The Welsh Government Wales and Africa Grant Scheme

What is it?

The Welsh Government Wales and Africa Grant Scheme will enable community groups and organisations throughout Wales to access funding for small-scale Wales-Africa projects. Up to £230,000 is available per year, with an annual minimum of £50,000 dedicated to health activities.

Wales and Africa immediate COVID-19 response

The Wales and Africa immediate COVID-19 Response will be open as of 8 June 2020.

The ongoing global effects on the COVID-19 outbreak are being felt differently worldwide. As Wales’ flagship grant programme for the Wales and Africa initiative, the Wales and Africa Small Grants Scheme will fund groups to work with their African Partners to alleviate the impacts of the virus on communities in Africa.

In response to this unprecedented circumstance, this Wales and Africa immediate COVID-19 Response round will fund requests for Welsh groups to work with African partners to respond to immediate issues arising from the outbreak of COVID-19.

This funding is not for traditional projects.

The next round of Wales Africa funding will be in the Spring of 2021.

This grant round has been designed to provide funding to the most urgent and vital requests, the application form has been simplified and if there are any clarifications required, you will be contacted.

Grants available

Grant are available from £3,000 up to £15,000. If you have a request which falls outside of this grant range, please speak to a team member before completing your request for funding. You can contact WCVA at walesafricagrants@wcva.cymru.

There is £161,441 available for this COVID-19 response grant round.

Grant aims for the immediate covid-19 response round of the Wales Africa grant scheme:

• Assist African partners in combatting the immediate effects of covid-19
• Encourage stringent health & safety practices
• Make contributions to the following themes of the Wales Africa grants scheme:
  • Health
  • Sustainable livelihoods
  • Lifelong learning

It must be emphasised that this is a grant funding round in response to a global crisis, requests for funding will need to strongly demonstrate the impact they will make for their African Partner in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For further information about grant aims, eligibility, and timeframes please read the full guidance document.

Timescale and process for awards

Grant allocations should be spent by January 2021, although it is anticipated that most of the grant allocations will be for immediate activity.

Process for awards

Further sources of support

For general queries on the request process please email walesafricagrants@wcva.cymru or call 0300 111 0124.

For support on the development of your request please contact enquiries@hubcymruafrica.org.uk.

Round five of Wales and Africa is open until 11 March 2020.

Hub Cymru Africa

Hub Cymru Africa can assist with project support and development including finding partners and ensuring you have all the correct supporting documents in place for your organisation. They are also able to assist in looking for funding from other funding streams for projects linking Wales and Africa.

You can contact the Hub Cymru Development and Support Team at: enquiries@hubcymruafrica.co.uk.

Themes

Funding will be allocated under four thematic areas

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

• Sharing of knowledge and skills between health institutions in Wales and Africa
• Supporting healthcare professionals in Africa to access small scale training and support from Wales
• Supporting communities in Wales and Africa to access to more equitable, quality healthcare

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

• Community-led, income generating cooperatives that have benefit to Wales and Africa
• Engaging the Welsh public through Fair Trade campaigns, advocacy or policy
• Activities that bring the Welsh consumer closer to the producer in a sustainable way
• Support for small-scale Sub Saharan African agricultural projects and grassroots income generating activities

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

• Linking communities in Wales with communities in Africa to develop mutual understanding of global development and international issues
• Supporting the educational needs of disadvantaged children in Africa and sharing that experience with school pupils in Wales, contributing to their global education
• Supporting people in Africa to learn practical/vocational/artistic skills to improve their livelihoods

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

• Projects which enable the use of renewable energy in Africa
• Projects engaging people in Wales with climate change issues as they affect Africa
• Work aiming to support African partners in implementing sustainable development practices

Application Process

1. Fund opens for applications
2. You submit an application form by post or email
3. Two weeks before application deadline – last chance for eligibility check
4. Application deadline
5. Approximately six weeks after deadline – notification of outcome

If you’d like to be kept up-to-date on the Welsh Government Wales and Africa Grant Scheme please email walesafricagrants@wcva.cymru.

Further Details About this Grant Can be Found Here  https://wcva.cymru/funding/wales-and-africa/

Staff Writer

This article was written and edited by a staff writer.