation Member State.
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. Organisations that have been registered and operating for less than three years are not eligible.
Applicant organisations that are currently implementing, or that have recently completed, a Commonwealth Foundation Grant but have not received their final payment, are not eligible to apply to this grant call.
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 2026 and before the end of September 2026.

Assessment Criteria

Commonwealt Foundation typically receive around 1000 applications which are assessed in line with the eligibility criteria.

The assessment criteria for applications are as follows:

Your organisation meets all eligibility criteria
Your organisation has a good track record of advocacy work
Your application provides a clear description of the problem that the applicant is seeking to address
Your application provides a clear explanation of how you plan to address the problem and contribute to its resolution
Your organisation provides good evidence of having consulted with the project’s supposed beneficiaries
Your application makes a persuasive case for the proposed approach to the problem. It is timely, relevant and feasible.
Your organisation demonstrates that it has the capacity to undertake the project and complete it successfully within the stipulated time
Your organisation demonstrates a serious commitment to gender equality