Applications are currently being accepted for the Commonwealth Foundation Grant 2026-2027. Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
About Commonwealth Foundation Grant
The Foundation’s grants programme supports civil society across the Commonwealth—including grassroots communities and creative actors—to advance meaningful social, cultural and political change.
They support projects that seek change through constructive engagement with governments and other decision-makers and/or through creative advocacy: the intentional use of creative practices to influence public discourse, policy, behaviours or decision-making.
This year, the Foundation is expanding its funding offer to create new opportunities for civil society networks, coalitions, alliances and collectives, building on several years of support for grassroots communities and creative organisations.
Applications must address one or more of our three funding priorities. All applicants are required to demonstrate how they intend to integrate considerations of gender and intersectionality into their project design and implementation.
Benefits of Commonwealth Foundation Grant
They offer funding through two complementary grant streams:
- Individual Organisation Grants: For eligible not-for-profit civil society organisations, including creative organisations, delivering standalone projects. Grants are available from £15,000 to £30,000 per year for up to two years.
- Collective Action Grants: For eligible networks, coalitions, alliances and platforms of civil society actors, including creative collectives, working together to strengthen participation and collective action. Grants are available from £15,000 to £20,000 per year for up to two years.
Commonwealth Foundation Grant Requirements
Individual Organisation Grants
- Open to not-for-profit civil society organisations and creative organisations registered in eligible Commonwealth Foundation member countries.
- Applicants must have been registered and operating for at least three years, with a minimum of three years’ demonstrable experience relevant to the proposed project and our strategic impact areas. This may include constructive engagement between civil society and decision-makers, or using arts and creative expression to influence narratives, policy or public discourse.
- Applicants should also have significant experience of working in the communities where their proposed project will be delivered.
- The proposed project must, at minimum, be implemented in the applicant organisation’s country of registration. Projects may also be implemented in other eligible countries. Multi-country projects must demonstrate strong local participation by organisations, communities and other relevant actors in each country of implementation.
- The applicant organisation’s average annual income over the past two years must be less than £2.5 million. The requested grant must not exceed 70% of the applicant organisation’s total annual income, averaged over the past two years.
- Organisations that are currently implementing a Commonwealth Foundation grant, or have recently completed a grant but have not yet received their final payment, are not eligible to apply.
Collective Action Grants
- Open to not-for-profit networks, such as coalitions, alliances or platforms of civil society organisations (CSOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), groups, creative actors or creative collectives in eligible Commonwealth Foundation member countries.
- If the network or collective is not a registered organisation, a registered civil society organisation that is a member of the collective must act as lead applicant on its behalf.
- Networks or collectives must have a minimum of three years’ demonstrable experience relevant to the proposed project and our strategic impact areas. They must also have a minimum of three years’ demonstrable experience relevant to the proposed project and strategic impact area. This may include experience in participatory governance, advocacy, civic participation, community engagement, or using arts and creative expression to influence narratives, policy or public discourse.
- Applicants should also have significant experience of working in the communities where their proposed project will be delivered.
- The proposed project must, at minimum, be implemented in the network’s or lead applicant’s country of registration. Projects may also be implemented in other eligible countries. Multi-country projects must demonstrate strong local participation in each country of implementation.
- The collective or lead applicant organisation’s average annual income over the past two years must be less than £2.5 million. The requested grant must not exceed 70% of the collective’s or lead applicant organisation’s average annual income over the past two years.
- Networks, collectives or lead applicant organisations that are currently implementing a Commonwealth Foundation grant, or have recently completed a grant but have not yet received their final payment, are not eligible to apply.
Requirements for all projects
- All proposals must seek to advance at least one of the Foundation’s strategic impact areas: freedom of expression, economic inclusion, or climate and environmental justice.
- Proposals must also demonstrate how gender and intersectionality have informed their design and will be integrated throughout implementation.
- We welcome applications that propose the use of creative advocacy to advance change. Creative organisations applying for an Individual Organisation Grant, and creative organisations or creative collectives applying for a Collective Action Grant, should submit a small selection of previous or current work demonstrating their creative practice and relevance to the project.
Application Date and Process
- Click on the link to the application website to apply.
Application Deadline
26 October, 2026
Opportunity Application
View details of
Commonwealth Foundation Grant
Apply for Commonwealth Foundation Grant
