The Scottish Government has announced that Africa on the Ball is to receive a £15,000 grant from its International Development Small Grants Fund, administered by the Corra Foundation. The grant is one of ten made to small charities based in Scotland and active in Africa or Asia. It will help us to develop our leadership, governance, fundraising, and evaluation skills and capacities both in Scotland and Zambia.

Andrew Jenkin, co-founding trustee, said:

“This is very exciting news for Africa on the Ball. As a small, volunteer-led charity, this grant will make a real difference to our work and allow us to build our skills and capacity, both as a charity here in Scotland and through our partners in Zambia. The grant will enable us to take a more rigorous and structured approach to our projects and to show the impact they have on people’s lives. We’re grateful to the Scottish Government and the Corra Foundation for this support and are really looking forward to getting started.”

Fiona Duncan, Chief Executive of the Corra Foundation, said:

“Solidarity and partnership will need to be key themes guiding our work over the coming year. Corra Foundation is happy to be able to continue working with the Scottish Government and third sector partners to support the International Development Small Grants Programme in 2020. This programme enables Scottish and overseas communities to connect and learn from each other – this kind of mutual support and collaboration resonates strongly with Corra’s commitment to helping people create positive change.”

The funding for Africa on the Ball comes on the back of a grant of the same size from the Weir Foundation, making the past two years the charity’s strongest fundraising years to date.

The Small Grants Fund makes awards annually and it’s expected that this year’s funding will start from April.