The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives – Ukraine (2023)

The Embassy of Canada in Ukraine is pleased to launch its annual call for proposals for the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).

Program Description

The CFLI is a program designed to support small-scale, high-impact projects, which align with Global Affairs Canada’s thematic priority areas for engagement. The program is directed at projects conceived and designed predominantly by local partners. Projects are selected and approved by the relevant Canadian embassy or high commission. The CFLI also serves to support positive bilateral relations between Canada and recipient countries and their civil societies, by deepening contacts and supporting local endeavours.

The average CFLI contribution is between $30,000.00 and $50,000.00 Canadian Dollars (a maximum $100,000 is considered on an exceptional basis). Consult the currency converter for local currency equivalents. Please note that all contributions are made in Canadian dollars and then converted to the local currency.

How to apply

• All projects must be completed between the date of signature of the Contribution Agreement and the closing date specified in the Contribution Agreement. Proposed activities should aim to start about two months after the proposal submission date (e.g. if a proposal is submitted on February 28, the start date might be April 30). These dates are notional and may change depending on the day of approval.
• All projects must be completed by February 28, 2024. Final reporting and payments must be completed by March 15, 2024. In exceptional cases, two-year projects, ending by February 28, 2025, may be considered but need to be strongly justified.
• The application window for proposals is now open and will close on April 30, 2023 at 23:59 (CET). Applications submitted after this deadline will not be considered. The first round of reviews will be considered around March 1, 2023. Final reviews will be considered in early May 2023.
• To obtain a detailed application form and additional instructions on how to apply, please email KYIV.CFLI-FCIL@international.gc.ca.
• Only those proposals using the designated application form and including the required budget document will be considered.
• For more information on the types of activities and costs that are eligible for CFLI funding, please refer to the list of CFLI approved activities and costs.
• Proposals must be completed in English or French. If this presents a difficulty, please contact the Embassy of Canada at KYIV.CFLI-FCIL@international.gc.ca.
• Project proposals must explicitly answer all questions in the CFLI project application form, including the required gender-based analysis (GBA) (see below for details.). The proposed project budget should summarize the proposed activities and associated costs.
• Applications will be assessed for approval on their merit by a selection committee.
• Project applications are kept on file at missions in accordance with Global Affairs Canada’s information management policies.
• If you have questions related to the application process, please send them to KYIV.CFLI-FCIL@international.gc.ca.

Organizations eligible to apply for CFLI funding

Eligible recipients include:

• Local non-governmental, community and not-for-profit organizations,
• Local academic institutions working on local projects,
• Intergovernmental, multilateral and regional institutions, organizations and agencies working on local development activities,
• Municipal, regional or national government institutions or agencies of the recipient country working on local projects, and

The majority of CFLI funding is to be directed toward local civil society organizations (including non-governmental organizations) and other institutions working at the local level. Municipal, regional and national government institutions may receive funding, provided that their projects are essentially local in nature.

If you are not sure if your organization is eligible to apply, please e-mail us to confirm at KYIV.CFLI-FCIL@international.gc.ca.

Thematic priorities

All projects must align with at least one of the following CFLI thematic priorities listed below.

The Embassy of Canada recognizes the role played by local volunteer and civil society organizations in addressing the most urgent needs of Ukrainian people during an ongoing Russian invasion. The CFLI program in Ukraine aims to: support the efforts of these organizations and movements in helping Ukrainians protect their communities and institutions; strengthen the resilience of the Ukrainian people, communities and institutions in withstanding the Russian aggression; and help lay a foundation for recovery and peace, including through strengthening social cohesion. The Embassy encourages applications from youth-led organizations and initiatives.

During the ongoing Russian invasion, it is clear that humanitarian needs are recurring and may require urgent attention. Therefore, the inclusion of a humanitarian element may be considered, but the main focus of each proposal must be longer-term development results.

Please note that the CFLI Program cannot support pure humanitarian assistance and only focuses on initiatives that aim to deliver long-term development results.

CFLI priority areas

• Peace and security, with a focus on building peace.
• Inclusive governance, including diversity, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
• Growth that works for everyone, including women's economic rights, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
• Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
• Human dignity, covering health, education and nutrition.
• Environment and climate action, focusing on the mitigation of conflict-related impacts and addressing negative consequences.

Gender-based analysis

In 2017, Canada adopted its Feminist International Assistance Policy to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as the most effective way to reduce poverty and build a more inclusive, peaceful and prosperous world. In alignment with this policy, the CFLI project application process now requires a gender-based analysis (GBA). The purpose of this change is to enhance the gender equality outcomes of the CFLI program.

Please note that “enhancing gender equality outcomes” does not necessarily mean a focus on women and girls. A GBA analysis would help proposals to better address the different needs of women, girls, men and boys, and recognize a broad diversity (e.g. gender, age, ethnicity, religion, urban/rural, directly conflict-affected, etc.).

A GBA will require applicants to:

• consider how women, girls, men, and boys are affected differently by the problem their project is aiming to address, ensuring, at the same time, that the project does not cause harm
• consult women and/or girls in the development of their project proposal
• ensure that the views of those women and/or girls inform the project’s design

Note that consultations can include, but are not limited to, speaking to women and girls from the local community, women and other individuals who work for civil society organizations that have worked in the local community and female and male decision and change makers who have knowledge of the local community.

Inadequate completion of a GBA may affect the consideration of your proposal.

Eligible costs

The following project costs are eligible for CFLI funding:

• accounting costs
• administrative and overhead costs related to the project (overhead should not exceed 15% of total CFLI contribution)
• advocacy and lobbying related costs
• capital and/or operating expenditures related to the lease and/or purchase and/or building of infrastructure
• civic education costs
• conference and event expenditures
• costs of services received by recipients
• domestic travel expenses, using lowest fares possible but not exceeding full fare economy class
• environmental assessment costs
• facilities charges,
• equipment rental, and/or purchase (only when the purchase is required to meet project objectives, reflects good value for money, and the recipient has a strong care-and-maintenance plan in place for equipment sustainability),
• hospitality costs, excluding alcoholic beverages
• installation, maintenance, shipping and/or transportation costs, including fuel,
• computers and communication devices
• lease or rental of vehicles
• legal costs
• medical costs
• miscellaneous expenses integral to the project
• outreach, communication and information dissemination costs
• publishing costs
• radio and television broadcast fees
• research-related costs
• salary costs, including stipends, relating to the project,
• security costs
• training and capacity building expenditures
• translation and interpretation fees
• vehicle and equipment operation, installation and/or maintenance
• website development and related costs

The following costs are not eligible for CFLI funding:

• nuclear technologies and facilities,
• assistance to military or paramilitary organizations,
• gifts,
• luxury goods,
• direct fiscal support to a government,
• seed funding and/or microfinance,
• core funding or recurrent costs of an organization
• expenses incurred prior to the signing of the contribution agreement, or after it expires.