Commonwealth Foundation

28/05/2026

Since 2021, we’ve funded 45 projects across Asia, supporting civil society organisations working to strengthen inclusion, accountability and community participation.

In India, Best Practices Foundation (BPF) helped LGBTQ+ communities and female s*x workers to access healthcare services disrupted during the pandemic. The project also supported participants in asserting their healthcare rights while training providers to address stigma and discrimination. This generated practical improvements, including better queue management and the establishment of a transgender ward.

In Bangladesh, Badabon Sangho-বাদাবন সংঘ supported women fisherfolk to strengthen their visibility and advocate for greater inclusion in climate decision-making. Through engagement with local officials, the project also helped improve access to registration and identification.

In Sri Lanka, Transparency International Sri Lanka trained local leaders to monitor corruption in health procurement and supported officials to adopt open contracting tools, helping strengthen public calls for greater transparency and reform.

Across Asia, these projects show how community-led action can strengthen civic participation, improve accountability and support more inclusive public systems.

We fund projects in eligible Commonwealth countries across Asia. Learn more here: commonwealthfoundation.com/grants/annual

22/05/2026

🪡 Bloodline. Songline. Shoreline.

Commonwealth Poet Laureate Selina Tusitala Marsh invites you to explore your ancestral thread – the places, languages, memories, and stories that shape who you are.

In this new creative exercise, Selina shares her own connection to Tuvalu and encourages you to respond with a word, image, symbol, poem, song, dance, or story of your own.

Share in the comments: what connects you to your ancestral thread?

Submissions close 9 June. Submit to the Commonwealth quilt here: https://commonwealthfoundation.com/how-to-make-a-commonwealth-quilt/

18/05/2026

Director-General Razmi Farook joined the Commonwealth Health Coordination Forum in Geneva this weekend alongside Professor Stephen Montefort, High Commission of Malta in the United Kingdom.

Discussions focused on the growing challenge cancer poses across the Commonwealth, and the urgent need to address persistent inequities in diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, access to medicines, and support for survivors and caregivers.

These disparities are not isolated health challenges; they are closely linked to wider inequalities that require coordinated and inclusive responses.

Civil society plays a critical role in ensuring that lived experience informs implementation. Communities bring insight that data alone cannot provide, helping to build trust, extend outreach into underserved areas, and ensure that policies remain grounded in people’s realities.

The Forum also explored how partnerships can better support country-led implementation. The Commonwealth Foundation remains committed to advancing this agenda and to highlighting the essential role civil society organisations play in promoting health equity across the Commonwealth.

07/05/2026

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mohamed Nasser Mohamed, whose story was shortlisted for the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

His gifted storytelling moved and impressed our judges, and we are honoured that he shared his work with the Prize this year.

06/05/2026

Across the Caribbean, civil society organisations are driving real change.

Since 2021, we’ve supported 40 projects helping organisations influence policy and lead locally driven solutions.

From climate education in Guyana to health advocacy in Barbados and sustainable governance in the Bahamas, these projects are making a tangible impact.

In Guyana, Policy Forum Guyana's creative campaigns helped integrate environmental education into the national curriculum.

In Barbados, the Barbados Association of Endometriosis and PCOS.'s research strengthened national conversations on access to treatment.

In the Bahamas, ORG Bahamas's new systems are improving how organisations measure their impact.

Together, these efforts are helping civil society build resilience, strengthen its voice, and drive meaningful change.

02/05/2026

What does it mean to come together across 56 nations?

As we look ahead to the Commonwealth People’s Forum in Antigua and Barbuda this November, Selina Tusitala Marsh’s poem ‘Uncommon Banyan II’ explores how connection, creativity and dialogue shape the Commonwealth.

She imagines it as a living, interconnected banyan tree, rooted in shared histories and growing through the stories and perspectives it holds.

Read the poem on our online magazine, adda: https://www.addastories.org/uncommon-banyan-ii-the-tenders-call/

Illustration: Ropate K**a

27/04/2026

Ancestral thread. Common thread. Everyday thread. Mending thread.

Across the Commonwealth, invisible threads run through our lives, carrying memory, identity and change. Each one is different, but together they connect us.

What does your thread hold?

Reflect on the prompts in the slides and share your interpretation. Your piece will become part of the Commonwealth Quilt, a shared creative work shaped by voices across 56 nations.

Submissions close 9 June. Submit to the Commonwealth quilt here: https://commonwealthfoundation.com/how-to-make-a-commonwealth-quilt/

22/04/2026

Since 2021, we’ve funded 26 projects across the Pacific, supporting civil society organisations in small island states to strengthen resilience, amplify community voices and influence policy. Our partners championed innovative, community-led approaches to some of the region’s most pressing challenges.

In Vanuatu, Wan Smolbag Theatre used creative storytelling through music workshops and performances to raise awareness of biodiversity loss, bringing climate impacts and local solutions to life powerfully.

Through our capacity-building support, organisations enhanced their ability to build their expertise and enhance their capacity to influence policy. Building Innate Resilience Through Hearts - BIRTH Fiji strengthened its expertise and impact in the national mental health sector after receiving a capacity development grant.

The Kiribati Climate Action Network, which connects 17 climate organisations, used grant funding to evolve its strategic plan and deepen relationships with climate-focused organisations across the Pacific.

Across the Pacific, these projects demonstrated the power of locally driven solutions, integrating creative approaches and the importance of strengthening civil society networks.

We fund projects in eligible Commonwealth countries across the Pacific. Learn more here: commonwealthfoundation.com/grants/annual

20/04/2026

Our grants programme funds projects that bring civil society and decision-makers together to help shape policy and drive meaningful change. Project funding lasts for up to two years.

Not-for-profit civil society organisations registered in eligible Commonwealth countries, with at least 3 years’ experience in participatory governance and advocacy, are eligible to apply.

Our next call for applications will open later this year.

Learn more and register for grants updates: https://commonwealthfoundation.com/grants/annual

14/04/2026

We are thrilled to announce the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist. The international panel of judges has selected 25 writers from a pool of 7,806 entrants.

Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, Razmi Farook, said: ‘Congratulations to all the shortlisted writers. Each year, the Prize becomes more competitive, and this year’s shortlist reflects the remarkable creativity found across our Commonwealth. Storytelling continues to play a vital role, offering space for voices and perspectives that help us better understand one another and imagine a more hopeful, inclusive future.’

The full shortlist is listed below. Follow Commonwealth Foundation Creatives for detailed coverage of the prize.

Africa region:
Lois Akoma Antwi (Ghana)
Ken Odak Odumbe (Kenya)
Dawn Immanuel (Nigeria)
Hussani Abdulrahim (Nigeria)
Ola W. Halim (Nigeria)
Oluwatoke Adejoye (Nigeria)
Lisa-Anne Julien (South Africa)

Asia region:
Anmana Manish*ta (Bangladesh)
Shazed Ul Hoq Abir (Bangladesh)
Rafaa Dalvi (India)
Rupsa Dey (India)
Sharon Aruparayil (India)
Mohamed Nasser Mohamed (Malaysia)
Jacqueline Chang (Singapore)

Canada and Europe region:
John Edward DeMicoli (Malta)
Alison Armstrong (UK)
Jennifer Harvey (UK)

Caribbean region:
Cosmata Lindie (Guyana)
Celeste Mohammed (Trinidad and Tobago)
Jamir Nazir (Trinidad and Tobago)
Jason Dookeran (Trinidad and Tobago)
Jochelle Greaves Siew (Trinidad and Tobago)
Roger-Mark De Souza (Trinidad and Tobago)

Pacific region:
M.S. Bhatia (Australia)
Holly Ann Miller (New Zealand)

Learn more about the writers:
https://commonwealthfoundation.com/short-story-prize/

08/04/2026

What does it mean to be connected across 56 countries?

In ‘How to Make a Commonwealth Quilt’, Commonwealth Poet Laureate Selina Tusitala Marsh brings together the voices, histories and cultures of the Commonwealth into a single poetic work.

The poem is a patchwork of 56 pieces, one for each Commonwealth country. Woven together, they reflect shared stories and global connections. It was performed at the Commonwealth Day service in London.

Selina’s work is the inspiration behind the Commonwealth Quilt, our global open call inviting creative responses to the theme ‘Thread’ across visual, literary and performance art.

Read the poem on our online magazine, adda: https://www.addastories.org/how-to-make-a-commonwealth-quilt/