The Foundation works to bring the voice of civil society into all aspects of governance, supporting civil society engagement in shaping the policies and decisions that affect people’s lives.
The Foundation’s vision is of a Commonwealth of equal, just, and inclusive societies. Our mission is to contribute to that 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
Health
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 the social determinants of health as part of the inclusive right to health.
Equitable access to health services for marginalised groups (e.g., migrants) and those with special needs (e.g., people living with HIV or disabilities).
Promoting the participation of marginalised groups and those with special needs in decision-making processes.
Promoting health and well-being by combating communicable and noncommunicable diseases.
Equitable access to vaccines and essential medicines.
Freedom of expression
Support civil society to engage meaningfully with government to:
Advocate for a legal and regulatory environment that protects and upholds freedom of expression for all.
Advocate for a legal and regulatory environment that promotes the freedom, growth and vibrancy of civil society.
Promote access to information and transparency in governance, including through a free and independent press, robust freedom of information laws and their practical application.
Support 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).
Support civil society to work with artists to raise awareness of freedom of expression issues and engage in advocacy efforts (note this could become part of the additional creative element as set out below).
Environment and climate change
Support civil society to engage meaningfully with government to:
Develop, review, and improve laws, policies and practices aimed at addressing environmental and climate threats.
Monitor the implementation of relevant laws, policies, and practices (e.g., of national climate plans and commitments).
Address mitigation and adaptation challenges.
Support community-level adaptation measures aimed at improving resilience of those most affected (e.g., improving the resilience of market vendors against extreme weather events).
Expose and address the factors that contribute to the increased vulnerability of social groups to the consequences of environmental degradation and climate change.
Expose and address negative social and distributional outcomes of climate change mitigation policies and/or encourage the support for the development of pro-poor mitigation approaches.
Gender is a cross-cutting theme in our work and must be reflected in submitted applications.
Priority
Applicants must address one or more of the Foundation’s three priority themes:
(i) Health
(ii) Environment and climate change
(iii) Freedom of expression
They seek to support initiatives that encourage and make possible meaningful and constructive engagement between civil society and government around policy and decision-making relevant to these three themes.
Applications close on Tuesday 1st November at 1pm.