Are you witnessing oppressive state practices and direct threats towards civil society activists? Do these events directly impact one or more Voice target groups? Is there a time-bound opportunity to influence policy on criminalisation, marginalisation, discrimination, and/or exclusion? Is there a national opportunity for strategic advocacy or litigation, online and offline protests, coordination of collective action that can lead to change in legal decision, policy/laws, a shift in public attitudes and practices? Will this collective action challenge discrimination, promote equal access and opportunities, enhance social well-being or development?

If you answer yes to the questions above, apply for a Sudden Opportunity Grant to reclaim and advance civic space in Kenya!

Grants responding to a sudden opportunity are available on a rolling basis and can be applied for at any time from the date of call for proposal announcement is made.

This grant is available from Euro 5,000 to Euro 200,000 for an intervention that will last between 6 and 12 months.

What is a sudden opportunity?

Sudden opportunities can vary greatly, depending on the situation. They can however, be described through the common elements they share.

Sudden: These are unexpected moments, which happen without any warning. They could be a policy direction change for the government, a shift in public opinion, or a new court ruling with deep policy implications.

Collective Action: These are unexpected moments that require collective action. They require a response not just from one group but from several organizations such as a coalition, a consortium, or a network.

Immediate: These unexpected moments require immediate action. They temporarily create the right set of circumstances for making a change possible. The moment will eventually pass and the opportunity to make a change is lost.

Without these elements, your project may be more suited for a different category of the Voice grant.

What do we wish to fund?

Collective action that will impact at least one or more of the Voice target groups;

• Women facing exploitation, abuse and/or violence
• People with Disabilities
• Age discriminated (youth and elderly)
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people and
• Indigenous People and Ethnic Minorities.

Voice has a strong preference for projects that intend to work with more than one target group to address overlapping vulnerabilities.

Your project can look at any or all of the following themes:

• Improved access to (productive) resources (finance, land and water) and employment,
• Improved access to social services, health and education in particular, and
• Space for political participation

Who do we wish to fund?

Applications are being accepted from a coalition, network or consortia with participation of human rights defenders, private institutions and companies, faith leaders, NGOs and self-interested individuals or intellectuals who jointly and collectively seek the promotion and protection of civil and political rights as well as the realisation of economic and social well-being of the Voice target groups.

The coalition, network or consortia must be target group-led. This means that the target group that you purport to represent governs and manages the organisation plus the principle of Nothing About Us Without Us guide the work.

The impacts are not restricted to specific regions, provinces, or areas, as unexpected moments are national in scope.

This call for proposals is closed, so application is no longer possible. Please come back here at a later stage to learn about the grantees that have been selected in this call for proposals.

Calls for proposals for Influencing grants will be opened once a year, while for Empowerment, Innovate and Learn and Sudden Opportunity grants we accept proposals on a rolling basis. The current open calls for proposals can be found here.