Common Ground Initiative

Our Goal

Our goal is to support small and Diaspora organisations to enable them to implement effective programmes and bring about lasting change in communities in Africa.

How we can best support change

Comic Relief believes that small and Diaspora organisations have a deep understanding of the context and a commitment to long term development. Specifically, Diaspora organisations frequently bring their intellectual, political, social and cultural skills and resources to bear on the development initiatives they support, while small organisations often have a development ‘niche’ that gives their work clarity of focus and expertise. Based on these assumptions Comic Relief intends to achieve the following through the Common Ground Initiative:

• Support work that will tackle poverty and injustice among communities in Africa and bring about lasting change. This will be achieved through supporting applications made to Comic Relief’s 6 main programmes and through 3 programmes: Health, Education and Enterprise run exclusively for small and Diaspora organisations.
• Provide opportunities for the varied and important voices and experiences of Diaspora and small organisations to influence UK development debates and international development practice.
• Enable organisations to have sufficient capacity to support effective programmes in Africa, access funding and organisational support from a range of sources, and influence development debates in the UK.
• Create greater awareness of Diaspora and small organisations’ contribution to, and potential in, shaping international development programmes and debates among funders in order to improve funding opportunities
• Contribute to expanding the body of knowledge and learning about the experience of Diaspora in international development

Outcomes

Comic Relief wants to know that the projects we fund are bringing about changes in the lives of poor and disadvantaged people. We call these changes programme level outcomes, and define them as the ‘intended or unintended effects or changes to people’s lives that happen as a result of the project or organisation’s activities’.

We will prioritise applications for work that aim to use new and creative approaches and ways of working; that build on existing learning and invest in tracking changes; that have potential to be scaled up; and that take an integrated approach. We are unwilling to support work which is the primary responsibility of government, namely building and resourcing schools, and paying salaries and other related costs for key workers such as health workers and teachers.

We will measure progress of this initiative by the contribution Small and Diaspora organisations make to the 6 main international grants programmes and through delivery against the following outcomes for the health, education and enterprise programme outcomes and target groups described below:

Health

• An increase in people’s access to primary health care, targeting children under five and pregnant women.
• Measureable improvements in the quality of primary health care, through better health facility budgeting, planning and management, frontline staff providing correct diagnosis, treatment and referrals, and better patient care.
• Greater community involvement in primary health care through the active engagement of traditional healers and with systems and structures in place that make health facilities more accountable to the people they serve.
• Changes in health policy, policy implementation and financing (including budget tracking) that contribute to better health outcomes.

Target groups for this programme are children under five and pregnant women.

Education

• An increase in children’s access, retention, and attainment in primary and/or secondary education, targeting girls, disabled children and children affected by HIV or other marginalised groups.
• Measureable improvements in the quality of basic education, particularly in terms of teaching practice, teaching resources, children’s involvement, curriculum development and the school environment.
• Greater community involvement in improving uptake and quality of basic education through their engagement in tackling cultural and other barriers to children’s education, participation in effective school management committees, and where appropriate, improved adult literacy.
• Changes in education policy, policy implementation and financing (including budget tracking), whether at the local or national level that contribute to better education outcomes for children.

Target groups for this programme are girls, disabled children, children affected by HIV, and other marginalised groups.

Enterprise and employment

• Innovative and sustainable enterprise initiatives are enabled to succeed and grow, providing incomes and employment to poor and disadvantaged communities.
• Creative and productive relations are fostered between African and Diaspora entrepreneurs, contributing to a better understanding of the enterprise environment and business opportunities resulting in improved business performance that benefit poor communities.
• Enterprises, producer organisations, and others actively contribute to shaping the policy environment for enterprise growth in Africa that improves enterprise and employment opportunities for poor and disadvantaged communities.

Target groups for this element of the strategy are entrepreneurs, small businesses, and producer organisations.

Where we will fund

Funding from this initiative will support work in any African country or group of African countries. Each of the 6 main programmes has priority areas for funding which are described in their strategies.

Who we will fund

Each of the 6 main international grants programme describes priority groups that they wish to target. The 3 programmes specific to this initiative will support work to support the target groups outlined above.

Who is eligible to apply

The eligibility criteria for small organisations are UK registered charities with an annual turnover for the previous two financial years of less than £1,000,000. Diaspora organisations may be UK registered charities of any size.

By Diaspora we mean organisations where the majority of the trustees define themselves as being of African heritage; who live in the UK and – irrespective of citizenship – retain emotional, financial and cultural links with their country and/or the African continent; and who share a commitment to tackle poverty and injustice in Africa and whose organisational aims reflect that commitment.

Applications to our six main grants programmes and to the Common Ground Initiative programmes can be made by UK registered charities. Applications to the Trade programme and the Enterprise and Employment programme can be made by UK registered companies and can be made by any UK registered organisation; however, for-profit organisations must be able to demonstrate how profits generated from the project directly benefit the targeted communities.

Types of Grants

There are three types of funding available for applicants under this initiative:

• a) ‘Research, consultation and planning’ grants of up to £25,000 for action research, baseline studies, needs analysis, piloting work, disseminating learning and related work that enables applicant organisations to develop a well thought through proposal in collaboration with African organisations and builds a relationships of trust and accountability between UK and African organisations for the future.
• b) ‘Project’ grants. These may be up to £1 million over 5 years. However, the mean grant for most small organisations is under £200,000 over three years. Organisations are strongly advised to submit applications that are commensurate with their size and capacity, the size and capacity of their local partners, and their track record to date.
• c) Organisational development’ grants of up to £40,000 for up to three years. These grants would be function as ‘top up’ grants to project grantees only. They would offer a package of support to strengthen small or Diaspora organisations in the UK. More detail on organisational development grants can be found in the full strategy.

All eligible organisations would be able to apply, in each grant making cycle, for a research, consultation and planning grant or a project grant. Applicants for a project grant must have undertaken sufficient research and development of the idea prior to submitting an application. Organisations who have received and satisfactorily completed a research, consultation and planning grant can then apply for a project grant. Successful project grant holders may also be eligible for investment grants funded under the 6 main international programmes.

Organisational development grants are available to applicants seeking or already in receipt of a project grant. Applications for organisational development grants can either be made alongside a project grant application or as a ‘stand alone’ application by organisations already in receipt of a project grant. Given limited funding, it is expected that only a proportion of organisations receiving project grants will also receive an organisational development grant.

Download the full strategy here