Deadline: 6-Sep-21
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is running a competitive bidding process to award a grant to a dynamic not-for-profit organisation to disburse funds (approx. £600,000) from the Chagossian Support Package. The successful organisation will be expected to perform a variety of functions – including grant-making, community engagement, and project design and delivery – in order to meet the support package’s key delivery areas.
This project aims to disburse funds on behalf of the FCDO as part of the Chagossian Support Package to qualifying projects. These projects aim to improve the livelihoods of Chagossian people, who live in the UK, Mauritius and Seychelles.
Focus Areas
- Education: a bursary scheme for adult further education classes, working directly with local authority delivery partners. Courses could include vocational/technical training, tutoring to help prepare for a range of exams, English language, business and digital skills
- Health: grants/projects could address essential community health and wellbeing needs, including assisting with elderly care, providing equipment to elderly Chagossians, through to community classes, including supporting relevant sports and leisure activities
- Social Care: projects such as supporting Chagossians needs through running a voucher scheme to support child care provision for those pursuing further education
- Employment: this might include identifying local employers to offer short-term internships and work experience
- Cultural Awareness And Retention: this could include supporting online educational resources celebrating Chagossian heritage and culture, music, arts exhibitions, museum artefacts, theatre, as well larger exhibitions and events that showcase Chagossian culture
- Successful bidders need to meet the criteria set out in the call for bids document, and be able to disburse funds of approximately £600,000.
- This is for the financial year 2021 to 2022 but, subject to future spending allocations, there may be a possibility for extension.
- They will be encouraging Chagossian community members in the UK, Mauritius and the Seychelles to share input and ideas to ensure the key issues affecting communities are addressed.
- In addition, it is hoped that a nominated working group – which would bring together Chagossian community representatives from the UK, Mauritius and the Seychelles – is formed in order to collaborate with the successful bidding organisation in an advisory capacity.
- The working group would provide advice and feedback on and/or work with partner organisations to ensure projects are designed and delivered to meet the needs of communities in the areas of education, health, employment, social care, and culture. Further detail on how this could function will be discussed and agreed between the successful bidding organisation, Chagossian community representatives, and FCDO.
- Non-profit organisations can participate in this call for bids and will use a Grant Agreement.
For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chagossian-support-package-2021-to-2022-call-for-bids