Commonwealth Foundation 2026–2027 Open Grants Call

Who can apply

• Not-for-profit civil society organisations registered in eligible Commonwealth Foundation member countries
• Not-for-profit creative organisations registered in eligible Commonwealth Foundation member countries
• Not-for-profit networks, coalitions, alliances and platforms of civil society actors
• Networks involving civil society organisations, community-based organisations and groups
• Creative collectives applying through the Collective Action Grants stream
• Unregistered networks or collectives where an eligible registered civil society organisation that is a member acts as lead applicant
• Youth-led organisations meeting the eligibility requirements
• Eligible organisations that have been registered and operating for at least three years
• Applicants with at least three years of relevant experience in the proposed project area and strategic impact area
• Applicants with significant experience working with the communities where the proposed project will be implemented

Focus areas

• Climate and environmental justice
• Economic inclusion
• Freedom of expression
• Climate justice and environmental accountability
• Participation in climate policy and decision-making
• Just and clean energy transition
• Indigenous and local knowledge
• Environmental rights and access to justice
• Socio-economic inequality
• Equitable access to resources, assets, services and opportunities
• Labour rights
• Inclusive economic policy
• Sustainable livelihoods
• Entrepreneurship and decent jobs
• Youth economic inclusion
• Creative economy
• Freedom of association and assembly
• Access to information
• Media freedom
• Digital rights and inclusion
• Online violence affecting women and young people
• Gender bias in artificial intelligence
• Public participation
• Open civic dialogue
• Creative advocacy
• Gender equality and intersectionality
• Youth participation and leadership
• Civil society participation in public policy and decision-making

Requirements

• The applicant or eligible lead applicant must be registered and operating on a not-for-profit basis for at least three years.
• The applicant or lead applicant must be registered in an eligible Commonwealth Foundation member country.
• The proposed project must be implemented at minimum in the applicant or lead applicant's country of registration.
• Multi-country projects may include other eligible countries but must demonstrate strong local participation in each country of implementation.
• The project must advance at least one of the Foundation's strategic impact areas: climate and environmental justice, economic inclusion or freedom of expression.
• The project must pursue change through constructive engagement with governments or other decision-makers and/or through creative advocacy.
• Applicants must have at least three years of demonstrable experience relevant to the proposed project and strategic impact area.
• Applicants must have significant experience working with the communities where the project will be delivered.
• The applicant or lead applicant's average annual income over the past two years must be less than £2.5 million.
• The grant requested must not exceed 70% of the applicant or lead applicant's average annual income over the past two years.
• Individual Organisation Grant requests must be between £15,000 and £30,000 per year.
• Collective Action Grant requests must be between £15,000 and £20,000 per year.
• Grants may be requested for a maximum of two years.
• Projects are expected to begin between 1 August and 30 September 2027.
• Applicants must demonstrate how gender and intersectionality have informed project design and will be integrated throughout implementation.
• An organisation, network, collective or proposed partner may only be included in one application under this open call.
• Organisations currently implementing a Commonwealth Foundation grant, or that have completed one but have not yet received their final payment, are not eligible.
• Projects focused primarily on direct service delivery are not eligible.
• For-profit activities without a clear public-interest or advocacy outcome are not eligible.
• Electioneering and partisan political communications are not eligible.

Application steps

• Review the official Commonwealth Foundation 2026–2027 Open Grants Call guidance.
• Complete the Foundation's eligibility quiz and confirm that the applicant's country is eligible.
• Choose either the Individual Organisation Grant or Collective Action Grant stream.
• Register for a SurveyMonkey Apply account through the Commonwealth Foundation grants application portal, or log in to an existing account.
• Complete the official online application form.
• Prepare and upload the required Commonwealth Foundation logic model.
• Upload the applicant or lead applicant's registration certificate and evidence of not-for-profit status where this is not clear from the certificate.
• Upload information on the applicant or lead applicant's board, trustees or applicable governance structure.
• For a grant request of exactly £15,000 per year, provide either the latest audited accounts or qualifying annual accounts.
• For a grant request above £15,000 per year, provide the most recent audited accounts, including the external auditor's opinion.
• Collective Action Grant applicants must provide information on the collective's structure, governance, secretariat where applicable and current membership.
• Creative applicants must provide the required sample of previous or current creative work.
• Ensure that all organisational and financial documents relate to the same legal entity named as the lead applicant.
• Submit the complete application through the online application system by 26 October 2026 at 1:00 PM GMT.
• Confirm successful submission by checking for the SurveyMonkey Apply acknowledgement email.