Enabling community groups and organisations throughout Wales to access funding for Wales-Africa projects

Current status of the fund

The grant scheme is now open for applications and will close on 11 July 2025 at 11.59 pm.

If you’re interested in applying, we invite you to join our information session on 11 June 2025 between 10 am – 12 pm.

You can book your spot here.

Women in a room sit in front of a projected presentation
A woman waters crops from a watering can

On this page

  • About the fund
  • What we’ll fund
  • Safeguarding
  • Eligibility
  • Timescales
  • How to apply
  • Hub Cymru Africa
  • Further support
  • What we’ve funded
  • Contact us

About the fund

The Wales and Africa grant scheme is a flagship initiative of Welsh Government’s Wales and Africa programme. The scheme enables community groups and organisations in Wales to access funding for small-scale projects that contribute to Wales’ delivery of UN Sustainable Development Goals and deliver benefits to Wales and Africa.

Applicants can apply for funding between £5,000-£25,000 for a 12 month project. If you wish to discuss a project outside of this funding range, please contact the WCVA grants team.

Man crouches down in amongst plants and saplings

What we’ll fund

Working with Sub Saharan African partners, projects must make a tangible contribution to one of the four following themes:

  1. Health

We seek to contribute to protecting the mental and physical health and wellbeing of communities in Africa through our grants. Examples of this could include:

  • Supporting knowledge and skills sharing between health institutions in Wales and Africa for mutual learning and benefit
  • Supporting healthcare professionals in Africa to access small scale training and support from Wales
  1. Lifelong Learning

We will support individuals or groups of young people or adults in Wales and/or Africa to gain skills and knowledge. Examples of this could include:

  • Supporting the educational needs of disadvantaged children in Africa and sharing that experience with school pupils in Wales, contributing to their global citizenship education
  • Supporting people in Africa to learn practical/vocational/artistic skills to improve their livelihoods
  1. Climate Change and Environment

We will support initiatives that reduce environmental degradation and biodiversity loss in Africa. We’ll also support strategic and practical work to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and to protect people from the impacts of climate change on food supplies, water availability or safety. Examples of this could include:

  • Activities which support African farmers to adapt to a changing climate
  • Projects engaging people in Wales with climate change issues as they affect Africa
  1. Sustainable livelihoods

We seek to promote realistic and sustainable livelihood opportunities in Wales and Africa, ensuring that marginalized individuals are included in grassroots economic and social development. Initiatives that we support include:

  • Community-led, income generating cooperatives that have benefit to Wales and Africa
  • Engaging the public through Fair Trade campaigns, advocacy or policy

Safeguarding

Safeguarding considerations will form a part of the assessment process, we encourage you to join Hub Cymru Africa’s training, to help you identify all safeguarding considerations before you submit an application. If this is not possible, all grant recipients will be required to attend training upon grant award.

Hub Cymru Africa offers four levels of training:

  1. Safeguarding Essentials: for all staff, volunteers, and partner staff who have not yet completed training, or completed training more than two years ago
  2. Safeguarding for Focal Points and Trustees: Safeguarding Essentials is required before attending this course
  3. Safeguarding Refresher: for anyone who has completed training in the past two years who would like to refresh their practice through discussion of case studies
  4. Health Partnerships Safeguarding: training specific to health partnerships on request. Please contact advice@hubcymruafrica.wales

Hub Cymru Africa and WCVA also offer 1:1 safeguarding surgeries to discuss any aspect of your practice.

To register for a training course, please visit the Hub Cymru Africa website.

Eligibility

The grants scheme can be accessed by groups in Wales who work in collaboration with Sub-Saharan African partners to deliver a diverse range of activities. The lead applicant must be based within Wales.

All activities should clearly demonstrate a benefit to Wales and a fit with one or more of the four thematic areas. Please refer to the scheme guidance for the full eligibility criteria and a list of the types of organisations we will fund.

Timescales

The application window is open from 9 May 2025, closing at 11.59 pm on 11 July 2025.

The earliest activity can begin is 15 September 2025.

How to apply

To apply for the funding, you will need to register with WCVA’s Multipurpose Application Portal (MAP). If you have previously registered with MAP, you can log in by entering your username and password on the home screen.

Organisations can register by visiting the website map.wcva.cymru.

If you need help registering on MAP, please follow this video.

Hub Cymru Africa

Hub Cymru Africa can assist with project support and development and ensuring you have all the correct supporting documents in place for your organisation. They are also able to assist in looking for funding from other funding streams for projects linking Wales and Africa.

You can contact the Hub Cymru Development and Support Team at: advice@hubcymruafrica.org.uk

Further support

This guide is designed to help applicants to understand more about the Wales and Africa Grant Scheme, including who can apply for funding, what projects can be funded, and what is required from applicants.

For general queries on the application process please email walesafricagrants@wcva.cymru or call 0300 111 0124.

For support on the development of your application please contact enquiries@hubcymruafrica.org.uk.

What we’ve funded

The grant that funds drones & birth certificates

Read about the fantastic 12-month projects we’ve funded through round 1 of the 2022-25 Wales and Africa Grant Scheme.

People in Africa travel to a birth certificate registration event funded by the Welsh Government Wales and Africa grant scheme
Two women washing cups in an outside sink area, part of Teams4U's Wales and Africa project

Working towards period dignity in Wales and Africa

The Wales and Africa grant scheme has enabled organisations like Teams4U and Chomuzangari Women’s Co-operative to run projects that are improving period dignity for young girls.

Helping farmers in Malawi become more resilient to climate change

The Family Tree Project is helping rural communities in Malawi to become more self-sufficient, resilient to natural disasters and more economically stable.

Beti watering the plants using a watering can, to protect and care for the trees
Two women sitting in a vibrant room, one applying henna to the other's arm

Welsh funding empowering women in Africa

Funding from the Wales and Africa Grant Scheme has helped six projects boost women’s rights and livelihoods in Uganda and Lesotho.

Promoting climate and gender justice in Uganda

Funding from our Wales and Africa grants scheme has supported Size of Wales to empower women while tackling climate change.

Irene, a teacher and farmer who lives in Lukuma village, Uganda, standing and smiling with her five children

Contact us

If you have any questions or would like to speak to us about your project idea, please contact the Grants Team on 0300 111 0124 or email us at walesafricagrants@wcva.cymru.

Resources

Category | Funding |

Wales and Africa Round 6 Awards

Category | Funding |

Wales and Africa Round 5 Awards

More resources