Our Grantmaking
Learn about our mission, vision and grantmaking process.
Our mission
We work to ensure that organizations that engage in rights based work to address statelessness have the resources, capacity, and connections to campaign for equal nationality rights & eliminate statelessness and its ramifications worldwide.
We believe that people impacted by statelessness and the initiatives they lead are best placed to pursue effective change against statelessness. Through unrestricted multi-year grants, we support impacted person-led groups and stateless activists in achieving:
- Improved resilience
- Greater stability of staff body and programs
- Enhanced responsiveness to new needs and opportunities
- Greater autonomy to pursue locally-driven solutions
- Greater ability to participate in regional and global initiatives
"The unrestricted character of the grant is amazing; the simplicity motivates us to do more to address statelessness."
Our vision
We don’t believe in lengthy application procedures. We seek out organizations whose activities and areas of work align with our mission and prioritize organizations led by individuals impacted by statelessness. We consult funders, experts, and academics and we work closely with other stateless community leaders to widen our reach. We strive for true participation.
Through our participatory grantmaking model, our grantees are the ones who make the funding decisions and shape the work around statelessness. We fund organizations and not projects. We recognize that funding overhead and staff costs are a necessity in pursuing change. We trust that our grantees are the ones who are best placed to make spending decisions.
We have a holistic approach to capacity building. Beyond funding, we provide our grantees with networking, training, and participation opportunities that are shaped by their priorities and interests. We build relationships with donors and philanthropists to ensure that funding impacted person-led initiatives becomes and remains a priority.
Our grantmaking process
Nomination and selection of first group of grantees
Our first group of grantees were selected through nomination and review by the Steering Group of the Fund. Steering Group members proposed groups that are led by people impacted by statelessness, do rights-based work on citizenship and nationality issues with their communities, and that share the values of the Fund.
Due diligence
We go through due diligence processes with selected grantees, and work with them to plan for the best means of providing the grant.
Management Committee Approval
The Fund’s Management Committee is made up of one representative of Open Collective Europe (the Fund’s fiscal host), one representative of the Steering Group, and a third external party. The Management Committee reviews the case for the selected grantee and the due diligence conducted, and gives final approval for the grantee. Following this, grant agreements are signed.
Establishing a vision and accompanying grantees
The Fund staff work with grantees to develop a vision statement, to learn from them about their priorities for change. This feeds into ongoing accompaniment support for the grantee, pulling in global and local expertise that can strengthen grantees’ work in line with their priorities. Grantees will be connected together for peer learning and joint advocacy.
Bringing in peer reviewers
The Fund will continue to develop its participatory grantmaking model. Approximately 5 peer reviewers from among the first group of grantees will work alongside Steering Group members to adjust and develop the criteria for the Fund and the processes for selecting grantees. We want the Fund to be shaped by those who know best – people who work on the ground with communities leading work addressing statelessness.
Identifying further grantees
The next grantees will be identified in line with processes developed by the Steering Group and Peer Review Committee.
Learning together
Throughout its funding, the Fund will be working closely with grantees to learn about the issues their communities face, to spotlight their work, and to work collaboratively in efforts towards impact and change for communities impacted by statelessness worldwide.
Nomination and selection of first group of grantees
Our first group of grantees were selected through nomination and review by the Steering Group of the Fund. Steering Group members proposed groups that are led by people impacted by statelessness, do rights-based work on citizenship and nationality issues with their communities, and that share the values of the Fund.
Due diligence
We go through due diligence processes with selected grantees, and work with them to plan for the best means of providing the grant.
Management Committee Approval
The Fund’s Management Committee is made up of one representative of Open Collective Europe (the Fund’s fiscal host), one representative of the Steering Group, and a third external party. The Management Committee reviews the case for the selected grantee and the due diligence conducted, and gives final approval for the grantee. Following this, grant agreements are signed.
Establishing a vision and accompanying grantees
The Fund staff work with grantees to develop a vision statement, to learn from them about their priorities for change. This feeds into ongoing accompaniment support for the grantee, pulling in global and local expertise that can strengthen grantees’ work in line with their priorities. Grantees will be connected together for peer learning and joint advocacy.
Peer consultation &
review
The Fund will continue to develop its participatory grantmaking model. Peer reviewers from the first group of grantees will work alongside Steering Group members to adjust and develop the criteria for the Fund and the processes for selecting grantees. We want the Fund to be shaped by those who know best – people who work on the ground with communities leading work addressing statelessness.
Identifying further grantees
The next grantees will be identified in line with processes developed by the Steering Group and Peer Review Committee.
Learning together
Throughout its funding, the Fund will be working closely with grantees to learn about the issues their communities face, to spotlight their work, and to work collaboratively in efforts towards impact and change for communities impacted by statelessness worldwide.
Through multi-year, flexible unrestricted funds, combined with accompaniment support and peer learning, stateless-led groups and activists will be supported to:
- Improved resilience
- Greater stability of staff body and programs
- Enhanced responsiveness to new needs and opportunities
- Greater autonomy to pursue locally-driven solutions
- Greater ability to participate in regional and global initiatives
Our organization truly believes that by working together, we can save more lives than ever before.