Civil Society Fund

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The Civil Society Fund is an independent grant scheme funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by CISU. The fund supports interventions carried out in partnerships between Danish civil society organisations, their partners, and other actors. In this way, the interventions of the Civil Society Fund provide a popular contribution to Danish development aid.

Purpose

The Civil Society Fund supports projects with a long-term development perspective. This includes interventions that promote local solutions to local problems, address the root causes of poverty, and create a foundation for the long-term strengthening of civil society. The Civil Society Fund cannot provide support for charity and investments alone, without also including the strengthening of partners' capacity and addressing the fundamental structural causes of poverty.

Support modalities under the Civil Society Fund

Various types of interventions can be supported under the Civil Society Fund. Here is the complete overview of support modalities:

Small-scale interventions (up to DKK 200,000)
Citizen interventions (DKK 200,000 – 500,000)
Development interventions (DKK 500,000 – 4.5 million)
Support for application processes (DKK 20,000 – 50,000)
Capacity analysis (up to DKK 100,000)
Co-financing support (DKK 100,000 – 2 million)
Program (up to DKK 15 million per year) - read more here
Support for climate adaptation/CCAM (up to DKK 5 million) - read more here
Neighbourhood Fund (including small-scale interventions, citizen interventions, development interventions, and Reconstruction Ukraine, which is up to 4.5 million) - read more here

If you have any questions regarding the Civil Society Fund, you can contact puljer@cisu.dk.

Access materials related to grants and applications

Useful information about the Civil Society Fund

The Civil Society Fund is available for applications from grassroots organisations based in Denmark (civil society organisations). All interventions must be conducted in partnership with one or more local partners in developing countries.

Requirements for the Danish organisation:

The organisation must be private and have its legal domicile and activities in Denmark.
The chairperson or the majority of board members must be Danish citizens or foreigners with permanent residency in Denmark, unless granted dispensation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The organisation must have approved statutes.
If the organisation applies for up to DKK 500,000, it must have at least 25 paying contributors. If the organisation applies for over DKK 500,000, it must have at least 50 paying contributors. These contributors can be members, volunteers within the association, or other individuals providing financial support. Contributions must have been made in the current or previous fiscal year. There is no requirement for the size of the contribution. For umbrella organisations, the requirement must be met by at least one of the umbrella organisation's members.
The organisation's accounts, including the annual accounts, must be subject to audit. If the applicant organisation is an umbrella organisation, at least one of the member organisations must meet the requirements.

The Civil Society Fund cannot support interventions that have the potential to receive support from other funds financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such as the Centre for Church Development Cooperation, the Danish Youth Council, Danish Disability Organisations, Danish Refugee Aid's Diaspora Programme, or the Danish Institute for Multi-Party Cooperation.

The Civil Society Fund are not open to applications from commercial foundations, consulting firms, educational institutions, organisations established by law – including folk high schools – or organisations with a strategic partnership agreement, fund agreement, or similar with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Read more about applicant requirements in the Guidelines for the Civil Society Fund.

In the Civil Society Fund, you can apply for support for the types of interventions briefly described below. For full details please refer to the Guidelines for the Civil Society Fund.

The fund can support interventions that take place in both stable and fragile contexts. However, emergency relief efforts cannot be supported by the Civil Society Fund.

Support modalities in the Civil Society Fund:

Small-scale Interventions (up to DKK 200,000) provide organisations with the opportunity to gain experience and test ideas in collaboration with a partner organisation and other actors. Small-scale interventions are therefore ideal for applicants with little or no experience in interventions in developing countries. Small-scale interventions are also suitable for more experienced organisations wishing to test new ideas, launch campaigns, promote networks, or otherwise benefit from the simplicity of applying for small-scale interventions compared to other forms of support.
Citizen Participation Interventions (from DKK 200,000 to 500,000) can be traditional projects or more experimental interventions. Citizen participation interventions provide an opportunity to test new methods and approaches or involve other and unconventional actors in development cooperation to test new elements in conjunction with a larger project, such as a Development Intervention. Citizen participation interventions can promote active citizenship by allowing people to come together and create change collectively.
Development Interventions (from DKK 500,000 to 4,500,000) promote strong, grassroots-based civil society and create lasting improvements in living conditions for vulnerable population groups. The interventions are implemented in partnerships between civil society organisations and often also in collaboration with other actors. A development intervention builds on experiences from previous interventions and enables broader outreach and deeper, more sustainable changes.
Co-financing support (from DKK100,000 to 2 million) supports your partnerships in cultivating different sources to finance your joint interventions. Co-financing support is aimed at applicants who assess that co-financing enables them to raise funds from another main donor, such as the EU. Co-financing does not need to be a requirement from the main donor, but it should enhance the application to the main donor.
Support for application processes (from DKK 20,000 to 50,000) is an opportunity to seek financial support for relevant expenses if you, along with a partner, are seeking support from a donor not financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such as a Danish or international foundation.
Capacity analyses (up to DKK 100,000) are aimed at Danish organisations in need of an external professional assessment of the organisation's professional, organisational, and administrative capacity and its partnerships. A capacity analysis can provide valuable learning in terms of strategy, management, and capacity development.
Program grant (from DKK 3 million to 15 million annually). It is possible to apply for a multi-year program agreement. This opportunity is only relevant for very experienced organisations with a large project portfolio that have developed a long-term strategic focus for their work with local partners.
Support for Climate Change Adaptation Modality (CCAM) (up to DKK 5 million) is a support modality for civil society efforts to strengthen the resilience and adaptability of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups to climate change. The interventions should benefit the poor and most climate-vulnerable groups and contribute to reducing the negative consequences of climate change - both current and/or expected.
Neighbourhood Fund (including small-scale interventions, citizen interventions, development interventions, and the special support form Reconstruction Ukraine, which is up to DKK 4.5 million). The fund aims to contribute to democratic development and civil society's capacity to work for a strong and diverse civil society in the Eastern neighbourhood region: Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

For first-time applicants, the maximum amount is 500,000 DKK.

If you're applying for more than 500,000 DKK, the applying organisation must have existed for at least a year and have completed at least one project worth over 200,000 DKK, or a project of similar scale with reporting requirements similar to those of CISU and/or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Check out the funding limits for different types of support under "What types of support are available?"

Annual Ceiling for Grants

Each organisation can receive grants for a maximum total amount of up to 6 million DKK in the course of a calendar year (this applies to Small-scale Interventions, Citizen Participation Interventions, and Development Interventions).

All applications must be submitted to CISU electronically by completing an online form in the online system Vores CISU, where you also need to upload the application format, budget, and a signed cover page for the application.

Access all the necessary formats for an application via the link above.

Special rule for Small-Scale Interventions:

It is possible to upload the application as a video as long as the applicant uses the video to answer all questions in the application form. The video should be in Danish or English and no longer than ten minutes. It could, for instance, be recorded on a mobile phone.
Even when the application is submitted as a video, the application must still be registered in the system Vores CISU, the budget must be uploaded and basic data about your organisation and the primary partner must be entered/updated.

Small-scale Interventions, Citizen Participation Interventions, Support for Application Processes, Capacity Analyses, and Small-scale Interventions and Citizen Participation Interventions under the Neighbourhood Fund

Application Deadline: There is no fixed deadline. Applications can be submitted continuously.

Assessment Period: CISU aims to process applications as swiftly as possible, typically within four weeks. However, if there are detailed queries for the applicant, the processing time may be extended.

Development Interventions (also applicable to Development Interventions under the Neighbourhood Fund)

Application Deadline: Biannually. The second Wednesday in March and the second Wednesday in September at 12:00 PM.

Assessment Period: Applicants typically receive a response within two months.

Response deadline for applications submitted on 13 March, 2024: 21 May, 2024.

Neighbourhood Fund (Rebuilding Ukraine)

Application Deadline: 13 March, 2024, at 12:00 PM.

Assessment Period: Applicants usually receive a response within two months.

Response deadline for applications submitted on March 13, 2024: 31 May, 2024.

Support for Climate Change Adaptation Modality (CCAM)

Application Deadline: 7 February, 2024, at 12:00 PM.

Assessment Period: Applicants usually receive a response within two months.

Response deadline for applications submitted on 7 February, 2024: 10 April, 2024.

Support for Co-Financing

Application Deadline: There is no fixed deadline. Applications can be submitted continuously.

Assessment Period: CISU aims to process applications as swiftly as possible, typically within four weeks. However, for comprehensive applications requiring follow-up with the applicant, the processing time may be extended up to eight weeks.

Applicants do not need to wait for the potential donor to assess the application. An application for co-financing can be submitted simultaneously with the main donor application. If the application process for the specific donor involves a preliminary step with the submission of a concept note, an application can be submitted to CISU based on the concept note.

Please note for all applications:

During holiday periods (Christmas, Easter, and February Break), the assessment period may be extended by up to one week. During the summer holiday period (July), the assessment period is extended by up to three weeks.

The actual assessment process begins when the application meets all administrative requirements and can be forwarded to CISU's external assessment system. Please use the checklist "Are You Ready to Submit Your Application?", which you can find in guidelines for the fund.

All applications are evaluated based on a comprehensive holistic assessment.

The assessment is based on both the guidelines of the Civil Society Fund and the specific objectives and assessment criteria associated with each support modality.

For more details on the specific assessment criteria, refer to the guidelines for the Civil Society Fund

The processing of the application proceeds in four steps:

CISU's fund managers assess whether the application meets the formal requirements. Applications that do not meet these requirements may be administratively rejected. If the application meets the formal requirements, it is forwarded to CISU's external funding system. Applications are also screened by the grant organizations, the Center for Church Development Cooperation (CKU), and the Danish Youth Council (DUF), to ensure that the same intervention does not receive support from two different funds. CISU also informs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about all incoming applications to ensure that there are no repeat applications for interventions that have previously been rejected elsewhere. For applications exceeding 1 million DKK, the relevant Danish embassy is also informed to obtain any possible comments.
The applications are processed by CISU's external funding consultants, who assess them based on the guidelines for the Civil Society Fund. If additional information is needed during the processing of the application, the applicant will be contacted directly. Subsequently, the funding consultants submit a recommendation to the Civil Society Fund Allocation Committee.
The Allocation Committee reviews the recommendation from the funding consultants and makes the final decision.
The Allocation Committee's response to the application is sent in writing to the applicant.

During the processing of the application, it is not possible for the applicant to communicate with either the Allocation Committee or the funding consultants, except when responding to any additional questions posed by a funding consultant.

CISU uses several tools for grant allocation management:

An annual estimated distribution of the total funding budget across the different support modalities
Maximum limits for individual types of applications
Maximum limit for each organisation
Scoring/prioritisation of applications for one or more support modality according to a transparent scoring system

Throughout the year, there is close and systematic monitoring of allocated grants allowing the the possibility to redistribute among support modalities/adjust maximum grant limits/postpone the processing of applications/transfer between years/add unused grants.

Regarding 1. An annual estimated allocation of the total funds of the pool across various support modalities.

Following a retrospective analysis and forward estimates, CISU's Board has approved the following distribution of pool funding for 2024.

Grant Allocation Management 2024 (DKK)

Support Modality	2024 - DKK
Small-scale Inrerventions (SI) - CSP basic	3,375,000
Citizen Participation Interventions (MI) - CSP basic	22,000,000
Small-scale Inrerventions (SI) and Citizen Participation Interventions (MI) - Neighborhood Fund	5,000,000
Development Interventions - CSP basic	50,000,000
Development Interventions - Neighborhood Fund	21,500,000
Program*	73,000,000
Program Reviews-concept notes	-
Capacity Analyses	200.000
Co-financing and Support for Application Process	3,000,000
CISU's Information Fund	500,000

CCAM 2022-2025**	53,726,003
Total	232,301,003

Notes*

* Budgeted for 15 organisations to have a program grant from 2024 until the next round.

** Disbursement of climate supplement (CCAM) over two years, 2023 and 2024 respectively .

Regarding 2. Maximum limits per application for individual application types:

Small-scale Interventions: 200,000 DKK
Citizen Participation Interventions: 500,000 DKK
Development Interventions: 4.5 million DKK
Program: The overall maximum limit is 15 million DKK per year. Guidelines outline how much can be applied for based on the organisation's existing portfolio. Special rules apply to the so-called "additional fund" for programs.
Co-financing: 2 million DKK (maximum one grant per organisation per year)
Support for Application Processes: 50,000 DKK

Regarding 3. Maximum limit for each organisation:

The maximum annual grants that can be given to an organisation collectively are 6 million DKK. (This does not include funds from Co-Financing, the CISU Information Fund, OpEn, CCAM, or the DERF).

Regarding 4. Scoring/prioritisation of applications for one or more support modality according to a transparent scoring system:

The Civil Society Fund is allocated an annual total amount on the Finance Act every year, which means it may be necessary to prioritise among applications.

Citizen Participation Interventions, Development Interventions up to 1 million DKK, Co-Financing, Support for Application Processes, and Capacity Analyses are exempt from prioritisation – meaning interventions found worthy of support by the Asessment Committee will receive funding.
For Development Intervention applications exceeding 1 million DKK, the assessment consultant will conduct a scoring in the 'Assessment Committee Note' based on the fulfillment of the assessment criteria in the Civil Society Fund Guidelines. If there are not enough funds to grant all eligible applications, those with the highest scores will be funded. More on this below.

The scoring for each application will be sent to the applicant along with the 'Assessment Committee Note'. An applicant who has not been granted funding can therefore use the scoring to improve the application for the next round.

Funds are allocated for program grants based on knowledge of organisations that either have a program grant or are in the process of becoming a program organisation. In case of extreme pressure on overall funds, programs may also be proportionally adjusted downwards.

If there are insufficient funds in the pool to accommodate all eligible Development Interventions over 1 million DKK, and several interventions share the "lowest score" in the ranking, allocation occurs in the following order:

If the amount needed to grant all interventions with the same score is less than 10% of the total of those applications, funding is granted with the condition that individual budgets are reduced by the necessary percentage.
If this is not possible, priority is given to an intervention that clearly follows a previous intervention. If there are several such interventions, those with the lowest requested amounts are prioritised.
If all interventions are new, funding is provided to the one with the lowest requested amount, and so forth.

The scoring system is based on the assessment criteria outlined in the Civil Society Fund Guidelines.

The score is an expression of the fulfillment of the criteria in relation to to the amount requested and the given context.

1	Weak indication that supports the criteria
2	Some indication that supports the criteria
3	Indication that supports the criteria
4	Solid indication that supports the criteria
5	Comprehensive indication of implementation and/or indication of an established approach/system in supporting the criteria

Click here if you wish to file a complaint

Any complaints about the handling of an application will initially be discussed by CISU's Head of Secretariat, the Chairperson of the Board, and the Chairperson of the Assessment Committee, who will consider the nature of the complaint and decide on its further course.

As a general rule, complaints cannot lead to changes in decisions made in the Grant Assessment System. However, if there are substantial and demonstrable formal errors in the processing of the application, it may be referred for reassessment. Assessments made in the Grant Assessment System cannot be altered.

All complaints will, in any case, be included and used constructively in the ongoing evaluation of professional practices within CISU, involving the Board, Assessment Consultants, Assessment Committee, and the Secretariat/Advisors.

CISU's procedures for feedback and complaints are outlined in CISU's Code of Conduct here.

As a member organisation, you can always request advice throughout the application process. Remember to book well in advance of any deadlines.

Book an advisory session here

Applicants whose organisations are not members of CISU can receive guidance on application procedures. Contact CISU at +45 86120342 or puljer@cisu.dk.

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Civil Society Fund

Purpose

Support modalities under the Civil Society Fund

Access materials related to grants and applications

Useful information about the Civil Society Fund

Who can Apply?

What Types of Support are Available?

What Countries are Eligible for Support?

Maximum Amounts

How to Apply

Application Deadlines and Assessment Periods

How Applications are Assessed

How Funds are Allocated (Grant Allocation Management)

Ranking and Scoring of Eligible Interventions

Grant Assessment System

Complaints

Report Suspected Fraud, Corruption, Misuse, or Other Irregularities

Advice

You might also be interested in:

Application Process

Funding Materials

Book an Advisory Session