Applications Invited for the Commonwealth Foundation 2025-26 Annual Grants Call

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About the Organization

The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation mandated by its member countries to advance the interests of Commonwealth civil society.

Upholding a firm commitment to the principles and ideals of the Commonwealth, the Foundation seeks to nurture the growth of vibrant and free societies: championing the active and constructive participation of people in all aspects of governance.

Vision: A Commonwealth of equal, just and inclusive societies.

Mission: We will contribute to the above 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

About the Grant

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

Our open call grants 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 our three priority themes. All applications are required to demonstrate how they will integrate gender considerations into their project design and implementation.

Funding priorities:

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.

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.

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.

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 our 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: The Foundation’s commitment to supporting the constructive participation of citizens in their governance, and to nurturing the growth of vibrant and free civil societies is informed by a recognition that social structures and systems are not neutral. Rather, they operate in and are shaped by power dynamics that too often reflect and perpetuate inequality and discrimination. We understand that gender inequality is a major challenge to our vision of a Commonwealth of equal, just, and inclusive societies and are committed to integrating gender considerations across our work and the work we support. To that end, we 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. That same proposal would also likely demonstrate an understanding of how gender in this setting intersects with other forms of discrimination (e.g., how race or age impacts on the hurdles facing women workers seeking to access healthcare services) that are different from those faced by other female informal workers; and how that understanding informs the project.

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 we 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. 

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. The Foundation does appreciate the importance of strengthening organisational capacity. Those applicants whose projects are shortlisted will therefore be invited to propose capacity-strengthening initiatives as part of their project’s budget, at up to 5% of the grant amount requested. These funds can be used to cover organisational needs that are distinct from the project, but that help to enhance broader organisational effectiveness.

Eligibility

Only applications meeting the eligibility 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.

How to Apply

Before you apply, please ensure you have completed the the eligiblity quiz and check your country is eligible in the eligible countries map. Only applications that meet our eligibility criteria can be considered.

Survey Monkey Apply are the providers of the online platform we are using for grant applications. We will only consider completed applications that have been submitted using the online application system.

Before applying, you need to set up a SurveyMonkey Apply account. To set up your account, click ‘register’ on the website here.

To apply, you will first need to log in to your SurveyMonkey Apply account and complete and submit an online application form on the website here.

The application and supporting documents cannot be emailed to the Foundation.

Applications close at 1pm BST on 23 October 2025.

For more information please check the Link

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Tags Environment and Sustainability Governance Healthcare and Healthtech Others