Civil Society Strengthening Fund (CSSF)
The #ShiftThePower Zambia CSSF
- Who the CSSF is for
The CSSF will benefit CSOs that have successfully implemented activities financed by the Catalyst Fund (CF) grant1 as well as other medium-sized CSOs with the following characteristics:
- Being based in communities affected by climate change and/or environmental degradation caused by, but not limited to, deforestation, soil erosion, flooding, drought, or based in communities that were displaced due to mining or conventional commercial farming operations; or having a clear focus on supporting communities affected by climate change and/or environmental degradation or displaced communities, but are not necessarily located in the community they serve but in the vicinity (such as the district or provincial town); and
- Experience in the implementation of activities in one or more of the following areas, i.e. gender justice, climate/environmental justice and/or early child development.
- What the CSSF is for
The CSSF aims to develop the capacity and future strategy of medium-sized, locally-led CSOs in Zambia. The CSSF has a twofold purpose:
- It offers unrestricted funding, often called core funding, which shall enable CSOs to invest in ways they believe can best enhance the functioning of all aspects of their organisation, enabling them to deepen knowledge and experience in their strategic focus and thereby increase their impact. The primary objective of the CSSF is to enable CSO partners to focus on strategic priorities and further their organisational development based on their set goals and strategies. The grant will give successful CSOs the autonomy to adjust their strategy, tactics and inputs that align best with their mandate.
CSOs interested in accessing the CSSF grant must clearly demonstrate their need for financial support to achieve their organisational mandate. The grants will be tailored to the specific needs or implementation capacity of each successful applicant, ensuring a fair and effective distribution of resources.
- It also offers restricted funding for investments in organisational strengthening (OS). For CSOs that have successfully implemented the Catalyst Fund scheme, the last organisational self-assessment report will serve as the baseline for the formulation of a longer-term organisational strengthening (OS) plan. For other medium-sized CSOs, the new entrants, a specific CSSF self-assessment tool will be used to determine the baseline of existing organisational capacities and develop a five-year Organisational Strengthening (OS) plan.
ZGF will administer the restricted funding based on the agreed OS action plan. ZGF will collaborate with CSO partners on how best to meet any technical assistance needs identified in the OS action plan. ZGF will provide technical assistance and use its pool of service providers to support CSSF partners.
The CSSF Expression of Interest process
If an organisation decides to submit its Expression of Interest, it must register its interest to present its proposal to a panel of reviewers in its respective district (register here). The deadline for registration is Friday, 26th April 2024.
The dates for the presentation of proposals will be communicated to all registered CSOs who meet the criteria.
Registered CSOs will be invited to present their proposals before a review panel. The presentations will cover how the organisation
- demonstrates evidence of impact or achievements
- practices community engagement
- plans for organisational strengthening (OS), and
- plans for organisational/financial sustainability.
The CSOs selected by the review panel will be invited to submit full proposals and organisational self-assessment reports for possible funding.
The chart below summarises the overall process.
