The American Friends Service Committee has started a new program called Global Voices for Peace. This program gives small grants to local groups that work to protect democracy and promote peace, justice, and nonviolence. The program is based on the Quaker values of peace, equality, and social justice. It believes that real change often begins at the community level, rather than through big institutional programs.
In this round, up to 10 grants will be awarded, ranging from $10,000 to $15,000. These grants are specifically for partners in the Global South, including organizations in Africa. This program aims to make a positive impact and create a more just and peaceful world.
The focus on community-level change is key, as it allows for more targeted and effective efforts to promote peace and justice. The Global Voices for Peace program is an important step towards creating a more equitable and peaceful world, and its support for local organizations is crucial in achieving this goal.
Key Details
From July 16, 2026, to September 15, 2026, people can send in their ideas. Then, on November 1, 2026, the winners will be announced. The projects that get chosen will start on November 1, 2026, and will have to be finished by July 31, 2027. This means that each project can last up to 6 months.
The people in charge will give out grants that range from $10,000 to $15,000, and they will choose up to 10 projects to fund. But there's a catch - only organizations from the Global South can apply. However, they are allowed to work with partners from the Global North if they want to. This is a great chance for people from the Global South to get the money they need to make their projects happen.
Eligibility Requirements
The program is designed for local groups, community organizations, and faith-based teams that share the values of the Quakers, working towards peace, democracy, justice, and nonviolence. It's a great opportunity for feminist groups, grassroots organizations, and young people's movements to get involved.
What's more, you don't need to have a formal legal status to apply - whether you're a registered organization, a community group, or even just an individual with a great idea, you're welcome to apply. This makes it easier for people to get started, without needing to jump through lots of bureaucratic hoops.
The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, is looking to support people who are passionate about creating positive change in their communities, and who share their commitment to peace, justice, and nonviolence.
Priority Areas
Global Voices for Peace is working to bring people together to understand the big issues we're facing, like the growing use of military force, the decline of democracy, and the disregard for international rules. They want to support systems that are open and inclusive, make democratic institutions stronger, and improve the overall state of democracy.
To do this, they're building connections between different groups, including those from faith communities, civil society, humanitarian organizations, peacebuilding initiatives, and community organizers.
Money can be used for many different things: helping communities come together, talking to people and finding ways to make peace, teaching others and having training sessions, educating the community, trying out new ideas and supporting small groups that are working to make a difference, and studying or writing about important issues, including updating old research or ideas.
Required Application Components
Your application should be no more than 4 pages long, not counting any extra documents you want to add. It's divided into 12 parts that you need to fill out.
- Biographical Data: project title, applicant legal name, country/city of implementation, contact details, AFSC regional affiliation if applicable, and legal status
- Organizational/Community Background (max 200 words): your mission, the communities you work with, relevant past experience
- Project Summary (max 250 words): what the project is, what issue it addresses, who benefits, and why it's necessary and timely
- Alignment with Global Voices for Peace Priorities (max 300 words): how the project addresses democratic backsliding or threats to peace, and its connection to feminist, Indigenous, or youth-led movements if relevant
- Proposed Activities and Approach (max 300 words): what will be done, who's involved, where it happens
- Expected Outcomes and Impact (max 200 words): the changes you expect by project's end
- Timeline: start date, end date, key milestones, with a hard project completion date of 31 July 2027
- Budget Summary in USD, covering personnel, program activities, travel, program supplies, language justice/interpretation, and other costs
- Alignment with AFSC and Quaker Values (max 150 words)
- Partnerships and Support (optional): any partner organizations or networks involved
- Risk Assessment and Mitigations (max 150 words): political, security, or operational risks and how you'll manage them
- Additional Information (max 150 words): any other context worth sharing
Application Process
Complete the official application form covering all twelve sections above
- Prepare a simple, realistic budget in USD clearly linked to your proposed activities
- Submit both the application and budget to gvp-proposal@afsc.org
- GVP Small Seed Grants – Global Visionary Partnerships
- Submit before 15 September 2026
- You should get a confirmation email within five working days. If it doesn't show up, just send a follow-up email to the same address you used before.
Selection Criteria
Applications are reviewed by an AFSC committee representing Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, evaluating proposals based on alignment with AFSC's mission and Quaker values of peace, justice, equality, and nonviolence.
The committee weighs potential impact on democratic governance, institution-building, peacebuilding, human rights, and local communities, along with the urgency of the need being addressed.
Special consideration goes to initiatives led by communities directly affected by injustice or conflict, this isn't a program favoring outside experts designing solutions for communities, it favors those communities leading their own response.
Major Considerations
The way things are set up here is really simple on purpose. When the project is finished, the people who got the grant just need to send in a short report that explains what they did and a summary of how they spent the money. The organization that gave the grant, AFSC, wants to keep things easy so that their partners can focus on making a difference in the community, rather than getting bogged down in a lot of paperwork. This is actually a big change from how a lot of other grants work, where there's a lot more red tape and reporting that's required.
When sending in a proposal, it's best to use English, but it's okay if you use a translation tool if English isn't the main language your organization uses. However, the American Friends Service Committee wants to remind you to be careful with online translation tools.
They can be risky because they might not keep your information private, and they could also translate things incorrectly, which could change the meaning of what you're trying to say about your community. So, if you need to use a translation tool, pick a good one.
You have to be realistic about what you can accomplish in a short amount of time, like the six months from November 2026 to July 2027. This means you should focus on smaller, achievable projects that can make a real difference in the community, rather than trying to tackle huge, multi-phase programs that would take years to complete.
Should You Apply?
This funding opportunity is perfect for small, community-based groups in Africa that are working towards peace, democracy, and justice. These groups might be faith-based, feminist, or led by young people, and they're often the ones who are directly affected by conflict and injustice.
The best part is that they don't have to deal with a lot of paperwork, which can be a big burden for small organizations. In return, they'll get the funding they need to make a real difference.
On the other hand, this funding isn't a good fit for large, formal institutions that are looking for big grants or want to work on projects that aren't related to democracy, peace, and civic space. Those types of organizations often have more resources and can handle more complex reporting requirements, so they might want to look elsewhere for funding. But for small, grassroots groups that are passionate about creating positive change, this could be a great opportunity.
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