CDT Foundation in co-operation with EED in Germany have established the Small Project Fund (SPF)

The Goal of the SPF

To extend financial assistance and provide funding for smaller groups.

Areas of Support

The funds are to be provided for the support of development programmes, activities and projects such as:

  1. social and community work in urban slum areas, townships and informal settlements;
  2. psychological counseling and legal assistance for children and women who are victims of domestic violence, criminal and sexual assaults and oppression by youth gangs;
  3. youth work: life skills courses, basic training, social activities, etc.;
  4. income-generating activities and supporting measures (provision of grants and loans; courses in project management, bookkeeping, etc.);
  5. pilot programmes in agricultural development and sustainable land use (community gardens, community forestry, small scale agriculture, support of Community Property Associations);
  6. support of programmes for the upliftment of rural women;
  7. lobby and campaign work for environmental justice;
  8. HIV/AIDS programmes combining awareness raising with practical help to infected people and their families/communities;
  9. support of programmes addressing the needs of child-headed households;
  10. consultations, seminars and other dialogue events focusing on crucial development issues.

Scale of Support

Funding of the programmes/projects range from R100 000 to R360 000.

Funding Period

The funding period shall be up to a maximum of one year only.

Possible Recipients

Applications and programme proposal can be submitted by

  • church congregations
  • community based organizations
  • Christian institutions and
  • Non government organizations (NGO’s)

Application procedures

  • applications to be submitted to CDT Foundation Inc, P O Box 70458, Bryanston 2021
  • applications will be subject to a proper assessment and screening process by the project co-ordinator and presented to the PSC (Project Screening Committee.)  This committee will be meeting at least once a quarter.
  • if the application is approved CDT Foundation will enter into a formal agreement with the respective applicant.

Criteria for applications to the CDT-EED Small Grants Fund

Revised, August 2008

Below we set out the preferred characteristics of applications supported by the Fund. There is a measure of flexibility in reviewing applications, but by and large the Awards Committee would follow the preferences set out here.

  1. The applicant organization should not already be supported by EED.
  2. We see the Small Grants Fund as providing a one-off grant, designed to help
    1. Projects that are starting;
    2. Organizations that are running well, but need help to achieve a new level of operations, or initiate new activities;
    3. Established organizations that are doing sound work but which are going through difficulty. In this situation, the Small Grants Fund will provide minimal funding for specific interventions designed to improve organizational health.
  3. There is a strong preference for Community Based Organizations, or organizations that support community-led developmental process.
  4. The Small Grants Fund seeks to support innovation for social change. It will view favorably requests to support projects that can lead to new initiatives, or that will catalyze further
    organization. This may include activities such as action research, exchange visits, programme formulation exercises, and other activities that do not easily attract funding from established grantmakers.

Although there is an upper limit of R360 000 for applications to the Small Grants Fund, the awards committee would prefer to support a number of small initiatives/organizations rather than making fewer large grants.

The Small Grants Fund will not participate in ‘portfolio funding’ i.e. where more than one donor combine to support a programme or organization.