The Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) is requesting proposals from Kenya based organisations for its Giving for Change – Pamoja4Change Grant.
Since its establishment in 1997, Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) has built a solid basis for community-driven development approaches and is unique in Kenya as a pioneer of public foundations. KCDF works through strategic and carefully selected partnerships in Kenya, both at the national and community level. It strongly believes in the ability of communities to identify and prioritize their needs and, with a little external support, pursue their solutions to these needs.
With a focus on marginalised communities in Kenya as the primary target group, KCDF’s work is premised on the principle that “systemic and enduring change is possible when communities can initiate and drive their development agenda, work with governments and other stakeholders to access basic rights and services as well as harness and grow their resources”. KCDF also works with secondary target groups defined as organised communities who desire to uplift themselves sustainably. KCDF’s strategic niche is predicated on enhancing growth for the sustainability of communities.
Areas of Support
Through this fund, it is anticipated that:
KCDF shall strengthen and build credible institutions to facilitate the sustainable development of Kenyan communities. Applicants are encouraged to propose activities that help them to be stronger credible and efficient agents of change.
Thematic Focus
KCDFs intention is not to prescribe any thematic focus. Proposed projects should focus on addressing community needs to be prioritized. Some illustrative initiatives include:
Improving access to essential social services for the wider community – Innovative projects that seek to improve the wellbeing of local communities through increased service delivery, e.g., clean, and safe water, health, agriculture, etc.
Services for children in public early childhood development programmes and primary schools – These may include infrastructural development, and sanitation improvement support.
Women and girl child empowerment projects – Projects which seek to improve participation of young women and girls in leadership, employment, and income generation for impact on family livelihoods.
Environmental conservation and climate change mitigation – Projects geared toward environmental conservation and enhancing communities’ adaptive capacity to climate change i.e., tree growing and naturing.
Information Communication and Technology (IT) projects – Aimed at establishing or maintaining functional community resource centers and adapting IT for development initiatives at the community level to enhance productivity and efficiency.
Livelihoods projects that have potential to increase an households livelihoods option – Including resilience.
Funding Information
Grants of Ksh 500,000 to Ksh 2,500,000 (being the sum of KCDF’s contribution/portion) will be awarded on a 1:1 grant matching model to successful applicants approved by the KCDF for one year. i.e:
an organisation requesting Kes 500,000 from KCDF will present a total project budget of Kes 1,000,000.
an organisation requesting Kes 2,500,000 from KCDF will present a total project budget of Kes 5,000,000.
Eligibility Criteria
Grant recipients are required to raise in Kenya only.
The focus will be directed at local community projects demonstrating financial and resource participation by the local community and the potential for long-term impact on the target groups – sustainable development.
Only County Based organisations/ Civil Society Actors based in any of the 47 counties are eligible. In addition, an applicant should meet any of the two qualifications below:
County Based Organizations that are currently involved or would like to be involved in local/ domestic resource mobilisation also referred to as Local Fundraising (LFR). The eligible organizations must be keen to enhance their capacity to fundraise more from within Kenya.
County Based Organisations that are currently being trained or have previously been trained by KCDF on the following areas 1). Local Fundraising (LFR) and 2). Advocacy and Policy influencing also referred to Mobilising Support (MS).
In addition to the above, successful applicants should:
Be legally and locally registered with relevant authorities and demonstrate good governance and accountable leadership.
Demonstrate a good understanding of the local context and need.
Demonstrate that the proposed idea is in line with government policy.
Show that local people have been consulted and will be involved in the work.
Have a balanced approach, addressing not only immediate needs but also ‘people’s rights to services.
Demonstrate they are not working in isolation but are collaborating with other organisations and engaging with relevant government departments.
Help build local people and organisations’ skills, confidence, and capacity.
Offer some useful lessons for future interventions and show how the applicant will gather information and learn from it.
Ineligible
Political processes
Individuals
Participation in international conferences
Running costs, i.e., a project that seeks to pay teachers’ salaries.
