Changes to DFID funding

Spring 2011 Newsletter

DFID have announced that there will be no more funding rounds of the popular Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) and that it will close in 2015 after the completion of on-going projects.

The CSCF was one of DFID’s main central funds for civil society with an annual budget of £14m and was highly competitive – in 2010 out of 409 received concept notes only 32 projects were funded. The CSCF aimed to contribute to poverty reduction in the developing world by building the capacity of organisations in the developing world through advocacy and empowerment projects.

This announcement is indicative of the extensive changes taking place in DFID’s funding priorities and follows on from the announcement of the Multilateral and Bilateral Aid Reviews in March. These reports, which analysed the value for money for UK Aid and the effectiveness of the aid distributed brought about sweeping changes in funding allocations, including a reduction in the amount of countries Britain supports bilaterally from 43 to 27.

Committing to support overseas development with a provision of 0.7% of gross national income from 2013, DFID’s current concern for UK Aid, particularly in this economic climate, is to ensure the effectiveness of aid given and the best value for money for the UK tax payer. No announcement has been made as yet on a replacement scheme to the CSCF, however, we can be certain that if and when one is announced, the criteria for funding will reflect these two key priority areas.

The CSCF Evaluation report and an up-date report on funding will be made available on the DFID website shortly. The Multilateral and Bilateral Aid Reviews can be accessed on the BOND website.