Funding and grants

Introduction

1. Global Community Links aims to help links increase the involvement of UK community members in international development. The programme aims to increase understanding of global development issues, and offers funding and support to community groups in the UK that have a link with a community group in a developing country.

2. The programme seeks to strengthen links through involving a wider range of community members. Building knowledge and understanding of global development in the UK helps create a stronger base for links, and helps achieve even more in a link.

3. In 2006 DFID pledged to set up a scheme to help communities in the UK build links with communities in developing countries. These could include faith groups, community groups and charitable organisations. After extensive consultations with interested parties, DFID funding for the programme was agreed in 2008.

4. We encourage you to apply for a Global Community Links action grant if you wish to use your link to promote public understanding in the UK of global development issues. Global Community Links action grants can be used to achieve one or more of the two grant objectives for activities in the UK (not activities in your Link country.) 
5. Your application must demonstrate how you will achieve one or more of the objectives. Activities must be achievable within the timeframe and budget specified on the grant. Activities that aim to meet more than one objective will not necessarily be considered preferable to a project that meets one objective well.

6. Your application should demonstrate what impact your activities hope to achieve, how they will achieve this and how the impact of the activities will be measured.

Assessment criteria

7. Your application will be marked on the extent to which it meets the following criteria:
i. The activities demonstrate how they achieve one or more of the objectives.
ii. The application demonstrates how the impact of the activities will be measured.
iii. Activities are feasible within the funding period.
iv. Community groups in both countries contribute to and support the application.
v. Community groups in both countries are committed to participating in the link.
vi. Strategies are in place to sustain the link beyond the funding period, including strategies for on-going communication and on-going funding.
vii. The activities engage members of the wider community, including those of different age, faith, gender and ethnicity.

How your application will be assessed

8. Applications will be checked for eligibility. Ineligible applicants will be informed which of the eligibility criteria they have not met and will have opportunity to apply again in a later round if they can meet the criteria.

9. Eligible applications will go to an independent grants assessment panel who will mark them against the assessment criteria.

10. Applicants will be informed in writing of the outcome. Unsuccessful applicants will be informed which of the assessment criteria they did not satisfy and will be able to reapply in a later round if they can meet the criteria.

11. The panel’s decision is final and no additional correspondence, other than that required by the application, should be submitted.

DFID Contact Department

12. Outreach and Stakeholder Communications Team, Communications Division.

Administration of Global Community Links

13. The Fund is administered by the British Council on behalf of the Outreach and Stakeholder Communications Team in DFID's Communications Division. Any questions about Global Community Links should be addressed to the British Council.

Their contact details are as follows:
Global Community Links
British Council, Bridgewater House
58 Whitworth Street, Manchester M1 6BB, UK
T +44 (0)161 957 7790
communitylinks@britishcouncil.org

Freedom of Information and obligations

14. DFID is committed to open government and to meeting our responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 . Accordingly, all information submitted to DFID may need to be disclosed in response to requests under the Act. DFID has a policy of active disclosure where possible and we may decide to include certain information in the publication scheme which we maintain under the Act.

Applicant obligations

15. If you consider that any of the information included in your application would prejudice your interests if it were to be disclosed to the general public, please identify it and explain (in broad terms together with a time period after which the information could be disclosed) what harm may result from disclosure if a request is received. Applicants must justify why they prefer any information to be withheld.

DFID Obligations

16. Applicants should be aware that, even where it is indicated in the application that they would prefer information not to be disclosed, DFID may be required to disclose it under the Act if a request is received. DFID recognises the legitimate concerns of applicants and will normally consult with the relevant applicant before disclosing information if it appears to be sensitive in any way. There is a 20 day deadline within which DFID is obliged to provide a detailed reply to all requests received under the Act.

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