The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives
The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) provides modest funding for small-scale, high-impact projects in more than 120 countries eligible for official development assistance (ODA). The CFLI has an annual programming budget of $16.3 million, with projects averaging $25,000 each. Projects are planned and implemented mainly by local organizations, and are selected and approved by the relevant Canadian Embassy or High Commission.
Learn about CFLI initiatives and implementation structures.
See where the CFLI focuses project funding.
Find out if your organization is eligible to apply for CFLI funding.
Find calls for proposals in alphabetical order.
Background
The CFLI is a unique fund in that most projects are designed and implemented by small, local civil-society organizations. These organizations understand local needs and priorities and are often best placed to respond to them. This increases the overall impact of projects and strengthens engagement in issues that are important to the prosperity and well-being of local communities.
The CFLI funds approximately 600 projects annually. This includes a range of initiatives from training local election monitors, to improving community resiliency to the effects of climate change, to supporting women’s inclusion in local peace negotiations.
By supporting local groups that may not otherwise qualify for funding from larger donors, the CFLI is also helping local civil-society organizations to flourish and succeed.
Priorities
CFLI projects focus on issues such as:
- gender equality and empowerment of women and girls
- human rights
- democracy and governance
- peace and security
- climate action
- economic growth
The CFLI also provides modest financing for projects in response to natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies.
Requirements
Organizations eligible to apply for CFLI funding include:
- local non-governmental, community and not-for profit organizations
- local academic institutions
- international, intergovernmental, multilateral and regional institutions, organizations and agencies
- municipal, regional or national government institutions or agencies of the recipient country
- Canadian non-governmental and not-for-profit organizations
Local civil society organizations will receive most of the CFLI funding. Nevertheless, other organizations and institutions listed may also apply for funding if they are working with local partners on local projects that meet CFLI objectives.
The CFLI is always looking to fund innovative projects that support meaningful change in communities abroad.
Calls for proposals
Open calls
Closed calls
- Algeria (2019)
- Argentina (2019)
- ASEAN (2019), ASEAN (2020)
- Bangladesh (2019), Bangladesh (2020)
- Belarus (2019), Belarus (2020)
- Benin (2020)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (2019)
- Brazil (2020)
- Burkina Faso (2020)
- Burundi (2019)
- Cambodia (2019)
- Cameroon (2019)
- Central African Republic (2019)
- Chad (2019)
- China (2019), China (2020)
- Comoros, Tanzania, Zambia (2020)
- Costa Rica (2019)
- Côte d’Ivoire (2019), Côte d’Ivoire (2020)
- Cuba (2019), Cuba (2020)
- Djibouti (2019)
- Dominican Republic (2020)
- Equatorial Guinea (2019)
- Eswatini (2019)
- Ethiopia (2019)
- Federated States of Micronesia (2019)
- Gabon (2019)
- Guatemala and Belize (2020)
- Guyana (2019)
- Guyana, Suriname (2020)
- Haiti (2019)
- Honduras (2019)
- Independent State of Samoa (2019)
- Iraq (2019)
- Jamaica (2019), Jamaica (2020)
- Jordan (2019), Jordan (2020)
- Kazakhstan (2019), Kazakhstan (2020)
- Kenya (2019)
- Kingdom of Tonga (2019)
- Kosovo (2020)
- Kyrgyzstan (2019)
- Lao (2019)
- Lebanon (2019)
- Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa (2020)
- Liberia (2019)
- Liberia (2020)
- Malawi (2019)
- Malaysia (2019), Malaysia (2020)
- Maldives (2019)
- Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu (2020)
- Mauritania (2019)
- Mexico (2019), Mexico (2020)
- Morocco (2019), Morocco (2020)
- Mozambique (2019)
- Myanmar (2019)
- Nauru (2019)
- New Zealand (2020)
- Nicaragua (2019)
- Nigeria (2019)
- Pakistan
- Palau (2019)
- Palestinian Territories (2020)
- Panama (2019)
- Paraguay (2019)
- Republic of Fiji (2019)
- Republic of Kiribati (2019)
- Republic of Marshall Islands (2019)
- Rwanda (2019)
- Sao Tome and Principe (2019)
- Senegal (2020)
- The Gambia
- Cabo Verde
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guinea
- Solomon Islands (2019)
- Somalia (2019)
- South Sudan (2019), South Sudan (2020)
- Sri Lanka and Maldives (2020)
- Sri Lanka (2019)
- Suriname (2019)
- Tajikistan (2019), Tajikistan (2020)
- Thailand (2019)
- Thailand,Cambodia,Laos (2020)
- The Kyrgyz Republic (2020)
- Turkey (2019), Turkey (2020)
- Tuvalu (2019)
- Uganda (2019)
- Ukraine (2019)
- Vanuatu (2019)
- Vietnam (2019), Vietnam (2020)
- West Bank (Palestinian territories) (2019)
- Zimbabwe (2019)
