Deadline: 15-Mar-2024
Applications are now open for Canada Fund for Local Initiatives to support small-scale, high-impact projects in developing countries, which align with Global Affairs Canada’s thematic priority areas for engagement.
The program is directed at projects conceived and designed predominantly by local partners. Projects are selected and approved by the relevant Canadian embassy or high commission. The CFLI also serves to support positive bilateral relations between Canada and recipient countries and their civil societies, by deepening contacts and supporting local endeavours.
Thematic priorities
- All projects must have a strong advocacy component and align with at least one of the following CFLI thematic priorities:
- Environment and climate action, potential areas include: climate change adaptation and mitigation, coastal biodiversity protection, environmental conservation, and supporting sustainable practices of indigenous peoples.
- Inclusive governance, including LGBTQ2 rights, democracy, human rights, and media freedom.
- Gender equality, with a focus on supporting women’s political participation and combatting gender-based violence.
- Peace & security, including upholding the rule of law at sea, and engaging women and youth in peacebuilding; and
- Human dignity with a focus oncombatting child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Funding Information
- The average CFLI contribution is $30,000 Canadian Dollars (CAD$100,000 is the maximum allocation amount for a project eligible under CFLI).
Eligible Costs
- The following project costs are eligible for CFLI funding:
- accounting costs
- administrative and overhead costs related to the project (overhead should not exceed 15% of total CFLI contribution)
- advocacy and lobbying related costs
- capital and/or operating expenditures related to the lease and/or purchase and/or building of infrastructure
- civic education costs
- conference and event expenditures
- costs of services received by recipients
- domestic travel expenses, using lowest fares possible but not exceeding full fare economy class
- environmental assessment costs
- facilities charges,
- equipment rental, and/or purchase (only when the purchase is required to meet project objectives, reflects good value for money, and the recipient has a strong care-and-maintenance plan in place for equipment sustainability),
- hospitality costs, excluding alcoholic beverages
- installation, maintenance, shipping and/or transportation costs, including fuel,
- computers and communication devices
- lease or rental of vehicles
- legal costs
- medical costs
- miscellaneous expenses integral to the project
- outreach, communication and information dissemination costs
- publishing costs
- radio and television broadcast fees
- research-related costs
- salary costs, including stipends, relating to the project,
- security costs
- training and capacity building expenditures
- translation and interpretation fees
- vehicle and equipment operation, installation and/or maintenance
- website development and related costs
Ineligible Cost
- nuclear technologies and facilities,
- assistance to military or paramilitary organizations,
- gifts,
- luxury goods,
- direct fiscal support to a government,
- seed funding and/or microfinance,
- core funding or recurrent costs of an organization
- expenses incurred prior to the signing of the contribution agreement, or after it expires
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible recipients include:
- Local non-governmental, community and not-for-profit organizations,
- Local academic institutions working on local projects,
- International non-governmental organizations working on local development activities, and
- Municipal, regional or national government institutions or agencies of the recipient country working on local projects.
- The majority of CFLI funding is to be directed toward local civil society organizations (including non-governmental organizations) and other institutions working at the local level. Other entities, such as international, intergovernmental, multilateral and regional organizations may be eligible for funding, provided they are working with local partners and on local projects that are consistent with the objectives of the CFLI. Similarly, municipal, regional and national government institutions may receive funding, provided that their projects are essentially local in nature. The CFLI is always looking to fund innovative projects that deliver measurable results.
For more information, visit Government of Canada.