New grant funding to help communities in Wales and Africa

The Wales for Africa grants scheme is a flagship initiative of the Welsh Government’s Wales for Africa programme. The scheme enables community groups and organisations in Wales to access funding for small-scale projects that contribute to Wales’ delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and deliver benefits to Wales and Africa.

It is anticipated that a wide range of organisations will apply to the fund for a diverse range of activities including:

• Building capacity of small Welsh international development NGOs

• Promoting international development volunteering

• Promoting best practice in fair trade and ethical procurement across all sectors

• Facilitating the work of diaspora communities in Wales to maximise their impact on SDG delivery in their home country.

Ruth Marks, WCVA’s Chief Executive, said:

‘WCVA is very pleased to have the opportunity to work with Welsh Government to deliver this important scheme. We recognise the importance of this fund in supporting mutually beneficial projects between Wales and Africa and the wide reaching and sustainable benefits they bring.’

The scheme replaces the funding previously available through Hub Cymru Africa and will provide funding to new and existing Wales for Africa projects.

Funding will be allocated under 4 thematic areas:

Health – projects that contribute to the physical and mental health and wellbeing of communities in sub Saharan Africa

Sustainable Livelihoods – projects that work to tackle financial poverty, enabling economic resilience in families and supporting small-scale enterprise and employment

Lifelong Learning – projects that support individuals and groups in Wales and/or Africa to develop new skills and knowledge

Climate Change and Environment – strategic and practical climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives using Welsh expertise

On 4 May 2018, a funding round for medium grants of between £5,000 and £15,000 will be opening for projects that meet scheme criteria. This will be followed by a small grants round in the Summer, for projects between £500 and £4,999. Up to £230,000 is available per year, with an annual minimum of £50,000 dedicated to health activities.

More information is available from the WCVA website here.

If you would like to receive an email that lets you know when the fund is open, please email: walesafricagrants@wcva.org.uk. We will keep your email address for this purpose only and it will then be deleted.