Applications for funding closed in March 2022. Further funding opportunities will be announced here when available.
about the refugee leadership fund
We have established the first-of-its-kind Refugee Leadership Fund—a fund for refugees by refugees—housed within Asylum Access. The fund will aggregate contributions and redistribute them to RLOs around the world. Our US-based legally registered fund puts philanthropic power in the hands of refugees and offers donors a way to safely and smoothly fund RLOs.
The purpose of the Refugee Leadership fund is to catalyze the growth and sustainability of community-led responses to forced displacement situations within key designated countries. We believe that when community-driven efforts are well-resourced, community wellbeing will grow.
Furthermore, the Refugee Leadership Fund aims to facilitate greater involvement of RLOs and their leaders in strategizing and decision-making processes that impact community wellbeing, including those owned or facilitated by others, e.g. host community NGOs, INGOs, governments and donors. When RLOs are influencing and educating powerful institutions, we expect the resulting responses to displacement situations will be more impactful. In this way, our fund seeks broad systems change and challenges current power dynamics that exclude RLOs.
The Fund’s approaches and values
Provide core funding
Core funding–or funding that can be used in any manner deemed important by the organization–enables organizations to quickly and efficiently respond to needs as they arise within their communities. Core funding also promotes sustainability, as it permits organizations to prioritize expenses like salaries, rent, and utilities, if those are items more crucial to impact.
Provide multi-year funding
Multi-year funding gives RLOs a runway to build rapport with other donors, to collect information that helps demonstrate impact, and to develop the systems that support sustainable funding pipelines.
Listen and be flexible
We understand that not every organizational journey is linear, and there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Therefore, we seek to provide grants in timeframes and sizes that respond to community needs and to the specific position of the RLO at the time of grantmaking. We also seek to provide multiple pathways for reporting progress, and remain open to new ways to conceptualize and present impact. Finally, we understand that each context is different, and requires highly localized knowledge to inform approaches.
Be supportive and help solve problems
We will offer support to grantees to help ensure the financing is accounted for and impactful. We understand that no matter where an organization is in its life cycle there is always a system, process or procedure that still needs to be workshopped and built. Where we can, we aim to help with these things as deemed necessary by either party. As organizations that have been through these challenges before, we understand challenges for RLOs can be uniquely complex, and we show up as thought-partners in locating hard-to-reach solutions.
Trust refugee-led organizations
Through our due diligence processes we will seek to gain the information we need in order to trust RLOs and their leaders in identifying the most important approaches to community response, and in responding to the organizational needs of their organizations.
Build long-term relationships
Our experiences have taught us that relationships between individuals are the foundation for trust and impact with partnerships, especially between donor and grantee. We seek to build rapport and relationships over multiple meetings and conversations, being mindful of varying time zones, capacity and resource limitations.
Facilitate connections (don’t gate-keep)
The Refugee Leadership Fund seeks to help, not hinder, systems change. This means that we will seek to not just fund, but to also increase the donor base of the RLOs we support such that their work can continue on beyond the grant cycle.
our types of grants
BOOST grants
FUNDING : Up to $25,000 USD
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PERIOD : One year
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LOCATION : Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Lebanon, or Uganda
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AIMED AT : RLOs that are smaller, newer, and are interested in the Strengthening RLOs program are encouraged to apply to this grant.
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Includes comprehensive support from the RRLI Coalition
FUNDING : $100,000 - $200,000 USD
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PERIOD : One year with opportunity to renew
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LOCATION : Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Lebanon, or Uganda
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AIMED AT : RLOs that have an established structure and programming, as well as the ability to manage major funding, are encouraged to apply to this grant.
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Includes comprehensive support from the RRLI Coalition
advance grants
qualification
In order to qualify for either type of grant, an organization or its leader(s) must:
refugee-led
Identify as a refugee-led organization (RLO), or “any formal or informal initiative/organization that is founded and run by people of forced displacement background and/or any formal or informal initiative/organization where people of forced displacement are in major leadership positions and able to influence the work of the organization.”
Location
Be located in one of the following countries: Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Lebanon, or Uganda.
presence
Have a clear presence in their community, including having carried out services or programs in the past.
For Boost Grants, an organization or its leader(s) must also:
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Demonstrate consideration of financial guidelines or policies for managing money
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Demonstrate consideration of ethics when implementing programs and delivering services
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Show interest in participating in the refugee leadership movement and working to increase the inclusion of refugees at all levels of response
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Show interest in participating in the “Strengthening RLOs” program, including some understanding of where support would be beneficial
For Advance Grants, an organization or its leader(s) must also:
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Have financial guidelines, controls and systems in place
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Have ethical guidelines in place specific to the workplace and programmatic implementation
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Show interest in participating in the refugee leadership movement and working to increase the inclusion of refugees at all levels of response, including specific actions they would carry out to advance this mission
selection
Organizations that qualify will be selected on the following criteria:
BOOST grants
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Project design and feasibility: is the proposal clear, organized, and achievable?
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Justification and significance of impact for communities: will the proposal bring important, on-the-ground change in lives?
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Demonstrates the distinct role RLOs can play in refugee response, through showing potential to achieve one or more of the following:
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“At scale” community reach in at least one program
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Usage of a holistic lens that addresses multiple needs of the community in an intersectional way
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Unlocking long-term, sustainable solutions
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Readiness of organizational leaders: are organizational leaders prepared to take on the management of a large institution?
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Interest and feasibility of organizational growth: do leaders have a plan for growth?
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion competency
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Gender considerations integrated into the proposal and the organization's approach
ADVANCE grants
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Project design and feasibility: is the proposal clear, organized, and achievable?
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Justification and significance of impact for communities: will the proposal bring important, on-the-ground change in lives?
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Demonstrates the distinct role RLOs can play in refugee response, through achieving one or more of the following:
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“At scale” community reach in at least one program
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Usage of a holistic lens that addresses multiple needs of the community in an intersectional way
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Unlocking long-term, sustainable solutions
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Quality of proposal budget: is the budget clear, understandable, detailed, and does it reflect the priorities and needs of the project and organization?
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion competency
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Gender considerations integrated into the proposal and the organization's approach
Remember that applications are due on March 4, 2022 at midnight Pacific Time (UTC-8).
watch our RRLI grants webinar
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questions?
If you have any other questions or difficulty with submission, please contact grants@refugeeslead.org.