FOR GRANT SEEKERS

Funding Criteria

The SAGE Fund provides project support to organizations that seed promising approaches for strengthening human rights accountability in the global economy by piloting a tool or strategy; or advance the field’s understanding of key challenges or emerging issues, and identify opportunities to strengthen the human rights framework in response.  Human rights organizations or civil society organizations with a mission and programming strongly aligned with human rights are eligible, including NGOs from the Global South; networks, coalitions and project partnerships (with strong participation and leadership from the Global South); and research centers with strong links to activist practice.  International NGOs or anchor NGOs from the Global North may participate as project partners but are not intended as primary grantees. 

Thematic Cluster of Grants

The SAGE Fund uses an open Request for Proposals (RFP), allowing an interactive process with groups in the field to inform and help shape the focus of a thematic set of grants. Outreach around the RFP process is successful in generating a strong pool of proposals; surfacing many new groups and encouraging collaboration through project partnerships; and providing a good channel for taking the “pulse” of the field by identifying trends, key themes and approaches ready for greater investment.

SAGE concentrates collective work on a theme that is poised for innovation, and builds a critical mass of strategy development around that theme. Through SAGE’s interactive way of working, it both traces and links initiatives across fields and taps into emerging opportunities to address accountability challenges. SAGE helps create a pipeline of emerging issues, new approaches, and a stronger and layered infrastructure of CSOs working in partnership.