institutional support grant

The Foundation offers Institutional Support funding to organisations with an established track record of achievement and influence in public policy engagement and that are able to demonstrate a funding gap that prevents them achieving their institutional development goals.

Institutional Support funding, often called core funding, is an instrument to enhance the functioning of all aspects of the organisation, enabling it to deepen knowledge and experience in the area of its core business. Its primary objective is to enable Grant Partners to focus on strategic priorities and further their organisational development based on their set goals and strategies. See beneficiaries of this grant

The Institutional Support grant is not limited to an earmarked portion of the budget, but rather contributes to financing an agreed proportion of overall organisational spending over a period of time. The grant does not target specific projects or activities but rather supports the overall budget of an organisation. The grant can be used in many ways as long as it is covered explicitly in the organisation’s work plan budget, consistent with the organisation’s multi-annual strategic plan.

A characteristic of the Institutional Support grant is that it allows organisations space to prioritise the use of the funds. Grants are of a sufficient size to allow Grant Partners a degree of financial security and assist them in developing their organisations.

Interested organisations must also be able to demonstrate a funding gap preventing them from achieving their organisational development goals. Funding will however ultimately depend on the quality of the application assessed against a wide range of criteria, including the quality and relevance of the strategic plan, the financial management systems and human resource capacities in place amongst others.

Individual grants will be tailored to the needs and absorption capacity of each successful applicant. Funding proposals should not exceed 50% of the organisation’s annual overall budget with a grant ceiling set at a maximum of ZMK 2,500,000,000.

Institutional Support grants will be offered for a maximum of two years and guided by framework agreements between the Foundation and the Grant Partner. At the end of the first year, the extension or renewal of the agreement is subject to the submission of satisfactory annual audit reports and overall performance.