Melton Foundation Grants

Action Grants

Exclusive to Melton Fellows, our Action Grants program empowers Melton Foundation members with funding to build and scale their projects, community initiatives, and social ventures. 

Welcome Melton Fellows!

Our Action Grants

The Melton Foundation offers grants year-round to support Melton Fellows in developing skills, perspective and wider networks to further their capacity as global citizens and contribute towards building an equitable, sustainable, and peaceful world.
In almost 10 years of granting, more than 100 Fellows’ initiatives have been awarded with a Melton Foundation grant to –

  • Build awareness and/or further awareness raising around global issues and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
  • Develop individual and collective responsibility for sustained, collaborative action,
  • Grow capacity to collaboratively drive and sustain social impact at the local and/or global level,
  • Further the design, implementation and evaluation of collaborative actions that embody the spirit of global citizenship practice and further social impact, or
  • Support coordinated social-impact efforts in a particular or across (emerging) Melton Foundation Hub regions to promote global citizenship practice (s) and the organization’s mission.

About Our Grants

The Melton Foundation empowers Fellows to address global issues collaboratively but often lacks funding. To solve this, it offers ACTION GRANTS year-round, helping Fellows realize their dreams.

These grants provide crucial monetary support, fostering growth for both Fellows and the Foundation. In the past five years, over 35 Fellows have received grants ranging from $50 to $2000.

This support has enabled them to conduct impactful projects, lead workshops, explore diverse cultures, empower local communities, and tackle global issues such as climate change.

Download our Grant Policy

Key details about Grants

Here you can find the most important information about Melton Foundation grants. But don’t forget to download and read through the Melton Foundation Grant Policy for more context, detail and guidance along the way.

Melton Foundation Action Grants support individuals and teams to translate global citizenship into action – in any of the below fields, issues, or formats:

  • Community Action – a project that results in a tangible benefit to the society or societies in the wider sense.
  • Education – a project results in sharing or gaining knowledge in global citizenship or related fields.
  • Networking, Advocacy, and Outreach – a project that furthers community building around the concept and practices of global citizenship, both within and beyond the MF.

Our grants enable Fellows to pursue their idea and bring it to life. Action Grants benefit grantee(s), society, and our organization’s footprint of global citizenship impact.

Do you have a project that will translate Global Citizenship into action?
Do you want to take your project to the next level and need help to crowdsource?
Do you want to share the impact of your work at a global conference or with another MF Hub region?

We have you covered. Depending on the kind of funding required, there are two primary avenues you can take to secure the necessary resources:

  • MF Action Grant – Grants for any kind of project ideas that help realize the MF Global Citizenship mission all year round – be it supporting a school in Chile, leveraging art to cross boundaries in the Middle East, or supporting the development of a library project in rural Kenya, there are no boundaries to your projects and no limitations for you to apply for financial support from the MF.
    MF Action Grants are available year-round and can be in an amount of up to $2000.
  • GlobalGiving Crowdfunding – As a vetted partner of GlobalGiving, the Melton Foundation has full access to the world’s leading crowdfunding community catering to the needs of social impact organizations. Melton Fellows with suited projects can make use of this platform and leverage the MF’s organizational platform for their crowdfunding campaign. The Grant Committee serves as a vetting instance to review and approve suited initiatives that can be promoted for crowdfunding as a Melton Foundation feature project on the GlobalGiving platform and to receive ample institutional support throughout the crowdfunding campaign.

Global Giving crowdfunding is available throughout the year and can be in any amount. The funds received from such a crowdfunding campaign will be disbursed as an MF Action grant directly to the Fellow leading the initiative.

  • Both avenues can be combined, and you can complement a crowdfunding campaign with an MF Action Grant. What stops you now from realizing your project idea? Start your application here!

    In addition to the above, the Melton Foundation strives to identify projects and conferences around the globe that are relevant for Fellows. These events are announced as Melton Opportunities on the MF website, and participation in these events is usually supported through the Melton Opportunity grant.

To seek support from the Melton Foundation, there are a few rules you need to play by.

Here is the small print at a glance:

  • Applicants must be direct affiliates of the Melton Foundation – a Fellow or a standing Task Team member.
  • Direct MF affiliates can be beneficiaries of up to two Melton Foundation Grants at a time under certain conditions.
  • Funds provided by the Melton Foundation can be used only for the purposes stipulated in the Grant Award Letter.
  • MF Grants awarded to anyone MF affiliate cannot exceed the amount of 4000 USD over a period of two consecutive years (GlobalGiving crowdfunding excluded).
  • Expenditures must be reported accurately using the standard expense report sheet provided by the MF Grant Committee and available on the Grants’ website.
  • Applicants must not owe contributions or funds from a previous grant unless for justifiable reasons. Individual track record and prior follow-through will be considered in the grant assessment process and will determine the grant amount an applicant may be eligible for.
  • We expect applicants to always provide truthful and accurate information in the grant applications, reports, or any other communication with the Grants Committee.

Unless otherwise announced – e.g. for Melton Opportunities – all you need to apply for an MF grant is this Application Form, which is available all year round. As part of the application, you will be asked to complete the following templates:

Download the template “Grant Activity Timeline”

Download the template “Grant Activity Budget Projection”

How you fill up your Application Form goes a long way in determining your grant, so make sure to start your application ahead of time to ensure your application is at its best. (see also the section Preparing for Success below)

After you submit your application, we set up a core team of the Grant Committee to independently evaluate the grant proposal based on all the details provided in the application and the Fellows’ involvement with the MF. All applicants are treated equally, and our scoring metric ensures an objective evaluation, irrespective of the individual evaluator. Each evaluator’s score has an equal part to play in the decision-making. Once the individual evaluations are completed, the members of the team come together to make a final decision on the proposal.

Reviewing and assessing grant proposals in depth usually takes approximately four weeks. For time-sensitive projects or funding requests of $350 or less, you can opt for the fast-track assessment, which takes a maximum of two weeks.

Writing a successful application is not difficult if you can approach it methodically. Keep in mind these points as you prepare your grant application:

Contact a member of the Grant Committee for feedback on your grant idea, especially when you’re unsure whether it’s suitable. We’ll make sure to get back to you quickly.

Start your application ahead of time. Sometimes, last-minute applications cannot be avoided as an opportunity might just present itself that is time-sensitive. We’ll do our best to help you, but we also need time to handle the application. Therefore, contact us as early as possible in the process so that we can prepare and make sure everything can be done in the least amount of time.

Reach out to former or current grantees for first-hand advice and to get a better understanding if your grant project is dressed for success. The earlier you start working on your application, the better you can prepare for it.

Write the application with the passion you’re feeling about your project or your idea.

See the evaluation criteria in the Grant Policy to get a better understanding of what the Grant Committee will be assessing.

Be clear and concise throughout your application. We recommend you ask someone who is not familiar with the idea to proofread. If they are clear about the proposal, expected outcomes, and your request for funding, so will we.

Preparing your application takes time and effort but it’s a gateway to structuring your project further in terms of implementation.

You are now tuned for success!

Start your grant application here!

Crowdfund Global Citizenship Projects

The Melton Foundation provides access to its crowdfunding platform on GlobalGiving, a leading crowdfunding community. Fellows can leverage this platform to secure financial resources for their projects. The MF Grant Committee eagerly anticipates your application, offering expert assessment, proposal strengthening, and continued support as you carry out your grant project. Find us on Global Giving – bit.ly/MFGlobalGiving