CSF consultation 2026

We have clarified that financial and accountability requirements form part of the eligibility criteria for all three programme modalities.

In addition, we have refined the wording regarding the level of previous grants required to qualify for programme funding.

It has been clarified that first-time applicants for a Large Programme may apply for an increase of up to 40% compared to their current annual grant level. This means that an organisation currently implementing a Medium Programme with an annual grant of DKK 3.75 million may, if adequately justified in the application, apply for up to DKK 5.25 million per year under a Large Programme.

We have also clarified that the possibility of receiving grants of up to DKK 15 million per year is intended primarily for former Danida Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) organisations that does not obtain a new SPA grant.

It has been clarified that organisations may only apply for a new programme during the final year of their ongoing programme or after the programme has been completed.

For the sake of clarity and overview, we have added a specific reference to the requirement for an own financial contribution. The contribution requirement itself remains unchanged.

We have revised the wording of the first assessment principle to improve clarity.

Section 5.5 further specifies the options available to existing Medium and Large programmes whose grant applications are not approved due to the score received in the assessment process.

As part of the overall simplification of the programme assessment framework, the number of assessment criteria has been reduced from eight to seven. Consequently, we have made minor updates to the assessment criteria for Small Programmes.

These changes will apply only to Small Programme applications submitted for the March 2027 deadline and will not affect applications submitted for the September 2026 deadline. The application format will be updated after 1 October 2026 to reflect these changes.

We have also relocated the assessment of partner and/or community contributions. Previously, this was included under the Cost Level section. Based on our experience, it is more appropriately addressed in the partner section, as the purpose is to assess the resources and value that partners and communities contribute to a programme, rather than to evaluate financial cost levels.

The number of assessment criteria has been reduced from eight to seven. The seven criteria will be further elaborated in a separate annex, which will be shared with all prospective applicants no later than the end of September. Please note that the annex will also require approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA/Danida).

The rationale for moving the detailed descriptions of the criteria to an annex is that CISU's experience shows that these elaborations often need to be adjusted and refined between application rounds. Placing them in a separate annex will make it easier and more efficient to update them when necessary.

No changes have been made to Section 8.1: Deadlines or Section 8.2: How to Apply.

Minor adjustments have been made to the seven-step application process for Medium and Large Programmes. The Expression of Interest phase has been streamlined, and the CISU-conducted Monitoring Visit has been replaced by a Capacity and Compliance Check. Annex 2 (from line 182) provides further details on the additional areas of focus covered by this check.

In addition, the detailed description of the seven application steps has been removed from the guidelines themselves and incorporated into a separate annex to be published on the CISU website. The annex can be found from line 185 onwards.

Moving the detailed process description to a website annex allows CISU to include the specific deadlines for upcoming application rounds and to update these easily when new rounds are launched. As Medium and Large Programme application rounds are only conducted every two years, this approach provides greater flexibility and ensures that applicants always have access to the most up-to-date timeline information.

We have sought to simplify the guidelines by moving highly detailed information from the main document into annexes published on the CISU website. This is intended to make the guidelines easier to navigate and more user-friendly. At the same time, it allows us to keep the more detailed annexes up to date and adapt them more easily as requirements and practices evolve, ensuring that they remain relevant and fit for purpose.