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For Grantseekers

Applying for a Grant

The Disability Rights Fund and Disability Rights Advocacy Fund are grantmaking collaboratives that support organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) around the world to build diverse movements, ensure inclusive development agendas, and achieve equal rights and opportunity for all.

Please read on for information about our biannual Request for Proposals (RFP) process.

Funding Streams & Priority Areas

Through DRF/DRAF support, OPDs are equipped to advocate for implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and other relevant mechanisms (such as GDS Commitments, the Marrakesh Treaty, and the African Disability Protocol), and to build strong, inclusive, and intersectional movements at local and national levels. 

To do this, DRF and DRAF currently administer three funding streams (summarized below) during our grantmaking rounds: Small Grants, Mid-Level Coalition Grants, and National Coalition Grants. Please visit the  Funding Streams  page for more information about the priorities for each grant type. 

Small Grants support growth of a broader and more diverse disability movement to advance the CRPD and the SDGs at local levels. While we welcome applications from any eligible OPDs, we especially encourage new applicants to apply for a Small Grant, as well as grassroots (rural), emergent (newly established), and/or marginalized groups (such as women and girls with disabilities, persons with psychosocial disabilities, persons with albinism, Deafblind persons, etc).  

Mid-Level and National Coalition Grants support advocacy for more inclusive laws, policies, and programs. Because of the importance of joint advocacy at national and sub-national levels, only coalitions of three or more organizations will be funded. Applicant organizations leading coalitions must be OPDs, while partners can be either OPDs or other civil society organizations active in the promotion of human rights. Coalitions led by umbrella organizations or federations may include member OPDs as partners, but must also include at least one outside organization to be eligible. Coalition grants support projects over the course of two years, with second-year funding contingent on progress in the first year.  

  • Small Grants range from USD 10,000 – USD 30,000 per year.  
  • Mid-Level Coalition Grants range from USD 30,000 – 50,000 per year.  
  • National Coalition Grants range from USD 40,000 – 60,000 per year.  

Target Countries 

OPDs in DRF/DRAF target countries may apply during two grantmaking cycles. In 2022, these are: 

  • Round 1 (February 2022): Indonesia, Malawi, Nigeria, and the Pacific Island Countries. 
  • Round 2 (August 2022): Nepal, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Pacific Island Countries.  

*Please note that the RFP for Haiti will be revisited in advance of 2023 Round 1. 

Eligibility Criteria  

To meet the minimum eligibility requirements for DRF/DRAF funding consideration, applicants must:   

  1. Be based in and conduct the majority of activities in a country targeted by the specific Round; 
  1. Be a legally registered non-governmental organization of persons with disabilities (OPD), or a group of persons with disabilities acting under the fiscal sponsorship of a legally registered organization.  
  1. Be proposing a project that explicitly promotes the CRPD and specifies the relevant Article(s).  

Important Considerations for 2022 Funding 

Below are several new developments which may impact your organizations and/or proposals: 

  1. Increasing Project Funding: In recognition of growing implementation capacity amongst grantees, rising costs facing OPDs, and expanding support for DRF/DRAF, all grant ranges increased by $10,000 USD in 2022:  
  1. National Coalition grants are now USD 40,000 – 60,000 per year;  
  1. Mid-Level Coalition grants are now USD 30,000 – 50,000 per year; and 
  1. Small Grants are now up to USD 30,000 per year. 
  1. Strengthening OPD Capacities: DRF/DRAF continue to increase support for OPD efforts to mitigate risks and build institutional capacities related to priority areas – such as safeguarding, financial management, and governance – identified in consultation with DRF/DRAF staff. These OPD Strengthening funds are included in the first disbursement of any grant.  
  1. Accounting for COVID-19: Applicants are encouraged to continue factoring COVID-19 implications into project objectives, activities, and budgets. DRF/DRAF remain committed to supporting OPD advocacy addressing the outsized impact of the pandemic and its socio-economic effects on persons with disabilities, especially on marginalized groups. 
  1. Implementing Safeguarding: As part of our responsibilities as a human rights donor, DRF/DRAF continue to expand measures supporting implementation by grantees of our Child Protection Policy (CPP), and our Policy on Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH Policy). All grantees are required (with our financial and technical support) to put in place a safeguarding policy framework compliant with DRF/DRAF standards. 

How To Apply 

*Please note that 2022 Round 2 is by invitation only. The RFP process will reopen in 2023, and relevant information will be shared on this page early in the new year. 

If you have any questions or accessibility needs, please contact us at grants@disabilityrightsfund.org

1 In DRF/DRAF’s understanding of the term, an “OPD” (also referred to as “DPO”) is a representative organization or group of persons with disabilities, where persons with disabilities constitute a majority of the overall staff, board, and volunteers, and are well represented at all levels. This includes organizations of relatives of persons with disabilities (when representing children with disabilities or persons with intellectual disabilities) where a primary aim of the organization is empowerment and growth of self-advocacy by persons with disabilities. In addition, OPDs have an understanding of disability in accordance with the social model.
2 The term “marginalized” includes women with disabilities, children and youth with disabilities, persons with psychosocial disabilities, persons with intellectual disabilities, persons with albinism, persons of short stature, persons with Deafblindness, Indigenous persons with disabilities, refugees with disabilities or those living in post-conflict areas, LGBTQI persons with disabilities, persons with disabilities living with HIV/AIDS, and other specific groups (caste, etc) identified as marginalized in a country.

Frequently Asked Questions
What DRF & DRAF Do Not Fund
Glossary of Terms​