The High Commission of Canada in Barbados is delighted to announce its annual call for proposals for the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) for 2024-2025. The High Commission of Canada invites local, national or regional civil society organizations, academic institutions and government agencies in eligible countries to submit their project proposals for consideration by Friday, May 3, 2024.

The CFLI is a unique program designed to support small-scale, high-impact projects in ODA-eligible countries that align with the Government of Canada’s thematic priority areas for engagement. The majority of CFLI funding is directed toward local civil society organizations (including non-governmental organizations) and other institutions working at the community level. The CFLI contribution is between $25,000 to $50,000 Canadian dollars for innovative projects that can deliver measurable results by February 28, 2025.

The High Commission of Canada has three focused CFLI thematic priority areas for engagement in the Eastern Caribbean for 2024-2025. These targeted priority areas are:

1. INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE, including democracy, peaceful pluralism, respect for diversity, and the rule of law, promoting and protecting human rights, including LGBTQI+ rights, and equitable access to a functioning justice system;
2. GENDER EQUALITY AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS, including addressing sexual and gender-based violence, supporting strong and sustainable women’s rights organizations and movements, supporting evidence-based policymaking, legal frameworks and program delivery for gender equality; and,
3. PEACE AND SECURITY with a focus on conflict prevention and building peace, for example, supporting gender-responsive security threat reduction and security system reform, including addressing organized crime, human trafficking and smuggling, corruption, cyber-violence, illicit financial flows, and sexual and gender-based violence in the security system.

Eligible countries within the High Commission’s area of responsibility include Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Interested organizations should visit  https://tinyurl.com/CFLIOECS24 for more information, or contact the CFLI Coordinator via email at cfli.bar.oecs@gmail.com to request an application package.