Improving the business climate
The Business Advocacy Fund supports business member organisations (BMOs), trades unions and civil society organisations with an interest in supporting business to engage in private public dialogue and to advocate improvements in the business environment in Kenya in the expectation that, if successful, changed policies will lead to more investment and, ultimately, more jobs.Business advocacy is the process of influencing the formulation and implementation of public policies that affect the business sector.
Support for advocacy
The Fund is able to provide capacity building, mentoring and grants to support dialogue and advocacy projects. BMOs must have as one of their primary objectives, advocacy or dialogue on behalf of their members. Civil society organisations must be able to demonstrate that they undertake at least some work to support the private sector; civil society organisations and trades unions must have proposals that are intended broadly to improve the enabling environment. Proposals need to meet the Fund's objectives and criteria and look as though they have a good chance of making an impact. The Fund is keen to support organisations coming together in partnerships. It is also keent to support organisations with proposals which focus on improving the business environment specifically for women or young people.The Fund will provide grants to eligible organisations and partnerships of eligible organisations:
- To develop their capability to undertake, and to support the, research necessary to engage effectively in advocacy;
- To undertake, and develop their capability to carry out, advocacy activities;
- To monitor and evaluate actions by government which impact on the enabling environment; and
- To create better public understanding of the role of BMOs in advocating a better business climate.
Support for sustainability
The Business Advocacy Fund recognises that the long term involvement of BMOs and others in dialogue and advocacy requires that they are sustainable, that is, that they will be around for long enough to make a difference to their members through advocating change in public policy which improves the environment in which businesses operate.Sustainability is defined as the ability of an organisation to generate sufficient income, through a range of means, to cover all of its costs and to expect to continue to do so
The Fund is therefore willing not only to support proposals and provide grants for advocacy initiatives but also to support proposals designed to improve sustainability. It is envisaged that this support will be mainly available to BMOs, but it will also be available to civil society organisations that can demonstrate that their primary activity is providing support to business. Specifically, the Fund will be willing to support the development and implementation of strategies and services designed to build long term sustainability.
