Why apply?

The Commonwealth Foundation is committed to promoting participatory governance (PG) in the Commonwealth by achieving more effective, responsive and accountable governance with civil society participation. The grants that we award play a key role in making that happen. 

What is participatory governance?

PG is about how the state, the market and civil society interact to effect change. These interactions involve the inclusion of civil society organisations in decision-making processes, enabling citizens to exercise voice and vote, and engage in policy formation. PG ‘engages people who are affected by a problem in the process of solving it.’  

Will your project engage government? If you say yes to any of the questions below, our grants programme could be for you. 

• Do you have access to decision makers?
• Is there a transparent consultation process(es) where government? 
• Is there evidence that civil society input can influence policy?
• Do governance institutions review policies in light of proposals and concerns raised by civil society? 
• Is there an established mechanism for you to consult with government?
• Do governance institutions respond to the proposals/recommendations or broad concerns of civil society and proactively seek information from stakeholders?
• We award grants to civil society organisations for projects in the Commonwealth that contribute to at least one of the Foundation’s four focus areas. 

If you think your project will contribute to participatory governanace, you should consider applying for a Commonwealth Foundation grant.