The Business Advocacy Fund (BAF)
Business advocacy is the process of influencing the development and implementation of public policies that affect the business sector. The Business Advocacy Fund supports business member organizations (BMOs) to engage in private public dialogue and to advocate an improved business environment in Kenya.

Assisting BMOs to become sustainable
The Fund recognizes that the long term involvement of BMOs in dialogue and advocacy requires that BMOs 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 organization to generate sufficient income, through a range of means, to cover all of its costs and to expect to continue to do so.

Grants
The Fund supports proposals and provides grants to enable BMOs to undertake advocacy initiatives designed to improve the BMOs' sustainability. To be eligible, BMOs must have as one of their primary objectives as advocacy or dialogue on behalf of their members. Proposals need to meet the Fund's objectives and criteria and look as though they have a good chance of making an impact.

Objectives
BAF is designed to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of BMOs, in particular, to enable them to engage more effectively in policy dialogue with Government. The Fund provides grants to eligible organizations and partnerships of eligible organizations to:
•    Develop their capability to undertake and to support the research necessary to engage effectively in advocacy
•    Undertake, and develop their capability to carry out, advocacy activities
•    Monitor and evaluate actions by government which impact on the enabling environment
•    Create better public understanding of the role of BMOs in advocating a better business climate; and
•    Support the development and implementation of strategies and services designed to build long term sustainability.