Global Affairs Canada (Formerly The Canadian International Development Agency, CIDA)

Organizational profile: Global Affairs Canada continues to deliver results on the Government of Canada’s commitments to preserve and support Canadian prosperity and security, and to contribute to a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world, in a gender-responsive manner. Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy recognizes that supporting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is the best way to build a more peaceful, more inclusive and more prosperous world. To do this, it supports targeted investments, partnerships, innovation and advocacy efforts with the greatest potential to close gender gaps and improve everyone’s chance for success. Currently, Global Affairs Canada only funds select initiatives that strongly align with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy and program priorities. To promote Environment and Climate Action, Global Affairs Canada will support government planning and initiatives to mitigate and adapt to climate change, advance women’s leadership and decision making and create economic opportunities for women in clean energy.

The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) provides modest funding for small-scale, high-impact projects in more than 120 countries eligible for official development assistance (ODA). The CFLI has an annual programming budget of $16.3 million, with projects averaging $25,000 each. Projects are planned and implemented mainly by local organizations and are selected and approved by the relevant Canadian Embassy or High Commission. The CFLI funds approximately 600 projects annually. This includes a range of initiatives from training local election monitors, to improving community resiliency to the effects of climate change, to supporting women’s inclusion in local peace negotiations. CFLI projects focus on issues such as: gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, human rights, democracy and governance, peace and security, climate action, and economic growth. The CFLI is always looking to fund innovative projects that support meaningful change in communities abroad.

Financing Instrument: Grants

Project scale: For the CFLI, projects average $25,000 CAD each.

Applicable geographical regions/country groups: Global

Eligibility Criteria: Organizations eligible to apply for CFLI funding include:

- local non-governmental, community and not-for profit organizations

- local academic institutions

- international, intergovernmental, multilateral and regional institutions, organizations and agencies

- municipal, regional or national government institutions or agencies of the recipient country

- Canadian non-governmental and not-for-profit organizations

- Local civil society organizations will receive most of the CFLI funding. Nevertheless, other organizations and institutions listed may also apply for funding if they are working with local partners on local projects that meet CFLI objectives.

Application guidelines: There are two ways to apply for funding for an international development project:

Apply through a call for proposals

Step 1: Read the call page to determine:

Step 2: Review available guidance before preparing your application

Step 3: Create a draft “proposal” in Partners@International

Step 4: Check the call-specific Questions and Answers page on a regular basis

Step 5: Complete all required documents

Step 6: Upload the documents to the Partners@International portal

Step 7: Press the “Submit” button on your proposal in Partners@International before the deadline

Submit an unsolicited proposal

1. Make sure your project idea is in line with Global Affairs Canada’s priorities

2. Review Global Affairs Canada's funding tools for guidance, particularly the "What we look for in unsolicited concept notes" webpage.

3. Prepare your application

4. Submit your application through the Partners@International portal