Deadline: 15-Apr-24
Applications are now open for the Wales-Africa grant scheme enabling community groups and organisations in Wales to access funding for small-scale projects that contribute to Wales’ delivery of UN Sustainable Development Goals and deliver benefits to Wales and Africa.
The Wales and Africa programme supports and encourages civil society, business and public bodies in Wales to take action on poverty in Africa through active global citizenship, skills exchanges and mutual learning, partnership working, and climate change action.
The Wales and Africa grants scheme is a grant fund for community groups and organisations throughout Wales who work with partnerships in Sub Saharan Africa.
Themes
- Working with Sub Saharan African partners, projects must make a tangible contribution to one of the four following themes:
- Health
- They seek to contribute to protecting the mental and physical health and wellbeing of communities in Africa through our grants. Examples of this could include:
- Supporting knowledge and skills sharing between health institutions in Wales and Africa for mutual learning and benefit;
- Supporting healthcare professionals in Africa to access small scale training and support from Wales; and
- Supporting communities in Wales and Africa to access to more equitable, quality healthcare
- They seek to contribute to protecting the mental and physical health and wellbeing of communities in Africa through our grants. Examples of this could include:
- Lifelong Learning
- Under Lifelong Learning we will support individuals or groups of young people or adults in Wales and/or Africa to gain skills and knowledge. Examples of this could include:
- Linking communities in Wales with African partners to develop mutual understanding of global development and international issues;
- Supporting the educational needs of disadvantaged children in Africa and sharing that experience with school pupils in Wales, contributing to their global citizenship education; and
- Supporting people in Africa to learn practical/vocational/artistic skills to improve their livelihoods.
- Under Lifelong Learning we will support individuals or groups of young people or adults in Wales and/or Africa to gain skills and knowledge. Examples of this could include:
- Climate Change and Environment
- Under our climate change and environment grant stream, we will support initiatives that reduce environmental degradation and biodiversity loss in Africa as well as strategic and practical work to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and to protect people from the impacts of climate change on food supplies, water availability or safety. Examples of this could include:
- Activities which support African farmers to adapt to a changing climate;
- Projects which enable the use of renewable energy in Africa;
- Projects engaging people in Wales with climate change issues as they affect Africa; or
- Work aiming to support African partners in implementing sustainable development practices.
- Under our climate change and environment grant stream, we will support initiatives that reduce environmental degradation and biodiversity loss in Africa as well as strategic and practical work to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and to protect people from the impacts of climate change on food supplies, water availability or safety. Examples of this could include:
- Sustainable livelihoods
- They seek to promote realistic and sustainable livelihood opportunities in Wales and Africa, ensuring that marginalized individuals are included in grassroots economic and social development. Initiatives that we support include:
- Community-led, income generating cooperatives that have benefit to Wales and Africa;
- Engaging the public through Fair Trade campaigns, advocacy or policy;
- Activities that bring the consumer closer to the producer in a sustainable way;
- Support to small-scale agricultural projects and activities; and
- Support to grassroots income generating activities.
- They seek to promote realistic and sustainable livelihood opportunities in Wales and Africa, ensuring that marginalized individuals are included in grassroots economic and social development. Initiatives that we support include:
- Health
Funding Information
- Applicants can apply for funding between £1,000- £20,000 for a 12 month project.
What they will not fund?
- Religious activities – religious groups may apply, however the scheme will not fund any activity deemed to have any element of proselytising.
- School trips/exchanges – teacher exchanges which are better placed for funding under the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms programme.
- Private for-profit ventures.
Targets and Outputs
- In the project profile you will be asked to set targets and outputs by which you can measure the success of your project. There is some information that they expect all projects to provide and to set targets for; these are the general scheme targets. You will also be asked to profile theme specific targets for at least one theme. The theme profiled should be the most relevant to your activity but if there are other theme targets which your project also meets then you are welcome to provide additional targets.
- Applicants are advised to be realistic when setting their project’s targets. The targets you set will need to be easily cross referenced to the narrative part of the funding request form.
Who can access the fund?
- In order to be eligible, you must:
- Be an incorporated body based in and operating for the benefit of people in Wales
- Have governing documents containing suitable asset lock and dividend distribution control
- Have the ability to demonstrate suitable oversight and independence from a qualified and quorate Board with a minimum of three directors or trustees
- Have appropriate minimum policy standards in place (e.g., safeguarding).
- Applicants will also need to ensure that their organisation meets the following criteria:
- The lead applicant must be based within Wales
- All activities should clearly demonstrate a benefit to Wales
- Applications should clearly demonstrate a fit with one or more of the four thematic areas
- Applicants with prior experience of delivering grant funded activity from the Wales and Africa Programme should demonstrate the impact of this project and any lessons learned
- Individuals cannot apply; however, they may apply through a host organisation, the grant agreement will be held with the organisation and no direct payments will be made from the Wales Africa grant scheme into an individual’s bank account
- All relevant purchases to be made with Wales and Africa grant scheme funding will consider ethical and Fair Trade criteria
- The grants scheme can be accessed by groups in Wales who work in collaboration with African partners to deliver a diverse range of activities, including:
- Building capacity of small Welsh international development NGOs
- Promoting international development volunteering
- Promoting best practice in fair trade and ethical procurement across all sectors
- Facilitating the work of diaspora communities in Wales to maximise their impact on SDG delivery in their home country.
- Health projects
- Projects run for and by people with disabilities
- Applications are open to constituted organisations in Wales, including:
- Constituted group
- Registered charity
- Community Interest Company
- Charitable Incorporated Organisation
- Company limited by guarantee
- Private limited company
- Community Council
- Town Council
- Local Authority
For more information, visit WCVA.
