National Grant Scheme Awards R3.3 Million to Eight Local Non-Governmental Organisations
VICTORIA, Seychelles — Eight non-governmental organisations in the country have benefited from the national grant scheme programme for 2024, sharing a total of R3.3 million in funding. The contract signing for the disbursement of the funds was held on Thursday morning between the chairperson of the National Grant Committee, Eline Moses, and representatives of the different non-profit organisations. The ceremony was held at the National Museum in Victoria, in the presence of other members of the committee. The annual signing is one of the key moments in the local calendar for the non-profit sector, and is closely watched by organisations across the country.
The national grant scheme is administered by the National Grant Committee, an independent body that reviews applications from non-governmental organisations and recommends funding allocations to the ministry responsible. The committee’s role is to ensure that the funds are distributed in a transparent manner, and that the organisations selected are best placed to deliver on the programmes they have proposed. Mrs Moses noted that the committee had reviewed a strong field of applications this year, and that the final list of eight organisations reflected both the diversity of the non-profit sector and the strength of the proposals received.
Among the recipients this year is the UN Youth Seychelles, whose representative Craig Joseph attended the signing ceremony. The organisation is one of the larger youth-focused bodies in the country, and runs a range of programmes on leadership, civic engagement, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Other recipients, while not named individually at the signing, are understood to include organisations working in the areas of health, gender, the environment, and community development. The full list of recipients and the specific allocations will be published by the committee in due course.
For the recipient organisations, the funding is expected to provide a significant boost to their programmes in 2024. Several of the organisations have flagged that funding from international donors has become more constrained in recent years, and that local sources of support are increasingly important. The national grant scheme is one of the few predictable sources of multi-year funding for the non-profit sector, and is widely seen as a key plank of the country’s support for civil society. The organisations are required to report on the use of the funds and on the outcomes achieved.
The signing ceremony was attended by representatives of the recipient organisations, members of the National Grant Committee, and officials from the ministry responsible for the scheme. In her remarks at the ceremony, Mrs Moses congratulated the recipient organisations and encouraged them to make the most of the opportunity. She also thanked the committee members for their work during the review process, and noted that the standard of applications this year had been particularly high. The national grant scheme is expected to be opened for the next round of applications later in the year.
