The Comic Relief funds organizations working among the disadvantaged population through its three types of funding approaches. The projects that are based on one of the five thematic areas – better futures, healthier finances, safer lives, stronger communities, and fairer societies – are considered for funding.
Goals of the Comic Relief grant funding are
- Women aged 15-49 and children under five have improved health
- Children and young people at risk are safer, with greater opportunities to increase their skills and life prospects
- Disadvantaged children and adults gain access to, and attain, a good quality of education
- People affected by HIV have an improved quality of life
- Women and girls are equal and respected members of society
- Poor people can improve their income through trade, enterprises and employment
- Slum dwellers have an improved quality of life
Organizations applying for funding must adhere to these goals, a project can target up to three of these goals.
Funding Approaches
- Generating Ideas: planning, consultation or developing an idea. These grants are designed to help organizations with limited resources and are only for small and diaspora organizations.
- Implementing & Adapting: testing out new approaches or adapting existing approaches. This could include proven approaches being applied in new contexts, or implementing entirely new approaches. Or, it may be about work that has been adapted to changing contexts, or applying what has been learnt from a previous phase of work.
- Achieving Scale: taking an approach to a scale where significant numbers of people will benefit and where the type of change is likely to be systemic. Systemic change is the type of change where organizations work with all the different actors and seek to change the system as a whole rather than just a single component of it.
Thematic Areas
- Better Futures :
- All work must demonstrate how it meets one or more of the following outcomes
- Better access to quality housing and access to affordable water and sanitation
- Increased uptake of primary healthcare services
- Improved quality of primary healthcare
- Improved access to good quality basic education and increased retention and attainment
- Improved access to good quality, relevant, non-formal education and training
- Healthier Finances :
- All work must demonstrate how it meets one or more of the following outcomes
- More secure tenure and management of land, housing and other assets
- Better working conditions and pay
- Increased and more secure incomes
- Greater resilience to environmental risks and shocks
- Safer Lives : All work must demonstrate how it meets one or more of the following outcomes
- Greater protection from violence, exploitation and abuse
- A reduction in risky sexual practices o Integration of children and young people into safe and secure families and communities
- Safer working environments and protection from harmful work
- Stronger Communities :
- All work must demonstrate how it meets one or more of the following outcomes:
- Young people have greater confidence and skills, and a belief in their ability to improve their opportunities in life
- Organizations and their leaders are more effective in delivering on their mission and strategic goals
- People and organizations hold decision makers to account and take a greater role in decision making
- Women and girls and their organizations are influential in driving social change
- Fairer Society:
- All work must demonstrate how it meets one or more of the following outcomes:
- Greater equality between women and men, and girls and boys
- Laws and policies upholding and protecting the rights of citizens are enacted and implemented
- A reduction in stigma and discrimination
How to Apply
- A Revised strategy will be launched in early 2016. Applicants can apply according to that.
- All proposals to the International Grants Fund must be supported by a breakdown of income and expenditure completed using this budget template. This is applicable at both stage 1 and stage 2.
- If you’re invited to submit a stage 2 proposal, we’ll ask you to provide:
- Your constitution/memorandum and articles of association
- Your most recent accounts
- Your safeguarding policy
- Your equal opportunities/diversity policy
- Organisational development plan (download word document)
- Partner due diligence assessment
- Your partner organisations’ two most recent years of annual accounts
- Your standard partnership agreement or memorandum of understanding agreed with partners
- A letter from each of your partners showing that they’ve agreed to the role and the budget as set out in the stage 2 proposal.
For more information, please visit Comic Relief Funds 2016.