Small Charities Challenge Fund Grant (SCCF)

Description

1) Objective

Grants are given to support and strengthen the work of small UK registered charities to help enhance their capacity to carry out work in the priority countries in efforts to tackle poverty and work towards achieving the Global Goals. The priorities of UK Aid Direct reflect the UK Department for International Development (DFID)’s wider strategic objectives: (1) strengthening global peace, security and governance; (2) strengthening resilience and response to crisis; (3) promoting global prosperity; and (4) tackling extreme poverty and helping the world’s most vulnerable.

Applications are welcome from organisations working in any sector that is addressing the Global Goals. Current SCCF grant holders implement projects in areas such as: menstrual health, teacher training, disability inclusion, improving incomes for individuals and households; and providing family planning services. Previously, SCCF organisations who have been successful have had an average annual income of £87,000. Many are volunteer-run and some do not have an office but operate from a residential address. Successful organisations are based in different parts of the British Isles with 67% based outside of London and the South East of England.

COVID-19: Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, they will be prioritising applications that can demonstrate that they are responding to longer term impacts of COVID-19. The fund remains open for applications addressing a wide range of Global Goals in a variety of contexts. However, they will expect all applicants to be able to explain: how their project will address anticipated longer term impacts of the virus and outline how the risks of COVID-19 to project delivery could be mitigated as part of their application.

2) Eligibility

To be eligible for an SCCF grant your organisation: (1) Must be registered in the UK; (2) Be a not-for-profit organisation; and (3) Have an average annual income of less than £250,000 over the past three years.

3) Location

Projects can be set up in one or more project countries, made up of the lowest 50 countries in the UN Human Development Index (HDI) or certain countries DFID considers to be of high or moderate fragility. UK Aid Direct funds cannot be used for poverty alleviation work or awareness raising activities in the UK. Afghanistan, Somalia and Syria are the exceptions to this rule and are not eligible project countries for SCCF project grants

4) Budget

Grants of up to £50,000 for projects lasting up to two years will be considered by an independent review panel.

5) Application

The SCCF is a rolling funding opportunity – applications are reviewed on a 6-monthly basis. The next review date is: Thursday 25 March 2021, 17:00pm (UK time).