Application to Sida Submitted

After a turbulent 2024 SMC, together with seven member organisations, submitted a new application on 28 February to Sida’s Civil Society Unit.

— This time, we are applying as a consortium, which means several organisations are joining forces in a single application. In the proposed intervention, the eight organisations combine their resources, expertise, and capacity to achieve a common goal, says Hanna Toorell, Team Leader at SMC.

The application totals nearly SEK 300 million, of which SEK 246,755,000 is requested in Sida funding for a period of three years and three months—approximately SEK 76 million per year.

— The aim of the intervention is to strengthen local partners in relevant areas so they can carry out high-quality and effective work in relation to faith, democracy and human rights, environment, climate and resilience, and sustainable livelihoods, says Hanna Toorell.

The intervention will directly reach nearly 270,000 people and indirectly over 2,000,000 people.

The consortium includes the Swedish Mission Council, ADRA, Uniting Church in Sweden, Evangelical Free Church in Sweden, The Salvation Army, YWCA-YMCA of Sweden, The Leprosy Mission Sweden, and Children’s Mission. In addition to these eight, there are seven local partners tied to five member organisations included in the application as so-called direct agreement partners. This means SMC is responsible for the Sida-funded collaboration, while the Swedish organisation holds the partnership relationship.

A decision from Sida is expected sometime between June and September. If the application is approved, the intervention is expected to begin on 1 October this year and continue until 31 December 2028.