Grants for Diaspora Associations: Peer Exchange Group Synthesis Report

This report captures case studies, examples, tools and lessons learned from countries, NGOs and associations that are providing grants for diaspora organizations to empower and enable diaspora communities to strengthen their ties to their homelands. Diaspora can be powerful actors that contribute to development outcomes in their communities of origin and destination, showcasing the positive potential of mobility to improve the lives and livelihoods of everyone. These tips and good practices can be useful for designing future grants programmes targeted towards diaspora organizations and aim to identify key success factors and common challenges to setting up and implementing grants programmes (including management, grants process, selection criteria, roll-out, capacity development and monitoring).

The IOM-UNDP Global Programme on Making Migration Work for Sustainable Development works with 11 countries to engage with and encourage the participation of the diaspora, private sector, and local communities in line with multi-stakeholder, “whole-of-society” approaches called for in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report is the result of a dynamic and lively exchange through the Diaspora Engagement Peer Exchange Group (PEG), co-led by the Republic of Moldova’s Bureau of Diaspora Relations, an informal discussion group that stimulates peer-to-peer support as part of the Programme’s knowledge exchange and capacity development efforts. The PEG took place via a virtual discussion on Zoom as well as through an e-discussion here on the M4D Net.

This report and the Peer Exchange Group discussions encourage peer-to-peer learning to improve current and future diaspora grants programmes, which will ultimately enable the global community to better capitalize on diasporas’ wealth of knowledge and skills to support sustainable development in communities, improving wellbeing, services, governance and more. Tangibly, these tips have helped to support the government of the Republic of Moldova to establish a national grants programme of their own for diaspora associations, which will shortly be opening calls for proposals from the Moldovan diaspora. You can read more about their approach in the Case Study section of the report (page 6).

You can find the tips, get more resources on grants for diaspora organizations and engagement, and more in the full Grants for Diaspora Associations: Peer Exchange Group Synthesis Report.