The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives 2023 – Kazakhstan

The Embassy of Canada to Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan is pleased to launch its annual call for proposals for the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).

The CFLI is a program designed to support small-scale, high-impact projects in developing countries, 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 endeavors.

In Kazakhstan, while applications addressing 1 of the 5 CFLI priorities will be considered, preference will be given to proposals aiming to advance the human rights agenda, media freedom, and democratic reforms; strengthen women’s rights organizations; and develop lasting solutions to protect and promote the rights of the most vulnerable and marginalized people (themes may include gender-based violence and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people).

All projects must align with at least one of the following CFLI thematic priorities:

• gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
• inclusive governance, including diversity, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
• peace and security, with a focus on conflict prevention and building peace.
• growth that works for everyone, including women’s economic rights, decent jobs, and entrepreneurship, investing in the poorest and most vulnerable, and safeguarding economic gains.
• environment and climate action focusing on adaptation and mitigation, as well as on water management.

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. Other entities, such as international, intergovernmental, multilateral, and regional organizations, may be eligible for funding provided they are working with local partners and on local projects that are consistent with the objectives of the CFLI. Similarly, municipal, regional, and national government institutions may receive funding provided that their projects are essentially local. The CFLI administrators are always looking to fund innovative projects that deliver measurable results.

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.

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, and
• ensure that the views of those women and/or girls inform the project’s design.