Deadline: 31-Jul-2024
KIOS Foundation is excited to announce the opening of the Civic Action and Community Empowerment Grant Program in Kenya.
This “Small Grant Scheme” is designed to empower community-level initiatives. These initiatives are vital, especially given the diverse and sometimes informal setups of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and their varying capacities to absorb resources.
The overall objectives to be achieved through this sub-granting support include:
- Strengthening the capacity of selected CBOs and grassroots organizations that work on defending the human rights of people in vulnerable positions and marginalized groups, while also increasing the accountability of duty bearers.
- Encouraging CBOs and grassroots organizations to meaningfully participate in holding local and national authorities accountable for improving the delivery of services related to Economic, Social, and Cultural rights, and ensuring the rule of law and human rights.
Thematic Focus
- Expressions of Interest shall address one of three thematic focuses:
- Democracy and the Rule of Law: good governance, promoting the rule of law and state accountability, fight against corruption and increasing access to justice
- Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination: women’s rights, prevention of gender-based violence (GBV), and promotion of inclusion, tolerance and diversity and Sexual Health and Reproductive Rights
- Business and Human Rights: environmental and climate justice, corporate accountability
Funding Information
- One grant per organization of 500 – 4,000 Euros, payable equivalent Kenya Shillings (appr. 60,000 – 600,000 KES).
Duration
- The planned action may last between 3 and 12 months.
Geographical Focus
- This first round of grants will be implemented in Migori and Isiolo counties only.
Eligible Activities
- Advocacy, monitoring, documenting and reporting of the human rights situation of especially people in vulnerable positions
- Awareness-raising on fundamental and human rights to empower and mobilise local communities, especially the most marginalised and discriminated groups and individuals
- Providing legal assistance and aid to individuals in vulnerable positions to hold state and private actors and other power-holders accountable to fundamental rights
- Advocating for non-discriminative and inclusive laws, policies and practices and monitoring and enhancing the implementation of the existing ones
- Evidence-based advocacy, strategic litigation or public interest litigation
- Information and data gathering
- Capacity building to local human rights defenders to act as agents of change, to network and to address human rights concerns arising from the local communities
- Institutional development contributing to the sustainability and resilience of the organisations (only partial support)
- Dialogue with the relevant duty-bearers for enhanced promotion and protection of fundamental and human rights
- Capacity building of duty-bearers including government officials, judicial and legislative actors, private sector and other non-state actors, on fundamental and human rights obligations and responsibilities and especially on the rights to participate in public processes
Eligibility Criteria
- Community-based organisations (CBOs) defined as a not-for-profit, non-religious, non-governmental and non-political organizations as currently registered by/or planning to register/with the Department of Social Services are eligible.
- Other civil society organisations working in the grassroots in the forms of societies, associations, trusts and companies limited by guarantee, registered under the Societies Act, Trust Deed Act and Companies Act may be considered.
- Other grassroots civil society groups not registered or in the process of registering and working at grassroot level or in informal settlements may be considered.
- They encourage
- youth-led community based organizations
- women-led community-based organizations
- marginalized groups and organizations
- to submit their expression of interest, provided you are registered and/or based and operating within the counties Migori and Isiolo.
Ineligible
- This call will not accept EOIs from any of the following listed below:
- Individuals
- For-profit entities (e.g. businesses)
- Religious institutions
- Political parties
- Government (whether national or local) institutions
- International non-governmental organisations (INGOs)
- Organisations with an annual income exceeding 50,000 EUR (more than appr. 6.9 million KES)
- Organisations headquartered outside the counties of focus
For more information, visit KIOS Foundation.