Kenya is in dire and urgent need of a comprehensive public civic education program with regards to ongoing political developments. An examination of the conversations and engagements in the mainstream and social media platforms reveals that the level of civic awareness and engagement is becoming more restricted and undermined across all sections of the Kenyan citizenry. The available civic education is politically subjective and geared towards convincing the masses to vote for one side or other on the basis of political considerations. Opportunities for civic engagement are met with unnecessary force. In this case, there is an urgent need for objective and inclusive civic  engagements to enable Kenyans to make  informed choices. 

Are you concerned about the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020? Can you reimagine objective inclusive civic education that will ensure citizens decisions and choices are informed? What innovative approaches do you wish to use to increase the political participation of Kenyan Voice rightsholder  groups? Can you  conceptualize  a national opportunity for strategic advocacy, different modes of civic engagement, or coordination of collective action that can lead to an active informed  citizenry ? 

If your answer is yes to any of  the questions above, apply for this Sudden Opportunity Grant to promote collective action by  rightsholders to foster active citizenry and reimagine civic engagement in the current political context. 

What do we wish to fund? 

Voice Kenya will  prioritize  collaborations among  organizations led by or representing marginalized communities and those bringing expertise on effective political participation and increasing civic education. We will have preference for projects that are truly committed to putting Voice  rightsholders  in the lead. 

Priority is given to applications led by  organizations  that work on, for, and / or with the following  rightsholder  groups: 

• Vulnerable elderly and young people 

• Indigenous groups and ethnic minorities 
• LGBTI people 
• People with disabilities 
• Women facing exploitation, abuse, and / or violence 

Intersectionality  is at the very heart of Voice. Therefore, we have a strong preference for selecting projects that intend to work with more than one of the Voice  rightsholder  groups to address overlapping or cross-cutting challenges and promote inter-and / or intra-group solidarity. For more ideas on what issues Voice  prior itises , please read the  Kenya  Context Analysis  summary. The full report will be made available upon request. 

Here are examples of Sudden Opportunities projects that may inspire your actions. 

• The High Court decision on The Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020 popularly known as the Bui lding Bridges Initiative (BBI)  will be appealed. Are Kenyans informed and ready for a referendum vote? 
• New digital identity and population registry  that threatens to restrict access to services, to increase data protection risks and to exclude communities facing discrimination in access to documentation ; 
• The worrying phenomenon of  shrinking civic space  that restricts citizens from their freedom to assemble to  criticize  the government ; 
• You can also have a look at other ideas  that have been supported by Voice under this grant type for inspiration. 

This gra nt is available for up to Euro 1 00,000 for an intervention that will last between 6 and 12 months. Additionally, Sudden Opportunity grants are available on a rolling basis and can be applied for at any time from the date the Call for Proposal announcement is made. 

Who do we wish to fund? 

Coalition, network or consortia with the participation of human rights defenders, private institutions and companies, journalists, bloggers, NGOs and self-interested individuals or intellectuals who identify and agree with the reimagining civic education, or jointly and collectively seek the promotion and protection of civil and political rights of Voice rightsholder  groups. It is important to note that the lead applicant must be a locally registered Kenyan  organization  but that the action needs to be a collective one.  

What we won’t fund: 

• Organizations  with an annual turnover of over € 2 million.  

• An application where the grant awarded from Voice is more than 50% of the total annual income of the applicant  organization .  
• The way to calculate this is to divide the requested amount by the number of years the project will be implemented. The result will then be divided by the annual income. 
• If the result of this calculation is over 50% you can either reduce the requested amount or team up as part of a consortium where you can add up the annual incomes. 
• Funding of commercial services, investment or other commercial activities.  

Practicing the Values ​​of Voice 

Voice believes in the principle of Nothing  About Us Without  Us. In practice, this means Voice  rightsholder  groups need to be at the  center  of any effort. They must be involved in the  conceptualization , planning, and implementation of any grant. They are equal partners in any consortium, network, or coalition, playing key governance and leadership roles. 

Linking and Learning 

Linking and Learning is at the heart and soul of Voice. All grantees are expected to participate in facilitated meetings and gatherings enabling the exchange of ideas and learnings from each other’s experiences. Applicants must demonstrate in their proposals how they will identify, document, and share their learnings as they implement their project. These may come in many forms such as blog posts, videos, photo essays, or audio recordings. 

This Call for Proposals is closed and no longer accepting applications. Come back here at a later stage to learn about the grantees that have been selected in this Call for Proposals.

The current open Calls for Proposals can be found here .