Grants for organizations working on disability in Thailand
Title
Grants for organizations working on disability in Thailand
Minority Rights Group is seeking grant proposals to advance the rights of the persons with disabilities in Thailand’s Southern Border Provinces (SBPs) with a particular focus on Economic, Social, and Cultural rights.
The objective is to increase the capacity of organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), civil society organizations (CSOs), community-based organizations (CBOs) to advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities in the SBPs, so they will be better equipped in the long-term, organisationally and technically, to continue working on the rights of persons with disabilities.
We are releasing these grants under our Movement on Disability Equality in Thailand’s Southern Border Provinces programme.
Duration: 6 – 12 months
Grant size: 5,000 EUR – 8,000 EUR
Deadline to apply: 20 July 2025
Types of activities that will be supported:
- Advocacy: producing evidence/reports for advocacy, strategy and planning meetings, monitoring and publications
- Capacity building: trainings and workshops to develop the capacity of persons with disabilities, their allies and representatives
- Government accountability: dialogue with public authorities and other stakeholders
- Access to services: monitoring and/or facilitating access to public services for persons with disabilities
- Law & Justice: trainings including paralegal and rights training, legal support initiatives, legal aid
- Trainings: trainings of human rights defenders or community members on the rights of persons with disabilities, minority rights and intersectionality
- Creative communications: campaigns, communication and awareness raising initiatives
Eligibility criteria
Organizations interested in applying should:
- Ideally be registered legal entities, to be non-profit making organisation or CSOs, or CBOs, have a bank account, and be established and active in Thailand. Non-registered CSOs, CBOs, and networks will be considered, but must have a bank account and a proven track record of implementing projects in the field of disability rights.
- Have a proven track record in the field of disability rights.
- Be legally eligible and able to receive foreign funding.Have a balanced and meaningful representation of persons with disabilities in the SBPs within their internal leadership and team structure; OPDs based in the SBPs will be prioritised.Able to demonstrate basic project and financial management, including having transparent accounting systems, skills and strong previous relevant experience.Not be listed on any sanctions list or be affiliated with entities under investigation for terrorism, fraud, or misuse of funds.Have safeguarding and anti-discrimination policies in place, or be willing to adopt them as part of the grant agreement.Be willing to participate in capacity-building or monitoring activities as part of the project, if required.
- Be committed to the peaceful resolution of conflict and must not be engaged in or support in any way violent activities;
Selection criteria
- Innovative projects that pilot new approaches to promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, align with the principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and with the Disability Rights Movement slogan of ‘Nothing about us without us.’
- Clear project objectives with concrete outcomes and outputs. Clearly justified budget that represents value for money.
- Clearly identified target beneficiaries and a plan to reach those beneficiaries and advocacy targets effectively.
- Projects that address gender issues, pay attention to multiple forms of discrimination, and include vulnerable or underrepresented groups in project implementation and/or organisational structure.
- We particularly welcome applications that promote the self-advocacy and inclusion of people with multiple disabilities, intellectual disabilities and Autistic people, Deaf people, and others who are underrepresented in disability movements.
- Projects that encourage effective collaboration with other CSOs.
- Organizations should have disability and/or minority representation in the leadership, along with a balanced gender composition.
- Applicants should commit to safeguarding, do-no-harm principles, and have child protection and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse policies in place or be open to adopting them.
When designing the budget, please note that personnel costs must not exceed 30% of the overall budget.
How to apply
Complete the grant application form and the draft budget and send it by email to Chidchanok Samantrakul, Thailand Programme Assistant at Minority Rights Group using the button below.
Please include ‘Application: [YOUR ORGANIZATION’S NAME]’ in your email subject. Please send the proposal and all supporting documents in one email.
If you have any questions about the application process, they should be sent to the same email.
Organizations led by persons with disabilities, based in the SBPs are particularly encouraged to apply.
Background
Thailand’s SBPs, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and parts of Songkhla, are regions marked by a complex history of marginalization, conflict, and socio-economic exclusion. Home to the Patani Malay Muslim communities, these areas have faced enduring neglect from central governance, resulting in some of the country’s lowest development indicators. Within this challenging context, persons with disabilities experience compounded discrimination, shaped by ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, language and poverty.
Women, youth, Autistic people and people with intellectual or multiple disabilities in particular remain invisible in leadership spaces and are systematically excluded from decision-making processes. Despite Thailand’s ratification of international human rights instruments, including the CRPD, implementation remains uneven, especially at subnational levels. Local CSOs and OPDs work to fill these gaps but often lack the capacity and resources to sustain meaningful advocacy.
The Movement on Disability Equality in Thailand’s Southern Border Provinces programme, led by Minority Rights Group (MRG), funded by the European Union, with its local partner, Institute for Peace Studies, Prince of Songkla University, is a targeted response to these entrenched inequalities. It aims to strengthen the capacity of local disability activists, local organizations, enhance inclusive service delivery, and build evidence-based advocacy strategies to influence policy and social change. Central to this effort is elevating the leadership of women and youth with disabilities, fostering solidarity networks, and creating positive narratives to challenge stigma.