Canadian International Development Agency

Welcome to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in the Southern Cone!

CIDA's Mandate

The purpose of Canada's Official Development Assistance (ODA) is to support sustainable development in developing countries, in order to reduce poverty and to contribute to a more secure, equitable and prosperous world.
Would you like to know more about CIDA in general? Please visit our web site in Canada.
Would you like to know more about CIDA in the Americas? Please visit the Americas section of our web site.

CIDA in the Southern Cone

The CIDA program in the Southern Cone countries of Chile, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay began in 1996.
CIDA's programme in the Southern Cone includes the following funds:

CIDA's programme in the Southern Cone also includes:

What is the Technology Transfer Fund?

The Canada-Southern Cone Technology Transfer Fund (TTF) supports Canadian organizations that wish to share and adapt Canadian expertise and technology with partner organizations in the Southern Cone of South America (Argentina, Uruguay  Paraguay, and Chile)(1).

The goal of the TTF is to help these partner organizations to meet developmental challenges related to equity. The TTF supports activities in the following priority areas: social development (with emphasis on health and education), environmental management, public sector reform and economic development. Its purpose is to build the capacity of Southern Cone partner organizations to modernize the state and deliver public goods and services in a participatory and equitable manner, in keeping with the priority areas of each country.

The TTF's contributions support projects developed and implemented jointly by Canadian and Southern Cone partner organizations. This support is intended to be a catalyst which leads to collaboration among Canadian and Southern Cone organizations that are already working together or that share a clear, mutual interest in working together.

Established in early 1996, TTF - Phase I was completed in 2001. Phase II began in 2001, and although no new projects are accepted, it is expected to continue until 2010 when active projects come to an end. Both Phase 1 and Phase II of the TTF were allotted a budget of CAD$15 million.

What is the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives?

The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives –Canda Fund- is a program of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) that provides assistance to the development of the international community.

The Canada Fund is administered by the Canadian Embassy in each country. Its objective is to foster social, political and economic development of individuals, organized groups and communities in each country.

During these last years the Canada Fund has financed projects aimed at reducing poverty, protecting children's rights, guaranteeing health care and improving basic education of vulnerable groups at the local level. Besides, the development assistance that Canada has provided at the local and international level has demonstrated that good governance and public institutions strength are paramount for achieving a sustainable economic and social development and to reduce poverty levels.

Consequently, during this year projects dealing with issues previously mentioned will still be considered and actions fostering good governance will be included. Within good governance, the Fund will foster primarily local initiatives related to democratization, human rights, rule of law and capacity development in the public sector. Likewise, gender equality will continue to be supported in all program areas.

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

  • Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and community based organizations;
  • Rural people's organizations including cooperatives, unit committees, etc;
  • Other civil society organizations including religious organizations;
  • Funds may be approved on an exceptional basis for projects in which the national government or an international agency is the executing agency. In such cases, funding will only be provided if the beneficiaries are outside the government and have no close relationship to the executing agency.

Who/What Is Ineligible?

Financing from the Canada Fund is not available for the following purposes:

  • Food donations;
  • Activities involving nuclear technologies and facilities;
  • Assistance to military organizations;
  • Educational scholarships;
  • Research projects;
  • Industrial cooperation

Canada Fund contribution cannot be used to pay for the following expenditures:

  • Salaries and operating expenses of any institution/structure;
  • Administrative costs not directly related to the project implementation;
  • Purchase of real estate or land;
  • Support for conferences’ attendance or organization;
  • Study or research activities;
  • Publication of books or magazines.

How Do I Apply?

Groups wishing to apply for funding from the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives must submit an application which provides a brief description of the group’s background, the objectives of the project, the intended beneficiaries, the expected results, the cost, and the way in which the community will participate in the project.

An application form for the submission of proposals may be requested from the Canada Fund Coordinator in each country. It is recommended that applicants fill out all sections of the form, with particular attention to the preparation of a budget listing investments and project expenditures. Each project will be examined on the basis of its merits and may be presented at anytime throughout the year. The CFLI receive large number of applications every year and it should be noted that an application is not a guarantee for funding from the CFLI.

For More Information

For further information on the CFLI in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, please contact the following Canada Fund Coordinators:

In Argentina
María Pazo
Tagle 2828
(C1425EEH) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Phone/Tél/Tel. (54-11) 4803-8659
FondoCanadaArgentina@gmail.com
skype: maria.pazo
Tuesday and Thursday 9.30 am to 12.30pm

In Chile
Javier Figueroa
Nueva Tajamar 481, Piso 12, Torre Norte
Santiago, Chile
Phone: (56-2) 325-2575 (Monday and Tuesday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm)
E-mail: fondocanada@vtr.net

In Paraguay
María Celsa Benavídez Campos
Enrique Solano López 1.090 c/ Concordia
Barrio Jara
Asunción, Paraguay
Phone: (595-21) 220-617 / 228-293
Fax: (595-21) 206-503
Email: celsycampos@ser.org.py

In Uruguay
Ana Sollazo
Casilla de Correo 958 Correo Central
11000 Montevideo, Uruguay
Phone: (598 2) 628-9243 (Monday-Thursday from 9 am to 12 pm)
Fax: (598 2) 902-2029
E-mail: anasol@internet.com.uy

Why is CIDA involved in regional initiatives?

The rationale for a regional program is to support the sustainable development of individual countries and of the region as a whole. Such a strategy allows CIDA to address development issues which cut across national boundaries and are common to most South American countries.
CIDA's regional program in South America enhances economies of scale: funded initiatives benefit several countries rather than one. The program also increases the capacity of region-wide institutions to address development challenges in countries where CIDA has no active country-to-country program, as is the case in Chile, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The South America Regional Program supports Canada's Foreign Policy objectives, which stress the growing importance of our relations with other countries of the Americas. It also promotes regional integration and the adoption of Canadian values throughout the hemisphere, including respect for human rights, democracy, the rule of law and the protection of the environment.

What is the Canadian Partnership Branch?

The Canadian Partnership Branch (CPB) promotes partnerships between organizations in Canada and developing countries to support sustainable development and reduce poverty in the developing world. The branch provides grants and contributes to support Canadian partner organizations which are responsible for the design, planning and implementation of the development programs and projects. A principal distinguishing feature of CPB programming is its responsiveness to the initiatives of Canadian organizations and businesses who are responsible for the planning and implementation of their own policies, programs and projects in collaboration with their developing country partners.

To enhance ownership and achieve leverage, Canadian partner organizations are required to contribute financial resources, goods and/or services to their development initiatives. They are also required to ensure the active participation of their developing country counterparts and to demonstrate that their activities contribute to sustainable capacity building.

For further information, please visit the web site of any of the four distinctive programming divisions of the CPB:

What Is the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)?

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is a Canadian government organization involved in a broad range of projects throughout the world. It seeks to assist researchers in developing countries to identify and study long-term, practical solutions to the social, economic and environmental problems of their communities. IDRC mainly funds research conducted in developing countries by local researchers. In this way, IDRC strengthens the indigenous research capacity needed for policies and technologies conducive to healthier and more prosperous societies, improved food security, preservation of biodiversity and easier access to information. The Centre is headquartered in Ottawa, and has its regional office for Latin America in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Most IDRC-funded research projects in Latin America have a regional scope. IDRC has provided support to numerous scientific teams analyzing economic and health policies, studying medicinal plants, looking for ways to improve relationships between mining companies and communities, inventing new sustainable forestry and agricultural techniques, and conducting experiments involving new ways to disseminate information.
For more information, please visit the IDRC web site.

  1. Equity is measured by comparing different groups within a society by their income levels, their level of access to services, their level of ownership of productive assets and of political and social participation and decision-making.
  2. In the case of Chile, the Chilean Agency for International Cooperation coordinates projects submitted by government bodies.

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Date Modified:
2010-08-10