The Commonwealth Foundation Open Grants Call 2026–2027 provides funding to civil society organisations across eligible Commonwealth countries working to create meaningful social, cultural and political change.
The Foundation supports projects that strengthen the ability of civil society to engage constructively with governments and other decision-makers, as well as projects that use creative advocacy to influence public discussion, policy, behaviour and decision-making.
For this funding round, the Foundation has expanded its funding offer to include a new Collective Action Grants stream for networks, coalitions, alliances and collectives working together to strengthen participation and collective action.
Projects must address at least one of the Foundation’s three funding priorities:
- Climate and environmental justice
- Economic inclusion
- Freedom of expression
The Foundation also requires applicants to demonstrate how gender and intersectionality will be considered throughout project design and implementation.
About the Commonwealth Foundation
The Commonwealth Foundation is an international development organisation that supports civil society organisations across the Commonwealth to participate in governance and contribute to more inclusive and responsive societies.
The Foundation focuses on strengthening civic voices and supporting civil society to engage with decision-makers, influence policy and contribute to social change. Its official tagline is “More Voices for a Fairer Society.”
Grant Streams
The 2026–2027 call has two funding streams:
1. Individual Organisation Grants
This stream is for eligible not-for-profit civil society organisations and creative organisations implementing standalone projects.
Organisations can request:
£15,000–£30,000 per year for up to two years.
The proposed project should demonstrate how the organisation will use constructive engagement with decision-makers and/or creative advocacy to achieve meaningful change.
2. Collective Action Grants
This is a new funding stream introduced in the current call.
It is designed for networks, coalitions, alliances and platforms of civil society actors, including community-based organisations, groups, creative actors and creative collectives working together.
Funding is:
£15,000–£20,000 per year for up to two years.
If the network or collective is not itself registered, an eligible registered civil society organisation that belongs to the collective must serve as the lead applicant.
Funding Priorities
1. Climate and Environmental Justice
The Foundation supports projects addressing the social, political and economic causes and impacts of climate and environmental injustice.
Projects could focus on:
- Strengthening the participation of communities most affected by climate change
- Influencing climate policies and decision-making
- Protecting the rights of vulnerable and marginalised communities
- Promoting a just and clean energy transition
- Supporting Indigenous and local knowledge
- Improving environmental policies and practices
- Promoting accountability and access to environmental justice
- Addressing factors that increase communities’ vulnerability to climate change.
2. Economic Inclusion
Projects under this priority should contribute to more inclusive economic systems and greater participation of marginalised groups in economic decision-making and opportunities.
Applicants should demonstrate how their proposed work can contribute to meaningful structural or policy-level change rather than simply providing direct services.
3. Freedom of Expression
This priority supports work promoting an environment where people and civil society can freely express themselves and participate in governance.
Projects may address:
- Freedom of expression
- Access to information
- Transparency and accountability
- Civil society participation
- Legal and regulatory frameworks
- Independent media
- Creative expression and advocacy
- Participation in national, regional or international human-rights mechanisms.
The Foundation encourages applicants to explore connections between the three themes. For example, a project could combine climate justice with access to information and government accountability.
Who Can Apply?
Individual Organisation Grants
Applicants must be:
- A not-for-profit civil society or creative organisation
- Registered in an eligible Commonwealth Foundation member country
- Registered and operating for at least three years
- Able to demonstrate at least three years of relevant experience
- Experienced in working with the communities where the project will be implemented
- Working on issues connected to the proposed project and the Foundation’s priority areas.
The organisation’s average annual income over the previous two years must be less than £2.5 million. The requested grant must also not exceed 70% of the organisation’s average annual income over those two years.
Collective Action Grants
Networks, coalitions, alliances and collectives must be based in an eligible Commonwealth Foundation member country.
An unregistered collective can apply through an eligible registered member organisation acting as the lead applicant.
The collective or lead organisation must also demonstrate relevant experience and significant experience working with the communities where the project will take place.
Eligible Countries
The current call includes eligible countries across:
Africa: Botswana, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Tanzania.
It also includes eligible Commonwealth countries in the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Pacific.
Youth Participation
Young people are an important consideration within the Foundation’s work.
The Foundation particularly encourages applications that meaningfully involve young people and strengthen youth leadership, and it encourages applications from youth-led organisations working on constructive engagement.
This makes the call particularly relevant to civil society organisations working on youth participation, climate justice, governance, civic engagement, environmental advocacy and other policy-related issues.
Gender & Intersectionality
All applicants are required to demonstrate how gender and intersectionality have informed the design of their project and how these considerations will be integrated during implementation.
Applicants are expected to consider how factors such as age, disability, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and geographical location can affect people’s experiences and participation.
What the Foundation Does Not Fund
The Foundation does not generally fund:
- Attendance at training courses, workshops or conferences as standalone activities
- Academic study or research as standalone activities
- Publication of books or films as standalone activities
- Exchanges between developed countries
- Activities focused solely on building government or private-sector capacity
- Direct service-delivery projects such as medicine distribution, construction of facilities or installation of water pumps.
The focus is instead on projects that contribute to participatory governance, advocacy, policy influence and meaningful engagement with decision-makers.
Project Timeline
Successful projects are expected to begin between:
1 August and 30 September 2027.
The current application timeline is:
- 23 September 2026: Applications open
- 26 October 2026: Application deadline
- February 2027: Shortlisted applicants contacted
- June 2027: Successful applicants informed
- August–September 2027: Expected project implementation begins.
Application Process
Applicants should:
- Check eligibility using the Foundation’s eligible-country information and eligibility quiz.
- Register on SurveyMonkey Apply, the Foundation’s online grant application platform.
- Complete the online application form for the relevant grant stream.
- Submit the required supporting documents, including:
- A completed logic model
- Organisation registration certificate
- Evidence of not-for-profit status where necessary
- Names, roles, responsibilities and contact details of board members/trustees or the relevant governance structure.
- Submit the complete application before the deadline.
Applications and supporting documents cannot be submitted by email.
How Applications Are Assessed
The Foundation typically assesses applications based on factors including:
- Whether the organisation meets all eligibility requirements
- Track record in advocacy
- Clarity of the problem being addressed
- Strength of the proposed solution
- Evidence of consultation with intended beneficiaries
- Relevance, feasibility and timeliness of the project
- Organisational capacity to deliver the project
- Commitment to gender equality.
Shortlisted applicants will be asked to provide additional information, including a more detailed project budget.
Why Apply?
For eligible organisations, this is an opportunity to secure multi-year funding for policy and advocacy work rather than short-term service delivery.
The call is particularly relevant to organisations working on climate justice, environmental justice, youth participation, economic inclusion, freedom of expression, civic space, governance and policy influencing.
The introduction of the Collective Action Grants also creates an opportunity for civil society networks and coalitions to work together on issues that require collective advocacy and stronger participation in decision-making.
