About Voices of Climate Action
The Voice for Climate Action (VCA) program is a lobby and advocacy programme being implemented by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Netherlands, SouthSouthNorth (SSN), Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), Slum Dwellers International (SDI), Fundación Avina and Hivos under the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ five-year strategic partnership: “Power of Voices”. The program aims to ensure that by 2025, local civil society and underrepresented groups will have taken on a central role as creators, facilitators and advocates of innovative and inclusive climate solutions. Their inclusion is crucial for effective and lasting climate responses. It is also crucial , and because the climate crisis is also a societal challenge with ethical and human rights aspects occurring alongside a number of inequalities based on gender, socioeconomic class, race, ethnicity, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, and age.
Call for grant applications
Hivos is looking to partner with Kenyan civil society organisations that will contribute to the goals of the program in different ways. We are looking for organisations that can present an exciting, innovative program that will contribute to amplifying marginalised voices and stories by citizens, enhancing public participation and action in climate policy and budget processes and contributing to policy and financing change that will lead to enhanced climate action at local, national and global levels. This program willnotsupport any ‘hardware’ or ‘implementation’ projects.
Hivos also intends to support organisations to collaborate in coalitions to achieve these goals. This will be done over the time period of 2021-2025 with the first phase set to begin in July 2021 and end in December 2022.Please read on for details of each specific grant.More information about the coalition and organisation requirements can be found below in the FAQs.
Campaign/movement grant: for an organisation or coalition (two or more organisations)
Hivos seeks to partner with organisations aligned with the goals of the program, which are involved inexistingclimate movements in Kenya. Of key interest are movements led by youth, women, indigenous people or other marginalised groups. This grant will focus on strengthening the movement to achieve its goals through supporting campaigns spearheaded by the movement, and any capacity development the organisation might need. If applying as a coalition, one organisation must be designated the lead in the application. The lead organisation should also be able to demonstrate in assessments if shortlisted, institutional capability to manage sub-granting to the other organisations in the coalition.
This grant will last for an initial period of approximately a year and a half from July 2021 to December 2022.Budget: EUR 80, 000.
Climate grant: for a coalition (three or more organisations)
This grant will support a group of organisations that will create a program in any combination of the program pillars related to climate action and climate justice. The coalition must consist of at least three organisations, and one organisation must apply as the lead organisation. The lead organisation should also be able to demonstrate in assessments if shortlisted, institutional capability to manage sub-granting to the other organisations in the coalition. This program must include an element of policy and/or budget influencing and can operate at either sub-national or national level, or both. If operating at sub-national level please indicate the counties you intend to work in. The program pillars are:
Mutual capacity strengthening for co-creating alternative scaled climate solutions;
Agenda setting and movement in climate action through amplified storytelling;
Joint lobbying and advocacy to make policy and financial flows responsible to locally shaped climate solutions.
This grant will last for an initial period of approximately a year and a half from July 2021 to December 2022.Budget: EUR 210, 000.
Indigenous organisations grant: for a coalition (three or more organisations)
This grant will support a group of organisations representing the specific concerns and perspectives of indigenous people and communities in Kenya. The coalition will create a program in any combination of the program pillars related to climate action. The coalition must consist of at least three organisations, and one organisation must be designated the lead organisation. The lead organisation should also be able to demonstrate in assessments if shortlisted, institutional capability to manage sub-granting to the other organisations in the coalition. This program must include an element of policy/budget influencing and can operate at either sub-national or national level, or both. If operating at sub-national level please indicate the counties you intend to work in. The program pillars are:
Mutual capacity strengthening for co-creating alternative scaled climate solutions.
Agenda setting and movement in climate action through amplified storytelling.
Joint lobbying and advocacy to make policy and financial flows responsible to locally shaped climate solutions.
This grant will last for an initial period of approximately a year and a half from July 2021 to December 2022.Budget: EUR 210, 000.
Media fellowship or storytelling grant – for an organisation or coalition (two or more organisations)
Hivos seeks to partner with Kenyan organisations active in the media space to see an increase in both stories of inspiring climate action in the media, and more citizen stories being amplified for the public. Your organisation should have experience in facilitating storytelling sessions with communities and citizens with tangible outputs, and/or experience implementing media trainings and fellowships, as well as using stories for influencing at local and national level. If applying as a coalition, one organisation must be designated the lead in the application.
This grant will last for an initial period of approximately a year and a half from July 2021 to December 2022.Budget: EUR 120, 000.
Organisational eligibility
Locally registered non-profit Kenyan organisation with an operational bank account in the applicant’s name.
For coalitions, the lead must fulfil the eligibility criteria. It is not required for other members of the coalitions to be registered organisations.
Organisations must have a clean human rights record.
Applicant with ability to link to and mobilise larger networks or capacity to access, mobilise, convene, and influence power holders.
It will be considered favorable if the coalitions/organisations:
Have prior experience on lobby and advocacy, capacity strengthening, movement building, storytelling, or collaborating closely with and representing marginalised groups including but not limited to indigenous people, women and girls, youth, and people with disabilities.
For coalitions, the inclusion of actors not traditionally working in climate justice issues, but that have skills and tools which are relevant and/or scalable is a plus; especially as lead organisations.
Willing to collaborate with other organisations within and outside the programme for increased impact.
Not eligible:
International organisations
