The Commonwealth Foundation offer grants of up to £60,000 to civil society organisations in the Commonwealth.
The open call grants seek to facilitate constructive engagement between civil society and decision-makers, including civil society participation in policy development and implementation.
Funding Priorities
- Health Justice
- Freedom of expression
- Climate Justice
Requirements
- 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.
The application process
- 16 September 2025: The call opens for applications
- 23 October 2025: The call closes for applications and assessment begins
- February 2026: If you haven’t been contacted by the end of February, your application has been unsuccessful
- June 2026: Successful applicants will be informed before the end of the month