Hello Everyone!

The May grant cycle brings 381 active opportunities, including 91 new listings, with a total funding pool across all sections exceeding $1.16 billion. May is leaner than April on new listings but heavier on average grant size — the patterns this month favor larger, more architecturally complex calls over high-volume open competition.

The dominant pattern across May’s new calls isn’t sector-specific, and it’s a meaningful evolution from April’s logic. April’s question was about deliverables: funders were paying for what changes structurally when the activity ends. May’s question is about architecture: funders are increasingly encoding their policy intent into the call structure itself, not asking applicants to demonstrate alignment at the proposal stage.

What this means for practitioners right now: the competitive threshold this month isn’t articulating institutional pathway alone — it’s being structurally native to the funder’s design constraints. Organizations that fit the eligibility architecture have a fundamentally different competitive position than those who need to translate their work into the call’s framework. The right question now isn’t only what changes when our work is done — it’s are we already the kind of organization this funder is structurally trying to reach?

You can find all the opportunities, including upcoming, rolling and long-term planning opportunities, in the sector-specific pages* - perfect for planning your long term fundraising strategy.

In this edition, you’ll find opportunities in:

• Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact (86 opportunities, 16 new). The DIV Fund reopens as USAID DIV's philanthropy-backed successor and anchors a wave of founder-stage capital consolidating across emerging markets — Cascador, Y Combinator, Baobab, 500 Global Eurasia, Ganas, Beta Boom — while capital infrastructure for the missing middle emerges as a distinct funding category through Convergence A4FM, Sorenson Collaboration Fund, and Small Foundation, and bilateral frameworks become the structural spine of project design rather than context.

• Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food (71 opportunities, 13 new). PRIMA deploys €33M+ across five interlocking calls covering the Mediterranean water-energy-food-ecosystems nexus in a single cycle, while forest and biodiversity conservation shifts toward performance-linked finance — anchored by the Forest Conservation Fund's $40-per-hectare quarterly satellite-verified model — and carbon management moves into industrial readiness with Brazil's FINEP energy transition program (BRL R$500M) anchoring the largest single-sector pool in this edition.

• Gender and Women’s Empowerment (37 opportunities, 13 new). Women in tech and science consolidates into a multi-million-dollar capital corridor — Sony with Nature, Cartier Women's Initiative, L'Oréal-UNESCO, Standard Chartered UAE, Open Horizons, GSMA APAC — while gender-based violence funding shifts decisively from program delivery into coordinated systems infrastructure across UN Women Bangladesh GO-CSO collaboration, Moldova EVOLVE4GE, and EC DRC's integrated continuum of care.

• Global Health & WASH (57 opportunities, 14 new). LMIC research leadership moves from encouragement into eligibility this month, with Wellcome's three concurrent calls (ESIC Hubs, Infectious Disease Trial Development, Optimising trial at £1M-£8M) all requiring LMIC-based leads or majority-LMIC teams, while a Pfizer four-call portfolio plus Novo Nordisk's four parallel calls makes this the deepest pharma-funded independent research and education month in this edition.

• Education, Human Rights & Inclusion (51 opportunities, 19 new). Education research and pedagogy investment shifts toward structural infrastructure - Jacobs Foundation's LEVANTE longitudinal learning variability dataset at $6M, VVOB's gender-responsive pedagogy scaling architecture, VILLUM EVI's €12M for European vocational education — while U.S. State Department public diplomacy emerges as a concentrated bilateral channel across five parallel embassy calls (Honduras, Sofia, Bishkek, Libya, Kenya).

• Humanitarian Aid, Emergency Programming & DRR (34 opportunities, 9 new). Ukraine consolidates into a multi-funder localized protection portfolio reaching Ukrainian-registered organizations directly — UNOPS EORE Kharkiv, PFRU social services across eight oblasts, CIVIC's two-wave GBV and civilian protection across Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava — while peace and security funding emerges as a substantial new category with Carnegie's Consortium to Reduce Nuclear Dangers Second Call ($50K-$1M) and One Young World's inaugural Pankaj Award ($250K) drawing major philanthropic capital.

• Innovation, Research & Smart Cities (46 opportunities, 7 new). AI safety and governance consolidates into a substantial scientific category at unusual scale, anchored by Schmidt Sciences' Science of Trustworthy AI ($1M-$5M+ tiers), while bilateral research frameworks emerge as the dominant structural pathway for international scientific cooperation across TÜBİTAK-CNPq Türkiye-Brazil, I4F Israel-India, HU-RIZON Hungarian-led consortia, Vinnova Sweden-Africa embedded partnerships, and NWO's Tulip Fund for academic freedom protection.

*The sector -specific pages are for paid subscribers, this helps support the time and effort it takes to curate and organize these opportunities. However, the monthly roundup of top opportunities will always remain free and accessible to all. This month we are happy to share with you these selected opportunities.

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Selected Opportunities

Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact

Call for National Research Teams: Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Inclusivity Measurement, Global Development Network (GDN). *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Global Development Network seeks to deepen understanding of who remains excluded from digital public infrastructure and why. GDN supports national research teams conducting rigorous mixed-method investigations into the inclusivity of digital identity systems, payment platforms, and government service delivery. The funder prioritizes evidence that illuminates socioeconomic barriers to digital access and adoption, recognizing that DPI systems often reinforce existing inequalities when designed without explicit inclusion frameworks. GDN funds this research with a distinctive commitment to policy translation, requiring teams to engage national institutions throughout the research process and structure findings for actionable governance outcomes. By anchoring research in local contexts and embedding stakeholder consultation into project design, the funder calls for investigation that bridges the gap between academic rigor and institutional decision-making. This approach reflects GDN’s conviction that understanding digital exclusion requires both empirical depth and deliberate pathways to influence how countries build and refine their public digital systems.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Multidisciplinary teams based in universities, research institutes, and think tanks in low- to upper-middle-income countries.

• Funding amount: Five teams will be selected, each eligible for up to $50,000 to conduct 6-8 months of mixed-method research. Proposed budgets should be within the $50,000 budget.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: digital identity, digital payments, dpi inclusivity, marginalized communities.

• Deadline: May 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

GDN’s investment signals growing funder prioritization of measuring and addressing equity gaps within foundational digital systems in the Global South.

Funding Frontier Climate Tech for Children’s Health - UNICEF Venture Fund Climate Ventures Call for Applications 2026, UNICEF Venture Fund / UNICEF Office of Innovation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

UNICEF Venture Fund seeks to catalyze innovation at the intersection of climate change and children’s health by supporting early-stage, for-profit startups developing open-source frontier technologies. The fund prioritizes solutions that leverage AI, machine learning, and blockchain to address climate hazards impacting children’s wellbeing, resilience, and access to essential services. UNICEF supports pilots and prototype deployments optimized for low-resource environments, including those with limited connectivity and diverse language needs. The fund enables R&D and technology development that strengthens climate adaptation capacity through early warning systems, pollution monitoring, health facility vulnerability assessment, and disaster risk reduction. Beyond capital, UNICEF provides technical mentorship spanning open-source architecture, business development, and inclusive design practices. This inaugural cohort represents the funder’s strategic commitment to building a five-year investment program that channels capital toward climate-resilient health solutions designed specifically for children in emerging markets.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Private for-profit company registered in a UNICEF programme country; must have a working prototype of an open-source solution with promising results from initial pilots.

• Funding amount: up to US$100,000 in equity-free funding for early-stage and ready-to-deploy technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and blockchain.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: climate tech, children’s health, open source, ai for good.

• Deadline: May 17, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

UNICEF’s climate tech strategy fills a critical gap in accessing development finance for tech-enabled startups operating at the climate-health nexus in underserved regions.

10th Anniversary Global Challenge (10 for 10 Challenge), MIT Solve. *Closing soon!*

MIT Solve’s 10th Anniversary Global Challenge seeks 10 exceptional, tech-enabled solutions that are already demonstrating real-world results and can credibly scale with durability, broad adoption, and responsible economics. Rather than narrowing to a single theme, the challenge is positioned as a decade-shaping portfolio that prioritizes innovations addressing fast-moving pressures such as climate disruption, declining trust, and widening inequities, while maintaining a strong human-centered design standard. Solve’s selection logic signals a readiness bar: applicants must show a stable solution with early traction, clear unit economics or delivery costs, and a practical plan to expand reach through markets, policy, procurement, or platform distribution. Winners are designed to benefit from both capital and leverage, with a high-visibility stage at Solve Challenge Finals during UN General Assembly and NY Climate Week, and sustained access to Solve’s partner ecosystem to accelerate adoption and follow-on support.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individuals, teams, and organizations worldwide with technology-based solutions that are scaling or scale-ready.

• Funding amount: At least USD $100,000 unrestricted per winner (10 winners).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: responsible scaling, climate adaptation, financial inclusion and livelihoods, health systems, learning outcomes, Indigenous sovereignty.

• Deadline: May 21, 2026 (12:00 pm EDT).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is built to reward solutions that can prove both impact and a responsible pathway to scale, so clarity on traction, delivery economics, and the next-step growth mechanism is central to fit.

Research Grant Program, Internet Society Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Internet Society Foundation seeks to advance critical understanding of how the Internet shapes society through its Research Grant Program, which funds applied research that generates actionable insights for policymakers, technologists, and communities worldwide. The Foundation supports investigations across four strategic priorities: building an Inclusive Internet that serves marginalized populations, Greening the Internet to address climate impacts, Measuring Meaningful Connectivity beyond basic access metrics, and fostering A Trustworthy Internet through enhanced security and governance frameworks. The program calls for openly published research that bridges academic rigor with real-world application, particularly emphasizing work that addresses digital divides, supports indigenous languages, and strengthens connectivity in the Global South. The Foundation enables researchers to tackle complex questions about Internet governance, climate resilience, and cybersecurity while ensuring findings remain accessible to diverse stakeholders who can implement change.

• Geographies: Global, Africa, Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, Europe, North America, Middle East & North Africa. Global - all countries eligible. (Global Majority and underrepresented groups strongly encouraged to apply).

• Who can apply: Independent researchers with a postgraduate research degree (PhD or Masters) and peer-reviewed publications, patents, or academic/independently published work in the relevant area. Public research institutions that are 501(c)(3) or equivalent and have a mission aligned with the Foundation’s. Private institutions are not eligible to receive...

• Funding amount: funding ranging from US$200,000 to US$500,000 (independent researchers: up to US$200,000; organizations and institutions: up to US$500,000; one or more awards per thematic area anticipated subject to fiscal year funding).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: internet governance; digital inclusion; digital divide; climate resilience; connectivity measurement; cybersecurity; open research; global south; policy-relevant research; indigenous languages; SDGs: 9; 10; 13; 16; 5; 8

• Deadline: May 22, 2026. (21:00 UTC).

• Learn more and apply here.

Past grantees span Berkeley, Arizona State, and Western Sydney University alongside nonprofits like TEDIC Paraguay and Internet Security Research Group, so independent PhD holders compete directly with major research institutions in the same pool. Partnership structure is “recommended” not required, meaning solo researchers can apply without a consortium but may strengthen proposals by adding collaborators.

Blended Finance Accelerator for Fund Managers (A4FM) - Second Call for Proposals, Convergence Blended Finance (funded by Global Affairs Canada). *New!* *Closing soon!*

Convergence Blended Finance seeks to unlock institutional capital flows into emerging markets by strengthening the capabilities of fund and asset managers who design and launch blended finance vehicles. The funder supports a critical market gap, recognizing that investment firms often lack resources to structure complex transactions that combine concessional and commercial capital to address development priorities. Through catalytic grants paired with capacity-building support, the program funds scoping studies, legal and financial structuring, stakeholder engagement, and fundraising preparation. The funder prioritizes vehicles targeting climate resilience, gender equality, and economic opportunity in emerging markets, particularly those positioned to attract first institutional investors. By enabling managers to prove investability and de-risk early-stage development, Convergence calls for a pipeline of bankable blended finance solutions that mobilize private capital at scale, transforming how development finance reaches underserved markets.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Eligible applicants include fund managers, asset managers, or investment management/advisory firms working in partnership with a fund or asset manager. Must be private legal entities.

• Funding amount: Stage 1 (Scoping): Up to CAD $260,000 (~USD 190,000) - non-repayable; Stage 2 (Proof-of-Concept/Pilot): Up to CAD $500,000 (~USD 365,000) - conditionally repayable; Stage 3 (Scale-up/Expansion): Up to CAD $500,000 (~USD 365,000) - fully repayable. Total program envelope: CAD $10 million. Grant funding made in Canadian Dollars. Program supports up to 15 vehicles across its duration, approximately 3-4 awards per cycle.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Development & Livelihoods; Focus areas: blended finance, fund managers, asset managers, catalytic capital.

• Deadline: May 25, 2026 (23:59 EST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This accelerator represents a deliberate upstream investment in financial infrastructure, betting that capacity-building for fund managers multiplies impact across entire vehicle ecosystems.

ASEAN Prize 2026 - Call for Nominations, ASEAN. *Closing soon!*

ASEAN is calling for nominations for its premier regional award recognizing an individual or organization whose work has delivered verifiable, high-impact contributions to ASEAN cooperation, integration, and community building. The prize is designed to elevate models of leadership that strengthen people engagement and advance an inclusive, dynamic, outward-looking ASEAN Community, with selection grounded in demonstrated results and credible evidence of regional impact. Because nominations must be routed through each ASEAN Member State’s National Focal Point, this call rewards nominees with trusted networks, strong documentation, and a clear narrative linking achievements to ASEAN-wide value. The award structure combines symbolic recognition (a trophy presented at a key ASEAN ceremony) with a cash prize intended to further amplify the recipient’s future initiatives.

• Geographies: Asia (Southeast Asia); ASEAN Member States.

• Who can apply: Individuals or ASEAN-based organizations from ASEAN Member States, nominated via the ASEAN Prize National Focal Point.

• Funding amount: USD $20,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Community Development; Focus areas: ASEAN community building, regional cooperation, people engagement, inclusive development, cross-border collaboration.

• Deadline: May 25, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a legitimacy-driven recognition pathway, so the strongest nominations pair proven regional impact with a tightly evidenced story that National Focal Points can confidently endorse.

Sub-Grants to Strengthen Scaling of Teacher Professional Development on Gender-Responsive Pedagogy, VVOB - education for development. *New!* *Closing soon!*

VVOB - education for development, operating through the EU-funded Regional Teachers Initiative for Africa, supports African education organizations with proven track records in gender-responsive pedagogy ready to scale established Teacher Professional Development programs. The fund deliberately targets implementers who have already piloted GRP-focused TPD at early childhood (ages 3-7) or lower secondary (ages 10-14) levels and need targeted resources to overcome a specific scaling constraint - whether strengthening the evidence base for ministry adoption, deepening stakeholder alignment, or refining delivery models for system integration. Beyond cash funding, grantees receive embedded VVOB technical support, peer learning within the RTIA community of practice, and advocacy support at global education platforms. The call is intentionally narrow: up to three sub-grants from a substantial applicant pool, scoring proposals against equally weighted Technical Quality and Financial Feasibility criteria with a 70% threshold on Technical Quality required to advance. Implementation runs July 2026 to June 2027.

• Geographies: Sub-Saharan Africa. Applicants must be legally registered in an RTIA-eligible African country (VVOB operates across Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Rwanda, and others).

• Who can apply: NGOs, CSOs, public sector operators, or academic and training institutions with at least three years of operational history and demonstrable experience in gender-responsive pedagogy or gender-transformative TPD. Consortia permitted. Organizations dependent on this sub-grant as their main funding source are ineligible.

• Funding amount: Up to EUR €40,000 per organisation (approximately USD $44,000); up to three organisations selected. Total envelope up to EUR €120,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Gender & Women’s Empowerment; SDGs 4, 5.

• Deadline: May 29, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a tightly scoped sub-grant for African education organizations with proven GRP-TPD track records - the eligibility bar is high and the competitive field is intentionally narrow.

2026 International Grant Program - Cultivating Empathy Through Learning from Our Neighbors: Practitioners’ Exchange on Common Issues in Asia, Toyota Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Toyota Foundation seeks to deepen mutual understanding across Asian societies by funding transnational collaborative projects that address shared social challenges. The foundation supports practitioner-led teams conducting field research and facilitating direct learning exchanges among civil society actors, academics, and public sector professionals. Rather than favoring broad thematic coverage, the foundation prioritizes genuine cross-border networks with demonstrated fieldwork partnerships and tangible collaborative outputs. It calls for projects that produce concrete knowledge products including publications, policy briefs, videos, and exhibitions that document practitioners’ insights and regional solutions. The foundation enables capacity building and innovation through structured exchange events and workshops where participants learn directly from one another’s experiences. By emphasizing mutual learning over conventional research hierarchies, Toyota Foundation funds initiatives that position Asian practitioners as knowledge creators addressing their communities’ most pressing issues through collaborative problem-solving and peer exchange.

• Geographies: East Asia; Southeast Asia; South Asia.

• Who can apply: Team representative (must primarily reside in Japan) with a track record in research, practice, creative work, or policy advocacy relevant to the target issue area.

• Funding amount: One-year project: JPY 5,000,000 maximum per project; Two-year project: JPY 10,000,000 maximum per project; Total grant pool: JPY 80,000,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Inclusion & Community Wellbeing; Focus areas: asia pacific, cross-border collaboration, mutual learning, social innovation.

• Deadline: May 30, 2026 (23:59 JST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This program reflects Toyota Foundation’s strategic pivot toward funding authentic practitioner networks over researcher-led initiatives in regional cooperation.

The International Foundation Grant 2026, The International Foundation. New! Closing soon!

The International Foundation supports US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits implementing measurable programs in agriculture, education, environment, or health across low- and middle-income communities in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The Foundation funds organizations with proven theories of change, deep contextual knowledge of target communities, and scalable, sustainable programs not dependent on long-term external support. Past grantees include One Acre Fund, VillageReach, Glasswing International, Water is Basic, and Street Child US - a roster signaling preference for established implementers with strong local roots. The 2026 cycle uses a multi-stage process: a Letter of Inquiry stage capped at 150 submissions, followed by invited full applications. The LOI portal closed quickly after the cap was reached. Organizations advancing through LOI receive notifications by May 7, with full applications due June 1. Awards are expected September-October 2026 for an 18-month grant term running through December 2027.

• Geographies: Global South - LMIC implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and South and Southeast Asia and Pacific. Applicant headquarters must be in the United States.

• Who can apply: US-headquartered 501(c)(3) nonprofits with demonstrated experience delivering programs in agriculture, education, environment, or health in LMICs. Active collaboration with local partners required.

• Funding amount: USD $50,000 to USD $100,000 per award. Requests outside that range are not funded. 18-month grant term.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Agriculture & Food Systems; Education; Climate & Environment; SDGs 2, 3, 4, 6, 13, 15.

• Deadline: June 1, 2026. Full proposals from invited LOI applicants only. Next cycle (2027) information expected in late 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is one of the cleaner small-grant programs for US-based international development nonprofits - transparent range, structured multi-stage process, and a strong past-grantee portfolio. The 150-LOI cap fills quickly, making early submission critical in future cycles. Organizations should monitor the site in Q1 for the 2027 cycle opening dates and attend the annual webinar. The US-registration requirement is a firm filter that secondary aggregators sometimes obscure - this is not a grant for nonprofits in the Global South, but for US nonprofits implementing in the Global South.

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Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food

First Call for Letters of Inquiry in the Guinean Forests of West Africa Biodiversity Hotspot: Large Grants, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF). *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund seeks to advance biodiversity conservation in the Guinean Forests of West Africa through strategic investments in civil society-led initiatives. CEPF prioritizes protection and management of Key Biodiversity Areas and ecological corridors, recognizing these sites as essential infrastructure for ecosystem resilience. The fund supports capacity building and research that strengthens knowledge systems around KBA monitoring and conservation planning. Simultaneously, CEPF funds policy advocacy and mainstreaming work, enabling organizations to embed biodiversity considerations into national mechanisms and governance frameworks. The funder calls for integrated approaches that combine on-the-ground site management with institutional strengthening and evidence generation. By channeling resources through established civil society organizations with demonstrated regional expertise, CEPF seeks to build sustainable conservation systems that protect irreplaceable forest ecosystems while empowering local stakeholders to steward these landscapes long-term.

• Geographies: Cameroon; Guinea; Liberia; Nigeria; Sierra Leone; Togo.

• Who can apply: Non-governmental organizations, community groups, universities, and small private enterprises may apply.

• Funding amount: $USD 50,000 to $USD 250,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: biodiversity hotspot, key biodiversity areas, forest conservation, west africa.

• Deadline: May 11, 2026 (23:59 GMT).

• Learn more and apply here.

CEPF’s phased approach to the Guinean Forests demonstrates a strategic shift toward consolidated large-grant consolidation before expanding to smaller funding mechanisms.

RAISEAfrica 2026 - Renewables Accelerator for Innovative Startups and Entrepreneurs in Africa, RES4Africa Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

RES4Africa Foundation seeks to accelerate Africa’s just energy transition by investing in young African entrepreneurs and startups working in renewable energy. Now in its third year, the program selects up to six participants for a structured accelerator combining mentoring, coaching, networking, and international event participation. The program is backed by Enel Green Power and the European Investment Bank, giving selected participants institutional credibility and investor-facing visibility well beyond the modest cash component. Solutions can span technology, manufacturing, digitalization, the water-energy-food nexus, circular economy, or new business models, with the broader programmatic framing oriented toward systemic challenges in Africa’s renewable energy ecosystem. The application is a single online form requiring CV and ID upload, making entry effort relatively low. Selected participants compete for the Young Talent of the Year Award, a prize of EUR €5,000 to EUR €10,000 in addition to the entry contribution all participants receive.

• Geographies: Pan-African. Open to all African countries.

• Who can apply: Entrepreneurs aged 18-35 who are African citizens, OR startups registered in Africa. Solutions must operate in renewable energy and address the African market. English proficiency required. No minimum funding stage or revenue threshold.

• Funding amount: EUR €3,000 entry contribution per selected participant (up to 6); Young Talent of the Year Award EUR €5,000 to EUR €10,000. Approximately USD $30,800 total program envelope.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Energy; Climate & Environment; SDGs 7, 8, 10, 13, 17.

• Deadline: May 17, 2026. (23:59 CET). Programme starts August 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

RAISEAfrica is one of the few structured accelerator-prize hybrids targeting African renewable energy youth with named European institutional backing - giving selected participants credibility and investor-facing visibility well beyond the modest cash amounts. Applicants with solutions spanning the water-energy-food nexus, digitalization, or circular economy are explicitly signaled as thematic priorities and should frame proposals around systemic impact, scalability, and alignment with Africa’s just energy transition narrative.

SARSEA - Call for Projects: Sargassum Regional Strategies for Ecosystem-Based Actions, Expertise France. *New!* *Closing soon!*

Expertise France seeks to transform sargassum influx from a Caribbean crisis into an economic and environmental opportunity. The funder supports a dual-track strategy that prioritizes innovation across both market-driven and scientific domains. Track one funds private sector and civil society actors developing sustainable value chains and circular economy models that convert sargassum into commercially viable products. Track two supports rigorous scientific research investigating environmental and public health impacts, generating evidence to inform policy and management practices. By funding feasibility studies, technology pilots, and scalable business models alongside targeted research, the funder enables ecosystem-based solutions that strengthen coastal resilience while creating economic livelihoods. The initiative calls for integrated approaches demonstrating measurable environmental and social outcomes. Gender-responsive project design is actively encouraged, reflecting commitment to inclusive climate adaptation.

• Geographies: Latin America and the Caribbean.

• Who can apply: Track 1 (Private sector and civil society): Companies, NGOs, and associations that are legally registered entities and directly responsible for project design and implementation.

• Funding amount: Total funding: EUR 1,600,000. Track 1 (private sector and civil society): EUR 150,000 to EUR 600,000 per project (feasibility studies: EUR 150,000-300,000; pilot and scale-up projects: up to EUR 600,000). Track 2 (research): EUR 150,000 to approximately EUR 380,000 per project.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: sargassum, seaweed valorization, circular economy, caribbean sids.

• Deadline: May 19, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This regional climate investment signals AFD’s strategic pivot toward ecosystem-based adaptation funding that bridges private sector innovation with scientific evidence in vulnerable small island developing states.

The Climate Pledge, National Geographic Society. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The National Geographic Society, partnering with The Climate Pledge, seeks solutions-oriented storytelling projects that advance climate resilience globally. The funder prioritizes narratives documenting tangible climate solutions across four pillars: Climate and Energy Transition, Nature-based approaches, Community Adaptation, and Extreme Weather Response. The fund supports individual storytellers, visual journalists, and documentarians working at the intersection of climate communication and on-the-ground resilience. Projects must demonstrate clear impact evaluation frameworks and center communities implementing adaptation strategies. The funder calls for storytellers with deep community ties, particularly those amplifying frontline voices and underrepresented regional narratives. By funding this work, National Geographic enables solutions-focused climate journalism that reaches both traditional editorial audiences and influential business and policy leaders. The funder invests in storytellers equipped to translate climate action into compelling, evidence-based narratives that inspire collective climate ambition.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individual storytellers (photographers, writers, filmmakers, cartographers, multimedia artists) aged 18 or older.

• Funding amount: Applicants may request up to $100,000, though it is recommended that if you have five years or less of experience, you request up to $20,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: climate storytelling, visual journalism, climate resilience, decarbonization.

• Deadline: May 25, 2026 (23:59 EDT).

Learn more and apply here.

This RFP signals a strategic shift toward open-call funding models and business-sector partnerships to democratize access for climate storytellers beyond traditional institutional networks.

Seed Grant and Thrive Grant, Thrive Philanthropy. *New!*

Thrive Philanthropy seeks to accelerate the global transition away from industrial animal agriculture by funding organizations and initiatives that build plant-based food systems, expand access to nutritious plant foods, and strengthen grassroots movements worldwide. The foundation operates a tiered funding pathway designed to meet organizations at different stages of development and capacity. The Seed Grant supports first-time applicants, early-stage groups, and informal initiatives testing innovative approaches to plant-rich nutrition, community education, and movement-building, with individuals and unregistered groups eligible to apply directly. The Thrive Grant funds more established organizations with demonstrated track records working on advocacy, scalable project implementation, and capacity building, prioritizing nonprofits with budgets under half a million dollars. Both programs exclude US-based organizations and international chapters of US entities, focus on intersectional perspectives in food systems transformation, and operate on quarterly review cycles with accessible application processes that prioritize leadership from marginalized communities.

• Geographies: Africa, Asia, Europe, Global, Latin America & Caribbean, Middle East & North Africa, North America, Oceania & Pacific. All countries except United States of America, All countries outside the United States of America.

• Who can apply: New or small-scale organizations; participants of the Thrive Africa Accelerator; one-time projects; conference sponsorships; individuals without nonprofit status. Must be based outside the United States and must not be an international chapter of a US-based organization. Must not be a for-profit company. Must align with Thrive Philanthropy’s...

• Funding amount: Seed Grant: The Thrive Seed Grant ranges up to $5000 USD. Thrive Grant: The Thrive Grant ranges from $10,000 USD to $30,000 USD.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Agriculture & Food Systems

• Deadlines: June 1, 2026.

• Learn more and apply for the Thrive Seed Grant.

• Learn more and apply for the Thrive Grant.

Africa-based organizations applying for the first time are directed toward the Seed Grant or Thrive Africa Accelerator before accessing the larger Thrive Grant, creating a mandatory stepping-stone pathway that extends the timeline to full funding. Past Seed Grant recipients include Uganda Vegan Society, VegVoyages Foundation, and Taiwan Vegetarian Nutrition Society, demonstrating the program’s reach across continents and organizational types.

Audi Environmental Foundation Scholarship 2026, Audi Environmental Foundation. *New!*

The Audi Environmental Foundation seeks to accelerate climate action by investing in the next generation of environmental leaders who will drive systemic change. Through its partnership with One Young World, the foundation identifies and supports young innovators who demonstrate exceptional potential to tackle the climate crisis through environmental innovation, ecosystem restoration, and climate justice initiatives. The foundation funds immersive leadership development experiences that connect emerging environmental champions with global networks, mentorship opportunities, and platforms to amplify their impact. By supporting youth-led solutions across climate education, pollution reduction, and green technology, the foundation enables participants to scale their environmental initiatives and influence policy at local and international levels. The foundation calls for applications from young leaders who show measurable impact in addressing climate challenges and possess the vision to catalyze broader environmental transformation within their communities and sectors.

• Geographies: Global. All countries (applicant nationality unrestricted), South Africa (summit location).

• Who can apply: Aged 18-30 (exceptions considered for those over 30 pending demonstration of personal impact, initiative, and willingness to engage; under-18s at time of Summit not accepted). Nationals of all countries are eligible. Must be able to fully participate in-person at the One Young World Summit (1-7 November 2026) in Cape Town, South Africa.

• Funding amount: Audi Environmental Foundation Scholars will receive: Access to the One Young World Summit 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa from 3-6 November; Hotel accommodation in Cape Town, checking in on 1 November and checking out on 7 November; Travel to and from Cape Town (flights in economy); Catering which includes breakfast at the hotel, and lunch and dinner on core Summit days; Transport between the Summit accommodation and the Summit venue; Exclusive access to a pre-programme run by the Audi Environmental Foundation on 2 November.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: climate crisis; young leaders; environmental innovation; ecosystem restoration; climate education; pollution reduction; climate justice; green technology; SDGs: 13; 15; 14; 4

• Deadline: June 1, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

Past scholar Lais Higashi secured multi-year project funding from Audi after her initial Summit scholarship, a pattern worth noting for applicants seeking more than one-time conference access. Age ceiling is soft at 30 (exceptions granted for demonstrated impact), but under-18 at Summit time is a hard gate.

DEEPSCALE Climate Tech Accelerator, Hello Tomorrow; startuplab.01 (Fundación Chile / Corfo). *New!*

Hello Tomorrow and startuplab.01 seek to bridge the critical gap between climate tech validation and international commercialization by accelerating deep tech ventures ready to scale beyond early proof-of-concept stages. The partnership targets startups at Technology Readiness Level 6 and above, providing specialized infrastructure including wet and dry laboratory facilities alongside vertical-specific regulatory, technical, and commercial expertise. The accelerator focuses on four strategic climate domains: sustainable food systems, clean energy, environment and biodiversity, and sustainable cities. By offering in-kind support rather than traditional funding, the program enables startups to access state-of-the-art resources while developing market entry strategies for Latin America and global expansion. The funders prioritize ventures that demonstrate technical maturity but require specialized facilities and regional expertise to achieve commercial viability. This approach supports the transition from laboratory innovation to market-ready solutions across critical climate sectors.

• Geographies: Global, Latin America & Caribbean. Chile (operational hub - Santiago), Global (applicant eligibility - no country restriction). (Chile as LATAM entry point, LATAM expansion pathway).

• Who can apply: Any global deep tech venture from TRL 6 building climate-related solutions. Startups with the goal of expanding internationally and looking for state-of-the-art wet and dry lab facilities, communal workspaces, and structured growth support. International companies interested in expanding their activities to LATAM markets, using Chile as a solid.

• Funding amount: Funding amount not found - source reviewed. Program provides in-kind support: wet and dry lab access, co-working spaces, structured growth programming, and global network access. Residency is fee-based (cost varies per startup needs). No cash grant disclosed on any source reviewed.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: deep tech; climate tech; trl 6+; wet lab; latam expansion; chile; food systems; clean energy; SDGs: 2; 7; 9; 11; 13

• Deadline: June 1, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

No consortium required and global eligibility is rare for a Latin America-anchored deep tech accelerator, but practical participation means relocating to Santiago for the residency period and paying program fees.

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Gender Equality & Women Empowerment

Consolidation of the Clean Cooking Initiative (Côte d’Ivoire and Mauritania), Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie seeks to strengthen clean cooking as a viable economic sector through strategic value chain consolidation. Under its 2024-2027 Innovations et Plaidoyers francophones initiative, the funder supports integrated projects that address multiple links in the clean cooking ecosystem, from local production of biomass briquettes and improved cookstoves to last-mile distribution networks and technical service infrastructure. The funder prioritizes capacity building for entrepreneurs and technicians, recognizing that sustainable market growth requires both supply-side innovation and skilled labor. By funding vocational training, business support services, and distribution systems development, the funder enables clean cooking to transition from donor-dependent pilot projects to self-sustaining enterprises. Gender and youth employment dimensions are woven throughout, reflecting the funder’s conviction that clean cooking solutions must generate livelihoods alongside environmental benefits. The funder particularly values proposals demonstrating strong coordination with existing initiatives and embedding within established agro-industrial value chains.

• Geographies: Côte d’Ivoire; Mauritania.

• Who can apply: Organizations legally constituted and registered in Côte d’Ivoire for at least two years, with legal personality and demonstrated administrative and financial management capacity.

• Funding amount: EUR €10,000–€50,000 per project.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Energy; Focus areas: clean cooking, improved cookstoves, biomass briquettes, last-mile distribution.

• Deadline: May 10, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here- Côte d’Ivoire.

• Learn more and apply here- Mauritania.

OIF’s dual-track clean cooking calls across Francophone countries signal commitment to regional energy access as interconnected development infrastructure.

Call for nominations: 2026 UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education, UNESCO. *Closing soon!*

UNESCO is seeking to spotlight and accelerate proven approaches that expand girls’ and women’s access to education and strengthen the conditions for sustained learning, particularly where gender intersects with poverty, discrimination, and exclusion. The Prize is structured to reward initiatives with demonstrated traction, prioritizing projects that combine measurable impact with innovation and long-term viability, and that show potential for replication or scale. By channeling nominations through Member States and UNESCO’s officially partnered NGOs, UNESCO is signaling an emphasis on credibility, institutional validation, and initiatives that can influence systems beyond a single site or cohort. Laureates are selected by an independent international jury assessing impact, innovation, and sustainability, reinforcing a results-oriented framing rather than concept-stage ideas.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individuals, institutions, or organizations (self-nominations not allowed) nominated by UNESCO Member States (National Commissions/Permanent Delegations) or NGOs in official partnership with UNESCO.

• Funding amount: US$ 50,000 (per laureate); 2 awards.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education & Capacity Building; Focus areas: girls’ education, women’s education, gender equality in education, inclusive learning environments

• Deadline: May 12, 2026 (midnight, GMT +2); platform access requests: May 1, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

Nominees must show at least two years of delivery, the strongest submissions will clearly evidence outcomes and articulate a realistic pathway to replication or scale.

Strengthening Grant, Amplify Change. *New!* *Opening this month!*

The purpose of this Strengthening Grant call is to fund small to medium civil society organizations, support their advocacy work, and strengthen them so they can bring about positive change in one of the AmplifyChange priority themes or an intersection or combination of themes: Abortion, Violence, Youth, Stigma, and Access. Projects must be working to bring about positive change in one of the AmplifyChange priority themes or an intersection or combination of themes: Abortion, Violence, Youth, Stigma and Access. Applications must respond to one or more of our outcome areas in our Theory of Change: Increasing individual awareness of SRHR as human rights; Improving access to SRHR resources, information & services; Transforming social norms; Changing policies & laws; and Building stronger, more inclusive movements for SRHR. AmplifyChange supports cross-cutting themes that impact on SRHR and well-being and respond to challenges that advocates identify as their priorities for action. Applications can integrate into their proposals: Climate Justice, Pleasure and Mental health.

• Geographies: 47 priority countries in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.

• Who can apply: Applicants must be registered and implementing a project in one of AmplifyChange’s eligible countries.

• Funding amount: Grants up to GBP £200,000, for 2-3 years.

• Targeted SDG/ Sectors: Gender equality (SDG 5), sexual and reproductive health rights, innovation.

• Deadline: Round 8 will open in May 21, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

Women Digital Leadership Award 2026, GSMA Asia Pacific. *New!* *Closing soon!*

GSMA Asia Pacific seeks to elevate women working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, telecom networks, cybersecurity, digital policy, and digital services across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The 2026 award, themed “Women, Trust, and the New AI Reality,” recognizes thought leadership on AI ethics, digital safety, gender inclusion in technology, and responsible AI deployment. Now in its fourth annual edition, the program operates without seniority or membership thresholds, opening recognition to women at any career stage. Submissions accept multiple formats - articles, case studies, short videos, podcasts, or personal reflections - lowering the barrier for practitioners whose impact lives in pilot work, advocacy, or policy contribution rather than academic publication. The award sits within GSMA APAC’s broader #ChangeTheFace platform and provides featured recognition at the Digital Nations Awards ceremony at M360 ASEAN 2026 in Kuala Lumpur. Self-nomination and third-party nominations are both accepted.

• Geographies: Asia Pacific primary; global submissions accepted. Ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

• Who can apply: Women working in or with perspectives on AI, telecom networks, cybersecurity, digital policy, or digital services. No organizational affiliation, GSMA membership, or seniority requirement.

• Funding amount: No cash prize. In-kind benefits include publication on GSMA APAC #ChangeTheFace editorial platform and a featured recognition slot at the Digital Nations Awards ceremony at M360 ASEAN 2026 (Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Gender & Women’s Empowerment; SDGs 5, 9, 10, 16.

• Deadline: May 31, 2026.

• Learn more and nominate here.

This is a visibility and credibility play for women in AI and digital policy seeking GSMA platform exposure in the Asia-Pacific ecosystem - no cash is offered, but a winner’s byline on the GSMA APAC #ChangeTheFace platform and a recognition slot at M360 ASEAN carries real professional and network value.

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Global Health & WASH

CHINNOVA Second Call for Proposals: Sub-Grants for Collaborative Research and Innovation Projects (2026-2028), CHINNOVA - Climate Change and Health Innovation Hub for West and Central Africa. *New!* *Closing soon!*

CHINNOVA seeks to strengthen climate-resilient health systems across West and Central Africa through collaborative, interdisciplinary research that bridges climate science, public health, and innovation. The funder supports projects that advance health systems preparedness, develop climate-health data systems and early warning mechanisms, and deepen understanding of climate-sensitive diseases in vulnerable regions. CHINNOVA prioritizes research that integrates gender equality and inclusion throughout project design and implementation, recognizing that climate impacts disproportionately affect marginalized populations. The funder calls for proposals that engage communities in risk communication, build regional research capacity, and create clear pathways for policy uptake and institutional innovation. By funding 24-month collaborative initiatives, CHINNOVA enables African universities and research institutions to generate actionable evidence while strengthening networks across borders. The hub emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches that combine epidemiology, health systems analysis, data science, and social research to address the interconnected challenges of climate change and health security.

• Geographies: West Africa; Central Africa.

• Who can apply: Universities and accredited research institutes actively conducting climate-health research; non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with a research mandate.

• Funding amount: CHINNOVA has allocated USD 1,000,000 to support a portfolio of high-quality and impactful research projects. A minimum of five projects will be funded, with each project eligible for funding of up to USD 200,000 and implemented over a period of 24 months.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: climate change and health, health systems resilience, early warning systems, climate-sensitive diseases.

• Deadline: May 8, 2026 (16:00 GMT).

• Learn more and apply here.

CHINNOVA demonstrates multilateral commitment to building African research leadership on climate-health adaptation through regionally-anchored, capacity-building grants that prioritize policy integration and gender equity.

GBD Emerging Researcher Award, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation seeks to accelerate breakthrough contributions in Global Burden of Disease research by recognizing and empowering the next generation of health metrics innovators. IHME supports early-career researchers who advance disease estimation methodologies, strengthen data systems, and translate evidence into actionable public health decisions. The funder prioritizes work that enhances the precision and utility of global health data, enabling more effective resource allocation and policy interventions worldwide. By deliberately supporting researchers from low- and middle-income countries, IHME catalyzes local research capacity where health data gaps are most critical. The award funds researchers who demonstrate exceptional ability to tackle complex epidemiological challenges and bridge the divide between sophisticated health metrics and real-world implementation. IHME’s investment logic centers on identifying emerging talent capable of shaping how the global health community measures, understands, and responds to disease burden patterns across diverse populations and settings.

• Geographies: Global. All countries eligible, LMIC preference for one of two annual awards. (LMIC preference for one award slot, high-income country applicants eligible for second slot).

• Who can apply: Early-career professional (including students pursuing a terminal degree; must be no more than five years post terminal degree). Must demonstrate evidence of ability to carry out GBD research of the highest scientific quality, focused on either innovative applications of GBD data or disease estimation improvements. For one of the two awards,...

• Funding amount: Two awards of US$5,000 will be awarded annually (starting 2024). From 2021 to 2023, the University of Washington made one award annually with the winner receiving US$5,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: gbd research; health metrics; burden of disease; epidemiology; early career researcher; lmic researchers; disease estimation; global health data; SDGs: 3; 4; 10

• Deadline: May 15, 2026.

• Learn more and nominate here.

No self-nomination allowed: you need a third-party nominator who can write a 1,000-word case for your GBD research contribution, so identify and brief that champion before the May deadline. Past winners include Dr. Anamika Pandey (India) and Dr. Leopold Aminde (Cameroon), both within five years of terminal degree when selected.

Infectious Diseases Catalyst Grants 2026, Novo Nordisk Foundation. *Closing soon!*

The Novo Nordisk Foundation is seeking catalytic, use-inspired research that can unlock future medical countermeasures for major human infectious disease threats, with an explicit emphasis on originality, feasibility, translatability, and globally implementable tools. The 2026 call narrows investment to two high-consequence areas: novel approaches to prevent, diagnose, or treat antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections, and research that closes major gaps in understanding pandemic influenza infectivity, transmission, and disease severity to enable better prevention and control tools. The structure encourages strong international complementarity while anchoring leadership in the Nordics, signaling a preference for focused, high-quality projects with a clear line of sight from scientific advances to next-step tool development rather than surveillance or infrastructure-building.

• Geographies: Nordic countries (main applicant); global (co-applicant in a different country to the main applicant).

• Who can apply: PI-level researchers at Nordic nonprofit research institutions; optional one nonprofit co-applicant from outside the main applicant’s country.

• Funding amount: Total pool DKK 60 million; up to DKK 4 million (single-PI) or up to DKK 7 million (collaborative).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: antimicrobial resistance tools, pandemic influenza, diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics

• Deadline: May 15, 2026 (14:00 Copenhagen Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

With “use-inspired” as a hard filter, proposals win by making the translation pathway to a needed tool as concrete as the science.

Infectious Disease Clinical Trial Development Award, Wellcome. *New!* *Closing soon!*

Wellcome seeks to strengthen infectious disease research leadership across Africa, South Asia, and South-East Asia by funding transdisciplinary teams to transform promising research ideas into rigorous clinical trial proposals. The funder supports early-stage development activities including protocol refinement, pilot data generation, and team assembly, recognizing that many LMIC-based researchers possess innovative concepts but lack institutional infrastructure or formalized partnerships to advance them. By prioritizing licensed pharmaceutical interventions targeting mycobacterial infections, bacterial infections, invasive fungal infections, and neglected tropical diseases, Wellcome calls for locally-led solutions to diseases disproportionately affecting resource-limited settings. The funder enables capacity building through personnel support, epidemiological data collection, and training aligned with WHO clinical trial guidance. This investment logic positions research excellence and equity as interconnected, ensuring that LMIC scientists gain the resources and expertise necessary to design competitive, implementable trials that ultimately improve health outcomes in their own regions.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Teams of at least two applicants (lead applicant plus at least one coapplicant) where: (1) the lead applicant is a mid-career or established researcher based at an organisation in Africa, South Asia,...

• Funding amount: Up to £200,000 per award.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: infectious disease, clinical trials, tuberculosis, dengue.

• Deadline: May 19, 2026 (15:00 BST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This development award functions as a strategic pipeline feeder into larger Wellcome-NIHR clinical trial funding, creating a two-stage pathway that significantly improves LMIC researcher competitiveness.

DayOne Accelerator - 2026 Cohort, DayOne (Basel Area Business & Innovation). *New!* *Closing soon!*

DayOne Accelerator seeks to cultivate early-stage innovation at the intersection of health technology and pharmaceutical research and development. The funder supports ventures developing digital health solutions, medical devices, and technology-enabled biology approaches that create value for pharma R&D partnerships rather than building independent therapeutic pipelines. DayOne prioritizes ecosystem integration and market credibility, enabling founders to access mentorship, investor networks, and operational support within Europe’s leading life sciences hub. The program funds capacity building and strategic positioning through a hybrid model combining intensive bootcamp engagement with ongoing in-kind support and workspace access. By explicitly excluding therapeutic asset developers, DayOne channels resources toward enabling technologies and services that strengthen pharmaceutical innovation infrastructure. The funder calls for ventures ready to engage directly with major pharma stakeholders and refine their value propositions through hands-on partnership development. This approach reflects a conviction that early-stage success depends on ecosystem positioning and strategic relationships, not immediate capital deployment.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individuals and teams from any country; digital health, medtech, and techbio ventures with solutions enabling pharma R&D processes.

• Funding amount: CHF 50,000 in non-dilutive funding + up to CHF 50,000 in personalized support + 12 months desk space (DayOne NEXT, for up to 3 startups per cohort); up to CHF 1,000 travel/accommodation grant for bootcamp (all cohort members); core accelerator is equity-free and fee-free.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: digital health, medtech, techbio, pharma r&d.

• Deadline: May 31, 2026 (23:59 CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

DayOne’s equity-free model with selective post-program grants signals a portfolio approach prioritizing ecosystem credibility and pharma partnership readiness over financial output.

Infectious Disease Clinical Trial Award: Optimising interventions for impact, Wellcome.

Wellcome seeks randomized controlled trials that close the gap between regulatory approval and real-world impact for infectious disease interventions in low- and middle-income settings. The call is designed to fund studies that optimize how licensed vaccines or therapeutics are used (for example, population targeting, dosing, combinations, and pragmatic effectiveness in routine contexts) so results are decision-ready for policy, guideline, and practice change. A strong application will show why the evidence is currently insufficient, how the proposed trial design will answer an adoption-critical question, and how stakeholders and policymakers will be embedded throughout to accelerate uptake. Proposals should also demonstrate feasibility at scale, include health economics where relevant, and prioritize underserved populations where the intervention’s benefits and access constraints are most acute.

• Geographies: Eligible administering organizations in Africa, South Asia, or South-East Asia (excluding mainland China); multi-country trials allowed within eligible scope.

• Who can apply: Transdisciplinary teams led by a mid-career or established researcher with required coapplicant(s); at least 50% of applicants based in eligible regions.

• Funding amount: £1,000,000 - £8,000,000 per award (3 to 5 years).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: infectious diseases, randomized controlled trials, licensed vaccine and therapeutic optimization, health economics, policy and guideline uptake.

• Deadline: June 2, 2026 (15:00 BST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is an “evidence-to-uptake” investment: Wellcome is funding trials that directly unlock adoption pathways, not trials that merely add incremental efficacy data.

Humanitarian Aid and Emergency Programming

Call for Nominations: 2026 Global Citizen Award, Henley & Partners (in partnership with Andan Foundation). *New!* *Closing soon!*

Henley & Partners, in partnership with the Andan Foundation, seeks to elevate and amplify individual humanitarian leaders driving transformative work on transnational challenges. The funder prioritizes migration, refugee protection, and statelessness as core focal areas, recognizing these as defining humanitarian issues of our time. Through this nomination-based award, the funder supports visionary changemakers who advance human rights, conflict resolution, and social inclusion for vulnerable populations navigating displacement and cross-border crises. The funder’s investment logic combines modest direct funding with substantial in-kind support, leveraging a global network of 70+ offices and access to high-net-worth communities to amplify the laureate’s humanitarian mission. This approach reflects a strategic commitment to visibility and influence rather than operational funding. The award honors individuals whose work demonstrates sustained commitment to global citizenship and dignity across borders, positioning humanitarian leadership as both urgent and worthy of celebration.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Open worldwide to individuals working in a field with a direct link to the global challenges they seek to address.

• Funding amount: a monetary prize of USD $20,000, which goes towards supporting the awardee’s humanitarian efforts.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Humanitarian & Emergency Response; Focus areas: migration, refugees, human trafficking, humanitarian aid.

• Deadline: May 6, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This prize model signals a funder strategy that weaponizes access and visibility over capital to advance migration-focused humanitarian leadership.

Second Call for Proposals: Grants to Support Reducing Nuclear Dangers, Carnegie Corporation of New York (Consortium to Reduce Nuclear Dangers). *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Consortium to Reduce Nuclear Dangers seeks to fund innovative projects that meaningfully lower the probability and consequences of nuclear conflict. Led by Carnegie Corporation of New York and partnering with a growing coalition of philanthropic institutions, the consortium funds work across three critical dimensions: escalation dynamics and crisis stability, emerging technological threats to nuclear security, and institutional capacity building for the next generation of nuclear policy expertise. The funder prioritizes research and engagement that bridges academic rigor with actionable policy insight, supporting everything from verification technologies and open-source intelligence applications to strategic workshops and analytical capacity in regions facing heightened nuclear tensions. By investing in both established organizations and emerging voices, the consortium enables a diverse ecosystem of actors, from think tanks to academic researchers, to develop concrete strategies for reducing existential nuclear risks. The funder’s logic centers on catalyzing solutions-oriented work that translates complex security challenges into operational pathways for risk reduction.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Think tanks, university-based centers, independent NGOs, individual researchers, and equivalent institutions. Collaborative applications are strongly encouraged.

• Funding amount: Small Grants: $50,000–$200,000 (up to two years); Large Grants: $200,000–$1,000,000 (up to three years).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Peace & Security; Focus areas: nuclear risk reduction, arms control, escalation dynamics, crisis management.

• Deadline: May 29, 2026 (23:59 ET).

• Learn more and apply here.

This consortium’s expanded membership and second call signal sustained major philanthropic commitment to nuclear security as a critical global priority requiring coordinated, multi-institutional funding strategies.

Shelters of the Future - Practical Prototypes for Shelters and Protected Spaces of Tomorrow, Vinnova. *New!*

Vinnova seeks to advance Sweden’s civil defense infrastructure by funding collaborative innovation projects that develop practical prototypes of future shelters and protected spaces. The funder prioritizes exploratory and speculative design methodologies that bridge civilian protection needs with architectural innovation. Projects must bring together diverse expertise, requiring at least one needs owner from the civil defense sector and one partner with demonstrated design capabilities. This investment logic reflects a commitment to dual-use infrastructure that strengthens total defense planning while advancing creative problem-solving. Vinnova supports projects that move beyond theoretical concepts toward tangible, testable prototypes that address real-world protection challenges. The funder enables cross-sector collaboration between government, design professionals, and innovation partners, recognizing that effective civil defense depends on integrating security requirements with thoughtful spatial design. By funding this nexus of innovation and protection, Vinnova positions Sweden as a leader in reimagining how communities can integrate resilience into their built environment.

• Geographies: Sweden.

• Who can apply: Consortia of at least two legal entities from business, civil society, public sector, academia, and/or research institutes. Coordinating party must be a Swedish legal entity.

• Funding amount: Maximum 800,000 SEK per project. The total budget for the call for proposals is 10 million SEK.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Peace & Security; Focus areas: civil defense, shelter design, protected spaces, exploratory design.

• Deadline: June 9, 2026 (14:00 CEST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This initiative reflects growing government interest in embedding civil defense considerations into design innovation and architecture practice.

The Pankaj Award to End Conflict, One Young World (funded by Regent Global). *New!*

One Young World, through Regent Global’s inaugural Pankaj Award, seeks to elevate young leaders who demonstrate exceptional impact in preventing and resolving conflict across communities worldwide. The funder supports innovative approaches to peacebuilding that address root causes of violence, strengthen social cohesion, and foster meaningful dialogue between divided groups. Regent Global funds these emerging leaders to scale proven interventions that bridge identity-based divisions and create sustainable pathways to peace. The award enables recipients to expand their reach while building capacity within marginalized communities most affected by conflict. One Young World calls for solutions that demonstrate measurable progress in violence prevention and community healing. The funder prioritizes youth-led initiatives that show potential for broader replication and systemic change. By investing in the next generation of peacebuilders, Regent Global supports a strategic shift toward locally-driven conflict resolution that addresses contemporary challenges through fresh perspectives and innovative methodologies.

• Geographies: Global. All countries eligible - no geographic restriction stated in eligibility criteria.

• Who can apply: Applicants must: (1) be aged 18-35 - the One Young World team will consider candidates older than 35 pending demonstration of appropriate personal impact, initiative, and willingness to engage; applicants under 18 at the time of the Summit (November 3-6, 2026) are not eligible; (2) be leading a registered non-profit organization, social...

• Funding amount: Regent Global has committed $250,000 to celebrate and accelerate the impact of young leaders. Funding: one young leader will be selected by an independent judging panel as the winner of The Pankaj Award to End Conflict, receiving $100,000 to accelerate their work to end conflict. All other finalists will receive funding, ranging from $10,000-$50,000 in support of their respective initiatives.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Peace & Security; Focus areas: conflict resolution; peacebuilding; youth-led initiatives; social cohesion; violence prevention; community dialogue; marginalized communities; identity-based conflict; SDGs: 16; 10; 17

• Deadline: June 15, 2026.

• Learn more and nominate here.

Inaugural edition with no stated reopen cycle, and the award is named after refugee founders who fled Sri Lanka’s civil war as teenagers - applicants with lived conflict experience may resonate particularly well with the judging panel’s origin story.

UNDP Global Innovation Challenge: Digital Tools for Crisis Impact Reporting, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). *New!*

UNDP seeks to accelerate humanitarian response to crises by mobilizing digital innovation that empowers affected communities as data providers. The funder supports open-source technology solutions that enable real-time crisis reporting through accessible channels, photos, and geolocation data. UNDP prioritizes bridging the gap between community-generated intelligence and government decision-making by integrating ground-level damage reports with satellite analysis. This investment logic reflects a strategic commitment to democratizing crisis information, strengthening community resilience, and reducing response times during disasters. The funder calls for solutions that work in low-connectivity contexts and ensure secure, transparent data management. By funding this challenge, UNDP enables innovators to build scalable, open infrastructure that transforms how crisis-affected populations participate in recovery planning. The funder’s approach emphasizes equity and accessibility, recognizing that affected communities hold critical knowledge essential to effective disaster response and reconstruction.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Startups, researchers, and digital developers globally, submitting through Wazoku’s Innocentive solver community.

• Funding amount: A prize of US$50,000 will be awarded to the solution that meets the technical and operational requirements.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Humanitarian & Emergency Response; Focus areas: crisis mapping, open-source platform, damage reporting, satellite integration.

• Deadline: June 23, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

UNDP’s innovation challenge series demonstrates their strategy of leveraging open-source technology and community participation to strengthen institutional humanitarian capacity globally.

Education, Human Rights & Inclusion

Aberdeen Group Charitable Trust - Ideas Fund (Pilot Project Grants), Aberdeen Group Charitable Trust. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Aberdeen Group Charitable Trust seeks to catalyze innovation by funding nonprofits to pilot solutions addressing persistent challenges in financial capability, employability, and environmental stewardship. The foundation supports organizations testing new approaches that generate sustainable impact and scalable models. Through its Ideas Fund, the trust prioritizes pilot projects that combine rigorous design with measurable learning outcomes, enabling charities to validate concepts before broader implementation. The foundation particularly calls for proposals exploring how artificial intelligence affects social inclusion, signaling strategic interest in emerging technology’s role in equitable access to economic opportunity. By funding exploratory work over 12-18 month periods, the trust emphasizes testability and adaptive learning, recognizing that breakthrough solutions often require experimentation and iteration. This approach positions the Ideas Fund as a launchpad for evidence-based innovation within communities where the foundation maintains active engagement.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Non-profit organisations (charities) working directly and practically on financial capability, employability, or nature in communities where Aberdeen Group colleagues live and work.

• Funding amount: Funding of between £20,000 and £180,000 is available worldwide for organisations working in the communities where Aberdeen Group is based. Average grant size of £50k over 12-18 months.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Development & Livelihoods; Focus areas: financial literacy, employability, pilot projects, nature-based solutions.

• Deadline: May 7, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This fund demonstrates a funder’s deliberate strategy to identify and support emerging solutions at the intersection of technology and social inclusion before they scale.

Community-Centered Connectivity Grant Program, Internet Society Foundation. *Closing soon!*

The Internet Society Foundation seeks to accelerate community-centered solutions that close the digital divide by expanding affordable, reliable Internet access where markets and institutions have not delivered. The program’s investment logic prioritizes locally grounded implementers that can demonstrate both technical credibility and community legitimacy, supporting projects that address the core barriers of availability, affordability, and adoption through practical connectivity deployment and community-led design. By structuring funding into track-based pathways, the Foundation aligns capital size and duration to organizational readiness, while reserving its largest systems track for proven models positioned for multi-community replication. Preference signals further emphasize inclusive access outcomes for displaced communities, Indigenous communities, and women and girls, reinforcing a focus on connectivity as a platform for broader participation, services, and opportunity.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Legally registered non-profits and social enterprises with community support and technical capacity (Catalyst and Scaling open; Systems invite-only).

• Funding amount: Catalyst: Up to USD $50,000; Scaling: Up to USD $200,000; Systems: Above USD $200,000 (invite-only).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: community networks, last-mile connectivity, community broadband, affordability, adoption, availability.

• Deadline: May 7, 2026 (21:00 UTC).

• Learn more and apply here.

This program treats connectivity as community infrastructure, rewarding proposals that pair technical deployment with governance, affordability, and adoption pathways that can hold over time.

P&G Alumni Foundation Grant Program 2026, P&G Alumni Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The P&G Alumni Foundation seeks to expand economic opportunity through targeted investment in job skills development and entrepreneurial capacity. The funder prioritizes organizations delivering vocational training, business education, and employment pathways that create measurable economic empowerment outcomes. The foundation supports program delivery costs including curriculum, equipment, staff expertise, and mentoring infrastructure that builds sustainable workforce capabilities. Recognizing that institutional capacity matters, the funder enables smaller organizations with limited budgets to access operating support, demonstrating commitment to strengthening the organizations delivering this work. The foundation’s investment logic centers on leveraging its 35,000-member alumni network as both connector and validator, requiring meaningful P&G alumni engagement to ensure local expertise and accountability. By funding specific project costs and capacity-building initiatives, the funder channels resources toward concrete, outcomes-focused interventions that help individuals transition into stable employment or launch viable ventures.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations in the U.S. and charitable equivalents outside the U.S. Organization must have been in existence for at least 2 years.

• Funding amount: Applications for $10,000 – $25,000. Most recently for 2024-25 fiscal year alone, 14 different organizations received a total of $275,000 in grants.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Development & Livelihoods; Focus areas: vocational training, job skills, economic empowerment, entrepreneurship.

• Deadline: May 9, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This funder leverages employee networks as peer validators while maintaining rigorous accountability standards for measurable employment outcomes in developing economies.

Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize 2026, Kofi Annan Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Kofi Annan Foundation, partnering with the Democracy and Culture Foundation and One Young World, recognizes one exceptional young leader each year for frontline work defending or advancing democracy. Now in its fourth cycle, the prize sits at the intersection of individual recognition and network-building: the in-kind package (Athens Democracy Forum speaking slot, One Young World Summit attendance, lifelong Ambassador Community membership) likely carries more long-term career value than the USD $10,000 cash component alone. The prize is genuinely global - past winners hail from Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Colombia - and explicitly evaluates measurable democratic impact rather than positional credentials. Applications require a short video outlining democracy-related work plus a letter of support from someone at an organisation recognised in democracy advocacy (not a family member, friend, employee, or co-founder). The winner and nine finalists all receive fully funded attendance at the One Young World Summit 2026 in Cape Town and travel and accommodation to the Athens Democracy Forum.

• Geographies: Global. No nationality or geographic restrictions. Past winners from Zimbabwe, Namibia, Colombia. Application and supporting letter must be in English.

• Who can apply: Individual young leaders aged 18-30 at time of application working to defend or advance democracy. Must be willing to participate in public activities at Athens Democracy Forum and One Young World Summit 2026.

• Funding amount: USD $10,000 cash to winner; one-year mentorship with a recognized democracy expert; fully funded attendance for winner and 9 finalists at the One Young World Summit 2026 (Cape Town, November 2-7) and Athens Democracy Forum 2026 (September 29 - October 2). Lifelong One Young World Ambassador Community membership.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Governance & Justice; Youth & Children; SDGs 16, 10.

• Deadline: May 17, 2026. (23:59 BST).

• Learn more and nominate here.

This prize sits at the intersection of individual recognition and network-building - the in-kind package (Athens Democracy Forum speaking slot, OYW Summit, lifelong ambassador community) likely carries more long-term career value than the USD $10,000 cash alone. Applicants who can document measurable, quantifiable democratic impact - policy changes, election turnout shifts, reach metrics - will score highest against the Impact criterion, which appears to be the most weighted of the five judging dimensions.

FII Innovators Pitch 2026, FII Institute (Future Investment Initiative Institute). *New!* *Closing soon!*

The FII Institute, in partnership with MIT Solve, runs a high-profile pitch competition for AI-driven startups across four verticals: sustainability, health, robotics, and education. Open globally to investment-ready ventures from Pilot through Series B/C stage, the program offers no cash prize but delivers something many early-growth companies value comparably: a stage at FII10 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before one of the world’s most concentrated rooms of institutional and sovereign investors. Winners also receive sponsored travel, masterclass access, FII ecosystem connections, and an Institute membership. The competition’s geographic exclusions reflect FATF and US Treasury compliance requirements rather than impact orientation. Selection follows a rigorous multi-stage review, and selected ventures are expected to participate in FII conferences, summits, and media opportunities. For organizations whose pipeline includes Gulf or emerging-market investor relationships, this is a rare no-cost entry point into a well-resourced network.

• Geographies: Global. Excludes US-embargoed and FATF-sanctioned/increased-monitoring jurisdictions. Final stage in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (October 26-29, 2026).

• Who can apply: Startups and ventures worldwide with AI-supported solutions in sustainability, health, robotics, or education. Pilot, Growth, or Scale stage with MVP. Must meet at least one fundraising milestone: Seed (USD $2-4M raised), Series A (USD $5-20M), or Series B/C (USD $20M+). Incorporation not required.

• Funding amount: No cash. In-kind benefits include FII10 pitch stage, sponsored travel, masterclasses, FII ecosystem and Investment Community access, complimentary FII Institute Membership.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Health; Education; Climate & Environment; SDGs 3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 17.

• Deadline: May 28, 2026. (12:00 EDT).

• Learn more and apply here.

This opportunity is best suited for investment-ready AI startups seeking high-profile investor visibility rather than direct capital - position the application around scalability metrics, team credentials, and a compelling pitch narrative for a sophisticated global investor audience. Given FII Institute’s strong Gulf and emerging-market focus, applicants with solutions relevant to Middle East and Global South contexts may have an edge in Partnership Potential scoring.

Innovation, Research & Smart Cities

Call for National Research Teams: Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Inclusivity Measurement, Global Development Network (GDN). *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Global Development Network seeks to deepen understanding of who remains excluded from digital public infrastructure and why. GDN supports national research teams conducting rigorous mixed-method investigations into the inclusivity of digital identity systems, payment platforms, and government service delivery. The funder prioritizes evidence that illuminates socioeconomic barriers to digital access and adoption, recognizing that DPI systems often reinforce existing inequalities when designed without explicit inclusion frameworks. GDN funds this research with a distinctive commitment to policy translation, requiring teams to engage national institutions throughout the research process and structure findings for actionable governance outcomes. By anchoring research in local contexts and embedding stakeholder consultation into project design, the funder calls for investigation that bridges the gap between academic rigor and institutional decision-making. This approach reflects GDN’s conviction that understanding digital exclusion requires both empirical depth and deliberate pathways to influence how countries build and refine their public digital systems.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Multidisciplinary teams based in universities, research institutes, and think tanks in low- to upper-middle-income countries.

• Funding amount: Five teams will be selected, each eligible for up to $50,000 to conduct 6-8 months of mixed-method research. Proposed budgets should be within the $50,000 budget.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: digital identity, digital payments, dpi inclusivity, marginalized communities.

• Deadline: May 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

GDN’s investment signals growing funder prioritization of measuring and addressing equity gaps within foundational digital systems in the Global South.

Request for Proposals: Science of Trustworthy AI, Schmidt Sciences. *Closing soon!*

Schmidt Sciences seeks to accelerate a rigorous, technical science of trustworthy AI by funding projects that can materially improve our ability to understand, measure, and control risks from frontier AI systems while enabling responsible deployment. The program’s framing is deliberately scientific: proposals are expected to take a clear stand on a small set of core questions and pursue them deeply, with strong emphasis on validity arguments for evaluations and on interventions that influence what AI systems learn, not just what they report. The RFP’s agenda spans three connected aims, from forecasting misalignment under distribution shift and optimization pressure, to building generalizable measurement and control approaches, to extending oversight into regimes where humans cannot directly evaluate correctness and where multi-agent interactions introduce additional risk. Schmidt Sciences also signals a willingness to support ambitious empirical work by enabling compute access or compute funding and by encouraging collaboration, especially at higher funding tiers.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individual researchers, research teams, institutions, and multi-institution collaborations across universities, labs, institutes, and nonprofit research organizations.

• Funding amount: Tier 1: up to USD $1M; Tier 2: USD $1M–5M+.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: AI, machine learning, evaluation validity, superhuman oversight.

• Deadline: May 17, 2026 (11:59pm AoE).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is calibrated to fund work that turns fast-moving AI safety questions into durable scientific methods, measures, and control techniques that remain informative as models evolve.

URBACT IV Call for Action Networks (2026-2029), URBACT.

URBACT seeks to accelerate sustainable, integrated urban development by funding transnational city networks that move beyond planning into delivery. The funder’s logic is implementation-led learning: cities come together around a shared policy challenge, test and refine a limited portfolio of concrete actions on the ground, and use structured peer exchange to identify what works, under which conditions, and with which governance arrangements. A core expectation is participatory delivery through local stakeholder groups and Action Labs, generating transferable know-how rather than isolated pilots. Network-level outputs are designed for uptake and replication, including an Actions Playbook capturing delivery experience, barriers, enabling factors, and scaling pathways, while each city documents results and evidence of change through its Action Portfolio. The program is structured for disciplined execution over 30 months, with a defined budget ceiling and a partnership model intended to maximize cross-city comparability and learning.

• Geographies: European Union (EU-27), Norway, Switzerland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova.

• Who can apply: Cities and eligible public authorities from the program area (limited non-city public or equivalent public bodies allowed).

• Funding amount: EUR 1,000,000 (maximum total eligible budget per Action Network).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Governance, Democracy & Justice; Focus areas: sustainable urban development, participatory policy-making, action implementation, peer learning, urban governance.

• Deadline: June 17, 2026 (15:00 CEST).

• Learn more and apply here.

URBACT is signaling that credible urban transformation requires tested delivery systems, not just well-written strategies.

Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit – MARS Awards 2026, Merck Foundation.

The Merck Foundation MARS Awards 2026 promote scientific research across Africa by supporting emerging talent, with a focus on women and youth in STEM. This year’s theme emphasizes the role of scientific research in improving women’s health and reproductive care. The initiative aims to strengthen African research capacity and foster a dialogue between researchers and ministries shaping health and gender policy across the continent.

• Geographies: All African countries.

• Who can apply: African PhD students, young investigators, and postgraduate medical fellows based at African research institutions.

• Funding amount: 3-month research training in India + travel to Africa Asia Luminary 2026.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Scientific Research; Focus areas: reproductive care, women’s health, early-career researchers.

• Deadline: June 30, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

By spotlighting the know–do gap, MARS builds a platform where local knowledge transforms into system-level change.

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Hello Everyone!

This is a mid-month update bringing you 32 new opportunities and over $269M in grants, prizes, and catalytic capital across all sectors. This is a curated selection of the most relevant new listings we’ve tracked in the week since the mid-April roundup, not an exhaustive list. Five close within 30 days, so scan the Closing soon! tags first.

Three cross-cutting patterns stand out in this batch.

First, recognition awards are stepping into the impact funding space in a meaningful way. Nearly a third of this batch is prizes and awards: AAAS is running a full 2027 portfolio across public engagement, scientific freedom, behavioral sciences, and science diplomacy. Cartier Women’s Initiative returns with its Science & Technology Pioneer and Regional Award tracks. The inaugural Pankaj Award to End Conflict, funded by Regent Global and administered through One Young World, puts $100K behind young conflict-resolution leaders anywhere in the world. UNESCO reopens its Literacy Prizes. The cash is often modest, but the platform, mentorship, and ecosystem access that comes with these prizes is now a real funding instrument, not a secondary benefit.

Second, corporate and governmental funders are converging behind a “global talent, local deployment” model. Qatar’s QRDI Council is inviting global marine-tech startups to deploy in Qatari waters. Jacobs Foundation’s LEVANTE call brings global research teams into a comparative-context learning design. DEEPSCALE positions Chile as a LATAM deep-tech hub for international climate startups. KfW IFE deploys €10M across three African markets. The U.S.–Kenya Freedom 250 exchange is bilateral by design. These are not pure grant programs. They are funders using their convening and deployment power to connect global expertise with specific geographic proving grounds.

Third, the U.S. State Department’s funding window is unusually open right now. Four new entries this cycle channel through State Department or Embassy programming: the Advancing Global Health Annual Program Statement ($250M envelope for Africa, Asia, and Latin America), the Freedom 250 Kenya–U.S. tech exchange, and two Public Diplomacy Annual Program Statements out of U.S. Embassies Honduras and Sofia. This is a moment to be paying attention to bilateral and embassy-level programming if you have interests in the specific geographies.

Also worth watching this month, though mostly not captured in this curation: AI and deep tech funding continues to surge, and circular economy and green transition calls are accelerating, especially across Horizon Europe and the Swedish Energy Agency. These patterns will show up more heavily in the May monthly roundup.

Snapshot of what’s inside this month:

• Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact (4 opportunities). Four anchor funders whose calls genuinely cut across sectors. Jacobs Foundation’s $1M LEVANTE call supports global comparative research on child learning and development. KfW’s €10M IFE facility deploys across Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, and Morocco for private sector employment and TVET. Internet Society Foundation backs research on Internet access and resilience at up to $500K. Thrive Philanthropy runs a two-tier Seed + Main pathway for non-US organizations working on plant-based food systems across Africa and Asia.

• Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (5 opportunities). Cartier Women’s Initiative anchors the section with its 2027 edition of Science & Technology Pioneer and Regional Award tracks, now accepting applications globally. The EU Delegation Yemen opens a €4M Women’s Economic Empowerment call. UN Women has three simultaneous Moldova calls open, two under the Austria-funded ADA project (Chisinau/Straseni and Balti livelihoods) and one under the EU-funded EVOLVE4GE program on violence prevention. UN Women Bangladesh is localizing VAW prevention through government-CSO partnership at $286K.

• Global Health & WASH (5 opportunities). Five calls across scales and subfields. The Novo Nordisk Foundation opens non-diabetic endocrinology collaborative grants at DKK 10M, anchoring the Nordic research end. The U.S. Department of State’s Advancing Global Health Annual Program Statement represents a $250M envelope for Africa, Asia, and Latin America. IHME’s GBD Emerging Researcher Award supports early-career researchers working with Global Burden of Disease data globally. Men’s Shed Victoria funds community mental health infrastructure across Australia. Mérieux Foundation’s Small Grants program continues its rolling support for infectious disease laboratories in LMICs.

• Education, Human Rights & Inclusion (5 opportunities). UNESCO’s International Literacy Prizes 2026 open nominations globally at $30K per prize. The U.S.–Kenya Freedom 250 Tech and Innovation Exchange is a $3.3M bilateral program for university consortia. Two U.S. Embassy Public Diplomacy Annual Program Statements (Honduras and Sofia) channel programming to civil society in those countries. The J & O Lloyd Fund provides community grants up to £10K for organizations working in East Staffordshire, UK, and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s Quality of Life Grants support U.S. nonprofits serving the spinal cord injury community at up to $100K.

• Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food (6 opportunities). Qatar QRDI Council’s Smart SEAstems for Marine Reclamation Challenge closes in 8 days, offering up to $100K plus marine testing sites and hardware access to SMEs and startups working on ghost-net detection and retrieval in the Gulf. GIZ’s 5th Due Diligence Fund call opens €100K–€250K grants for supply chain sustainability work in LMICs. DEEPSCALE positions Chile as a deep-tech accelerator base for international climate ventures. Audi Environmental Foundation sponsors Young Impact Leaders to attend One Young World. Holohil continues its in-kind wildlife tracking equipment program globally. Premio Alsea 2026 offers MXN 2.5M for food research across Mexico and LatAm.

• Humanitarian Aid, Emergency Programming & DRR (3 opportunities). Three entries, deliberately curated. The inaugural Pankaj Award to End Conflict, funded by Regent Global and administered through One Young World, offers $100K to the overall winner plus $10K-$50K to nine finalists globally. IPA and J-PAL close their final (fifth) round of the Displaced Livelihoods Initiative, offering tracks from $4K to $250K for displaced-populations research. CIVIC’s rolling grant competition continues supporting civilian-protection programming in conflict contexts. See also: EU Delegation Yemen — Women’s Economic Empowerment (in the Gender section above)..

• Innovation, Research & Smart Cities (4 opportunities). AAAS’s 2027 Awards Portfolio consolidates four annual prizes (Bhaumik for public engagement, Scientific Freedom and Responsibility, McGovern in behavioral sciences, and Hamburg for science diplomacy), all globally open with self-nominations accepted. AFAC’s three Arab nationality grant programs support cinema, music, and training/regional events at $20K–$50K per track. The Whiting Foundation’s Nonfiction Grant supports US, UK, and Canadian writers with works-in-progress at $40K × 10 awards. Singapore’s National Arts Council Market and Audience Development Grant channels SGD 70K toward arts organizations building international reach.

This post is for paid subscribers only, but the monthly round-up will always remain free. I also regularly share updates on my LinkedIn.

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Latest Funding Opportunities:

Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact

Research Grant Program, Internet Society Foundation. *New!*

The Internet Society Foundation seeks to advance critical understanding of how the Internet shapes society through its Research Grant Program, which funds applied research that generates actionable insights for policymakers, technologists, and communities worldwide. The Foundation supports investigations across four strategic priorities: building an Inclusive Internet that serves marginalized populations, Greening the Internet to address climate impacts, Measuring Meaningful Connectivity beyond basic access metrics, and fostering A Trustworthy Internet through enhanced security and governance frameworks. The program calls for openly published research that bridges academic rigor with real-world application, particularly emphasizing work that addresses digital divides, supports indigenous languages, and strengthens connectivity in the Global South. The Foundation enables researchers to tackle complex questions about Internet governance, climate resilience, and cybersecurity while ensuring findings remain accessible to diverse stakeholders who can implement change.

• Geographies: Global, Africa, Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, Europe, North America, Middle East & North Africa. Global - all countries eligible. (Global Majority and underrepresented groups strongly encouraged to apply).

• Who can apply: Independent researchers with a postgraduate research degree (PhD or Masters) and peer-reviewed publications, patents, or academic/independently published work in the relevant area. Public research institutions that are 501(c)(3) or equivalent and have a mission aligned with the Foundation’s. Private institutions are not eligible to receive...

• Funding amount: funding ranging from US$200,000 to US$500,000 (independent researchers: up to US$200,000; organizations and institutions: up to US$500,000; one or more awards per thematic area anticipated subject to fiscal year funding).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: internet governance; digital inclusion; digital divide; climate resilience; connectivity measurement; cybersecurity; open research; global south; policy-relevant research; indigenous languages; SDGs: 9; 10; 13; 16; 5; 8

• Deadline: May 22, 2026. (21:00 UTC).

• Learn more and apply here.

Past grantees span Berkeley, Arizona State, and Western Sydney University alongside nonprofits like TEDIC Paraguay and Internet Security Research Group, so independent PhD holders compete directly with major research institutions in the same pool. Partnership structure is “recommended” not required, meaning solo researchers can apply without a consortium but may strengthen proposals by adding collaborators.

Seed Grant and Thrive Grant, Thrive Philanthropy. *New!*

Thrive Philanthropy seeks to accelerate the global transition away from industrial animal agriculture by funding organizations and initiatives that build plant-based food systems, expand access to nutritious plant foods, and strengthen grassroots movements worldwide. The foundation operates a tiered funding pathway designed to meet organizations at different stages of development and capacity. The Seed Grant supports first-time applicants, early-stage groups, and informal initiatives testing innovative approaches to plant-rich nutrition, community education, and movement-building, with individuals and unregistered groups eligible to apply directly. The Thrive Grant funds more established organizations with demonstrated track records working on advocacy, scalable project implementation, and capacity building, prioritizing nonprofits with budgets under half a million dollars. Both programs exclude US-based organizations and international chapters of US entities, focus on intersectional perspectives in food systems transformation, and operate on quarterly review cycles with accessible application processes that prioritize leadership from marginalized communities.

• Geographies: Africa, Asia, Europe, Global, Latin America & Caribbean, Middle East & North Africa, North America, Oceania & Pacific. All countries except United States of America, All countries outside the United States of America.

• Who can apply: New or small-scale organizations; participants of the Thrive Africa Accelerator; one-time projects; conference sponsorships; individuals without nonprofit status. Must be based outside the United States and must not be an international chapter of a US-based organization. Must not be a for-profit company. Must align with Thrive Philanthropy’s...

• Funding amount: Seed Grant: The Thrive Seed Grant ranges up to $5000 USD. Thrive Grant: The Thrive Grant ranges from $10,000 USD to $30,000 USD.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Agriculture & Food Systems

• Deadlines: Seed Grant: June 1, 2026. (23:59 GMT); Thrive Grant: June 1, 2026. (23:59 GMT).

• Learn more and apply for the Thrive Seed Grant.

• Learn more and apply for the Thrive Grant.

Africa-based organizations applying for the first time are directed toward the Seed Grant or Thrive Africa Accelerator before accessing the larger Thrive Grant, creating a mandatory stepping-stone pathway that extends the timeline to full funding. Past Seed Grant recipients include Uganda Vegan Society, VegVoyages Foundation, and Taiwan Vegetarian Nutrition Society, demonstrating the program’s reach across continents and organizational types.

LEVANTE Open Call for Proposals 2026, Jacobs Foundation. *New!*

The Jacobs Foundation seeks to revolutionize understanding of how children learn by building the world’s most comprehensive dataset on learning variability across diverse global contexts. Through LEVANTE, the foundation supports researchers who will collect longitudinal data using standardized assessments with typically developing children, enabling unprecedented cross-cultural comparisons and causal inference in educational development. The foundation prioritizes studies that capture dense measurements of cognitive development over time, particularly emphasizing research in the Global South to address historical data gaps. By requiring all funded projects to contribute data to an open, shared repository, Jacobs Foundation catalyzes collaborative science that moves beyond isolated studies toward systematic knowledge building. The foundation funds three tiers of research infrastructure to support varying scales of investigation, from targeted projects to large-scale longitudinal studies that can detect subtle patterns in learning trajectories across different cultural and linguistic contexts.

• Geographies: Global. Not specified - global eligibility. Particular encouragement for work in underrepresented regions.. (Underrepresented regions and Global South explicitly encouraged in proposal evaluation, measures available in English, Spanish, German, with adaptation in progress for French, Dutch, Arabic, Hebrew, Kannada, Daccani, and Tamil).

• Who can apply: Main applicants must: (1) hold a PhD or equivalent degree obtained at least 5 years (excluding career breaks) prior to the application deadline; (2) be employed by and be part of a research lab at an institution of higher education or research institute; (3) be conducting high-quality research in the area of variability of learning and...

• Funding amount: The Jacobs Foundation is devoting up to USD $6 million to support project proposals. Regular projects: maximum budget USD $250,000 over a minimum of 2-3 years; Large projects: maximum budget USD $600,000 over a minimum of 4 years; Infrastructure projects: maximum budget USD $1,000,000 over a minimum of 4 years.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Focus areas: learning variability; child development; longitudinal data; causal inference; cognitive development; open dataset; global south; dense measurement; SDGs: 4; 10; 17

• Deadline: June 10, 2026. (00:00 GMT).

• Learn more and apply here.

Past grantees span Max Planck, Harvard, and Public Health Foundation of India, but the 5-year post-PhD requirement (excluding career breaks) gates out early-career researchers regardless of institutional affiliation. Partnerships recommended but not required, unusual for a network-building initiative at this scale.

IFE Call for Proposals 2026 - Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt and Morocco, KfW Development Bank - Facility Investing for Employment (IFE). *New!*

KfW Development Bank’s Facility Investing for Employment seeks to catalyze sustainable job creation and economic transformation through strategic private sector investment. The facility supports projects that generate decent employment opportunities while strengthening local labor markets through skills development and vocational training initiatives. KfW prioritizes investments that advance social inclusion, particularly targeting youth employment and women’s economic participation. The fund enables co-financing partnerships that leverage private capital to maximize employment impact and build resilient economic ecosystems. KfW calls for projects that contribute to just transition toward climate-friendly economies, recognizing the intersection between environmental sustainability and economic development. The facility supports infrastructure development, capacity building, and investment facilitation that creates lasting employment opportunities. KfW seeks to demonstrate how targeted development finance can unlock private sector potential while addressing labor migration challenges and promoting decent work standards across emerging markets.

• Geographies: Africa. Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Morocco. (IFE partner countries, German Special Initiative partner countries).

• Who can apply: Individual applicants: Legal entity registered in Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, or Morocco that has been in operation for at least three years. Consortia (two or more legal entities): All consortium members must each be a separate legal entity registered in the concerned country, elsewhere in Africa, or in an EU/EFTA country. Investment projects must...

• Funding amount: The Facility awards grants ranging from EUR €800,000 to EUR €10 million per project for the job creation component. IFE covers up to 90% of the investment costs (not-for-profit, no revenue); up to 75% (not-for-profit, with revenue); up to 35% (for-profit, jobs at independent 3rd parties); up to 25% (for-profit, jobs at applicant entity).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Development & Livelihoods; Focus areas: job creation; private sector investment; co-financing grants; vocational training; skills development; labour market development; decent work; challenge fund; SDGs: 8; 4; 1; 9; 10

• Deadline: June 30, 2026. (17:00 CEST).

• Learn more and apply here.

Component 2 (training with German labor market pathways) is available only in Egypt and Morocco, not Côte d’Ivoire, creating a two-tier structure within the same call. Past grantees include Eranove Training Academy, AUG Pharma’s sterile production line, and Ghabbour Foundation’s electromobility program, all at undisclosed amounts above the €880k floor.

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Global Health & WASH

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Hello Everyone!

This is a mid-month update bringing you 48 new opportunities and over $20M in grants, prizes, and catalytic capital across all sectors. This is a curated selection of the most relevant new listings we’ve tracked over the past two weeks, not an exhaustive list. If your sector isn’t heavily represented here, check back at the start of May for the full monthly roundup.

Three cross-cutting patterns stand out in this batch.

First, climate and health are converging into a single funded category. CHINNOVA is funding collaborative research at the climate-health nexus across West and Central Africa. UNICEF’s Venture Fund is backing open-source climate tech startups focused specifically on children’s health outcomes. These aren’t two sectors overlapping by accident. Funders are building deliberate pipelines where climate resilience and health systems strengthening are designed together from the start.

Second, corporate funders are entering the impact space with structured, accessible capital. Standard Chartered’s Women in Tech Accelerator is now in its eighth edition. Orange’s Social Venture Prize deploys across Africa and the Middle East with a dedicated women founders track. P&G’s Alumni Foundation channels its 35,000-member network into vocational training and entrepreneurship grants globally. The signal: corporate social investment is moving from branding exercises toward repeatable, equity-free funding instruments that sit alongside traditional philanthropic grants.

Third, catalytic and blended finance instruments are scaling. Convergence is accelerating fund managers building blended vehicles for emerging markets. The QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge funds climate startups with a direct pathway to municipal pilot deployment. Carnegie Corporation’s nuclear threat reduction consortium has expanded its membership and launched a second call. The common thread: these funders are not just funding projects. They are funding the financial and institutional architecture that connects early impact ventures to commercial capital and government systems.

Snapshot of what’s inside this month:

• Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact (6 opportunities). CHINNOVA’s $1M climate-health research portfolio across West and Central Africa anchors this section alongside Convergence’s blended finance accelerator for fund managers and UNICEF’s inaugural climate tech venture fund for children’s health. Orange deploys its 16th edition Social Venture Prize across Africa and the Middle East, while Toyota Foundation funds practitioner exchange networks across East and Southeast Asia.

• Global Health & WASH (8 opportunities). The translation gap dominates: Wellcome funds clinical trial development for infectious diseases in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, prioritizing optimization over new efficacy studies. Michelson Prizes back unconventional immunology research by scientists under 35. IBRO funds neuroscience training schools globally, and DayOne’s Basel-based accelerator brings healthtech startups into a structured commercialization pipeline with pharma R&D partners.

• Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (6 opportunities). Together Women Rise opens its annual Featured Grant cycle for grassroots organizations serving women and girls in the Global South. OIF deploys clean cooking value chain grants simultaneously in Côte d’Ivoire and Mauritania. Standard Chartered’s Women in Tech Accelerator returns for its eighth edition in the UAE, and L’Oréal-UNESCO calls for nominations for its Women in Science awards across five global regions.

• Education, Human Rights & Inclusion (9 opportunities). P&G Alumni Foundation’s global grant program and Aberdeen’s Ideas Fund both back pilot-stage innovation in employability and financial capability. EDU-SYRIA funds vocational skills for refugee youth in Jordan. Welthungerhilfe channels micro-grants directly to informal grassroots organizations in Ethiopia, and the^delta Incubator backs early-stage nonprofit founders building livelihoods solutions in India.

• Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food (7 opportunities). National Geographic deploys two complementary calls: the Climate Pledge ($100K for climate storytelling) and Common Waters (community-led coastal stewardship). CEPF opens large grant windows in both the Guinean Forests and Caribbean Islands biodiversity hotspots. SARSEA funds sargassum-to-value-chain innovation across the Caribbean, and QBE’s AcceliCITY Challenge closes April 30.

• Humanitarian Aid & DRR (7 opportunities). Carnegie Corporation’s $1M nuclear threat reduction grants anchor this section. UNDP launches a global innovation challenge for open-source crisis reporting tools. Legacy of War Foundation targets Ukraine’s most underfunded grassroots organizations, and Vinnova funds speculative shelter prototypes for Sweden’s civil defense infrastructure.

• Innovation, Research & Smart Cities (5 opportunities). The Global Development Network seeks national research teams to measure digital public infrastructure inclusivity across the Global South. HU-RIZON backs Hungarian-led international research consortia up to $1.1M per project. Vinnova funds both South Africa mining collaboration and international proposal planning grants for Swedish organizations targeting Horizon Europe.

This post is for paid subscribers only, but the monthly round-up will always remain free. I also regularly share updates on my LinkedIn.

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Latest Funding Opportunities:

Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact

CHINNOVA Second Call for Proposals: Sub-Grants for Collaborative Research and Innovation Projects (2026-2028), CHINNOVA - Climate Change and Health Innovation Hub for West and Central Africa. New!

CHINNOVA seeks to strengthen climate-resilient health systems across West and Central Africa through collaborative, interdisciplinary research that bridges climate science, public health, and innovation. The funder supports projects that advance health systems preparedness, develop climate-health data systems and early warning mechanisms, and deepen understanding of climate-sensitive diseases in vulnerable regions. CHINNOVA prioritizes research that integrates gender equality and inclusion throughout project design and implementation, recognizing that climate impacts disproportionately affect marginalized populations. The funder calls for proposals that engage communities in risk communication, build regional research capacity, and create clear pathways for policy uptake and institutional innovation. By funding 24-month collaborative initiatives, CHINNOVA enables African universities and research institutions to generate actionable evidence while strengthening networks across borders. The hub emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches that combine epidemiology, health systems analysis, data science, and social research to address the interconnected challenges of climate change and health security.

• Geographies: West Africa; Central Africa.

• Who can apply: Universities and accredited research institutes actively conducting climate-health research; non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with a research mandate.

• Funding amount: CHINNOVA has allocated USD 1,000,000 to support a portfolio of high-quality and impactful research projects. A minimum of five projects will be funded, with each project eligible for funding of up to USD 200,000 and implemented over a period of 24 months.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: climate change and health, health systems resilience, early warning systems, climate-sensitive diseases.

• Deadline: May 8, 2026 (16:00 GMT).

• Learn more and apply here.

CHINNOVA demonstrates multilateral commitment to building African research leadership on climate-health adaptation through regionally-anchored, capacity-building grants that prioritize policy integration and gender equity.

Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East 2026 (OSVP) - 16th Edition, Orange (Orange Middle East and Africa - OMEA). *New!*

Orange seeks to catalyze technology-driven social enterprises that address pressing development challenges across Africa and the Middle East. Through the Orange Social Venture Prize, the funder supports innovative startups leveraging digital tools, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies to generate measurable social and environmental impact. Orange prioritizes ventures in high-need sectors including agritech, healthtech, and cybersecurity, recognizing that tech-enabled solutions can accelerate progress on economic opportunity and climate resilience. The funder actively champions women founders and youth entrepreneurs, offering dedicated recognition and resources to advance gender equity in the digital economy. Beyond cash prizes, Orange commits to substantive capacity building, providing mentoring, technical training through Orange Digital Centers, and direct market access via Orange partnerships and investment networks. This investment approach reflects Orange’s conviction that early-stage entrepreneurs with bold technology solutions, combined with structured support and regional visibility, can scale sustainable business models that benefit underserved populations.

• Geographies: Sub-Saharan Africa; Middle East & North Africa.

• Who can apply: Individuals aged 21 years or older; founders or co-founders of startups that have been operating for less than five years.

• Funding amount: EUR 25,000 for the overall winner (1st place); EUR 15,000 for second place; EUR 10,000 for third place; EUR 20,000 for the International Women’s Prize. Total international prize pool: EUR 70,000. National prizes vary by country (e.g., Jordan: JD 4,000 / JD 2,500 / JD 1,500 for top 3).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: digital innovation, social entrepreneurship, ai, big data.

• Deadline: May 10, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

Orange’s dual-track prize structure and explicit women’s track signal corporate commitment to reducing barriers for underrepresented founders while maintaining competitive rigor.

Funding Frontier Climate Tech for Children’s Health - UNICEF Venture Fund Climate Ventures Call for Applications 2026, UNICEF Venture Fund / UNICEF Office of Innovation. New!

UNICEF Venture Fund seeks to catalyze innovation at the intersection of climate change and children’s health by supporting early-stage, for-profit startups developing open-source frontier technologies. The fund prioritizes solutions that leverage AI, machine learning, and blockchain to address climate hazards impacting children’s wellbeing, resilience, and access to essential services. UNICEF supports pilots and prototype deployments optimized for low-resource environments, including those with limited connectivity and diverse language needs. The fund enables R&D and technology development that strengthens climate adaptation capacity through early warning systems, pollution monitoring, health facility vulnerability assessment, and disaster risk reduction. Beyond capital, UNICEF provides technical mentorship spanning open-source architecture, business development, and inclusive design practices. This inaugural cohort represents the funder’s strategic commitment to building a five-year investment program that channels capital toward climate-resilient health solutions designed specifically for children in emerging markets.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Private for-profit company registered in a UNICEF programme country; must have a working prototype of an open-source solution with promising results from initial pilots.

• Funding amount: up to US$100,000 in equity-free funding for early-stage and ready-to-deploy technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and blockchain.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: climate tech, children’s health, open source, ai for good.

• Deadline: May 17, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

UNICEF’s climate tech strategy fills a critical gap in accessing development finance for tech-enabled startups operating at the climate-health nexus in underserved regions.

Blended Finance Accelerator for Fund Managers (A4FM) - Second Call for Proposals, Convergence Blended Finance (funded by Global Affairs Canada). *New!*

Convergence Blended Finance seeks to unlock institutional capital flows into emerging markets by strengthening the capabilities of fund and asset managers who design and launch blended finance vehicles. The funder supports a critical market gap, recognizing that investment firms often lack resources to structure complex transactions that combine concessional and commercial capital to address development priorities. Through catalytic grants paired with capacity-building support, the program funds scoping studies, legal and financial structuring, stakeholder engagement, and fundraising preparation. The funder prioritizes vehicles targeting climate resilience, gender equality, and economic opportunity in emerging markets, particularly those positioned to attract first institutional investors. By enabling managers to prove investability and de-risk early-stage development, Convergence calls for a pipeline of bankable blended finance solutions that mobilize private capital at scale, transforming how development finance reaches underserved markets.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Eligible applicants include fund managers, asset managers, or investment management/advisory firms working in partnership with a fund or asset manager. Must be private legal entities.

• Funding amount: Stage 1 (Scoping): Up to CAD $260,000 (~USD 190,000) - non-repayable; Stage 2 (Proof-of-Concept/Pilot): Up to CAD $500,000 (~USD 365,000) - conditionally repayable; Stage 3 (Scale-up/Expansion): Up to CAD $500,000 (~USD 365,000) - fully repayable. Total program envelope: CAD $10 million. Grant funding made in Canadian Dollars. Program supports up to 15 vehicles across its duration, approximately 3-4 awards per cycle.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Development & Livelihoods; Focus areas: blended finance, fund managers, asset managers, catalytic capital.

• Deadline: May 25, 2026 (23:59 EST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This accelerator represents a deliberate upstream investment in financial infrastructure, betting that capacity-building for fund managers multiplies impact across entire vehicle ecosystems.

2026 International Grant Program - Cultivating Empathy Through Learning from Our Neighbors: Practitioners’ Exchange on Common Issues in Asia, Toyota Foundation. New!

The Toyota Foundation seeks to deepen mutual understanding across Asian societies by funding transnational collaborative projects that address shared social challenges. The foundation supports practitioner-led teams conducting field research and facilitating direct learning exchanges among civil society actors, academics, and public sector professionals. Rather than favoring broad thematic coverage, the foundation prioritizes genuine cross-border networks with demonstrated fieldwork partnerships and tangible collaborative outputs. It calls for projects that produce concrete knowledge products including publications, policy briefs, videos, and exhibitions that document practitioners’ insights and regional solutions. The foundation enables capacity building and innovation through structured exchange events and workshops where participants learn directly from one another’s experiences. By emphasizing mutual learning over conventional research hierarchies, Toyota Foundation funds initiatives that position Asian practitioners as knowledge creators addressing their communities’ most pressing issues through collaborative problem-solving and peer exchange.

• Geographies: East Asia; Southeast Asia; South Asia.

• Who can apply: Team representative (must primarily reside in Japan) with a track record in research, practice, creative work, or policy advocacy relevant to the target issue area.

• Funding amount: One-year project: JPY 5,000,000 maximum per project; Two-year project: JPY 10,000,000 maximum per project; Total grant pool: JPY 80,000,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Inclusion & Community Wellbeing; Focus areas: asia pacific, cross-border collaboration, mutual learning, social innovation.

• Deadline: May 30, 2026 (23:59 JST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This program reflects Toyota Foundation’s strategic pivot toward funding authentic practitioner networks over researcher-led initiatives in regional cooperation.

The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust (EKCT) Grants Program, The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust. *New!*

The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust seeks to strengthen community resilience through strategic investment in social care and environmental stewardship. The Trust prioritizes youth development, elderly support, disability inclusion, homelessness interventions, and community welfare as core pillars of its domestic impact strategy. Internationally, the funder supports wildlife and environmental conservation efforts with demonstrated scalability and measurable ecological outcomes. EKCT funds program delivery, core operations, startup costs, and equipment needs, recognizing that sustainable social change requires flexible, unrestricted support alongside project-specific investments. The Trust employs a tiered grant structure that encourages capacity building, allowing organizations to establish relationships through smaller awards before accessing larger funding commitments. By converting to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation structure and refining eligibility criteria, EKCT demonstrates institutional evolution toward maximizing grant-making efficiency and impact alignment. The funder supports organizations committed to addressing vulnerability, isolation, and environmental degradation through evidence-based community interventions.

• Geographies: United Kingdom; Sub-Saharan Africa; South Asia.

• Who can apply: Organisations registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales or the Office of the Scottish Charity Register in Scotland, with at least one year of filed accounts.

• Funding amount: Small Grant — up to £10,000; Medium Grant — £10,001 to £20,000; Large Grant — over £20,001.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Inclusion & Community Wellbeing; Focus areas: youth clubs, young carers, youth counselling, elderly isolation.

• Deadline: Rolling.

• Learn more and apply here.

EKCT’s tiered approach and partnership-building focus reflects a funder strategy prioritizing organizational capacity development alongside programmatic impact.

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Global Health & WASH

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Hello Everyone!

The April grant cycle is coming strong with 467 active opportunities, including 200 new listings- one of the largest updates in Impact Funding’s history. The funding pool across all sections exceeds $1 billion.

The dominant pattern across April’s new calls isn’t sector-specific, it cuts across all of them. Funders are increasingly unwilling to pay for activity. They’re paying for what changes structurally when the activity ends. This shows up differently depending on the sector, but the underlying logic is consistent everywhere this month.

What this means for practitioners right now: the organizations best positioned this month are those that can articulate the institutional pathway, not just what they will do, but what will be different and durable when they’re done. That is the competitive threshold across humanitarian, health, governance, environment, and food systems funding simultaneously. It’s not a trend. It’s the new baseline.

You can find all the opportunities, including upcoming, rolling and long-term planning opportunities, in the sector-specific pages* - perfect for planning your long term fundraising strategy.

In this edition, you’ll find opportunities in:

• Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact (91 opportunities, 30 new). An unusually dense startup and social innovation cluster — Y Combinator, Blue Ridge Labs, GIB Challenge, Caribbean Climate Pre-Accelerator, Cambridge Social Innovation Prize — lands alongside bilateral small grant mechanisms activating simultaneously across 18+ countries, and a quiet funder investment in organizational and leadership resilience as fundable in its own right.

• Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food (109 opportunities, 50 new). Europe deploys a simultaneous Horizon Europe wave across eight biodiversity and circular economy topics, Brazil's FINEP energy transition program anchors the largest single-sector pool in this edition, and food systems funding bifurcates between investment-linked large calls and venture acceleration, with the new logic across both being that waste, residues, and underutilized resources are input infrastructure, not disposal problems.

• Gender and Women’s Empowerment (49 opportunities, 16 new). FCDO's £19.95M Sudan program positions women-led organizations as central design actors rather than downstream implementers, while technology-facilitated GBV emerges as a distinct thematic cluster, with three separate funders addressing it from different angles in the same month.

• Global Health & WASH (79 opportunities, 35 new). The translation gap is the defining question: Gates targets malnutrition cost curves with five simultaneous calls, Unitaid funds cervical cancer at market scale, Wellcome backs optimization trials for licensed interventions, and a concentrated Pfizer IME portfolio makes this the largest independent medical education month in this edition.

• Education, Human Rights & Inclusion (65 opportunities, 32 new). Eight simultaneous EU governance calls across five continents position civil society as a mechanism for state accountability, not a service substitute — while SBI Foundation's India cluster deploys four simultaneous RFPs across disability, early childhood, child care, and post-disaster school infrastructure.

• Humanitarian Aid, Emergency Programming & DRR (43 opportunities, 17 new). Ukraine dominates new calls with second-generation investments in veteran civic infrastructure, municipal social service systems, and GBV referral mechanisms, while AICS simultaneously activates emergency response calls in Sudan, Ethiopia, and CAR with localization and protection as baseline requirements.

• Innovation, Research & Smart Cities (42 opportunities, 20 new). AI investment fractures into parallel tracks, open scientific infrastructure, trustworthy AI safety science, and frontier commercial feasibility — while bilateral innovation diplomacy activates simultaneously across Africa-Europe, Türkiye-Brazil, and Israel-India, and Europe treats research infrastructure resilience as a fundable priority in its own right.

*The sector -specific pages are for paid subscribers, this helps support the time and effort it takes to curate and organize these opportunities. However, the monthly roundup of top opportunities will always remain free and accessible to all. This month we are happy to share with you 40+ selected opportunities.

Not yet a paid subscriber? Unlock full access with a free 14-day trial and explore 300+ funding opportunities and resources to help you on your fundraising journey!

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To keep this accessible to everyone who needs it, we’re happy to offer pay what you can rates. You can find more details here.

Selected Opportunities

Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact

Climate Impacts Awards: Unlocking urgent climate action by making the health effects of climate change visible (2026), Wellcome. *Closing soon!*

Wellcome seeks to accelerate near-term climate policy action by funding large, transdisciplinary projects that make the health impacts of climate change visible and politically actionable. The scheme is designed around an evidence-to-policy logic: teams must identify a specific, decision-relevant gap on climate-related physical or mental health outcomes, quantify or interpret associated economic implications, and pair this with a targeted influencing and engagement strategy aimed at a real policy opportunity within the award timeframe. Wellcome emphasizes engaged research, expecting meaningful involvement of decision-makers and communities affected by climate change throughout project design and delivery.

• Geographies: Global (excluding mainland China).

• Who can apply: Mid-career and established researchers leading transdisciplinary teams hosted by an eligible not-for-profit administering organization; coapplicants required.

• Funding amount: Up to GBP £2.5 million per award, they expect to make 10-15 awards.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: climate change and health, policy influence, engaged research, economic impacts of health, evidence synthesis.

• Deadline: April 8, 2026 (15:00 BST).

• Learn more and apply here.

The strongest proposals will treat policy uptake as a core deliverable, with evidence, economics, and engagement tightly integrated around a specific decision window.

Caribbean Climate Pre-Accelerator (2026), Halcyon. *New!* *Closing soon!*

Halcyon, in partnership with the Hazelwood Network, seeks to strengthen the Caribbean’s pipeline of adaptation and resilience ventures by backing founders who are already beyond idea stage and ready to professionalize for scale. The program is designed as a capital-readiness and internationalization pathway, combining structured learning on product-market fit and capital strategy with cross-regional connectivity to networks in Latin America, Africa, and the United States. Its hybrid structure, with residencies in Jamaica and Barbados plus virtual programming, signals a strong emphasis on peer learning, investor-facing storytelling, and practical market access. Halcyon’s selection logic prioritizes ventures with real traction signals (prototype, pilot, or early validation) and founders with deep local knowledge who can scale beyond a single island market.

• Geographies: Caribbean (in-person residencies in Jamaica and Barbados).

• Who can apply: Incorporated for-profit startups, hybrid models, and revenue-generating social enterprises based in the Caribbean or primarily serving Caribbean markets (nonprofits ineligible).

• Funding amount: USD $6,000 equity-free stipend; USD $10,000 AWS credits.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: climate adaptation and resilience across infrastructure, food systems, water, energy, disaster preparedness, nature-based solutions, and risk tools.

• Deadline: April 17, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a traction-first pre-accelerator: the strongest applications show a real prototype or pilot signal and a credible path to scale across multiple Caribbean markets, not just a strong idea.

Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grants, Burroughs Wellcome Fund. *Closing soon!*

BWF seeks to accelerate practical, cross-disciplinary collaborations that can change how climate risk is understood, communicated, and addressed within human health and health systems. The funder’s logic is explicitly catalytic: small, fast seed awards are meant to bring together partners who do not typically work together, produce new shared frameworks or prototypes, and create credible pathways for follow-on work that can influence research agendas, care delivery, and public understanding. BWF prioritizes proposals that do more than restate climate harms, instead integrating climate-scale thinking with biomedical, public health, and systems perspectives, including work that reduces the climate footprint of health-centered activities and strengthens readiness for extreme weather and crisis disruptions. Competitive proposals will show why the collaboration is genuinely new, why the activity could not happen without this support, and how outputs will be used beyond the project year.

• Geographies: United States, Canada.

• Who can apply: Non-profit organizations or degree-granting institutions in the United States or Canada.

• Funding amount: USD $2,500–$50,000 (Total pool: USD $1,000,000 for Fall 2023 to Summer 2026).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: climate and health partnerships, climate communication, sustainable healthcare systems, extreme weather preparedness.

• Deadline: April 23, 2026 (3:00 PM EST); July 23, 2026 (3:00 PM EST).

• Learn more and apply here.

BWF is using small grants as a systems lever, so the strongest concepts will make the partnership mechanism and evidence uptake pathway as clear as the topic itself.

ISIF Asia 2026 Grants: Call for Concept Notes, APNIC Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

ISIF Asia is APNIC Foundation’s flagship mechanism for turning Internet and digital innovation into measurable development outcomes across the Asia Pacific. The fund’s strategy is explicitly implementation-oriented: it prioritizes projects that move beyond theory into working systems, validated pilots, prototypes, or field deployments, while also strengthening the underlying infrastructure and technical capability that make digital inclusion durable. The 2026 cycle emphasizes originality and impact, with a concept note first stage intended to surface high-potential ideas early and select those with the clearest pathway to real-world change. Priority areas span infrastructure resilience (community networks, IXPs, routing and DNS security), IPv6 deployment, open and interoperable digital public infrastructure, and applied solutions in domains like digital health and climate and disaster risk mitigation.

• Geographies: Asia Pacific (APNIC Foundation service region economies).

• Who can apply: Public and private sector organizations, academia, nonprofits, and social enterprises in the region.

• Funding amount: USD $20,000; USD $50,000; USD $75,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: Internet infrastructure and resilience, IPv6 deployment, open-source and interoperable DPI, applied digital solutions with measurable development impact.

• Deadline: April 24, 2026 (23:59 UTC+10).

• Learn more and apply here.

This fund rewards “deployable impact”: the strongest concept notes show a clear technical intervention, a realistic implementation pathway in one or more APNIC economies, and specific metrics that prove improved connectivity, capability, or service outcomes.

SlovakAid Small Grants 2026: Call for Proposals (Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Nairobi), Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation (SlovakAid). *New!* *Closing soon!*

SlovakAid is seeking small, locally anchored development projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Somalia that can respond quickly to priority needs while aligning with Slovakia’s 2025–2030 development cooperation strategy. The call is designed as a flexible instrument for practical, community-facing solutions across six priority sectors, with explicit cross-cutting expectations on environment and climate change and gender equality. The funding logic favors proposals that are feasible within a short implementation horizon and can demonstrate clear local value, operational readiness, and credible delivery by eligible civic or local government actors. Strong applications will show tight problem definition, realistic activity design, and measurable outcomes that fit the small-grant scale, while clearly reflecting how climate and gender considerations are integrated into project choices and implementation.

• Geographies: Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Somalia.

• Who can apply: Registered non-commercial legal entities, NGOs, and local or regional self-government units.

• Funding amount: Total allocation EUR 60,000; up to EUR 10,000 per project.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Governance, Democracy & Justice; Focus areas: small-scale local development projects across education, health, governance and civil society building, agriculture and food safety, sustainable infrastructure and natural resource use, and market environment creation.

• Deadline: April 30, 2026 (2:00 PM EAT).

• Learn more and apply here.

This mechanism rewards disciplined, implementation-ready projects that translate national strategy priorities into tangible local results.

O’Shaughnessy Fellowships & Grants, O’Shaughnessy Ventures. *Closing soon!*

O’Shaughnessy Fellowships & Grants is a global equity-free funding program that empowers visionary individuals—creators, innovators, researchers, and founders—to pursue ambitious, world-shaping projects without equity dilution. Backed by O’Shaughnessy Ventures, the initiative distributes a limited number of flagship Fellowships offering USD 100,000 and additional Grants of at least USD 10,000 alongside access to OSV’s network of founders, investors, and experts. The program is intentionally open in scope: it funds creative, scientific, technological, and cultural work that demonstrates potential for substantive impact and originality, with flexibility in project design and execution. Unlike traditional institutional fellowships, selection emphasizes demonstrated agency, portfolio strength, and the capacity to convert bold ideas into sustained creative or scientific momentum. Applications for the 2026 cycle are expected to close on April 30, 2026.

• Geographies: Global, individuals from all countries eligible.

• Who can apply: Individuals aged 18 or older with a strong portfolio of impactful work.

• Funding amount: Grant of USD 100,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Creativity; Focus areas: self-directed projects, research, cultural impact, technological exploration.

• Deadline: April 30, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

By directly funding individuals instead of institutions or startup entities, OSV’s fellowship model reflects a strategic belief in unleashing unconstrained human creativity at the frontiers of science, art, and innovation.

Business Partnership Facility (BPF) Call for Proposals, 1st Edition 2026, LuxAid Business4Impact (LuxDev). *New!*

The BPF is designed to crowd in private-sector execution and local partnership capacity by co-financing commercially viable, SDG-aligned projects implemented in ODA-eligible developing countries. Its investment logic centers on additionality: the facility aims to unlock market validation and partnership-driven implementation work that companies are unlikely to finance alone, while requiring a credible pathway to financial sustainability beyond the co-funding period. BPF prioritizes partnerships that transfer know-how or technology, demonstrate shared value for all partners, and can move from pilot evidence to scalable delivery in a new market context. The structured process signals a preference for disciplined partnerships that can translate an initial concept into a robust business case and implementation plan backed by due diligence and selection review.

• Geographies: ODA-eligible developing countries (OECD DAC list) with a Luxembourg or EU enterprise lead partner.

• Who can apply: Partnerships with a Luxembourg or EU private enterprise (lead) plus a local partner established in an eligible developing country (public or private entity, university, research institute, or civil society).

• Funding amount: Co-financing up to EUR €300,000 (max 50% of total project costs).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Development & Livelihoods; Focus areas: feasibility studies, pilot implementation, market validation, technology and know-how transfer, commercial viability.

• Deadline: May 8, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

BPF is a “prove it and position it” facility, so the strongest submissions will show both why co-funding is necessary now and how pilot evidence converts into commercially sustainable scale.

AirAsia Foundation Grant Programme (2026), AirAsia Foundation. *New!*

AirAsia Foundation’s grant programme is designed to help ASEAN changemakers convert proven solutions into scalable, income-sustaining impact. The funder’s priorities emphasize long-term community and environmental benefit, with special consideration for sustainable travel and climate resilience, while still welcoming other high-impact initiatives that are innovative and built to last. Structurally, this is an expansion-oriented grant: applicants are expected to have a demonstrated concept that can achieve clear goals within 12 months, and to articulate how funding unlocks growth rather than covering general operating shortfalls. The selection logic also reflects AirAsia’s comparative advantage, favoring initiatives that can leverage its reach, visibility, and volunteer engagement, and that are feasible to promote and support through proximity to AirAsia-served ASEAN airports.

• Geographies: ASEAN.

• Who can apply: ASEAN-based and ASEAN-led social enterprises, organizations, and community groups with a proven impact track record.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $25,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Environment; Focus areas: sustainable travel, climate resilience, community-driven innovation, income-generating sustainability.

• Deadline: May 10, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This fund rewards “scale discipline”: the strongest applications show exactly how a one-year grant converts into durable revenue or operating capacity, and how AirAsia’s network materially increases adoption or market access.

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Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food

Key Habitats Program Call for Proposals 2026 (Expression of Interest), Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA). *New!* *Closing soon!*

DCNA’s Key Habitats Program is designed to shift Dutch Caribbean conservation from fragmented, short-term projects toward a coordinated regional effort that can measurably halt or reverse habitat loss across six islands. The 2026 call targets practical interventions that reduce two high-leverage pressures: free-roaming grazers that suppress forest and scrubland recovery, and climate impacts that erode ecosystem resilience. The funder’s approach emphasizes on-the-ground actions tied to clear ecological outcomes, while still allowing policy and advocacy projects where governance and enforcement are limiting factors. Applications are sequenced to prioritize fit and feasibility: an Expression of Interest screens alignment and delivery credibility, followed by invitation-only full proposals for shortlisted applicants. The result is a pipeline intended to fund implementers who can deliver restoration and protection where it matters most across coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, and tropical forests.

• Geographies: Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten (Dutch Caribbean).

• Who can apply: Legally registered nonprofit or for-profit NGOs based in the Dutch Caribbean.

• Funding amount: USD $56,000–168,000 (projects); approximately USD $650,000 total available (Q1 2026); policy and advocacy stand-alone caps USD $10,000 or USD $20,000; education and outreach supporting cap USD $2,250.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Biodiversity & Conservation; Focus areas: coral reef conservation, mangrove restoration, seagrass ecosystems, tropical forest restoration, grazing management, nature-based wastewater solutions, climate resilience

• Deadline: Expression of Interest: April 13, 2026; Full Proposal (invited only): July 3, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call rewards implementers who can connect a single pressure reduction strategy to measurable habitat recovery within a practical 24-month delivery window.

Advancing Seagrass Science, Policy, and Practice in the Western Indian Ocean, Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association. *New!* *Closing soon!*

WIOMSA and IUCN are funding this call to close the evidence and governance gap that continues to limit seagrass protection and restoration in the Western Indian Ocean, despite seagrass meadows’ outsized importance for blue carbon, fisheries productivity, shoreline stability, and coastal livelihoods. The funder’s lens is explicitly applied and decision-oriented: proposals must generate standardized, scalable, management-relevant evidence that can inform real policy and investment pathways such as marine spatial planning, NDC integration, biodiversity commitments, and regenerative blue economy strategies. Projects are expected to embed inclusive co-design with non-academic stakeholders where it improves relevance and uptake, and to deliver open-access publications and FAIR-aligned datasets with appropriate safeguards. The structure is tightly time-bound to push actionable outputs within a year, favoring teams that can move from research questions to policy-ready insights quickly.

• Geographies: Western Indian Ocean, with primary focus on Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania.

• Who can apply: Consortia from at least two eligible WIOCOR countries (PI based in an eligible country).

• Funding amount: Up to EUR €150,000 per project (up to two projects; total pool EUR €300,000).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: seagrass conservation, seagrass restoration, blue carbon, coastal governance.

• Deadline: April 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is built to convert seagrass science into governance leverage, funding research that can directly shape near-term management decisions and longer-term investment pathways in the region.

Environmental and Social Impact Grant, WWF Russell E. Train Education for Nature (EFN). *Closing soon!*

WWF EFN is funding practical capacity building that strengthens how environmental and social risks are identified, mitigated, and monitored in development and conservation projects, with an explicit emphasis on local ownership rather than consultant substitution. The funder is looking for proposals that build hands-on competence through active learning, mentoring, and field-based practice, while also strengthening institutional mechanisms that support accountability and uptake. Priority themes include building good practice and standards, engaging diverse stakeholders with gender mainstreaming and inclusion of local and Indigenous communities, and fostering professional networks that break down silos across conservation, planning, journalism, law, and impact assessment. Successful projects should translate training into measurable improvements in country systems, including governance approaches that address cumulative effects and integrate nature-based solutions where relevant.

• Geographies: Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar.

• Who can apply: Legally registered organizations in Kenya, Tanzania, or Madated ESIA-related capacity building experience.

• Funding amount: Up to US$15,000 per grant.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: environmental and social impact assessment, capacity building, governance standards, stakeholder engagement, gender mainstreaming, Indigenous and local communities, nature-based solutions.

• Deadline: April 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a country-systems investment logic, designed to turn impact assessment from a compliance step into locally embedded practice that improves conservation and development outcomes.

Innovate for Impact Challenge, World Food Prize Foundation. *Closing soon!*

The Innovate for Impact Challenge is a global competition designed to spotlight and accelerate early‑stage agricultural technology (AgTech) startups whose breakthrough solutions have the potential to transform food systems and advance global food security. Aligned with the Foundation’s mission to elevate innovations that address sustainability and hunger, this challenge invites visionary founders from around the world to compete for cash prizes and unparalleled exposure. Entrants move through stages including submission, semi‑finalist selection, public engagement, and a live pitch event at the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa, in October 2026 — a convening that draws leaders across agriculture, policy, and investment.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Early‑stage, for‑profit AgTech startups with at least one full‑time founding member.

• Funding amount: $50,000 (1st), $10,000 (2nd), $5,000 (3rd).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Food & Agriculture; innovation for sustainable food systems (SDG 2, SDG 9).

• Deadline: April 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This challenge accelerates scalable AgTech innovations by combining global competition, expert evaluation, and strategic exposure at one of the food system’s premier convenings.

Mainstreaming and scaling-up evidence-based Nature-Based Solutions towards a nature positive and climate-resilient economy, European Commission. *Closing soon!*

The European Commission is backing this topic to move nature-based solutions from promising projects into decision-ready, cross-sector infrastructure for resilience and competitiveness. The call prioritizes robust evidence on long-term effectiveness across terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and urban systems, including credible projections under different climate scenarios, so policymakers and practitioners can integrate NbS more systematically across domains like water management, the built environment, transport, and energy. It also signals a strong preference for large-scale pilots or interconnected interventions that deliver measurable outcomes, paired with tools and methods that reduce uncertainty, surface tradeoffs, and strengthen adaptive management. Proposals are expected to strengthen communication of environmental, social, and economic impacts, and to build on existing NbS knowledge systems and EU-funded results to accelerate mainstreaming and uptake.

• Geographies: Europe.

• Who can apply: Legal entities and eligible consortia under Horizon Europe rules.

• Funding amount: Total pool: EUR 18.00 million; around EUR 6.00 million per project.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: nature-based solutions, large-scale pilots, impact assessment frameworks, adaptive management, policy integration.

• Deadline: First stage: April 16, 2026 (17:00 Brussels time); Second stage: September 23, 2026 (17:00 Brussels time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This topic is designed to make NbS easier to fund, plan, and justify at scale by upgrading the evidence base from project-level results to policy-aligned, long-term performance and cost-effectiveness.

Food Justice for Kids Prize, Newman’s Own Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

Newman’s Own Foundation and partner funders are using this prize to back organizations that can shift the conditions shaping what children eat and learn about food, prioritizing approaches that strengthen community power and produce durable change. The funder lens is explicitly outcomes-and-innovation focused: proposals are assessed for alignment with children under 18, evidence of impact beyond the idea stage, a distinct approach that improves the status quo, and meaningful leadership and collaboration with the communities served. The prize centers two focus areas, Indigenous Food Justice and Nutrition Education and School Food, including project and policy work that helps kids access nutritious, culturally relevant food and engage with food systems through learning, growing, gathering, and cooking. Funding is structured to support momentum over time, pairing year-one support with a pathway to continued funding based on progress and fit.

• Geographies: United States and US territories.

• Who can apply: Eligible nonprofits, Tribes/Tribal governments, schools, school districts, and eligible governmental entities (or via fiscal sponsor).

• Funding amount: Up to USD $100,000 over 2 years (USD $50,000 in 2026 plus up to USD $50,000 in 2027).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Food Security & Nutrition; Focus areas: Indigenous food justice, nutrition education, school food.

• Deadline: Nominations: April 21, 2026 (1:00 PM ET);

• Applications: April 28, 2026 (1:00 PM ET).

• Learn more and apply here.

This prize is designed to fund “field-building” organizations that can translate food justice into durable, kid-centered systems change, not one-off programming, by backing work that shifts school and community food environments through community-led leadership and scalable practice.

Ray of Hope Accelerator 2026, The Biomimicry Institute. *Closing soon!*

The Biomimicry Institute seeks to scale a cohort of nature-inspired startups that translate biological strategies into commercially viable solutions for the environmental polycrisis, with particular emphasis on climate and biodiversity outcomes and moving beyond “take, make, waste” models. The accelerator’s investment logic blends catalytic capital with structured founder support: it funds teams that can clearly articulate the science behind their nature inspiration, show credible market pull, and quantify climate and biodiversity impacts while building durable competitive advantage. Selection also signals a delivery-and-leadership lens, prioritizing teams ready to engage deeply in a six-month curriculum, mentorship, and investor connectivity, reinforced by an in-person nature retreat designed to strengthen decision-making and long-term founder resilience.

• Geographies: Global (all regions).

• Who can apply: For-profit startups (Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A) with a legal entity and a nature-inspired solution; founder participation required.

• Funding amount: USD $15,000 (non-dilutive grant per startup) plus $50,000+ in-kind services.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: biomimicry, nature-inspired innovation, startup acceleration, non-dilutive startup funding, climate tech commercialization.

• Deadline: April 24, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This program is built to convert nature-inspired science into investable traction, so the strongest fit pairs rigorous biology-to-technology translation with a clear pathway to measurable impact and market adoption.

Cost-Disrupting Innovations to Reduce the Cost of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, Gates Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

This Grand Challenges call seeks breakthroughs that can materially lower the cost of ready-to-use therapeutic food, aiming to expand access to treatment for severe acute malnutrition by changing the underlying cost curve. The funder is signaling a preference for approaches that go beyond incremental efficiency gains, with a strong emphasis on technical rigor, clear differentiation from existing methods, and a credible pathway to large-scale impact. Proposals are reviewed for their potential to deliver substantial cost reductions, the quality and innovation of the scientific and technical approach, and whether the project plan and budget match the complexity and risk of the work. The structure allows for both shorter, targeted efforts and longer projects designed to mature and validate solutions at greater depth, including participation from LMIC-based organizations within consortia.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Universities/research institutes, manufacturers and suppliers, engineering/tech firms, technically strong NGOs, and for-profits (global access terms apply).

• Funding amount: Option A up to USD $500,000; Option B up to USD $1,500,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: malnutrition, therapeutic foods, cost reduction, manufacturing innovation.

• Deadline: April 28, 2026 (11:30 a.m. U.S. Pacific Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a cost-of-goods and scalability bet: the funder is pushing for solutions that can unlock treatment coverage by making high-quality RUTF materially cheaper to produce and deliver.

WE4F 2.0 MENA Call for Innovations (Track 1 and Track 2), Water and Energy for Food (WE4F). *New!* *Closing soon!*

WE4F’s MENA call is structured as a scale mechanism for commercially viable innovations that reduce water and energy intensity in food systems while strengthening climate resilience. It runs as a two-track pipeline designed to match support to business maturity: Track 1 targets established SMEs embedded in value chains that can drive operational efficiency and system-wide impact, while Track 2 targets younger, high-growth scale-ups positioned to expand regionally and deepen end-user reach. Across both tracks, WE4F’s investment logic is performance-based and co-investment-driven, combining tailored technical assistance and investor connectivity with reimbursement-style grants tied to milestones. The high eligibility thresholds and matching requirements signal a bias toward ventures that can execute quickly, absorb capital responsibly, and demonstrate measurable WEF nexus outcomes from real operations.

• Geographies: Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia.

• Who can apply: Track 1: established revenue-generating SMEs (and eligible nonprofits/academia) embedded in value chains; Track 2: growth-stage scale-ups (and eligible nonprofits/academia) with revenue and scaling potential.

• Funding amount: Track 1: average USD $100,000 (reimbursement) with 1:1 matching required; Track 2: average USD $50,000 (reimbursement) with 50% matching required.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: water-energy-food nexus, resource efficiency, climate-smart agrifood value chains, circular economy and water reuse, scaling climate resilience solutions.

• Deadline: April 30, 2026 (12:00 CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

WE4F is signaling “co-investment for scale”: the strongest applications show exactly how grant reimbursement unlocks measurable water and energy savings (or resilience outcomes) that the business can then sustain and expand through market demand and matched capital.

2026 EPIC Air Quality Fund Call for Proposals, EPIC Air Quality Fund. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The EPIC Air Quality Fund seeks to close national PM2.5 data gaps by backing local organizations that can generate credible, public-facing evidence and translate it into measurable policy outcomes. This round is structured around a clear theory of change: stationary ambient monitoring plus open, machine-readable data sharing enables broader public scrutiny, stakeholder coordination, and sustained pressure for standards and enforcement. EPIC prioritizes proposals where the monitoring plan is tightly linked to a national-level pathway, such as creating or strengthening air quality standards, activating domestic champions, or unlocking government and donor investment that shifts how air pollution is governed. The Fund also signals a preference for teams that can sustain multi-year work, build partnerships, and position data for uptake through platforms like OpenAQ, rather than treating monitoring as a standalone technical exercise.

• Geographies: Global (excluding EU/EEA and US Department of State State Sponsors of Terrorism countries).

• Who can apply: Governmental and non-governmental organizations (including universities, nonprofits, for-profits); individuals only with an eligible host organization able to receive USD funds.

• Funding amount: Roughly USD $50,000 (low-cost sensors only); roughly USD $75,000 or more (regulatory-grade or reference-grade, or hybrid).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: air quality monitoring, open PM2.5 data, national policy impact

• Deadline: April 30, 2026 (11:59 PM CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

EPIC is explicitly funding evidence-to-policy pipelines, so proposals that name the policy lever, the decision-makers, and the adoption pathway will fit the Fund’s core investment logic best.

Carbon Capture Technologies Program Round 2, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. *New!*

Australia’s climate portfolio increasingly depends on technologies that can address hard-to-abate industrial emissions and the residual emissions that remain even under deep decarbonization. Through Round 2 of the Carbon Capture Technologies Program, the Australian Government seeks to speed up research, development, and demonstration of emerging carbon management pathways, including CO2 capture, CO2 utilization, and engineered CO2 removal. The program is structured to fund pilot and demonstration projects that can prove technical performance, scalability, and durability in Australian conditions, while also strengthening domestic capability and accelerating pathways to commercial readiness. The funder’s emphasis on measurable abatement, permanence, and replicability signals a preference for projects that can unlock broader industrial deployment and contribute to net zero by mid-century.

• Geographies: Australia.

• Who can apply: Australian incorporated entities (including eligible trustees), state or territory bodies, and corporate Commonwealth entities; joint applications allowed with an eligible lead organization.

• Funding amount: AUD $1 million–$10 million per grant; grant covers up to 50% of eligible project costs.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: carbon capture, carbon dioxide removal, carbon utilization, pilot and demonstration.

• Deadline: May 6, 2026 (5:00 PM Australian Eastern Standard Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a scale-readiness instrument: it is designed to move engineered carbon management from promising concepts into validated pathways that industry and policymakers can adopt.

Sustainable on-site transformation of perishable Mediterranean agri-products, PRIMA Partnership. *New!*

PRIMA is using this topic to tackle a core Mediterranean competitiveness and resilience gap: high rates of post-harvest spoilage coupled with limited local processing capacity that pushes value capture downstream and outside origin territories. The call funds innovation consortia to co-design, demonstrate, and validate compact, modular, and locally maintainable processing solutions that can operate at or near production sites, including in water-scarce or infrastructure-constrained regions. PRIMA’s investment logic emphasizes decentralized models that extend shelf life, improve quality, and enable new agro-food business pathways, especially where renewable or hybrid energy can reduce operating costs and emissions. Strong proposals will pair technical performance with adoption conditions: practicality for smallholders and cooperatives, clear pathways for replication, and credible local entrepreneurship or cooperative models that keep more value in rural and remote areas.

• Geographies: Mediterranean PRIMA Participating States.

• Who can apply: Consortia of eligible legal entities.

• Funding amount: Around EUR €2.7 million per project; Total topic budget: EUR €10.814 million.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Agriculture & Food Systems; Focus areas: post-harvest loss reduction, decentralized processing, renewable-powered cold chain.

• Deadline: Stage 1 Pre-proposal: May 15, 2026 (13:00 Spain Time); Stage 2 Full proposal: October 7, 2026 (17:00 Spain Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

PRIMA is betting that small-scale, replication-ready processing infrastructure can become a resilience lever by converting losses into local enterprise and climate-aligned value chains.

Environment Fund: Tropical Rainforests Programme, The Waterloo Foundation. *New!* *Opens twice a year!*

The Waterloo Foundation’s Tropical Rainforests Programme is designed to keep intact forests standing by backing avoided deforestation strategies that combine governance change with durable community stewardship. The funder prioritizes initiatives that influence forest policy and supply-chain drivers, protect community-managed rainforest areas, and support the legal and management rights of forest peoples, reflecting a rights-and-governance lens rather than a tree-planting model. While the Foundation predominantly supports strategic initiatives, it also considers practical local projects, typically focused on protecting areas larger than 10,000 hectares and demonstrating clear approaches to addressing local deforestation drivers, managing the area, and monitoring protection outcomes. Applicants are expected to define measurable results and a long-term sustainability strategy, and the program is explicit about excluding carbon finance pathways that do not align with its current priorities.

• Geographies: Global; projects in conflict-affected areas are unlikely to be supported.

• Who can apply: Primarily UK-based charities; non-UK applicants must provide a UK-based reference.

• Funding amount: GBP £100,000–£150,000 total (typically multi-year).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: avoided deforestation, forest governance, land rights, community forestry.

• Deadline: June 1, 2026, November 1, 2026. Annual deadlines in June and November.

• Learn more and apply here.

This fund is built for structural deforestation prevention, prioritizing governance and rights-based levers that can protect large forest areas over the long term.

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Gender Equality & Women Empowerment

Community experiences in adapting to climate change for sexual and reproductive health and rights: Call for research proposals, World Health Organization. *New!*

WHO HRP is seeking to close high-impact evidence gaps at the intersection of climate shocks and sexual and reproductive health and rights by funding community-centered research that can inform national adaptation planning and SRHR policy. The call prioritizes participatory approaches that position climate-affected communities as co-researchers and requires mixed-methods designs that can support cross-country comparison. Proposals must focus on one priority outcome area where evidence is weakest, maternal health, gender-based violence, contraception, or abortion care, and apply a human-rights and intersectional lens that accounts for compounding vulnerabilities. The opportunity is structured as a coordinated multi-country effort: selected teams will co-develop a shared protocol together in Geneva, aligning methods and analysis so findings are decision-ready for NAP and health adaptation processes.

• Geographies: LMICs globally, with priority countries listed in the call.

• Who can apply: LMIC-based research teams from community organizations, CSOs, NGOs with research functions, and academic or research institutions; PI and core team must be based in an eligible country.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $55,000 per team (up to 6 teams expected).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: reproductive health, climate adaptation, participatory mixed-methods research, maternal health, GBV, contraception, abortion care.

• Deadline: April 12, 2026 (23:59 GMT+1).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a protocol-driven evidence investment designed to translate community experience into adaptation-ready SRHR policy options.

Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award 2026, Bayer Foundation.

Bayer Foundation seeks to accelerate women-led ventures that are already operating and ready to scale solutions in health and food security for low- and middle-income communities across Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East. The award is designed as an investor-readiness pathway rather than a one-off prize: selected founders enter a six-month accelerator focused on strengthening business fundamentals, financials, and impact metrics, with structured mentoring and cohort learning shaped by active investor feedback. The program’s eligibility design favors incorporated ventures with demonstrated traction and decision-making leadership, signaling a preference for execution-ready teams positioned to convert support into growth. Alongside the cash prize, the model emphasizes visibility and ecosystem access through a global alumni community and convening moments intended to translate progress into partnerships and follow-on capital.

• Geographies: Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East (LMIC impact focus).

• Who can apply: Women founders/co-founders/senior leaders with decision-making power in an operating venture beyond idea stage, meeting legal structure and traction requirements.

• Funding amount: €25,000 cash prize (15 awardees).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Inclusion & Livelihoods; Focus areas: women entrepreneurs, social enterprise, investor readiness, accelerator, health innovation, food security.

• Deadline: April 13, 2026 (23:59 CEST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a traction-and-scale filter, so the strongest applications will make a crisp case for product-market fit, measurable LMIC impact, and exactly what investor-readiness gaps the accelerator will unlock.

Prevention of violence against women and girls, response, and women-led organisations in conflict-affected areas of Sudan, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. *New!*

FCDO seeks a delivery partnership for a five-year Sudan program that pairs life-saving response for survivors of violence with prevention and locally led leadership, explicitly positioning Sudanese women-led organizations as central actors rather than downstream implementers. The investment logic blends service access and quality (clinical care, community-based and trauma-informed support) with prevention and safety approaches that can function at scale in conflict-affected and hard-to-reach areas. FCDO’s framing signals that proposals will be assessed on operational credibility in complex environments, safeguarding maturity, and the ability to demonstrate genuine partnership and locally led design. This is structured as an EOI stage with a tight format requirement, so competitive submissions will show a clear theory of change linking survivor-centered response to risk reduction and durable women-led influence in humanitarian and peacebuilding systems.

• Geographies: Sudan.

• Who can apply: INGOs, Sudanese CSOs, UN agencies, not-for-profit academic institutions, and mixed consortia (for-profit only as downstream partners).

• Funding amount: Total program: GBP £19.95 million.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Gender & Women’s Empowerment; Focus areas: VAWG response, CRSV, survivor-centered services, community-led prevention, women-led organizational leadership.

• Deadline: April 17, 2026 (23:59 EAT).

• Learn more and apply here.

FCDO is signaling a systems outcome: stronger survivor pathways plus prevention, anchored by women-led leadership that can shape longer-term humanitarian and peacebuilding practice

Prevention and Response to Child Marriage, SBI Foundation. *New!*

SBI Foundation is funding child marriage work that links prevention to functioning local protection systems, positioning adolescents and families as primary change agents while strengthening community accountability and rapid response mechanisms. The intervention logic combines upstream behavior change and norm shift with practical systems activation: adolescent resource centers and continuity supports (including scholarships and re-enrollment), structured family counseling and strengthening, and community-facing awareness on legal implications and reporting pathways. SBI Foundation also expects credible partnerships with local institutions and linkages to government schemes to address the economic and social drivers that keep risk high. Proposals should show how prevention, response, and rehabilitation form one coherent pathway, including support for adolescents already affected by child marriage to rebuild education and livelihood trajectories.

• Geographies: India (priority states listed in the RFP).

• Who can apply: India-registered nonprofits with child marriage/child protection experience.

• Funding amount: Up to INR ₹1.00 Crore.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Inclusion & Equity; Focus areas: child marriage prevention, adolescent empowerment, child protection systems strengthening.

• Deadline: April 20, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is designed to move beyond awareness campaigns by funding integrated prevention-to-response pathways that local institutions can operationalize and sustain.

Laboratory for Women’s Rights Online, Cohort 2 (Artificial Intelligence and Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence), Expertise France.

This call positions AI as both a risk amplifier and a leverage point for prevention and response to technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Expertise France seeks initiatives that move beyond diagnosis into actionable tools and evidence, supporting projects that either build technical solutions or generate research designed to inform safer, more inclusive AI governance and real-world protections for women and girls online. The fund’s framing emphasizes coordinated learning and practical uptake, favoring work that can translate into policy, platform practice, or deployable interventions rather than standalone analysis. By centering “prevent, protect, and respond,” the call signals interest in full-cycle approaches, from risk anticipation and harm reduction to accountability and survivor-centered support pathways, with an explicit expectation that solutions remain rights-respecting and gender-equality aligned.

• Geographies: Global (Africa, Americas, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, Oceania).

• Who can apply: Non profits, non-governmental organization, civil society organization (association), research actor, private sector actors with non-profit social purpose.

• Funding amount: Grant of €50,000. Exepect to award 5 grants, total pool available is €250,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Gender & Women’s Empowerment; Focus areas: technology-facilitated GBV, AI governance, online violence prevention, survivor-centered digital safety, research on online harms.

• Deadline: April 21, 2026 (11:59 pm Paris Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This cohort is built to channel fast-moving AI risks into implementable safeguards, where evidence and tooling reinforce each other across the response ecosystem.

Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature, Sony Group Corporation. *New!*

Sony’s Women in Technology Award with Nature seeks to accelerate high-impact research by women technologists at pivotal career stages, combining significant flexible prize funding with global visibility through Nature’s platforms and Sony’s innovation ecosystem. The award’s investment logic centers on recognizing researchers whose work is not only technically excellent, but positioned to shape real-world outcomes, with assessment criteria explicitly emphasizing ambition, innovation, conceptual significance, and field-level impact. The program also signals a talent-equity lens by applying modest additional weighting for applicants from low and middle-income countries, first-generation university backgrounds, and individuals with disabilities, aiming to broaden who gets access to recognition and acceleration capital in technology research. With three substantial awards, the structure functions as a concentrated portfolio bet on researchers whose next phase of work can meaningfully advance technology fields and their societal benefits.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Women researchers in technology (early career: within 15 years of undergraduate degree; mid-career: 15 to 25 years), including full or part-time, affiliated with research institutions or university spinouts.

• Funding amount: USD $250,000 (per winner); 3 winners.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: women researchers, technology research, early to mid-career acceleration, innovation impact.

• Deadline: June 5, 2026 (23:59 GMT).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a talent-and-translation play: concentrated, flexible capital paired with credibility signaling to move breakthrough women-led technology research into its next adoption and influence curve.

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Global Health & WASH

Rare Impact Fund Request for Proposal: Strengthening the Nonclinical Youth Mental Health Workforce, Rare Impact Fund. *New!*

Rare Impact Fund is making a time-bound, workforce-focused investment to expand youth mental health support capacity in the United States by strengthening the nonclinical roles that extend reach beyond licensed care. The funder’s strategy centers on professionalizing and sustaining these positions, backing organizations that build talent pipelines from recruitment through training, placement, career progression, and retention. Priority is given to approaches that are community-rooted, evidence-based, and grounded in youth experience, with clear equity strategies that address barriers for historically underserved populations. The call is structured to select partners who can show pipeline connectivity and role clarity, provide comprehensive supports that keep providers in the field, and generate shareable outcomes evidence that elevates legitimacy for nonclinical roles and helps clinical teams work at top of license.

• Geographies: United States.

• Who can apply: 501(c)(3) nonprofits (or international equivalents) operating in the US with US-focused activities.

• Funding amount: USD $250,000–$500,000 (two-year support; total initiative USD $2.5M+).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: nonclinical mental health workforce, peer support specialists, community health workers, care navigation, workforce pipeline strengthening

• Deadline: LOI: April 10, 2026; Full Proposal (invited only): June 12, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a pipeline-building fund, so proposals that clearly connect recruitment, training, placement, and retention while producing field-credible evidence of workforce impact will align most tightly with the funder’s intent.

Learning from Abroad to Reimagine Health Knowledge Systems for Equity and Wellbeing, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. *New!*

RWJF’s Global Ideas for U.S. Solutions team is funding action-oriented projects that borrow, adapt, and operationalize lessons from other countries to rebuild a U.S. health knowledge system that is more inclusive, more durable in crises, and more accountable to communities most affected by inequities. The opportunity is intentionally designed to counter systemic threats to evidence and public trust by supporting work that expands what “counts” as health knowledge, protects vulnerable ways of knowing, and strengthens cross-border communities of practice. Applicants can propose either knowledge generation and preservation (for example, participatory approaches or integrating Indigenous and community knowledge with scientific methods) or knowledge activation (for example, narrative and creative strategies that reclaim erased histories and mobilize collective action). RWJF also signals a systems-change preference through its emphasis on co-production with affected communities and partnerships with non-U.S. organizations.

• Geographies: United States and U.S. territories (global learning partnerships encouraged).

• Who can apply: U.S.-based organizations (and eligible international applicants via RWJF Global Ideas Fund), with or without fiscal sponsors. Funding amount: Up to USD $500,000 (up to 36 months).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: knowledge systems, community-driven knowledge, narrative change, misinformation resilience.

• Deadline: Brief Proposal: April 13, 2026 (3:00 PM ET); Full Proposal: July 9, 2026 (3:00 PM ET); Optional webinar: March 6, 2026 (11:30 AM ET).

• Learn more and apply here.

RWJF is treating knowledge infrastructure as a core equity intervention, funding projects that can protect, diversify, and activate evidence ecosystems when public systems are under pressure.

Breakthrough Innovations to Significantly Reduce the Cost of Severe Acute Malnutrition Treatment, Gates Foundation. *New!*

This Grand Challenges call seeks step-change innovations that can materially lower the cost of treating severe acute malnutrition, with the goal of expanding treatment coverage by shifting the underlying economics, not just improving efficiency at the margins. The funder is explicitly looking for approaches that are technically rigorous, clearly differentiated from existing solutions, and credible at scale, including projects that bring together scientific, manufacturing, and implementation capabilities. Review criteria emphasize the potential to achieve the cost reductions defined in the RFP, the strength and novelty of the conceptual and technical framework, and whether the workplan, team, and budget are proportionate to the complexity and risk of the proposed pathway. Consortia that are led by or include LMIC-based organizations are strongly encouraged to ensure solutions align with real-world constraints and delivery conditions.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Universities/research institutes, technically strong NGOs, for-profits (global access terms apply), and consortia.

• Funding amount: Option A up to USD $500,000; Option B up to USD $1,500,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: severe acute malnutrition, treatment delivery, cost reduction.

• Deadline: April 28, 2026 (11:30 a.m. U.S. Pacific Time); Webinar: April 2, 2026 (7:00 to 8:00 a.m. U.S. Pacific Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a cost-curve challenge: the funder is rewarding solutions that can unlock scale by making SAM treatment meaningfully cheaper without sacrificing outcomes.

2026 Call for Proposals: HIV Cure, Sidaction. *New!*

Sidaction, in partnership with Aidsfonds, seeks to accelerate progress toward HIV cure or durable ART-free remission by funding research that moves beyond incremental knowledge and toward actionable cure strategies. The funders emphasize cross-border collaboration and multidisciplinary design, aiming to connect teams in France, the Netherlands, and eligible African countries around shared scientific and implementation questions. Competitive proposals will articulate a clear pathway from mechanism to impact, whether through reservoir-targeting and immune-control strategies or through social science and economic research that strengthens feasibility, acceptability, and future uptake. The call’s structure favors well-governed partnerships and credible translation plans, including community involvement and a realistic set of milestones for interventional approaches.

• Geographies: France, Netherlands, and eligible African countries (OECD DAC limited-resources list referenced by funder); research may take place globally if eligibility conditions are met.

• Who can apply: Research teams with eligible lead and co-applicants based at qualifying institutions; minimum two-country collaboration required; full proposals by invitation after Letter of Intent review.

• Funding amount: Total pool € 1,500,000; € 300,000-600,000 per project (3-4 projects expected; up to 36 months).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: HIV cure, HIV remission, viral reservoir, immune control strategies, community engagement, social science, health economics.

• Deadline: Letter of Intent: May 10, 2026; Full proposal: September 1, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

With only a small number of awards expected, the strongest applications will show how the project de-risks the next concrete step toward cure-relevant interventions and evidence use.

Call for proposals: Using quantum technology to enable breakthroughs in life science and healthcare, Nordic Innovation. *New!*

Nordic Innovation is seeking Nordic consortia that can translate quantum capabilities into tangible breakthroughs for life science and healthcare, with a clear value proposition for end users in the region. The call is positioned as an applied innovation investment: proposals are expected to demonstrate why quantum methods add decisive advantage, when and how testing will occur, and how results will progress toward commercialization and uptake. Nordic Innovation also emphasizes Nordic added value, rewarding cross-border constellations that represent different parts of the region and align with broader national and international initiatives. The evaluation logic prioritizes impact, consortium competence, relevance to Nordic priorities including sustainability and inclusion, and a credible exit strategy that keeps the work alive after the grant period ends.

• Geographies: Nordic Region (minimum three Nordic countries in the consortium).

• Who can apply: Nordic consortia including companies, public sector actors, higher education institutions, clusters, investors, and other relevant organizations.

• Funding amount: Up to NOK 4,500,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: quantum technology, quantum computing, quantum sensing, life science innovation, healthcare innovation, commercialization pathways

• Deadline: May 19, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is designed to fund quantum projects that are already mature enough to test with real users and convert technical advantage into a credible commercialization trajectory.

Evaluating Scalability, Reproducibility, and Impact of GenAI and Agentic AI in the Water and Wastewater Sector, The Water Research Foundation. *New!*

WRF is treating AI adoption as a near-term operational capability question, not a speculative trend, by funding a project that pairs responsible deployment guardrails with real replication evidence across utilities. The RFP is designed to answer what most utilities still cannot verify: which GenAI and Agentic AI use cases transfer cleanly, what data governance and cybersecurity safeguards are required, what skills are needed to operate them, and what early impacts show up in time saved, workflow reliability, and cost reduction. The structure is explicitly reproducibility-driven, requiring multiple GenAI applications to be implemented at additional utilities and documented through replication case studies, plus a practical demonstration of a low-effort Agentic AI use case. WRF’s emphasis on human-in-the-loop enterprise deployments signals a preference for approaches that can scale without compromising operational continuity and security.

• Geographies: Global (water and wastewater utility replication focus).

• Who can apply: U.S. and non-U.S. research teams, consultants, agencies, universities, and for-profits.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $200,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: WASH; Focus areas: generative AI for utilities, agentic AI, cybersecurity guardrails.

• Deadline: May 20, 2026 (3:00 PM Mountain Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is built to convert pilots into playbooks, funding the transfer evidence and risk controls utilities need before AI can move from experimentation to sector-wide operational practice.

Infectious Disease Clinical Trial Award: Optimising interventions for impact, Wellcome. *New!*

Wellcome seeks randomized controlled trials that close the gap between regulatory approval and real-world impact for infectious disease interventions in low- and middle-income settings. The call is designed to fund studies that optimize how licensed vaccines or therapeutics are used (for example, population targeting, dosing, combinations, and pragmatic effectiveness in routine contexts) so results are decision-ready for policy, guideline, and practice change. A strong application will show why the evidence is currently insufficient, how the proposed trial design will answer an adoption-critical question, and how stakeholders and policymakers will be embedded throughout to accelerate uptake. Proposals should also demonstrate feasibility at scale, include health economics where relevant, and prioritize underserved populations where the intervention’s benefits and access constraints are most acute.

• Geographies: Eligible administering organizations in Africa, South Asia, or South-East Asia (excluding mainland China); multi-country trials allowed within eligible scope.

• Who can apply: Transdisciplinary teams led by a mid-career or established researcher with required coapplicant(s); at least 50% of applicants based in eligible regions.

• Funding amount: £1,000,000 - £8,000,000 per award (3 to 5 years).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: infectious diseases, randomized controlled trials, licensed vaccine and therapeutic optimization, health economics, policy and guideline uptake.

• Deadline: June 2, 2026 (15:00 BST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is an “evidence-to-uptake” investment: Wellcome is funding trials that directly unlock adoption pathways, not trials that merely add incremental efficacy data.

Humanitarian Aid and Emergency Programming

ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2026, International Catalan Institute for Peace (ICIP). *Closing soon!*

The ICIP Peace in Progress Award recognizes outstanding initiatives and leadership that advance peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and non-violent action worldwide. Rather than funding project implementation, the award is designed to spotlight individuals, organizations, or institutions whose sustained work has demonstrated tangible contributions to dialogue, reconciliation, social cohesion, and the prevention or resolution of conflict. ICIP positions the prize as both recognition and amplification, elevating peace initiatives that embody ethical commitment, innovation, and long-term impact. Nominations are open globally and may be submitted by third parties or by candidates themselves, reflecting the award’s emphasis on visibility and legitimacy within peace and human rights ecosystems. The €10,000 prize is awarded without spending restrictions, underscoring its role as a recognition and solidarity mechanism rather than a programmatic grant.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Civil society organizations, individuals, institutions, and public bodies.

• Funding amount: Prize of EUR €10,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Peace & Security; Focus areas: peacebuilding, conflict transformation, nonviolence.

• Deadline: April 12, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This award functions as a visibility and legitimacy platform, elevating peace actors whose work strengthens dialogue, justice, and social cohesion across contexts.

Bridges of Solidarity with Ukraine, International Renaissance Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

International Renaissance Foundation seeks to reinforce Ukraine’s international subjectivity by investing in initiatives that connect newly formed Ukrainian communities abroad with institutions and civic actors in Ukraine. The call is designed to support projects that do more than represent Ukraine: it prioritizes initiatives that strengthen Ukrainian communities overseas as long-term partners for cultural, educational, academic, and civic cooperation, while expanding sustained understanding of Ukraine among foreign audiences. The funder’s selection logic emphasizes partnership quality, shared planning and roles, and evidence that collaboration can endure beyond one grant cycle, including through co-financing or established institutional support on the partner side. Competitive proposals will articulate clear audience pathways, credible cross-border implementation arrangements, and results that increase durable solidarity, visibility, and engagement with Ukraine in host societies.

• Geographies: Ukraine-linked work implemented with Ukrainian communities abroad (geographic focus on countries with large post-2022 Ukrainian communities).

• Who can apply: Ukraine-registered nonprofit or charitable organizations implementing projects with foreign Ukrainian organizations abroad or foreign organizations focused on Ukrainians.

• Funding amount: Total budget UAH 15,500,000; optimal grant UAH 800,000–1,000,000; maximum grant UAH 1,250,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Inclusion & Equity; Focus areas: diaspora engagement, cultural and educational programming, cross-border partnerships, advocacy and public outreach.

• Deadline: April 15, 2026 (3:00 PM Kyiv time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This fund treats diaspora partnerships as strategic infrastructure for long-horizon support, not short-term outreach.

Selection of Palestinian Tech Companies for Participation in WMF – We Make Future 2026, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). *New!* *Closing soon!*

AICS Jerusalem is using a targeted “market access and ecosystem integration” approach to strengthen Palestinian MSME competitiveness by placing a small cohort of high-potential tech companies inside a major international innovation platform. The call is designed to convert visibility into practical commercialization pathways, prioritizing ventures that can credibly engage in English-language business development and leverage structured B2B opportunities to accelerate international partnerships. The selection logic explicitly weighs innovation and international growth potential, while also valuing representation readiness and diversification across sectors, signaling that AICS is curating a portfolio that can collectively showcase breadth of Palestinian innovation. By underwriting participation costs and securing shared exhibition space, the funder reduces the barrier for firms that would otherwise be excluded from global deal flow and network effects.

• Geographies: Palestine; event in Italy (Bologna).

• Who can apply: Palestine-registered tech/digital/AI/software/ICT companies/entities with 2+ years operations and a market-ready or advanced-stage product.

• Funding amount: In-kind support (travel, accommodation, meals, insurance; exhibition space; tickets).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: startup internationalization, B2B matching, market access, digital innovation.

• Deadline: April 19, 2026 (23:59 Jerusalem time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a curated market-entry instrument: applications win when they show a clear pathway from WMF participation to concrete partnerships, customers, or investment conversations.

Repair and Renovation of Disaster-Affected School Infrastructure, SBI Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

SBI Foundation is seeking implementers that can rapidly translate CSR capital into restored learning continuity by fixing core infrastructure damage in disaster-affected schools. The funding logic is “vibrant schools” as a prerequisite for learning outcomes: proposals should demonstrate how renovations will restore safety, usability, and dignity in learning environments, and how works will be executed with realistic timelines, cost controls, and government alignment where relevant. With a relatively short implementation window, this RFP favors organizations with proven engineering and program management capability, clear work planning, and monitoring systems that can demonstrate completion quality and functional outcomes. Strong submissions will show readiness to execute in complex, post-disaster settings while maintaining compliance and transparent reporting.

• Geographies: India.

• Who can apply: India-registered nonprofits with relevant school infrastructure experience.

• Funding amount: INR ₹50.00 Lakhs–₹2.00 Crore.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Focus areas: school infrastructure rehabilitation, safe learning environments, disaster recovery repairs.

• Deadline: April 24, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is an enabling investment: infrastructure recovery designed to restore the minimum conditions needed for teaching quality and student attendance to rebound after shocks.

Implementation of interventions aimed at improving child health outcomes during crises through adolescents and youths’ mobilization and empowerment (CEF/LSO/2026/002), UNICEF. *New!* *Closing soon!*

UNICEF seeks CSO partners in Lesotho to stabilize and improve child and adolescent health outcomes amid overlapping health, economic, and social shocks by positioning adolescents and youth as active actors in service continuity and community resilience. The opportunity is structured around three selectable lots: strengthening youth-linked demand and access for HIV and maternal, newborn, and child health services; expanding livelihoods and social assistance pathways for young people, particularly pregnant young mothers; and enabling digital learning-to-earning routes via Yoma through locally adapted skills modules and access tools. Across lots, the investment logic prioritizes community-rooted delivery capacity, credible partnerships, and interventions that connect health outcomes to economic and digital inclusion outcomes in hard-to-reach districts. Selection emphasizes relevance to stated outputs, practical management strength, and an innovative approach that can perform under crisis conditions.

• Geographies: Lesotho (including Maseru, Mohale’s Hoek, Leribe, Mokhotlong, Thaba-Tseka).

• Who can apply: Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working in Lesotho.

• Funding amount: USD $40,000 (Lot 2); USD $60,000 (Lot 1); USD $90,000 (Lot 3).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: child health, adolescent health, HIV services continuity, MNCH demand generation, youth livelihoods start-up support, Yoma digital learning-to-earning pathways.

• Deadline: April 26, 2026, clarification requests by April 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is designed to translate youth mobilization into measurable health gains by coupling service access with livelihoods and digital opportunity pathways.

Education, Human Rights & Inclusion

Build Award 2026 (Promise Fund), Promise Venture Studio. *Closing soon!*

Promise Venture Studio, through the Promise Fund, seeks to accelerate proximate-led early childhood organizations that are ready to convert early traction into durable, equity-centered growth. The Build Award is designed as a combined capital and partnership vehicle: it backs leaders whose solutions address systemic barriers facing children prenatal to age 5 and their families, while also strengthening the organizational fundamentals that determine whether promising models can sustain and scale. Beyond flexible funding, recipients enter a year-long support arc that emphasizes clearer impact articulation, healthier growth practices, leadership development, and stronger pathways to financial sustainability, alongside curated mentorship and peer learning. The staged application process signals that Promise is looking for both mission alignment and venture readiness, prioritizing organizations positioned to make significant progress when paired with capital, strategic support, and field-building connections.

• Geographies: United States (North America).

• Who can apply: Early-stage nonprofit (including fiscally sponsored) and for-profit organizations led by proximate leaders focused on equitable early childhood outcomes.

• Funding amount: USD $200,000 per awardee (6 expected); USD $800 honorarium for full-application submitters.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education & Capacity Building; Focus areas: early childhood education, organizational capacity, leadership development, venture building, equity-centered systems change.

• Deadline: Preliminary application: April 10, 2026; Full application (invited): July 2, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The award’s structure treats early funding as field infrastructure, pairing unrestricted capital with the relationships and operating discipline needed to carry community-rooted models into their next stage.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partner – Educate A Child (EAC) Multi-Country Initiative, UNHCR. *New!* *Closing soon!*

UNHCR seeks a specialized MEL partner to function as the evidence backbone for its Educate A Child multi-country initiative serving out-of-school refugee and asylum-seeking children across Chad, Kenya, Pakistan, Uganda, and Syria. The engagement is structured to produce a coherent MEL architecture and interoperable data systems that enable comparable, decision-grade evidence across countries, with baseline learning assessments required early and implemented concurrently. UNHCR emphasizes technical rigor in foundational literacy and numeracy assessment design (with clear tool choices, adaptation, quality assurance, and analysis plans), alongside fit-for-purpose midline learning signals where full-scale assessments may not be feasible. Beyond measurement, the partner is expected to drive learning uptake through dashboards, briefs, and structured reviews, while building ministry and partner capacity to use data for adaptive management and longer-term refugee inclusion in national systems.

• Geographies: Chad, Kenya, Pakistan, Uganda, Syria.

• Who can apply: Non profits.

• Funding amount: Total budget: USD $1,000,000 (not expected to exceed).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Focus areas: MEL systems, learning assessments, foundational literacy and numeracy, data systems and dashboards, refugee education inclusion.

• Deadline: April 14, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call rewards partners who can turn multi-country measurement into actionable course correction and system-strengthening evidence for refugee-inclusive education.

Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods and Economic Empowerment for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), SBI Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

SBI Foundation’s Centre of Excellence for Persons with Disabilities is seeking implementing partners to scale practical pathways to economic independence for PwDs, with proposals expected to align with government priorities and measurable inclusion outcomes. The funding logic emphasizes resilient livelihood models that reduce barriers to employability and employment, combining capacity-building, employer-facing linkages, and context-specific enablement so PwDs can participate meaningfully in the workforce and local economies. With multi-year support and a sizable grant range, this RFP is structured for organizations that can move beyond pilots to durable delivery systems, track outcomes credibly, and demonstrate organizational readiness through financial and governance thresholds. Shortlisted organizations should be prepared for a presentation stage and subsequent documentation submission as part of SBI Foundation’s internal selection workflow.

• Geographies: India.

• Who can apply: India-registered NGOs/NPOs.

• Funding amount: INR ₹1.00 Crore–₹5.00 Crore.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Inclusion & Livelihoods; Focus areas: disability inclusion, inclusive livelihoods, employability, employment linkages.

• Deadline: April 20, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is built to strengthen disability-inclusive labor market pathways at scale, pairing multi-year capital with an expectation of outcome discipline and delivery readiness.

NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants 2026, NBCUniversal. *New!* *Closing soon!*

NBCUniversal is seeking to channel unrestricted funding to community-rooted nonprofits that can demonstrate measurable local impact within one of its 11 NBC and Telemundo-owned station markets. The program is structured around three outcomes-oriented tracks that reflect NBCUniversal’s community lens: strengthening youth pathways (including STEM/STEAM and youth entrepreneurship), expanding access to communications and creative career pipelines for emerging storytellers, and increasing community unity through engagement and volunteering models. The eligibility design emphasizes organizational readiness and fiscal credibility, using expense and revenue thresholds and a cap that ties the grant size to the applicant’s operating scale. Competitive applications will articulate a clear theory of change within one category, show who benefits and how outcomes will be tracked, and demonstrate why unrestricted support accelerates impact rather than simply filling a gap.

• Geographies: United States (eligible NBC and Telemundo-owned station markets).

• Who can apply: 501(c)(3) nonprofits (fiscal sponsorship allowed via sponsor) meeting expense, revenue, and EIN requirements and located in an eligible market.

• Funding amount: Grants typically range USD $20,000 - $40,000. Total pool USD $2.5M; grant amount varies and is capped at 30% of the organization’s total expenses.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Inclusion & Equity; Focus areas: youth education and empowerment, next generation storytellers, community engagement.

• Deadline: April 24, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a scale-calibrated unrestricted grant designed to back organizations that can translate flexible funding into near-term community outcomes.

Harmony in Diversity Fund, AVPN. *New!* *Closing soon!*

AVPN, with Temasek Foundation, Silent Foundation, and Nagulendran Philanthropy Alliance, is seeking to strengthen social cohesion in Southeast Asia by backing community-based organizations that can build durable trust and collaboration across diverse groups. The fund’s strategy centers on “harmony initiatives” that go beyond messaging, investing in approaches that increase intercultural understanding, expand cross-community connections, and build local capacity to sustain cohesion over time. The design signals a preference for organizations with both credibility and operational maturity, using audited financials as an eligibility screen while keeping the opportunity open to nonprofits and social enterprises. Strong applications will show a clear problem-solution fit, demonstrate feasibility and scalability, and define how outcomes will be sustained across a multi-year period.

• Geographies: Southeast Asia.

• Who can apply: Legally registered nonprofits and social enterprises implementing harmony initiatives in Southeast Asia, with 2 recent years of audited financial reports.

• Funding amount: USD $50,000-200,000 (recommended range); multi-year funding through approximately September 2028.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Inclusion & Equity; Focus areas: intercultural understanding, social cohesion, cross-community collaboration, community capacity building, innovation for inclusion.

• Deadline: April 24, 2026 (11:59 PM SGT).

• Learn more and apply here.

This fund is positioned as ecosystem infrastructure, aiming to resource community actors who can convert diversity into shared civic strength.

Racial Equity Research Grants, Spencer Foundation. *New!*

Spencer seeks rigorous education research that does more than document inequity, supporting projects that actively contribute to disrupting racial inequality and reimagining what educational equity can become across settings and age ranges. The program is field-initiated, signaling openness to diverse topics, disciplines, and methods, while maintaining a strong bar for technical soundness and scholarly ambition. In this cycle, Spencer explicitly encourages proposals in areas including youth and educator mental health with a healing and resilience lens, innovative community-based approaches to workforce development, and novel intersections of quantitative methods and racial equity. The two-step structure (Intent to Apply followed by Full Proposal access) functions as an early gate for fit and reviewer alignment, so strong submissions are crisp on the core research question, design logic, and how findings will matter for equity.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Doctoral-level PIs/Co-PIs affiliated with a nonprofit or public/government administering organization.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $75,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Focus areas: racial inequality in education, youth and educator mental health, community-based workforce development, quantitative methods and racial equity.

• Deadline: Intent to Apply: May 4, 2026 (12:00 PM CT); Full Proposal: July 1, 2026 (12:00 PM CT).

• Learn more and apply here.

Spencer is signaling “consequential scholarship”: projects win when design choices clearly serve equity outcomes, not just methodological elegance.

International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD): 17th Call for Funding Requests (2026), UNESCO. *New!*

UNESCO’s IFCD seeks projects that strengthen the enabling conditions for dynamic, diverse cultural and creative sectors in eligible developing countries by backing structural changes rather than one-off productions. The fund prioritizes interventions that improve how cultural goods and services are created, produced, distributed, and accessed, including policy and regulatory measures, stronger public and civil society capacities, and financing and market-development mechanisms that help cultural industries become viable. It also explicitly supports initiatives that expand participation in cultural life, advance gender equality in cultural and creative sectors, and accelerate sector development in the digital environment. The call’s selection logic emphasizes measurable, sustainable results and clear pathways to long-term sector impact, with attention to stakeholder consultation and national priorities through the National Commission pre-selection step.

• Geographies: Eligible developing countries that are Parties to UNESCO’s 2005 Convention.

• Who can apply: Eligible public authorities, NGOs in eligible countries, and INGOs (multi-country impact required).

• Funding amount: USD $100,000 (maximum).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Arts & Culture; Focus areas: cultural policy and measures, creative industries and markets, capacity building, digital cultural industries, participation in cultural life, gender equality in culture.

• Deadline: May 6, 2026 (12:00 Paris time).

• Learn more and apply here.

IFCD funding is designed to move the creative economy’s “rules and rails” (policy, institutions, markets, and capabilities), not to underwrite individual productions.

Community-Centered Connectivity Grant Program, Internet Society Foundation. *New!*

The Internet Society Foundation seeks to accelerate community-centered solutions that close the digital divide by expanding affordable, reliable Internet access where markets and institutions have not delivered. The program’s investment logic prioritizes locally grounded implementers that can demonstrate both technical credibility and community legitimacy, supporting projects that address the core barriers of availability, affordability, and adoption through practical connectivity deployment and community-led design. By structuring funding into track-based pathways, the Foundation aligns capital size and duration to organizational readiness, while reserving its largest systems track for proven models positioned for multi-community replication. Preference signals further emphasize inclusive access outcomes for displaced communities, Indigenous communities, and women and girls, reinforcing a focus on connectivity as a platform for broader participation, services, and opportunity.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Legally registered non-profits and social enterprises with community support and technical capacity (Catalyst and Scaling open; Systems invite-only).

• Funding amount: Catalyst: Up to USD $50,000; Scaling: Up to USD $200,000; Systems: Above USD $200,000 (invite-only).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: community networks, last-mile connectivity, community broadband, affordability, adoption, availability.

• Deadline: May 7, 2026 (21:00 UTC).

• Learn more and apply here.

This program treats connectivity as community infrastructure, rewarding proposals that pair technical deployment with governance, affordability, and adoption pathways that can hold over time.

2026 Million Dollar Yass Prize Competition, The Yass Prize (STOP for Education Foundation). *New!*

The Yass Prize seeks to surface and scale best-in-class education providers by rewarding organizations that embody the STOP principles: models that can sustain and grow, deliver transformational outcomes, prove excellence, and operate with the freedom to innovate. The funder’s strategy combines recognition with movement-building, using the competition to connect a cross-sector cohort of providers and amplify approaches that can expand opportunity for more families. The selection logic is explicitly sector-agnostic, emphasizing performance and model quality over governance type, and culminating in an accelerator-style pitch pathway and a final award. Strong applicants will frame their model through the STOP lens, show evidence of outcomes and demand, and articulate how their approach can expand in ways that remain sustainable without constant philanthropy.

• Geographies: United States.

• Who can apply: Education providers demonstrating STOP principles.

• Funding amount: USD $1,000,000 (Yass Prize winner).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Focus areas: STOP principles, education innovation, scaling provider models, accelerator cohort learning.

• Deadline: June 1, 2026 (12:00 PM ET).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a narrative-and-network accelerator as much as a prize: the strongest submissions translate “STOP” into evidence of outcomes, sustainability, and scalable operating freedom.

Innovation, Research & Smart Cities - 5

Funding competition AI Champions: Frontier AI Phase 1, Innovate UK. *New!* *Closing soon!*

Innovate UK seeks to accelerate the UK’s next wave of frontier AI champions by funding tightly scoped feasibility studies that can prove whether a technically ambitious approach works in practice and can plausibly scale into defensible products or platforms. The program’s investment logic is evidence-first: applicants are expected to define success criteria, generate quantified validation against those metrics, and document remaining technical risks in a required technical whitepaper. The call emphasizes step-change capability driven by core innovation in model or system architecture, training methodology, or learning algorithms, with an explicit expectation of a route to defensibility such as IP, proprietary data advantage, or specialist know-how. As Phase 1 of a stage-gated pipeline, this competition is positioned as de-risking for potential later-phase development, with progression contingent on Phase 1 outcomes and separate future competitions.

• Geographies: United Kingdom.

• Who can apply: UK registered SMEs applying as a single applicant.

• Funding amount: Total pool: GBP £3 million; total eligible project costs: GBP £150,000–250,000; grant rate up to 70% (micro or small) and up to 60% (medium).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: AI, machine learning, frontier AI.

• Deadline: April 29, 2026 (11:00 UK time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This competition is structured to select teams that can turn technical novelty into credible, metric-driven feasibility evidence that unlocks a staged scale-up pathway.

ICGEB BiotechNet Grants 2026 – CRP Collaborative Research Programme, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). *Closing soon!*

The ICGEB BiotechNet Grants support internationally collaborative biotechnology research that addresses scientific challenges of clear national or regional relevance in East Africa and the Horn of Africa. Under the Collaborative Research Programme (CRP), the call funds two-year projects led by local principal investigators and explicitly designed to strengthen research capacity, infrastructure, and human capital within beneficiary institutions. A defining feature of the program is its emphasis on meaningful international collaboration: proposals must integrate partners from other BiotechNet countries and include the hosting and training of a BiotechNet SMART fellow to foster durable laboratory-to-laboratory cooperation. Funding is focused on feasibility, scientific quality, and training impact rather than scale, supporting consumables, basic equipment, travel, and hands-on training while excluding salaries and overheads. The program reflects ICGEB’s long-standing strategy of coupling excellent science with capacity development and South–South collaboration.

• Geographies: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda.

• Who can apply: Principal Investigators based at universities or research institutes in BiotechNet beneficiary countries.

• Funding amount: Up to EUR €48,000 total over two years (EUR €24,000 per year).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Scientific Research; Focus areas: biotechnology research, capacity building, international collaboration.

• Deadline: April 30, 2026 (23:59 CET); national endorsement deadline May 31, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This program rewards genuine South–South collaboration, proposals should demonstrate shared ownership and long-term laboratory partnerships, not transactional cooperation.

AEDIB Joint Innovation Facility (JIF) 2026 Call, SPARK project (GIZ). *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Joint Innovation Facility (JIF) seeks to scale what already works: digitally enabled, revenue-generating innovations that are ready to expand across borders through strong Africa-Europe partnerships. The funder’s logic is commercialization plus climate impact, backing solutions where digital technology is central to the product or business model and where climate-positive outcomes are measurable or credibly built into the project design. JIF is designed for consortia that can execute cross-border scaling, not early experimentation, and it pairs non-dilutive, milestone-based funding with venture studio style support to strengthen implementation, investment readiness, and partnership delivery. The program also signals a clear quality bar for applied AI, prioritizing use cases that go beyond generic or exploratory approaches and can translate into tangible operational or market outcomes. Strong applications will make the scaling pathway explicit, including why the partnership is essential, what changes in the target market, and how climate impact will be evidenced.

• Geographies: Africa-Europe (African-led consortia from 14 priority African countries with EU-27 partners).

• Who can apply: Cross-border consortia led by an eligible African entity with an EU-registered partner; partner types can include for-profit companies, entrepreneurship or innovation support organizations, applied research organizations, and nonprofits where relevant.

• Funding amount: EUR 100,000 or EUR 200,000 (non-dilutive, milestone-based).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Digital Technology; Focus areas: applied AI, advanced data solutions, cross-border market expansion, climate-positive digital innovation.

• Deadline: April 30, 2026 (23:59 EAT; 22:59 CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call rewards execution-ready partnerships, so the clearest advantage comes from making the cross-border growth plan and impact measurement as concrete as the technology.

Amazon 2030 Call for Proposals (Spring 2026), Amazon Research Awards. *New!*

Amazon Research Awards seeks proposals that can move big, real-world systems forward within a three-to-five-year horizon, backing research where scale is the central constraint and the path from discovery to adoption is visible but not yet proven. The funder’s lens prioritizes technically rigorous work that goes beyond incremental improvements, especially where conventional methods break down under operational complexity, data volume, latency, reliability, or safety requirements. Across disciplines, Amazon signals interest in applied technical challenges (including AI for science, cloud and distributed systems, robotics, security and privacy, hardware, sustainability, and health sciences) and expects applicants to articulate why now is the right moment to pursue the work, what makes it impactful, and how key risks (including societal impact, safety, and dual-use concerns) will be mitigated. Awards are structured as one-time unrestricted gifts, reinforcing speed and flexibility for exploratory but adoption-oriented research.

• Geographies: Global (see exclusions).

• Who can apply: Full-time faculty at accredited academic institutions, or permanent researchers at legally recognized NGOs.

• Funding amount: Unrestricted cash up to USD $100,000; AWS Promotional Credits no more than USD $70,000 on average.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: AI, machine learning, innovation hubs, open data.

• Deadline: May 6, 2026 (11:59PM Pacific Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is engineered to reward research that can demonstrate credible scale-readiness milestones, not just novelty in isolation.

Community-Centered Connectivity Grant Program, Internet Society Foundation. *New!*

The Internet Society Foundation seeks to accelerate community-centered solutions that close the digital divide by expanding affordable, reliable Internet access where markets and institutions have not delivered. The program’s investment logic prioritizes locally grounded implementers that can demonstrate both technical credibility and community legitimacy, supporting projects that address the core barriers of availability, affordability, and adoption through practical connectivity deployment and community-led design. By structuring funding into track-based pathways, the Foundation aligns capital size and duration to organizational readiness, while reserving its largest systems track for proven models positioned for multi-community replication. Preference signals further emphasize inclusive access outcomes for displaced communities, Indigenous communities, and women and girls, reinforcing a focus on connectivity as a platform for broader participation, services, and opportunity.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Legally registered non-profits and social enterprises with community support and technical capacity (Catalyst and Scaling open; Systems invite-only).

• Funding amount: Catalyst: Up to USD $50,000; Scaling: Up to USD $200,000; Systems: Above USD $200,000 (invite-only).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: community networks, last-mile connectivity, community broadband, affordability, adoption, availability.

• Deadline: May 7, 2026 (21:00 UTC).

• Learn more and apply here.

This program treats connectivity as community infrastructure, rewarding proposals that pair technical deployment with governance, affordability, and adoption pathways that can hold over time.

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Hello everyone!

March is one of the busiest months in the global funding calendar and this edition reflects that. We’re bringing you 86 new opportunities (with 28 closing at the end of this month) representing over $107M USD in available capital across sectors and geographies. The number to focus on: roughly 30 close before the end of March. This is not the issue to read next week.

Quick navigation tip before you dive in: Substack has a jump-to feature that lets you skip straight to the section you care about using the table of contents. (In case you didn’t know… I just discovered this)

This month’s landscape is defined by a few strong currents worth naming:

Snapshot of what’s inside this month:

• Cross-Cutting / Intersectional (10 new opportunities) — Catalytic opportunities for locally led civil society, with strong calls for grassroots resilience work across Africa, the Philippines, and beyond. Includes a $450K award for scalable development impact.

• Global Health & WASH (10 new opportunities) — A rich month for health implementers: youth mental health scale-up funding in 12 countries (up to CAD 1.5M), rare disease research in Belgium (€1.25M), cancer biology discovery grants globally, and major WASH and nutrition calls in the Philippines.

• Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (14 new opportunities) — Standout calls for GBV and survivor-centered service delivery in Kenya (€1.5M), women entrepreneurs in the DRC (€200K–1M per grant), tech-facilitated GBV research globally, and women-led deep tech in Europe.

• Education, Human Rights & Inclusion (15 new opportunities) — Funding for LGBTI organizational development in Victoria, early childhood equity in the US ($200K unrestricted), youth democracy work across 46 Council of Europe countries, and civil society strengthening in the Philippines and Liberia.

• Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food (16 new opportunities)— Agricultural market systems in Kenya (up to $1.3M), Marine conservation in the Bahamas, a methane mitigation prize with a $200k total pool, agribusiness value chain co-investment in The Gambia, Native American food sovereignty funding. Loss and damage technical assistance for Namibia and Fiji, community water resilience in Timor-Leste, and honeybush value chains in South Africa.

• Humanitarian Aid & DRR (12 new opportunities) — Calls for early recovery in Gaza and Ethiopia, DRR systems strengthening in Lao PDR and Tonga, digital resilience for MSMEs in frontline Ukraine communities, and citizen security research globally.

• Innovation, Research & Smart Cities (9 new opportunities) — LLM and generative AI incubation in Europe, biomimicry startups globally, EU space data commercialization, Wellcome early-career awards for researchers in LMICs, UK, and Ireland, and bilateral STEM research fellowships for women in India and Germany.

This post is for paid subscribers only, but the monthly round-up will always remain free. I also regularly share updates on my LinkedIn.

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Latest Funding Opportunities:

Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact

Annual Award for Development 2026 (Call for Nominations), The OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund). *New!* *Closing soon!*

The OPEC Fund is calling for nominations for its flagship Annual Award for Development, revamped to spotlight initiatives that deliver tangible, scalable, and lasting solutions in partner countries amid heightened climate, economic, and social pressures. The funder’s selection logic emphasizes strategic alignment with OPEC Fund priorities and the SDGs, backed by measurable evidence of impact, replicability, and sustainability across financial, institutional, and environmental dimensions. This award structure is explicitly designed to elevate models that can travel: innovations in technology, business models, or financing approaches, as well as high-impact programs that strengthen resilience and recovery for vulnerable communities. A dedicated Youth Entrepreneurship category signals an added focus on early innovators building cutting-edge solutions in areas such as renewable energy, climate action, and food security.

• Geographies: Global (OPEC Fund partner countries; Youth Entrepreneurship also open to OPEC Fund member countries).

• Who can apply: Nominated organizations or entrepreneurs; nominations submitted by an individual or institution with direct knowledge of the nominee’s work.

• Funding amount: Transformational Impact: USD $450,000; Innovation for Development: USD $250,000; Youth Entrepreneurship: USD $100,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: climate action, energy transition, food security, rural development, youth entrepreneurship, innovation for development.

• Deadline: March 23, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a credibility-and-scale award, nominations that pair hard outcome evidence with a clear replication pathway tend to align best with the funder’s evaluation criteria.

Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) - Open calls, Global Affairs Canada. *New!*

Canada’s CFLI is a small-grants mechanism run through Canadian embassies and high commissions to fund locally led, implementation-ready projects that can demonstrate measurable results under Canada’s international assistance priorities. The fund’s logic is catalytic: it favors tightly scoped initiatives that translate a clear problem statement into a practical activity plan, credible local delivery capacity, and outcomes that can be communicated cleanly to mission decision-makers. While each country program sets its own thematic emphasis and grant-size norms, most calls prioritize combinations of inclusive governance, peace and security, gender equality, human dignity, growth that works for everyone, and environment and climate action, with selection typically made by an embassy-led committee. The most reliable workflow is: pick the mission page for your country, confirm thematic fit, and submit using the mission’s required template and channel (often email), by the mission’s time-zone deadline.

• Geographies: Côte d’Ivoire, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Federated States of Micronesia, Honduras, Liberia, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Thailand, Türkiye, Vanuatu, Vietnam.

• Who can apply: Local nonprofits/NGOs and academic institutions; eligible local government institutions or agencies implementing locally focused projects.

• Funding amount: Grants range CAD $15,000-49,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Community Development; Focus areas: inclusive governance, peace and security, gender equality, human dignity, environment and climate action.

• Deadline: Côte d’Ivoire (March 27, 2026), Costa Rica (March 27, 2026), Dominican Republic (April 13, 2026), Federated States of Micronesia (March 25, 2026), Honduras (March 27, 2026), Liberia (March 27, 2026), Malaysia (April 13, 2026), Marshall Islands (March 25, 2026), Nauru (March 20, 2026), Nicaragua (March 27, 2026), Palau (March 25, 2026), Panama (April 12, 2026), Papua New Guinea (March 20, 2026), Philippines (March 25, 2026), Solomon Islands (March 20, 2026), South Sudan (March 31, 2026), Thailand (April 8, 2026), Türkiye (March 30, 2026), Vanuatu (March 20, 2026), Vietnam (April 7, 2026).

• Learn more and apply here.

ODI Fellowship Scheme 2026-2028, ODI Global. *New!* *Closing soon!*

ODI Global seeks to strengthen public sector decision-making capacity in low- and middle-income countries by embedding early-career economists and statisticians inside host government institutions for two-year, full-time roles. The fellowship’s investment logic is demand-led and systems-oriented: Fellows are placed where technical skills are missing, then work alongside civil servants to build practical tools, models, and analytical routines that fit real institutional constraints and can be sustained after the placement. ODI emphasizes applied impact over academic outputs, prioritizing candidates who can translate complex economic and statistical work into usable advice for non-specialists, and who can operate with resilience and political acumen in resource-constrained environments. The structure also reinforces mutual benefit: host institutions gain tailored analytical support, while Fellows gain an immersive public sector experience that positions them for long-term careers across government, multilateral institutions, and development finance.

• Geographies: Global (placements across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Western Balkans).

• Who can apply: Individuals of any nationality with a master’s degree or PhD in economics, statistics, or a related field.

• Funding amount: Total compensation (net of tax) approximately £32,600 (Year 1) and £34,600 (Year 2), inclusive of housing allowance.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education & Capacity Building; Focus areas: economic policy analysis, statistics and data systems, macroeconomic modeling, domestic resource mobilization, public financial management.

• Deadline: March 31, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a capacity transfer model, so the strongest applications clearly show how your technical skills will become adoptable routines inside government systems.

All Good Ventures 12-Month Program (Annual Application Round), All Good Ventures. *New!*

All Good Ventures seeks to catalyze people-centered social enterprises that can build financially sustainable business models while directing profits toward reducing extreme hardship. Its investment logic is founder-first and execution-oriented: the program pairs an upfront seed grant with a structured year of mentoring and practical expert support so early-stage teams can clarify strategy, strengthen planning and budgeting, and close capability gaps that commonly stall pre-seed ventures. The funder is explicit about fit: it is backing businesses (not nonprofits) that prioritize tangible benefits for marginalized people and can demonstrate a credible pathway to revenue sustainability rather than long-term dependence on grants or donations. Selection is also designed to surface authenticity and readiness, emphasizing founder commitment, clarity of purpose, and the ability to participate fully in an English-language, online support model.

• Geographies: Global (administered from New Zealand).

• Who can apply: Early-stage social enterprises (pre-seed, seed, or early stage) with founders able to commit to the full program; people-centric ventures only.

• Funding amount: NZD $5,000 to $20,000 (one-off seed funding grant).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Inclusion & Livelihoods; Focus areas: entrepreneurship, social enterprise, seed funding, business mentoring, poverty reduction.

• Deadline: March 31, 2026 (23:59 NZT).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is designed as a launch-and-validate pathway, so the strongest fit is a venture that can turn seed capital plus mentoring into a clear, testable route to sustainable revenue and measurable benefits for people in need.

AstraZeneca Young Health Programme Impact Fellowship 2026, One Young World. *New!*

AstraZeneca’s Young Health Programme, delivered through One Young World, seeks to scale youth-led solutions that improve health outcomes by investing in leaders who can turn community insight into measurable action. The fellowship is structured as a combined leadership platform and implementation catalyst: it funds a defined project window while embedding Fellows in a global convening and learning network intended to accelerate execution, visibility, and partnerships. The funder framing centers on earlier intervention and systems leverage, prioritizing work that advances health equity (including prevention of non-communicable diseases among young people), strengthens health systems resilience, or addresses the intersection of climate, nature, and youth health. Selection implicitly rewards organizations that are funding-ready and able to translate a clear theory of change into credible delivery and reporting.

• Geographies: Global; Summit in Cape Town, South Africa.

• Who can apply: Individuals aged 18-30 who lead a registered nonprofit organization (registered and operational for at least 3 full years).

• Funding amount: USD $10,000 (Fellow grant); USD $50,000 (if selected as Lead2030 SDG 3 winner).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: health equity, NCD prevention, youth health, climate and health, health systems resilience, rare diseases.

• Deadline: April 12, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is designed to convert youth leadership into implementable, reportable outcomes, so feasibility and evidence of adoption pathways matter as much as ambition.

Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grants, Burroughs Wellcome Fund. *New!*

BWF seeks to accelerate practical, cross-disciplinary collaborations that can change how climate risk is understood, communicated, and addressed within human health and health systems. The funder’s logic is explicitly catalytic: small, fast seed awards are meant to bring together partners who do not typically work together, produce new shared frameworks or prototypes, and create credible pathways for follow-on work that can influence research agendas, care delivery, and public understanding. BWF prioritizes proposals that do more than restate climate harms, instead integrating climate-scale thinking with biomedical, public health, and systems perspectives, including work that reduces the climate footprint of health-centered activities and strengthens readiness for extreme weather and crisis disruptions. Competitive proposals will show why the collaboration is genuinely new, why the activity could not happen without this support, and how outputs will be used beyond the project year.

• Geographies: United States, Canada.

• Who can apply: Non-profit organizations or degree-granting institutions in the United States or Canada.

• Funding amount: USD $2,500–$50,000 (Total pool: USD $1,000,000 for Fall 2023 to Summer 2026).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: climate and health partnerships, climate communication, sustainable healthcare systems, extreme weather preparedness.

• Deadline: April 23, 2026 (3:00 PM EST); July 23, 2026 (3:00 PM EST).

• Learn more and apply here.

BWF is using small grants as a systems lever, so the strongest concepts will make the partnership mechanism and evidence uptake pathway as clear as the topic itself.

Africa’s Business Heroes Prize Competition 2026, Jack Ma Foundation. *New!*

Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) seeks to identify and scale proven African entrepreneurs who are building commercially viable businesses with measurable community impact. The funder’s logic is growth-and-visibility: ABH pairs substantial non-dilutive awards with high-production storytelling, media reach, and lifetime access to a curated entrepreneur network to accelerate credibility, partnerships, and future capital access. The 2026 design signals a strong traction threshold, prioritizing businesses with at least three years of revenue and demonstrated market pull, then applying a structured, multi-stage assessment that expands early-stage recognition (Top 100) before narrowing through interviews, third-party due diligence, and live pitching. Strong candidates will show defensible unit economics, clear impact pathways, and a founder narrative that connects business performance to durable outcomes across African markets.

• Geographies: Africa (all African countries).

• Who can apply: African founders or co-founders with Africa-headquartered businesses operating primarily in Africa and at least three years of revenue.

• Funding amount: Total pool: USD $1.5 million; Winner: USD $300,000; 1st runner-up: USD $250,000; 2nd runner-up: USD $150,000; 7 finalists: USD $100,000 each.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Inclusion & Livelihoods; Focus areas: entrepreneurship, SME scaling, startup growth, pitch competition, founder leadership.

• Deadline: April 28, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

ABH is structured to reward both traction and storytelling, so the clearest fit is a founder who can evidence market pull and explain why their growth advances inclusive prosperity.

VentureWell E-Team Program (Pioneer + Propel), VentureWell. *New!*

VentureWell’s E-Team Program seeks to move student-built, science and engineering innovations from invention toward real-world adoption by pairing non-dilutive capital with structured commercialization training. The funder’s logic is milestone-driven: teams start with Pioneer to sharpen value propositions and validate the right market, then advance to Propel for deeper business model development, coaching, and hypothesis testing. By requiring strong institutional sponsorship and hands-on participation, the program targets ventures that are both technically differentiated and ready to execute customer discovery and early go-to-market learning. VentureWell also frames this as impact entrepreneurship, prioritizing technologies that can scale to address major social, health, or environmental challenges rather than incremental product ideas.

• Geographies: North America; United States; Geographic scope not defined.

• Who can apply: Student-led teams (2+ enrolled students) with a Principal Investigator and institutional support.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $25,000 total (Pioneer: USD $5,000; Propel: up to USD $20,000).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: student ventures, STEM innovation, commercialization, entrepreneurship training, non-dilutive funding.

• Deadline: April 28, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a commercialization readiness pathway, so proposals that clearly connect technical differentiation to a testable market learning plan tend to align best with VentureWell’s selection logic.

Con Edison Strategic Partnerships Grants, Con Edison. *New!*

Con Edison’s Strategic Partnerships grantmaking is designed to strengthen local resilience and equity across its service territory by backing community-rooted organizations that can convert climate and energy transition priorities into measurable, neighborhood-level outcomes. The funder’s priorities concentrate on three outcome lanes: reducing risk from extreme weather through adaptation and mitigation, advancing justice-based approaches that build community resilience for disadvantaged or marginalized communities, and expanding pathways into clean energy and technology careers through skills training, career exploration, and employer-aligned ecosystems. The structure is deliberately screened: organizations must first submit a concise concept paper to demonstrate fit, with full applications only by invitation, signaling that alignment to focus areas and credible measurable outcomes drive selection. Concepts that clearly link community input, strong leadership, and practical delivery plans to one focal priority will match the funder’s intent best.

• Geographies: United States (New York City and Westchester County).

• Who can apply: Eligible 501(c)(3) community-based organizations, educational institutions, or coalitions in Con Edison’s service territory.

• Funding amount: Grants typically range USD $25,000 - $150,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: climate adaptation, climate mitigation, environmental justice, community resilience, clean energy careers.

• Deadline: Concept Paper: April 30, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This program rewards projects that treat resilience as both climate readiness and equity, with a clear plan for who benefits and how progress will be measured.

10th Anniversary Global Challenge (10 for 10 Challenge), MIT Solve. New!

MIT Solve’s 10th Anniversary Global Challenge seeks 10 exceptional, tech-enabled solutions that are already demonstrating real-world results and can credibly scale with durability, broad adoption, and responsible economics. Rather than narrowing to a single theme, the challenge is positioned as a decade-shaping portfolio that prioritizes innovations addressing fast-moving pressures such as climate disruption, declining trust, and widening inequities, while maintaining a strong human-centered design standard. Solve’s selection logic signals a readiness bar: applicants must show a stable solution with early traction, clear unit economics or delivery costs, and a practical plan to expand reach through markets, policy, procurement, or platform distribution. Winners are designed to benefit from both capital and leverage, with a high-visibility stage at Solve Challenge Finals during UN General Assembly and NY Climate Week, and sustained access to Solve’s partner ecosystem to accelerate adoption and follow-on support.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individuals, teams, and organizations worldwide with technology-based solutions that are scaling or scale-ready.

• Funding amount: At least USD $100,000 unrestricted per winner (10 winners).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: responsible scaling, climate adaptation, financial inclusion and livelihoods, health systems, learning outcomes, Indigenous sovereignty.

• Deadline: May 21, 2026 (12:00 pm EDT).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is built to reward solutions that can prove both impact and a responsible pathway to scale, so clarity on traction, delivery economics, and the next-step growth mechanism is central to fit.

OnAfrica Angel Syndicate: Apply for Investment, OnAfrica. *New!*

OnAfrica is sourcing early-stage, Africa-focused technology deals through a lightweight intake process designed to surface founder-market fit, traction signals, and investability quickly. The syndicate’s investment logic is founder-and-market anchored: it prioritizes startups led by Africa-based or diaspora founders, or teams building directly for African markets, and it positions its value beyond capital through connections, community access, and strategic support. The application fields indicate a screening lens that favors clarity of market focus and evidence of momentum, including recurring revenue and growth rate, alongside a ready-to-share investor deck. Founders coming through top accelerators may be advantaged, but the call signals flexibility for exceptional companies, suggesting that a crisp narrative on why this team can win in an African context will matter as much as pedigree.

• Geographies: Africa; Global (Africa-based founders, diaspora, and or building for African markets).

• Who can apply: Africa-focused tech startups (Africa-based founders, African diaspora founders, and or building for the African market).

• Funding amount: USD $50,000-$400,000 (typical check size).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: early-stage investment, pre-seed, seed funding, Africa-focused tech startups.

• Deadline: Deadline not specified.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a traction-screening intake, so the strongest submissions will make the Africa market wedge and growth narrative unmistakable in the deck and metrics.

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Global Health & WASH

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Hello Everyone!

The March grant cycle is coming strong with 360+ active signals, including 120+ high-leverage new listings!

This month, we are seeing a decisive move toward “Implementation Readiness” and the professionalization of the impact economy. Across the board, from the $1.15B peak to the smallest pilot, donors are no longer just buying projects; they are resourcing the “plumbing”, the legal de-risking, technical templates, and digital protocols, needed to make impact permanent.

Whether it is through bankable green pipelines in Africa, AI-literacy as a human right, or recovery governance in Ukraine, this month’s portfolio is about building the systems that survive long after the grant ends. Success in March requires a “Structural Continuity” lens—donors are looking for partners who don’t just deliver a service, but who fundamentally secure the architecture of the sectors in which they operate.

You can find all the opportunities, including upcoming, rolling and long-term planning opportunities, in the sector-specific pages* —perfect for planning your long term fundraising strategy.

In this edition, you’ll find opportunities in:

• Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact (72 opportunities, 17 new). Moving toward “market-enabled statecraft” by resourcing the deployment platforms and IP strategies that reduce friction for catalytic capital.

• Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food (95 opportunities, 44 new). Shifting from concepts to “infrastructure-grade” scalability, with a heavy focus on bankable de-risking and landscape-scale nature-based solutions.

• Gender and Women’s Empowerment (32 opportunities, 8 new). Transitioning from social representation to “Institutional Agency,” resourcing the financial and industrial infrastructure women need to lead future-facing industries.

• Global Health & WASH (66 opportunities, 18 new). A focus on “Systemic Readiness,” prioritizing last-mile supply chain plumbing and care-pathway optimization over pure clinical discovery.

• Education, Human Rights & Inclusion (36 opportunities, 20 new). Re-indexing rights as “Future-Proofing,” with a decisive push toward AI-literacy as a core human right and vocational upgrades for a digital economy.

• Humanitarian Aid, Emergency Programming & DRR (29 opportunities, 12 new). Prioritizing “Recovery Governance” and institutional maturity in conflict zones, resourcing the municipal frameworks and hospital management hubs needed for long-term stability.

• Innovation, Research & Smart Cities (35 opportunities, 7 new). Anchoring urban digital transformation in “Strategic Sovereignty” through secure digital backbones and bilateral commercialization pilots.

*The sector -specific pages are for paid subscribers, this helps support the time and effort it takes to curate and organize these opportunities. However, the monthly roundup of top opportunities will always remain free and accessible to all. This month we are happy to share with you 40+ selected opportunities.

Not yet a paid subscriber? Unlock full access with a free 14-day trial and explore 300+ funding opportunities and resources to help you on your fundraising journey!

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Selected Opportunities

Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact

BKCF 6th Call for Proposals, BIMP-EAGA-ROK Cooperation Fund (BKCF). *New!*

BKCF seeks project proposals that advance green growth and inclusive development across the BIMP-EAGA subregion by funding practical, multi-stakeholder initiatives that can be implemented and scaled within regional systems. The funder frames its priorities around four linked pathways: strengthening environmental management through clean technology and climate action, improving regional connectivity through low-carbon transport and digital transformation, building climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries to protect food security and rural livelihoods, and enabling greener tourism models that generate sustainable community income. The program’s investment logic emphasizes regional cooperation and demonstrable development value, with GGGI providing technical review and oversight while approvals are anchored in both the Republic of Korea and BIMP-EAGA governance structures. Strong proposals should show a credible delivery plan, cross-border relevance where appropriate, and clear outcomes that align with the Vision 2025 framing of resilient, inclusive, sustainable growth.

• Geographies: Asia, Southeast Asia (BIMP-EAGA).

• Who can apply: Institutions or organizations physically based in BIMP countries and the Republic of Korea; individuals are not eligible.

• Funding amount: One-year USD 100,000 to 500,000; two-year USD 200,000 to 500,000; multiple-country maximum USD 250,000 per country.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: clean technology, climate change mitigation and adaptation, low-carbon transport, digital transformation, climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries, green eco-tourism.

• Deadline: March 27, 2026 (6:00 PM KST).

• Learn more and apply here.

BKCF is positioned as catalytic regional capital, using project grants to translate cooperation priorities into implementation-ready solutions across connected landscapes and markets.

develoPPP Classic Project funding for companies, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). *New!*

BMZ’s develoPPP Classic uses co-funding to catalyze private sector investments that generate both commercial value and measurable development benefits in developing and emerging countries. The program is designed to finance the development-relevant components of a company’s market expansion, especially where early-stage risk or coordination barriers slow adoption of better practices. BMZ’s investment logic favors projects that translate business growth into local gains such as skilled workforce development, stronger environmental and social standards, and more sustainable supply chains, while also supporting pilots of innovative technologies and demonstration approaches that can be replicated. Funding decisions are made through competitive idea competitions, with implementation supported by partner institutions that provide practical guidance and in-country networks, reinforcing a results and uptake orientation rather than stand-alone corporate responsibility activities.

• Geographies: Global (eligible in over 60 developing and emerging countries).

• Who can apply: Established companies based in the EU, EFTA, or OECD-DAC countries that meet minimum staffing, turnover, and audited financial requirements.

• Funding amount: EUR 100,000 to 2 million euros in project funding, with up to 50% public co-funding.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Inclusion & Livelihoods; Focus areas: sustainable supply chains, workforce training, sustainability standards, technology pilots

• Deadline: March 31, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is de-risking for development impact, using co-investment to move private sector improvements from intention to implementation at scale.

Tällberg SNF Eliasson Global Leadership Prize 2026, Tällberg Foundation.

The Tällberg Foundation seeks to elevate leaders who can navigate today’s complexity with ethics, courage, and a genuinely global perspective. This prize is designed as a recognition and acceleration mechanism for individuals whose work cuts across sectors and borders, and whose leadership produces measurable impact on problems that demand more than technical fixes. The nomination model broadens the pipeline by allowing anyone to put forward a candidate, while the multi-stage review and jury process signals an emphasis on rigor, credibility, and real-world outcomes. Beyond the cash award, the invitation into Tällberg’s global leadership network is part of the value proposition, positioning laureates for continued collaboration and influence after selection.

Geographies: Global.
Who can apply: Individuals in any field and any country may be nominated; anyone may nominate except prize jurors and nominees.
Funding amount: USD $50,000 (per laureate); 3 awards.
Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Governance, Democracy & Justice; Focus areas: civic engagement, accountability, values-based leadership, global governance
Deadline: March 31, 2026 (midnight HST, GMT -10).
Learn more and apply here.

By pairing recognition with a curated network, the prize is designed to convert individual moral courage into sustained influence across systems and institutions.

Climate Impacts Awards: Unlocking urgent climate action by making the health effects of climate change visible (2026), Wellcome.

Wellcome seeks to accelerate near-term climate policy action by funding large, transdisciplinary projects that make the health impacts of climate change visible and politically actionable. The scheme is designed around an evidence-to-policy logic: teams must identify a specific, decision-relevant gap on climate-related physical or mental health outcomes, quantify or interpret associated economic implications, and pair this with a targeted influencing and engagement strategy aimed at a real policy opportunity within the award timeframe. Wellcome emphasizes engaged research, expecting meaningful involvement of decision-makers and communities affected by climate change throughout project design and delivery.

• Geographies: Global (excluding mainland China).

• Who can apply: Mid-career and established researchers leading transdisciplinary teams hosted by an eligible not-for-profit administering organization; coapplicants required.

• Funding amount: Up to GBP £2.5 million per award, they expect to make 10-15 awards.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: climate change and health, policy influence, engaged research, economic impacts of health, evidence synthesis.

• Deadline: April 8, 2026 (15:00 BST).

• Learn more and apply here.

The strongest proposals will treat policy uptake as a core deliverable, with evidence, economics, and engagement tightly integrated around a specific decision window.

10th Anniversary Global Challenge, MIT Solve. **New!** *Launching March 16*

MIT Solve’s 10th Anniversary Global Challenge seeks to spotlight and accelerate ten standout solutions that are ready for a meaningful next chapter of scale. Rather than centering a single theme area, the funder framing emphasizes durability, broad adoption, and responsible scaling in a context shaped by climate disruption, weakened trust, and fast-moving AI capabilities. The structure is designed around Solve Challenge Finals in New York City, where selected teams will be recognized on stage and connected to Solve’s funder and partner ecosystem, signaling that the value proposition is both capital and curated access. With key dates published in advance and prize amounts to be announced later, this opportunity is best read as a flagship platform play: elevate a small cohort, concentrate visibility, and mobilize a network to accelerate real-world uptake.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: TBA. Typically accept solutions that are for-profit, non-profit, or hybrid models.

• Funding amount: TBA. Typically ranges USD $10,000 - $ 200,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: AI, digital health, open data, innovation hubs.

• Deadline: Applications open: March 16, 2026; Applications close: May 21, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

Solve is using its anniversary to concentrate attention and network-backed support on solutions positioned for responsible scale.

Zendesk Tech for Good Impact Awards 2026, Zendesk Foundation. *New!*

Zendesk Foundation’s Impact Awards seek to help nonprofits scale high-volume, high-stakes support services by pairing cash awards with donated Zendesk software. The funder’s investment logic focuses on service delivery capacity: strengthening how organizations respond to requests, coordinate teams, and support beneficiaries, particularly in moments of crisis or in programs that build community connection and resilience. A third priority area targets economic mobility by backing organizations that create career pathways into tech, including workforce development tied to customer experience roles.

• Geographies: Global (with country exclusions listed in eligibility requirements).

• Who can apply: Registered nonprofit organizations (including U.S. 501(c)(3) public charities and foreign charitable organizations) applying in English via the online application form with proof of nonprofit status.

• Funding amount: USD $5,000 - $50,000 per organization; free Zendesk software donation.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: nonprofit technology, service delivery platforms, crisis response, workforce development.

• Deadline: July 15, 2026 (11:59 pm ET).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a service-infrastructure play that treats better support operations as a force multiplier for frontline programs and beneficiary outcomes.

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Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food

CORDAP Coral Local Innovation Program (CLIP) 2026, CORDAP.

CORDAP seeks to accelerate locally led innovation for coral conservation and restoration by funding research and development that can move beyond pilots toward scalable, affordable solutions in developing-country contexts. The program’s investment logic combines technical ambition with capacity-building intent: proposals should advance new knowledge, tools, or approaches while strengthening the ability of local teams and institutions to sustain coral research over time. CLIP is structured for early to proof-of-concept work, and it prioritizes projects that can clearly articulate novelty, feasibility, and an impact pathway that translates research outputs into conservation or restoration outcomes.

• Geographies: Global (OECD-classified LMICs only).

• Who can apply: LMIC-based organizations, including nonprofits, for-profits, higher education institutions, research institutes, industry, and government organizations.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $100,000 per project; Total pool approximately USD $1.5 million.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: coral conservation, coral restoration, affordable solutions, R&D capacity development.

• Deadline: March 10, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

CLIP is designed to keep innovation anchored locally, rewarding proposals that pair scientific originality with a credible route to adoption and replication.

Scaling Investable Solutions for Water and Ocean Resilience, SDG Impact Finance Initiative (SIFI). *New!*

SIFI’s Investment Window deploys first-loss equity to de-risk impact investment funds that can mobilize private capital for climate adaptation where commercial finance underinvests. This fourth call targets water and ocean resilience, seeking fund strategies that strengthen water security and marine ecosystem health while protecting community livelihoods and reducing exposure to climate shocks. SIFI is looking for commercially viable, market-driven vehicles with a clear pipeline, robust impact thesis, and a credible fundraising plan, including how junior capital changes the risk-return profile and unlocks additional investors. Proposals are expected to align to SDG outcomes and show additionality through innovative structures, disciplined impact measurement, and strong execution capacity. The geographic lens is anchored in OECD-DAC ODA-eligible countries, with encouragement for Asia and the Pacific and locally embedded fund management teams.

• Geographies: Global (OECD-DAC ODA-eligible countries; Asia and the Pacific focus encouraged).

• Who can apply: Legally established impact fund managers proposing eligible investment funds meeting minimum criteria (AuM, fund size, asset class, GP commitment, ESG standards).

• Funding amount: Up to CHF 7,250,000 total pool across up to 3 awardees (first-loss equity).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: water security and resource efficiency, sustainable aquaculture, nature-based coastal protection, ocean data and monitoring, climate risk finance.

• Deadline: March 12, 2026 (12:00 noon Switzerland time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a catalytic-capital strategy aimed at shifting water and ocean adaptation into investable, scalable financing vehicles by improving risk allocation and mobilizing private investors.

Climate Smart Communities Initiative Grants – 2026 Cycle, Climate Smart Communities Initiative.

The Climate Smart Communities Initiative Grants program supports community-driven climate resilience in the United States by funding collaborative project teams that include a climate adaptation practitioner, a community-based organization, and a local or regional government partner. Designed to help smaller and midsize U.S. communities facing significant environmental and socioeconomic climate vulnerabilities, the initiative combines competitive grant awards with tailored training, technical assistance, and cohort learning to accelerate locally relevant resilience planning and implementation. Funding decisions are guided by criteria emphasizing equity, nature-based solutions where appropriate, measurable community readiness, and long-term capacity building. Beyond financial support, awardees join a broader learning and evaluation network that aims to share best practices and strengthen national climate adaptation expertise.

• Geographies: United States.

• Who can apply: Cross-sector teams composed of a climate adaptation practitioner (from the Registry of Adaptation Practitioners), a community-based organization, and a local/regional or Tribal government.

• Funding amount: USD $75,000–$115,000 per award; total program budget expected at ~$1.5M–$2M.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate Resilience; Focus areas: community planning, adaptation, equitable resilience building.

• Deadline: March 12, 2026 (8:00 PM Eastern Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This grant cycle reflects CSCI’s strategy of strengthening climate resilience through locally led, equity-centered partnerships that blend planning, technical support, and knowledge exchange to help communities translate vulnerability insights into durable adaptation action.

15th E-ASIA Joint Research Program Call: Sustainable Agriculture, E-ASIA Joint Research Program.

The 15th E-ASIA Joint Research Program call invites multinational research consortia to advance sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural systems across East Asia and partner regions. The program is designed to align national research investments around shared priorities, supporting collaborative projects that apply science, technology, and innovation to challenges such as climate stress, productivity, soil health, and food security. E-ASIA emphasizes scientific rigor, complementary expertise across countries, and practical pathways to adoption by farmers, agri-food systems, and policymakers. Funding is administered nationally, with each participating country supporting its own research teams under harmonized objectives and timelines. This structure encourages equitable collaboration while ensuring national relevance. By requiring multi-country consortia and coordinated implementation, the call seeks to generate regionally transferable knowledge and solutions that strengthen agricultural resilience in the face of environmental and economic change.

• Geographies: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania (participating E-ASIA countries).

• Who can apply: Transnational research consortia with eligible partners from at least three participating E-ASIA member countries.

• Funding amount: Country-specific caps apply; examples include PHP 15,000,000 total for two projects (Philippines) and up to CNY 2,000,000 per project (China).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Agriculture & Food Systems; Focus areas: climate-smart agriculture, soil health, crop productivity, digital agriculture

• Deadline: March 18, 2026 (5:00 pm JST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call reflects E-ASIA’s strategy of coordinating national funding to deliver collaborative agricultural research with regional relevance and long-term resilience impact.

Elisabeth & Amélie Fund – Access to Water, King Baudouin Foundation.

This call targets Belgian organizations partnering with local actors to deliver integrated water‑management solutions in family‑farming settings across Africa, Latin America and Asia. The funder emphasizes holistic approaches: supporting access and quality of water, protecting resources, improving efficiency, reducing contamination, and strengthening governance and stakeholder coordination. The 2025/26 cycle focuses specifically on agroecology and resilience to climate change- recognizing that safe water underpins both livelihoods and food systems. Projects should engage multiple stakeholders, promote equitable responsibilities within family units and communities, and include awareness‑raising on water, hygiene and environment.

• Geographies: Africa, Latin America & Caribbean, Asia (eligible partner countries via Belgian applicant).

• Who can apply: Belgian organizations working with local partners and involving them in every phase of the project.

• Funding amount: Up to approximately €50,000 per project.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Water & Sanitation; Focus areas: water availability, resource protection, efficient use, stakeholder coordination, agroecology, family‑farm water management.

• Deadline: March 19, 2026 (11:59 p.m. CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

While the opportunity must include a Belgian lead partner- this opportunity prioritizes local partnerships and integrated water‑and‑agriculture interventions, supporting resilient rural systems where water and farming are interdependent.

Support for enterprise development in renewable energy in developing countries 2026 (Stage 1), Norad (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation). *New!*

Norad seeks to accelerate renewable energy investment in developing countries by funding the risk-heavy work that happens before capital commits. The program’s logic is investment enablement: support credible developers to move projects toward a final investment decision by financing high-leverage pre-investment inputs such as project development studies, catalytic enabling infrastructure tied to grid connection, and in some cases support that reduces the cost of securing long-term debt financing. This is not a general climate grant. It is structured to strengthen private sector delivery capacity and unlock bankable pipelines that can expand generation and access in contexts where commercial risk and early-stage uncertainty slow deployment. Because funding is reimbursement-based and covers only part of total costs, the strongest applicants will show robust financial capacity, clear ownership of the underlying project, and a disciplined plan that links each funded activity to a decision point that unlocks investment.

• Geographies: Developing countries that qualify under ODA eligibility (as defined by the scheme).

• Who can apply: Private or commercial companies with a significant stake in the main project; Norwegian and international applicants may apply if they meet the call criteria.

• Funding amount: Funding amount not found.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Renewable Energy; Focus areas: project development studies, grid connection enabling infrastructure, guarantee premium support, energy access expansion, risk mitigation prior to investment.

• Deadline: March 24, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call rewards applicants who can prove that the grant buys down specific risks that block investment, and that the remaining financing path is realistic and already moving.

Enhancing the Flavor of Plant-based and Fermentation-derived Proteins, Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR). *New!*

FFAR, in partnership with the Good Food Institute, seeks to remove one of the most persistent barriers to adoption in alternative proteins: flavor. This RFA backs pre-competitive research that can reduce off-flavors, improve desirable taste and aroma, and increase consistency across plant-based and fermentation-derived protein ingredients used in center-of-plate applications. The funder’s investment logic is translational: proposals should connect rigorous ingredient or formulation innovation to measurable sensory gains and a credible pathway to adoption by manufacturers and the broader food system. Strong applications will show scientific novelty, practical relevance to the U.S. food and agriculture landscape, and an approach that is robust, transparent, and reproducible, ideally supported by cross-sector collaborations that accelerate real-world uptake.

• Geographies: Global (U.S. food and agriculture relevance required).

• Who can apply: Nonprofit institutions of higher education (domestic or international) applying through their institution.

• Funding amount: USD $400,000–500,000 per project.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Agriculture & Food Systems; Focus areas: flavor optimization, off-flavor reduction, ingredient design, formulation strategies, predictive modeling.

• Deadline: March 25, 2026 (5:00 PM EDT).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is designed to turn better-tasting protein ingredients into scalable market adoption by funding research that is both scientifically rigorous and deployment-oriented.

FONTAGRO Call for Proposals 2026, FONTAGRO.

This call advances FONTAGRO’s 2025–2030 strategy to transform agri-food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean through regional cooperation, science, and innovation. The fund supports collaborative R&D&I projects that can demonstrably increase productivity and profitability while reducing environmental footprint, with strong emphasis on adoption and scaling. Priority is given to projects aligned with FONTAGRO’s flagship programs, including climate-resilient crop systems, sustainable livestock, digital agriculture, biodiversity-based food systems, and new models of extension and technology transfer. The funder’s logic centers on generating regional public goods: consortia must integrate public research institutions, producer organizations, and—where relevant—private-sector partners to ensure on-the-ground validation and uptake. By requiring substantial counterpart contributions and regional implementation, FONTAGRO aims to leverage its resources to catalyze durable innovation ecosystems that translate research into measurable system-level impact.

• Geographies: Latin America and the Caribbean (FONTAGRO member countries).

• Who can apply: Regional R&D&I consortia with organizations from at least two FONTAGRO member countries, including at least one public research institution.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $250,000 per project; total call budget USD $1.25 million.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Agriculture & Food Systems; Focus areas: climate-smart agriculture, digital agriculture, regenerative practices, livestock efficiency

• Deadline: March 30, 2026 (3:00 pm ET).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call reflects FONTAGRO’s deliberate shift toward fewer, larger, and more scalable regional projects designed to deliver public goods and long-term transformation of agri-food systems.

Caribbean BluEFin First Call for Proposals (BluEFin CFP01), Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF). *New!*

CBF, through the Caribbean BluEFin project, seeks blue economy initiatives that deliver measurable marine and coastal conservation outcomes while building financing approaches that can last beyond short-term grants. The funder is looking for proposals that connect three elements in a disciplined way: an economic activity rooted in coastal and marine systems, a clear conservation result (protection, improved management, or sustainable use), and a financing mechanism that strengthens long-term viability and leverage. Priority pathways include blue carbon and other nature-based solutions with private sector engagement, value chain strengthening in fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal or marine tourism, circular economy approaches that reduce marine pollution, and innovative blue finance tools such as blended finance, revolving funds, or performance-based incentives. The strongest proposals will show credible potential for replication or scaling across the region, and a clear plan for mobilizing additional public or private financing as a result of this grant.

• Geographies: The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

• Who can apply: Legally registered entities in eligible countries, including NGOs, CSOs/CBOs, conservation trust funds, academia and research institutes, private sector entities, cooperatives or social enterprises; consortia allowed with one lead entity.

• Funding amount: USD $200,000–$250,000 per project.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Biodiversity Conservation; Focus areas: blue carbon and nature-based solutions, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, coastal and marine tourism, circular economy for marine pollution reduction, innovative blue finance mechanisms, public-private partnerships.

• Deadline: March 31, 2026 (11:59 PM AST/UTC-4).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call rewards proposals that treat finance as part of the conservation intervention, with a believable path from grant support to durable revenue or investment flows.

Young Champions of the Earth 2026, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). *New!*

UNEP seeks youth-led solutions that directly respond to the triple planetary crisis, with nominations emphasizing real-world traction and the potential to scale across communities and markets. The program is designed as more than recognition: it combines expert review, mentorship, and a platform for public storytelling to help validate solutions and accelerate uptake. Selection criteria prioritize the “3 Ps” (planet, people, prosperity), demonstrated commitment and feasibility, and the ability to translate an idea into an investable, low-risk pathway. Shortlisted champions are expected to build visibility through structured communications outputs and engage in high-level convenings, including a culminating pitch opportunity supported by Planet A.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individuals aged 18-30 by end of calendar year; at least six months of work on an environmental project; individual applicants (not groups); referee required.

• Funding amount: US$10,000 seed funding per Young Champion; up to US$100,000 Planet A grant for one pitch competition winner.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: climate change, biodiversity and nature loss, pollution and waste, environmental entrepreneurship.

• Deadline: March 31, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The structure signals UNEP’s intent to surface solutions that are both environmentally material and adoption-ready, pairing validation with visibility and pathways to follow-on support.

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Gender Equality & Women Empowerment

WomenINvestEU Matchmaking on Sustainability & Climate Tech, WomenINvestEU. *New!* *Closing soon!*

WomenINvestEU is convening a targeted investor matchmaking session to accelerate early-stage capital pathways for women-led climate and sustainability innovators in the European Union. The event is structured as a pitch plus preparation pipeline: startups apply against clear fit criteria, selected teams receive pitch training and coaching across core investor diligence topics, and then present to a curated network of gender-conscious investors with a track record in backing women founders. The funder framing centers investment readiness and scalability across high-impact domains, including clean and renewable energy, agritech for sustainable food systems, decarbonization technologies, and circular economy and resource efficiency solutions. By pairing structured preparation with investor access and post-event one-to-one meetings, the model aims to reduce friction in deal formation and channel more private capital toward commercially viable solutions that cut environmental impact.

• Geographies: European Union.

• Who can apply: EU-based women-led or woman co-founder startups at seed or Series A stage.

• Funding amount: Matchmaking support.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: clean and renewable energy, agritech, decarbonization solutions, circular economy and resource efficiency, electric transportation, carbon capture, green hydrogen

• Deadline: Applications: March 13, 2026 (23:59 CET); Event: April 22, 2026 (10:30-12:15 CEST)

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a capital-mobilization mechanism that treats coaching, curation, and investor access as the intervention to move climate tech from promise to financed scale.

APEC Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Research Prize 2026, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). *New!* *Closing soon!*

APEC is seeking research that makes the economic case for women’s health, spotlighting evidence that can shift policy and workplace decision-making across the Asia-Pacific. The prize is designed to close persistent gaps in sex-disaggregated data and translate rigorous findings into actionable recommendations that economies and employers can implement. APEC’s selection lens emphasizes relevance to the HWHE pillars, originality of insights, and methodological strength, with clear expectations that submissions move beyond problem description to practical solutions. By recognizing winners alongside senior APEC fora, the program also functions as an uptake mechanism, positioning strong research for visibility among policymakers and business leaders.

• Geographies: APEC member economies across Asia, Oceania, North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

• Who can apply: Individuals or teams from APEC member economies with evidence-based research published on or after January 1, 2024.

• Funding amount: USD $20,000 winner; USD $5,000 each for 2 runners-up.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Gender & Women’s Empowerment; Focus areas: workplace health and safety, health access and awareness, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, work-life balance.

• Deadline: March 19, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This prize backs research that is built to travel, pairing credibility with policy-ready recommendations that can be adopted across multiple economies.

+Natura +Rural: Call for applications for women-led rural enterprises in the Brunca Region, UNDP BIOFIN Costa Rica. *New!* *Closing soon!*

+Natura +Rural is designed to strengthen rural women’s enterprises that convert biodiversity and territorial identity into resilient income, while reinforcing sustainability and responsible use of natural resources. The program’s objective is enterprise consolidation with positive economic, social, and environmental outcomes, combining specialized technical assistance with productive co-investment so businesses can improve how they operate, formalize, access markets, and grow. Support is structured around practical capability building in sustainability guidance, business management, market access, and capacity development, paired with targeted investment in equipment, tools, and strategic inputs that improve productivity and raise the quality of products and services. This first call has an initial CRC 250 million investment and offers two pathways: an Entrepreneur category for early-stage and non-formalized initiatives, and a Scaling/Operational category for more established ventures with some level of formalization.

• Geographies: Costa Rica (Brunca Region).

• Who can apply: Women residing in the Brunca Region leading an enterprise with at least six months of operation in eligible activities (agrotourism, territorial-identity handicrafts, natural cosmetics, natural medicine, textiles with cultural identity).

• Funding amount: Total pool CRC 250 million; up to CRC 4,000,000 (Entrepreneur); up to CRC 7,000,000 (Scaling/Operational).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Sustainable Livelihoods; Focus areas: rural women entrepreneurship, bioeconomy enterprises, sustainability upgrades, business formalization, market access, productivity and quality improvements.

• Deadline: March 19, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call favors applicants who can clearly link technical support and targeted investment to measurable enterprise strengthening and sustainability outcomes in the Brunca territory.

Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Global Award for Women’s Empowerment, Supreme Council for Women, Bahrain / UN Women. *Closing soon!*

The Global Award celebrates exceptional contributions across the public, private, and civil society sectors toward advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality. With no application fees and open globally, it invites individuals and organizations to submit one application (which may contain multiple initiatives) demonstrating impactful, innovative, and inclusive work. Applicants are encouraged to highlight policy influence, sustainable programming, advocacy, or leadership models that foster women’s rights. The award—given every three years—aims not only to recognize achievement but to amplify visibility and drive momentum behind feminist action globally.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individuals; civil society, public or private institutions worldwide.

• Funding amount: USD $100,000 per award (4 total awards by category).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Gender Equality; Focus areas: women’s empowerment, innovation, advocacy, leadership.

• Deadline: March 20, 2026 (11:59 PM NY Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

The award supports global recognition as a lever for scaling feminist impact across borders and sectors.

Preventing gender-based violence and ensuring access to integrated health services for survivors in DRC, European Commission. *New!*

The European Commission is seeking to improve health and well-being in the Democratic Republic of Congo by tackling gender-based violence as both a protection crisis and a public health issue. The call centers on shifting social norms that enable violence, strengthening psychosocial well-being, and increasing informed use of protection and justice mechanisms, while expanding access to integrated, gender-sensitive services that combine GBV response, sexual and reproductive health, and mental health support. The Commission’s logic emphasizes a coordinated continuum of care so survivors can move safely between health, mental health, protection, and justice services through clear referral pathways. Priority actions include community engagement with leaders as change agents, strengthened provider skills and ethics, and system accountability to prevent abuse and uphold dignity and rights.

• Geographies: Democratic Republic of Congo.

• Who can apply: Non-profits.

• Funding amount: Funding amount not found.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: GBV prevention, sexual and reproductive health, mental health and psychosocial support, referral mechanisms, survivor-centered care.

• Deadline: May 22, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is designed to convert fragmented survivor support into a coordinated system that communities can trust and institutions can sustain.

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Global Health & WASH

Call for Proposals: Water and Sanitation Enterprises in Senegal (Making Water Count 2026–2030), Aqua for All. *Closing soon!*

Aqua for All is inviting scalable, impact-driven water and sanitation enterprises in Senegal to apply for support under the new phase of its flagship Making Water Count program (2026–2030). The call targets market-based solutions that can sustainably expand access to safe drinking water and sanitation while mobilizing private capital and strengthening local service delivery ecosystems. Priority is given to enterprises operating across drinking water and sanitation value chains, including household water treatment, fecal sludge management, smart water technologies, and circular economy models. Aqua for All is particularly interested in solutions that integrate climate resilience and gender considerations, and that demonstrate readiness to scale beyond proof-of-concept. Support may include grant funding, technical assistance, or a combination of both, tailored to enterprise needs and growth stage.

• Geographies: Senegal.

• Who can apply: Registered water and sanitation enterprises with at least two years of operations.

• Funding amount: EUR €20,000–400,000 depending on instrument (plus technical assistance).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Water and Sanitation; Focus areas: SME scaling, market-based WASH, climate resilience.

• Deadline: March 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call reflects Aqua for All’s investment logic: using smart, performance-linked grants to unlock private capital and build durable WASH markets led by local enterprises.

15th E-ASIA Joint Research Program Call: Health Research, E-ASIA Joint Research Program. *Closing soon!*

The 15th E-ASIA Joint Research Program call on Health Research invites multinational consortia to address shared health challenges through collaborative, high-quality research across the Asia-Pacific region. The program is designed to align national research investments around common priorities, supporting projects that span biomedical science, clinical research, public health, and health systems innovation. E-ASIA places strong emphasis on scientific rigor, complementary expertise across countries, and research designs that can inform policy, practice, or future scale-up. Funding is administered nationally, with each participating country supporting its own research teams under harmonized objectives and timelines, reinforcing both regional collaboration and national relevance. By requiring multi-country consortia and coordinated implementation, the call seeks to generate evidence and solutions that are transferable across health systems and responsive to emerging regional health needs.

• Geographies: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania (participating E-ASIA countries).

• Who can apply: Transnational research consortia with eligible partners from at least three participating E-ASIA member countries.

• Funding amount: Country-specific caps apply; examples include PHP 15,000,000 total for two projects (Philippines) and up to CNY 2,000,000 per project (China).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: infectious and noncommunicable diseases, diagnostics, health service delivery, digital health.

• Deadline: March 18, 2026 (5:00 pm JST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call reflects E-ASIA’s strategy of coordinating national health research funding to deliver collaborative solutions with regional relevance and long-term system impact.

Female Heart Research Grants – Clinical & Mechanistic Tracks, Novo Nordisk Foundation. *Closing soon!*

Through its Female Heart Research program, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is addressing one of the most persistent gaps in biomedical science: the underrepresentation of women in cardiovascular research and the limited understanding of sex-specific disease mechanisms. The program is intentionally structured across two complementary tracks. The Clinical Research Grants support patient-oriented, epidemiological, and interventional studies that can improve diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular disease in women. In parallel, the Mechanistic Research Grants focus on uncovering the biological, molecular, and physiological pathways that drive sex differences in cardiovascular disease. Together, the tracks reflect a coherent investment logic — linking discovery science with clinical translation to generate evidence that can reshape cardiovascular care for women across the life course. Projects are expected to embed sex-specific hypotheses at their core, rather than treating sex as a secondary variable.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Research institutions with eligible Principal Investigators.

• Funding amount: Up to DKK 10,000,000 per grant (Clinical track); up to DKK 10,000,000 per grant (Mechanistic track).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: women’s cardiovascular health, sex-specific mechanisms, translational research.

• Deadline: March 19, 2026 (2:00 pm Copenhagen time).

• Learn more and apply here – Clinical Research Grants.

• Learn more and apply here – Mechanistic Research Grants.

This dual-track design signals the Foundation’s strategy: advancing women’s cardiovascular health requires simultaneous investment in mechanistic insight and real-world clinical evidence.

INSPIRE – Improving National Supply Chains for MNH Product Access and Resource Effectiveness, Unitaid. *Closing soon!*

Unitaid’s INSPIRE call seeks to transform how national health systems ensure reliable access to maternal and newborn health (MNH) products across low- and middle-income countries by addressing systemic supply-chain barriers that weaken availability, equity, and quality of essential products. Prioritized projects must demonstrate a clear strategy for overcoming constraints in forecasting, procurement, financing, distribution, and last-mile delivery, with measurable improvements in on-shelf availability across multiple countries. The funder’s investment logic emphasizes leadership by strong consortia with in-country expertise, sustained coordination with government partners, and mechanisms for cross-country learning that support scalability and long-term impact. Integrated engagement of civil society and community stakeholders is essential to foster accountability, equity, and responsiveness to local needs. INSPIRE also expects project design to incorporate climate-resilient approaches and build on existing national and regional mechanisms, such as the Supply Chain Leaders Forum, to ensure that interventions contribute to systemic change rather than short-term gains.

• Geographies: Global focus on LMICs; encouraged country set includes Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

• Who can apply: Multi-partner consortia with strong national, regional, cross-country expertise; government partners; civil society; private sector; community organizations.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $25,000,000 (indicative total envelope).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: MNH product supply chains, systemic access barriers, equity in access.

• Deadline: March 20, 2026 (12:00 CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is designed to support focused, measurable improvements in national MNH product access by catalyzing innovative, system-wide interventions that are scalable across contexts and grounded in strong cross-country partnerships.

Accelerating Cervical Cancer Elimination through Secondary Prevention in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, Unitaid.

Unitaid is calling for large-scale, catalytic proposals to accelerate global cervical cancer elimination by transforming access to secondary prevention in low- and middle-income countries. The initiative targets persistent gaps in screening, triage, and treatment of pre-cancerous lesions, with a clear emphasis on overcoming market and delivery barriers that limit uptake at scale. Rather than funding stand-alone pilots, Unitaid seeks interventions capable of reshaping markets — lowering prices, diversifying suppliers, and integrating innovations into national health systems in line with WHO elimination targets. Successful proposals are expected to combine technical innovation with health system integration and sustainable access strategies, delivering population-level impact for women and girls who remain underserved.

• Geographies: Low- and middle-income countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

• Who can apply: Consortia of organizations with implementation, technical, and market-shaping expertise.

• Funding amount: Approximately USD $30 million total across all selected projects.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: cervical cancer secondary prevention, HPV screening, access to diagnostics.

• Deadline: April 9, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call exemplifies Unitaid’s model of using market-shaping investment to convert proven health tools into equitable, large-scale access for women in LMICs.

Healthy Ageing Research Grants (new funding focus), Velux Stiftung. *New!*

Velux Stiftung is repositioning its Healthy Ageing funding toward the conditions that make health easier to sustain in later life, not only the choices individuals make. The foundation’s lens is explicitly context-driven: it seeks research that helps societies design health-enabling environments across homes, communities, and broader social structures so people can maintain functional ability, autonomy, participation, and quality of life as they age. It favors interdisciplinary projects that connect disciplines and generate insights that can be transferred to real stakeholders, with a clear theory of how findings could catalyze change. The updated focus also signals what it is moving away from, as the foundation no longer supports biology-of-ageing work aimed at slowing ageing processes, or biomedical projects centered on diagnosis and therapy development for age-related diseases. This is a fit for research teams that can translate environmental and social determinants into evidence that systems can act on.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: The principal investigator (PI) must be a permanent employee (e.g. professor, group leader).

• Funding amount: Around CHF 50,000–100,000 per year (maximum CHF 100,000 per year) for 1–4 years.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: healthy ageing, functional ability, health-enabling environments, social determinants, interdisciplinary research, knowledge transfer.

• Deadline: April 23, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is effectively asking for evidence that can move upstream, from individual health outcomes to the environmental and social levers that make healthy ageing possible at population scale.

Humanitarian Aid and Emergency Programming

2026 GCSP Prize for Transformative Futures in Peace and Security, Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP). *Closing soon!*

The GCSP Prize for Transformative Futures in Peace and Security rewards innovative and forward-thinking concepts that offer bold approaches to advancing global peace and security. Open to individuals, teams, and organizations worldwide, this award seeks ideas with originality, implementation potential, and systemic impact. The winning concept will receive a fully funded two-month incubation at GCSP’s Creative Spark in Geneva — a unique opportunity to refine and amplify their approach within a global foresight and security innovation hub.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individuals, groups, and organizations (excluding current GCSP staff/fellows and families).

• Funding amount: CHF 15,000 value (in-kind incubation program).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Peacebuilding; Focus areas: foresight, peace innovation, systems thinking.

• Deadline: March 20, 2026 (23:59 UTC+1).

• Learn more and apply here.

GCSP champions radical creativity grounded in systems analysis. Submissions should reflect both visionary thinking and grounded feasibility.

ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2026, International Catalan Institute for Peace (ICIP). *New!*

The ICIP Peace in Progress Award recognizes outstanding initiatives and leadership that advance peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and non-violent action worldwide. Rather than funding project implementation, the award is designed to spotlight individuals, organizations, or institutions whose sustained work has demonstrated tangible contributions to dialogue, reconciliation, social cohesion, and the prevention or resolution of conflict. ICIP positions the prize as both recognition and amplification, elevating peace initiatives that embody ethical commitment, innovation, and long-term impact. Nominations are open globally and may be submitted by third parties or by candidates themselves, reflecting the award’s emphasis on visibility and legitimacy within peace and human rights ecosystems. The €10,000 prize is awarded without spending restrictions, underscoring its role as a recognition and solidarity mechanism rather than a programmatic grant.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Civil society organizations, individuals, institutions, and public bodies.

• Funding amount: Prize of EUR €10,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Peace & Security; Focus areas: peacebuilding, conflict transformation, nonviolence.

• Deadline: April 12, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This award functions as a visibility and legitimacy platform, elevating peace actors whose work strengthens dialogue, justice, and social cohesion across contexts.

ESC-HUMAID-2026-VOLUN: Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, European Commission.

Through the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps, the EU is inviting proposals to deploy young volunteers (ages 18–35) to support humanitarian aid efforts across third countries. These full-time, cross-border placements aim to strengthen disaster preparedness, community resilience, and transitions from humanitarian relief to sustainable development. Projects must adhere to humanitarian principles and “do no harm” guidelines while involving local staff and volunteers.

• Geographies: Global (third countries with humanitarian operations).

• Who can apply: EU-based organizations; volunteers aged 18–35 who are registered in the ESC Portal and have not previously participated.

• Funding amount: Up to EUR €650,000 per project.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Humanitarian Aid; Focus areas: humanitarian volunteering, youth mobilization, resilience.

• Deadline: April 29, 2026 (17:00 CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

Design with dual-impact logic: align volunteer engagement with local capacity-building goals to ensure lasting benefit beyond the service term, especially in fragile or disaster-prone areas.

Education, Human Rights & Inclusion

EdTech Providers: Apply to Join the Learning Cabinet, Learning Cabinet. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Learning Cabinet is inviting EdTech providers to submit a Quick Assessment so their solutions can be independently reviewed and, if successful, listed in a curated repository designed for education decision-makers. The funder’s objective is to move beyond marketing claims and create a trusted pathway from evidence-backed tools to real country adoption, especially where the learning gap is greatest. Selection is grounded in the EdTech for Good Framework, with emphasis on safe and responsible design, evidence-informed outcomes, learner and teacher centered usability, and readiness to scale across diverse and low-resource contexts. Strong applicants will present a solution that is already live and in active use, show credible learning or teaching outcomes appropriate to maturity, and demonstrate clear safeguards for data protection and child-centered design. Listing also positions tools for potential matching with national pilots and deployment opportunities.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: EdTech providers with live tools supporting teaching and learning, evidence of outcomes, and strong safeguarding and data protection practices.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $150,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Focus areas: EdTech quality assessment, safeguarding and data protection, foundational learning, teacher support, future skills, offline-first readiness, inclusion and accessibility.

• Deadline: March 13, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call favors providers who can show credible outcomes and responsible design today, and a realistic plan for system-level deployment tomorrow.

Future of Work Fund 2026, LinkedIn Social Impact. *New!* *Closing soon!*

LinkedIn Social Impact’s Future of Work Fund seeks to ensure young adults are not locked out of opportunity as AI reshapes hiring, skills demand, and early-career pathways. The funder is backing organizations that use AI in ways that expand economic mobility, whether by improving how career starters build AI fluency, connect to quality jobs, or succeed once employed, while pairing technical capability with durable human skills such as communication, problem-solving, and adaptability. The selection lens prioritizes clear alignment to workforce development outcomes and credible, responsible AI use that reduces barriers for populations most likely to face unemployment or underemployment. LinkedIn also signals a market strategy by emphasizing organizations serving career starters in France, Germany, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, aiming to surface models that can scale across systems and labor markets.

• Geographies: Global, with particular focus on France, Germany, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

• Who can apply: Legally registered nonprofit, charity, or equivalent not-for-profit organizations that can receive philanthropic grant funding directly (U.S. applicants must be 501(c)(3)).

• Funding amount: Most grants anticipated in the USD $200,000-300,000 range (one-time unrestricted grant).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Inclusion & Livelihoods; Focus areas: AI-enabled workforce development, AI fluency training, career navigation, job access and matching, employability skills for the AI era

• Deadline: March 15, 2026 (12:00 PM PT)

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a catalytic bet on adoption-ready workforce models that treat AI as a lever for inclusion, not just a technical upgrade

Democracy x AI Cohort 2026: Call for Proposals, Mozilla Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

Mozilla Foundation is investing in this cohort to prove that AI can be used to strengthen democracy, not erode it, by backing working technologies that shift real conditions in information ecosystems, institutional accountability, and civic participation. The Incubator’s Build Cohort is designed for teams that have moved beyond concept and can use a 12-month runway to deepen product quality, clarify user needs, and build sustainability pathways without compromising openness and community stewardship. Mozilla is explicit about the outcomes it wants to catalyze: tools that help people access and verify quality information, systems that make decision-making traceable and accountable, and protections that expand civic space for organizing under surveillance or repression risks. Selection emphasizes technical viability, community clarity, public benefit, values alignment, and credible sustainability, with the strongest projects potentially invited into a larger follow-on funding track.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Technologist-led teams with a usable working technology, a committed team for 12 months, and a commitment to openness; must be legally able to receive funds from Mozilla Foundation; applications in English.

• Funding amount: USD $50,000 per project (anticipated up to 10 projects).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Governance, Democracy & Justice; Focus areas: information integrity, institutional transparency, accountability tools, civic space protection, open source.

• Deadline: March 16, 2026 (Initial Project Proposal); April 15, 2026 (Full Proposals).

• Learn more and apply here.

Mozilla is using an incubator model to move democracy-focused AI from promising tools into durable, open alternatives with pathways to adoption and sustained support.

International Children’s Peace Prize 2026 (nominations open), KidsRights Foundation. *Closing soon!*

The International Children’s Peace Prize is a globally recognized award celebrating youth changemakers aged 12–18 whose courage, leadership, and impact have advanced the rights and wellbeing of children. Nominations may be submitted by any adult on behalf of a young leader or a group of up to five children. Beyond the honorary Nkosi statuette presented by a Nobel Peace Laureate, the Prize package includes significant educational support through the Desmond Tutu Study & Care Fund and a €50,000 project fund dedicated to furthering the winner’s impact, with additional investment from KidsRights. Every nominee gains global visibility on the Prize platform, amplifying their message and inspiring broader youth engagement.

• Geographies: Global. Open to children from all countries.

• Who can apply: Nominations by adults or individuals on behalf of young changemakers (12–18 years); group nominations permitted (max 5).

• Funding amount: €50,000 project funding for the winner.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Children’s Rights Advocacy; Focus areas: youth leadership, peace, social justice.

• Deadline: March 31, 2026 (17:00 CET).

• Learn more and nominate here.

KidsRights prioritizes authentic, youth‑led impact - nominations should clearly show how a child’s leadership has driven measurable change for peers or communities.

Gamma Mu Foundation Grants (2026 cycle), Gamma Mu Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

Gamma Mu Foundation seeks to strengthen LGBTQ+ well-being and safety in the United States by funding practical, community-rooted projects that reach rural and other underserved populations. Its grantmaking is organized around three outcome areas; community support services, public education and research, and HIV and broader health programming, reflecting a funder strategy that blends direct services with systems-shaping work like awareness-building and evidence for advocacy. The structure is intentionally lightweight but selective: organizations begin with a letter of intent, and only invited applicants move forward, signaling a preference for clear problem definition, measurable outcomes, and credible delivery capacity. The Foundation also draws firm boundaries around what it will not support (e.g., capital projects or partisan activities), reinforcing that it is underwriting programmatic impact rather than infrastructure expansion or political work.

• Geographies: United States.

• Who can apply: U.S.-based nonprofit organizations serving LGBTQ+ communities, with priority for rural and underserved populations.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $15,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Inclusion & Equity; Focus areas: LGBTQI+ advocacy, rural communities, community support services, public education, HIV prevention, mental health.

• Deadline: March 31, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a “reach-and-retention” fund: Gamma Mu is using small, project-specific grants to extend LGBTQ+ services and health supports into places where isolation and service gaps are often greatest.

Small Research Grants on Education, Spencer Foundation. *New!*

The Spencer Foundation’s Small Research Grants on Education program supports field-initiated, intellectually ambitious research that advances understanding of education across contexts, disciplines, and the life course. Designed for scholars at various career stages, the fund prioritizes rigorous studies that generate foundational knowledge with the potential to shape educational discourse, policy, and practice over time. Rather than prescribing topics or methods, Spencer explicitly welcomes disciplinary and methodological diversity—ranging from qualitative and quantitative designs to participatory, historical, and computational approaches—so long as projects are technically sound and clearly connected to improving education. Awards support projects lasting from one to five years and are structured to enable deep inquiry, including work conducted in partnership with practitioners or communities. The program reflects Spencer’s long-standing investment philosophy: funding research that may not yield immediate solutions, but that strengthens the evidence base needed for meaningful, durable educational improvement.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Researchers with an earned doctorate affiliated with nonprofit or public institutions.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $50,000 (plus optional course release funding).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education Research; Focus areas: learning across contexts, education systems, evidence generation.

• Deadline: April 15, 2026 (12:00 noon Central Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

Spencer’s small grants play a strategic role in the research ecosystem- enabling scholars to pursue high-quality, curiosity-driven studies that often seed larger bodies of influential education research.

Innovation, Research & Smart Cities

UNESCO–Russia Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences (4th edition) — Call for nominations, UNESCO. *Closing soon!*

UNESCO’s Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences seeks to elevate fundamental research as a driver of long-term innovation and sustainable development by recognizing scientists whose work has produced breakthrough discoveries, meaningful scientific advances, and strong contributions to the visibility and public value of basic sciences. The prize’s investment logic is prestige-plus: a major monetary award paired with global convening power to amplify research that shapes scientific fields and strengthens international cooperation across chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology. The nomination-only structure signals an emphasis on external validation and recognized scientific standing, while UNESCO’s framing encourages nominations that connect scientific excellence to broader societal outcomes and global knowledge collaboration.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: No self-applications; individuals must be nominated by eligible institutions (Member States/National Commissions, UNESCO partners, UNESCO Chairs/Category 2 Centers, scientific unions, universities).

• Funding amount: USD $250,000 per prizewinner (2 winners).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: basic sciences, chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology, science popularization, international scientific cooperation.

• Deadline: March 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This prize is designed to convert scientific excellence into global signal value, strengthening the legitimacy of basic science as an essential foundation for future innovation systems.

Urban Urgencies – Seed Funding for Collaborative Primary Research, Urban Studies Foundation. *Closing soon!*

The Urban Studies Foundation has launched Urban Urgencies, a new research funding initiative designed to seed-fund innovative collaborative primary research that speaks directly to urgent urban challenges while advancing timely scholarly debate in urban studies. The program is structured to support projects that are academically rigorous and analytically compelling but also grounded in real-world partnerships: every proposal must be built on an active collaboration with at least one non-academic organization. USF’s investment logic is to generate new primary evidence and insights that can shift how pressing urban issues are understood, debated, and acted on- strengthening both academic contribution and societal relevance. Funded projects are expected to mobilize quickly (starting within nine months of the deadline) and to deliver within an 18-month window, enabling responsive, high-quality research with clear intellectual and public value.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Academic-led research teams with at least one active non-academic partner organization.

• Funding amount: Up to GBP £35,000 per project (up to six awards).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Urban Development; Focus areas: collaborative primary research, urban urgencies, evidence for action.

• Deadline: March 23, 2026 (23:59 UTC+0).

• Learn more and apply here.

Urban Urgencies positions primary research as a time-sensitive intervention—resourcing partnerships that can generate new evidence while the urban stakes are still live.

HFSP Research Grants 2027, Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP). *Closing soon!*

HFSP invites Letters of Intent for its 2027 Research Grants, offering support for high-risk, interdisciplinary research into the complex mechanisms of living organisms. These grants prioritize international collaboration between teams of 2–4 scientists from different countries and scientific fields, encouraging innovative and curiosity-driven work that breaks from conventional disciplinary lines. Both Program and Early Career tracks are available, with dedicated funding ceilings based on team size. Projects must focus exclusively on basic life science research—not clinical or applied studies—and must reflect new, not pre-existing, collaborations.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Teams of 2–4 researchers from different countries; must be new collaborators; Early Career applicants must meet independence and timing criteria.

• Funding amount: USD $300,000–500,000/year for 3 years, depending on team size.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Scientific Research; Focus areas: complex biology, interdisciplinary science, cross-border research.

• Deadline: March 26, 2026 (Letter of Intent).

• Learn more and apply here.

HFSP invests in science that defies borders and disciplines—pushing the frontier of life sciences through radical collaboration.

Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Science, Google.org. *New!*

Google.org seeks to accelerate scientific breakthroughs by funding AI-powered work that can compress discovery timelines and produce public-benefit outputs that other researchers can build on. The challenge prioritizes projects where AI is central to the methodology, whether that means foundational models, agents, computational tools, or large-scale open datasets that unlock new research pathways. Its funding logic is impact plus adoption: proposals should define clear, quantifiable success metrics, demonstrate a realistic execution plan and team capability, and show how outputs will be discovered, used, and maintained beyond a single lab or geography. Two priority domains anchor the call, AI for Health and Life Sciences and AI for Climate Resilience and Environmental Science, while still allowing exceptional proposals in other scientific areas that meet the criteria. Openness is a core expectation, with a strong preference for permissive open-source approaches that turn breakthroughs into durable scientific infrastructure.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Nonprofits, academic or research institutions, and for-profit social enterprises with a clear social impact purpose.

• Funding amount: USD $500,000 up to USD $3,000,000+.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Scientific Research; Focus areas: AI for health and life sciences, AI for climate resilience and environmental science, foundational models, open datasets, open-source tools.

• Deadline: April 17, 2026 (11:59 PM PT).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a bet on AI as shared scientific infrastructure, so the strongest proposals make the public-good pathway and adoption plan as concrete as the technical ambition.

VinFuture Prize — Nominations, VinFuture Foundation.

The VinFuture Prize is an annual global award that recognizes and celebrates breakthrough scientific research and technological innovations with the potential to transform everyday life and address critical global challenges. The VinFuture Prize awards a Grand Prize of USD $3 million annually for breakthrough research or technological innovations that significantly improve human life and promote a more equitable and sustainable world. Open to all regardless of nationality, age, gender, or background, the Prize reflects a deep commitment to inclusive excellence. In addition, three Special Prizes of USD $500,000 each are awarded to: (1) Innovator(s) from Developing Countries, (2) Women Innovator(s), and (3) Innovator(s) with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields—advancing diversity, equity, and the recognition of frontier science.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Recognized nominators (institutional or individual) proposing exceptional researchers/innovators for consideration.

• Funding amount: Grand Prize USD $3 million; three Special Prizes USD $500,000 each.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Scientific Research; Focus areas: breakthrough research, technology innovation, wide societal impact.

• Deadline: April 17, 2026 (2:00 PM Vietnam Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

The VinFuture Prize spotlights scientific excellence and innovation that enhance equity, sustainability, and human wellbeing on a global scale — advancing solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

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Hello everyone!

The mid-February 2026 Impact Funding update. This month, we are highlighting 50 high-impact new opportunities that underscore a global shift toward durable implementation. We are seeing a move away from broad, high-level theories toward localized depth and "infrastructure-grade" solutions. Donors are increasingly looking for partners who don't just identify problems but offer a causal, sustainable path to community-led change. From de-risking deep-tech in the green transition to building digital trust in emerging markets, this cycle is all about delivery.

What’s Inside: Sector Breakdown

• Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact (7 new opportunities!): Including global prizes and student-led venture competitions, tech-for-good software and cash for nonprofits worldwide, and academic partnership grants for research in Belgium and 17 partner countries.

• Global Health & WASH (8 new opportunities!): Featuring large-scale climate-health policy grants, drug development support for rare diseases in the US, UK, and Canada, and precision research for oncology care pathways.

• Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (6 new opportunities!): Spanning major investment windows for women-led SMEs in West Africa, entrepreneurship prizes in The Bahamas, and regional movement-building to end GBV in East and Southern Africa.

• Education, Human Rights & Inclusion (10 new opportunities!): Covering a $35M community finance initiative in the US, digital democracy grants for activists in Eastern Europe, and youth-led rights programs in Moldova.

• Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food (8 new opportunities!): Offering trade finance for commodity value chains across 101 countries, conservation-compatible business funding in Southern Africa, and coral restoration R&D for developing nations.

• Humanitarian Aid, Emergency Programming & DRR (4 new opportunities!): Focused on community-led recovery governance in Ukraine, rapid response preparedness in Mozambique, and resilience grants for disability-led organizations.

• Innovation, Research & Smart Cities (7 new opportunities!): Including massive transnational research funds for disruptive tech, frontier science grants for critical mineral substitutes, and AI-driven medtech pilots in Canada.

This post is for paid subscribers only, but the monthly round-up will always remain free. I also regularly share updates on my LinkedIn.

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Latest Funding Opportunities:

Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact

Hult Prize Global Competition, Hult Prize. *New!* *Registration for 2026 cycle closes soon!*

Hult Prize seeks to catalyze a pipeline of for-profit, SDG-aligned ventures by moving student teams through a structured, yearlong pathway that rewards both early promise and execution. The competition is designed as a staged funnel: teams enter through local qualifiers or an open application route, then advance through national rounds and a digital incubator before a small set reaches an in-person global accelerator and the global finals. This structure signals a clear investment logic: identify founders early, pressure-test viability and traction over successive milestones, and concentrate capital and visibility on the top venture at the end of the cycle. For applicants, the differentiator is the combination of global reach, standardized evaluation, and an accelerator-to-finals pathway that prioritizes real-world build and scale.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Teams of 2-4 university students (age 18+) with a for-profit startup aligned to at least one SDG.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $1,000,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Inclusion & Livelihoods; Focus areas: student entrepreneurship, early-stage startups, SDG-aligned ventures, startup acceleration.

• Deadline: Teams can register year round, to be considered for the 2026 cycle register your team by February 28, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a venture-building funnel that concentrates capital at the end, while using staged milestones to filter for teams that can execute and scale.

TEAM 2026: Call for Project Proposals, VLIR-UOS. *New!*

VLIR-UOS seeks to catalyze higher education and science institutions as “drivers of change” for sustainable development by funding medium-term, institution-to-institution partnerships that combine research, education, and real-world uptake. TEAM projects are designed to deepen academic collaboration while strengthening partner-country institutional capacity (including systems, people, and networks) and translating knowledge into use by public, private, and civil society actors. The program’s structure emphasizes co-creation across disciplines and stakeholders, with explicit attention to inclusion, gender equality, and environmental sustainability as part of credible pathways to impact. By requiring joint Flemish–partner promotership and an uptake strategy, VLIR-UOS is effectively investing in durable knowledge ecosystems, not stand-alone studies, so results can persist beyond the grant period.

• Geographies: Belgium; Benin; Bolivia; Burundi; Cuba; DR Congo; Ecuador; Ethiopia; Indonesia; Kenya; Morocco; Palestine; Peru; Philippines; South Africa; Tanzania; Uganda; Vietnam.

• Who can apply: Flemish universities / universities of applied sciences and arts (lead promoter) partnering with an eligible higher education or national public not-for-profit research institute in a VLIR-UOS partner country.

• Funding amount: Up to EUR 300,000 (maximum; 5 years).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education & Capacity Building; Focus areas: higher education partnerships, research capacity strengthening, PhD training, curriculum development, knowledge uptake.

• Deadline: March 3, 2026 (17:00 CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

The strongest fits will read like partnership infrastructure for SDG progress, clear co-creation, governance, and stakeholder roles that keep value flowing after the grant ends.

Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) 2026, Embassy of Japan in the Republic of South Africa. *New!*

Japan’s GGP program is designed to deliver fast, visible improvements in “basic human needs” by funding practical, community-level projects with direct and immediate benefit for disadvantaged groups in South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini. The funder’s logic is infrastructure-and-equipment first: it prioritizes tangible outputs such as constructing or upgrading schools and clinics, furnishing facilities, and installing defined water supply systems while treating capacity building and awareness activities as eligible only when clearly contingent on a tangible investment. The guidelines also signal a strong accountability culture: applicants must demonstrate organizational maturity (including audited financials and multi-year experience), submit market-based costing supported by multiple quotations, and complete an external audit after delivery. This is a one-year, project-tied mechanism, so the best fits are implementation-ready projects that can execute cleanly within a fixed scope and compliance framework.

• Geographies: South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini.

• Who can apply: Registered NPOs (including NGOs/CBOs, primary/secondary schools, hospitals/clinics, and local governments) with at least 3 years’ sector experience.

• Funding amount: Approximate maximum ZAR 2,000,000.00 (VAT not covered).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Inclusion & Equity; Focus areas: basic human needs, grassroots human security, school/clinic construction and equipment, water supply systems.

• Deadline: March 6, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

GGP is structured to reward “deliverable human security”: proposals that convert clear community needs into tangible assets (with strong costing and compliance discipline) tend to align best with the program’s selection logic.

Tällberg SNF Eliasson Global Leadership Prize 2026, Tällberg Foundation. *New!*

The Tällberg Foundation seeks to elevate leaders who can navigate today’s complexity with ethics, courage, and a genuinely global perspective. This prize is designed as a recognition and acceleration mechanism for individuals whose work cuts across sectors and borders, and whose leadership produces measurable impact on problems that demand more than technical fixes. The nomination model broadens the pipeline by allowing anyone to put forward a candidate, while the multi-stage review and jury process signals an emphasis on rigor, credibility, and real-world outcomes. Beyond the cash award, the invitation into Tällberg’s global leadership network is part of the value proposition, positioning laureates for continued collaboration and influence after selection.

Geographies: Global.
Who can apply: Individuals in any field and any country may be nominated; anyone may nominate except prize jurors and nominees.
Funding amount: USD $50,000 (per laureate); 3 awards.
Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Governance, Democracy & Justice; Focus areas: civic engagement, accountability, values-based leadership, global governance
Deadline: March 31, 2026 (midnight HST, GMT -10).
Learn more and apply here.

By pairing recognition with a curated network, the prize is designed to convert individual moral courage into sustained influence across systems and institutions.

SADC TFCA Financing Facility Third Open Call for Concept Notes (Green Economy, NaturAfrica co-funded), SADC TFCA Financing Facility. *New!*

The SADC TFCA Financing Facility, executed by IUCN with co-funding from EU NaturAfrica and the German Government, seeks to scale green economy solutions that directly strengthen conservation outcomes across priority transboundary landscapes in Southern Africa. The funder’s strategy centers on moving beyond pilots by backing tested business models and value chains that can grow market demand, increase local incomes, and reduce pressure on biodiversity in and around Transfrontier Conservation Areas. Priority interventions span conservation-compatible production and processing, ecotourism models that deliver community benefits, clean energy solutions that reduce reliance on fuelwood, and innovative financing mechanisms such as payments for ecosystem services and carbon-linked approaches.

• Geographies: Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe (Southern Africa, selected TFCAs).

• Who can apply: SMEs, cooperatives, social enterprises, NGOs, and public or private entities with active operations in eligible TFCAs and at least 3 years of operational history.

• Funding amount: EUR 300 000 to EUR 950 000 per grant; Total pool: EUR 5 700 000; additional funding: up to 100% match funding from German Government for selected grants.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Focus areas: green value chains, ecotourism, sustainable energy, Payment for Ecosystem Services, human-wildlife conflict mitigation

• Deadline: Concept Notes: March 31, 2026 (17:00 South Africa Standard Time); Proposals: August 14, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call is designed to reward proposals that can show market-tested pathways to scale and clear conservation additionality inside TFCA governance realities.

Climate Impacts Awards: Unlocking urgent climate action by making the health effects of climate change visible (2026), Wellcome. *New!*

Wellcome seeks to accelerate near-term climate policy action by funding large, transdisciplinary projects that make the health impacts of climate change visible and politically actionable. The scheme is designed around an evidence-to-policy logic: teams must identify a specific, decision-relevant gap on climate-related physical or mental health outcomes, quantify or interpret associated economic implications, and pair this with a targeted influencing and engagement strategy aimed at a real policy opportunity within the award timeframe. Wellcome emphasizes engaged research, expecting meaningful involvement of decision-makers and communities affected by climate change throughout project design and delivery.

• Geographies: Global (excluding mainland China).

• Who can apply: Mid-career and established researchers leading transdisciplinary teams hosted by an eligible not-for-profit administering organization; coapplicants required.

• Funding amount: Up to GBP £2.5 million per award, they expect to make 10-15 awards.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: climate change and health, policy influence, engaged research, economic impacts of health, evidence synthesis.

• Deadline: April 8, 2026 (15:00 BST).

• Learn more and apply here.

The strongest proposals will treat policy uptake as a core deliverable, with evidence, economics, and engagement tightly integrated around a specific decision window.

Zendesk Tech for Good Impact Awards 2026, Zendesk Foundation. *New!*

Zendesk Foundation’s Impact Awards seek to help nonprofits scale high-volume, high-stakes support services by pairing cash awards with donated Zendesk software. The funder’s investment logic focuses on service delivery capacity: strengthening how organizations respond to requests, coordinate teams, and support beneficiaries, particularly in moments of crisis or in programs that build community connection and resilience. A third priority area targets economic mobility by backing organizations that create career pathways into tech, including workforce development tied to customer experience roles.

• Geographies: Global (with country exclusions listed in eligibility requirements).

• Who can apply: Registered nonprofit organizations (including U.S. 501(c)(3) public charities and foreign charitable organizations) applying in English via the online application form with proof of nonprofit status.

• Funding amount: USD $5,000 - $50,000 per organization; free Zendesk software donation.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: nonprofit technology, service delivery platforms, crisis response, workforce development.

• Deadline: July 15, 2026 (11:59 pm ET).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a service-infrastructure play that treats better support operations as a force multiplier for frontline programs and beneficiary outcomes.

Global Health & WASH

Read more

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to the February 2026 Impact Funding edition of 2026- celebrating one year on Substack!

The February 2026 landscape marks a decisive move away from fragmented, one-off aid toward “Ecosystem-Led Resilience.” Across all sectors—from Deep Tech in Europe to humanitarian recovery in Ukraine—we are seeing a powerful momentum behind Structural Continuity. Donors are no longer just funding activities; they are resourcing the legal, professional, and digital foundations that allow local systems to sustain themselves and adapt long after the grant ends.

This month, we have analyzed over 110 new listings, identifying a total actionable funding pool of over $1 Billion USD. The intelligence signal is clear: success is now favoring integrated readiness. Whether you are scaling an AI-literacy tool or restoring a national protection grid, the landscape is looking for partners who can bridge the “innovation paradox” by building secure, human-centered, and market-ready systems.

You can find all the opportunities, including upcoming, rolling and long-term planning opportunities, in the sector-specific pages* —perfect for planning your long term fundraising strategy.

In this edition, you’ll find opportunities in:

• Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact (68 opportunities, 17 new). Scaling the circular bioeconomy and "blue innovation" to climate-proof food systems across the Global South.

• Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food (54 opportunities, 25 new). Scaling the circular bioeconomy and "blue innovation" to climate-proof food systems across the Global South.

• Gender and Women’s Empowerment (31 opportunities, 8 new). Moving from representation to institutional authority, focusing on women-led tech and Track 1 peace negotiations.

• Global Health & WASH (52 opportunities, 17 new). A "double-helix" focus: hyper-local health equity (maternal health) paired with pandemic-proof R&D.

• Education, Human Rights & Inclusion (28 opportunities, 12 new). Shifting from access to structural resilience, with a focus on long-term inclusive schooling in South Sudan and the Pacific.

• Humanitarian Aid, Emergency Programming & DRR (30 opportunities, 23 new). Prioritizing anticipatory action and mental health resilience in Ukraine and the Middle East over reactive relief.

• Innovation, Research & Smart Cities (29 opportunities, 11 new). Bridging the "innovation paradox" by funding real-world deep-tech validation and AI-driven forecasting.

*The sector -specific pages are for paid subscribers, this helps support the time and effort it takes to curate and organize these opportunities. However, the monthly roundup of top opportunities will always remain free and accessible to all. This month we are happy to share with you 50+ selected opportunities.

In January, I ran a pay-what-you-can experiment. What I learned was simple and reassuring: people used it thoughtfully. Some chose the lowest level, some paid the standard rate, and some actively opted to contribute more. That distribution told me this model actually reflects the reality of the global impact space — uneven resources, shared intent, and a genuine willingness to support things that are useful.

So I’m keeping it. Pay-what-you-can is no longer an experiment here; it’s how this platform stays accessible and sustainable.

Pay what you can links:

• $20 / year

• $40 / year

• $80 / year

• $100 / year (standard)

Selected Opportunities

Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact

The Liveability Challenge 2026, Temasek Foundation. *Closing soon!*

The Liveability Challenge is stepping up with its ninth edition, calling on innovative start‑ups and scale‑ups worldwide to tackle urban sustainability in tropical climates through two strategic themes: Decarbonisation and Cool Earth. The Decarbonisation track seeks disruptive deep‑tech solutions that significantly cut carbon emissions across industries, such as waste‑to‑resource systems, renewable energy, and energy‑efficiency interventions. The Cool Earth track, meanwhile, focuses on solutions that strengthen resilience against climate‑induced extreme weather, for example passive cooling technologies, nature‑based interventions, or heat‑mitigation innovations.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Start‑ups and scale‑ups with deep‑tech solutions targeting urban climate / liveability challenges.

• Funding amount: The top two solutions from either challenge themes will receive S$1M in grant funding.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate Tech & Urban Innovation; Focus areas: decarbonisation, heat resilience, nature‑based solutions, scaling deep‑tech.

• Deadline: February 9, 2026 (23:59 GMT+8).

• Learn more and apply here.

By aligning catalytic capital with enterprise‑acceleration and industrial ecosystem access, this challenge is a strategic lever to scale climate‑tech breakthroughs for liveable tropic cities.

UN Global Pulse Accelerator Programme – Cohort 4 (2026), UN Global Pulse. *New!*

The UN Global Pulse Accelerator Programme – Cohort 4 (2026) is a United Nations system-wide initiative designed to help UN-led innovation teams transition proven pilots into sustainable, scalable solutions that deliver deeper impact for people and the planet. The programme pairs structured mentoring, multidisciplinary strategy development, and ecosystem engagement with a hands-on, in-person workshop in Finland (8–12 June 2026), where selected teams refine real world scaling plans tailored to their contexts. Top teams with the most compelling strategies will be awarded a Scale Catalyst Grant (USD 60,000) and targeted mentoring to support implementation. The programme is fully backed by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, reflecting a shared commitment to leveraging data, digital technologies, and responsible innovation to accelerate progress on development and humanitarian outcomes across UN mandates.

• Geographies: Global (UN system).

• Who can apply: UN-led teams with innovative, piloted solutions ready to scale.

• Funding amount: Scale Catalyst Grant USD 60,000 (for select teams).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Focus areas: scaling strategy, data-enabled solutions, digital and AI support for impact.

• Deadline: February 11, 2026 (midnight EST).

• Learn more and apply here.

The Accelerator underscores the UN’s strategic pivot toward scaling tested innovations with robust data, human-centred design, and partnerships that deepen development and humanitarian impact.

Call for Proposals 2026 – EAC/A15/2025, European Commission – European Solidarity Corps. *First window of Volunteering Projects & Solidarity Projects closing soon!*

The European Solidarity Corps’ 2026 call funds a wide array of youth-led and institutional solidarity activities across Europe and beyond. With a total allocation of over EUR €129 million, the call supports volunteering projects, solidarity initiatives, humanitarian aid actions, and the accreditation of participating organizations through the Quality Label. The program’s overarching goals include boosting civic participation, enhancing inclusion, promoting environmental and humanitarian engagement, and fostering skills through mobility. Each action line has distinct application deadlines and eligibility pathways, welcoming both established entities and youth groups registered on the ESC Portal.

• Geographies: EU27, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Türkiye, North Macedonia.

• Who can apply: Any legal entity (non-profit or for-profit); youth groups registered on the ESC Portal.

• Funding amount: EUR €129,595,000 total pool; individual project sizes vary by action.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Youth & Student Engagement; Focus areas: solidarity volunteering, youth action, humanitarian aid, civic participation.

• Deadline: Volunteering Projects & Solidarity Projects: February 18, May 7, October 1, 2026; Volunteering in High Priority Areas: March 3, 2026; Humanitarian Aid Volunteering: April 23, 2026; Quality Label: September 22, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

Proposals that demonstrate authentic youth ownership, measurable impact, and inclusive outreach are most competitive in ESC evaluations.

National Grassroots Organizing Program – National Grants, Ben & Jerry’s Foundation. *No longer accepting rolling applications- deadline for 2026 closing this month!*

The foundation offers two-year, unrestricted general operating grants to small, constituent-led grassroots nonprofits across the U.S. These grants are designed to empower local leadership in organizing for social and environmental justice and prioritize collective action, power analysis, campaign building, and community-rooted solutions to systemic inequities.

• Geographies: United States and its territories.

• Who can apply: Grassroots nonprofit organizations with budgets of USD $350,000 or less, U.S.-based and focused, employing organizing as primary strategy; restricted from funding universities, research, direct services, capital campaigns, or international work.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $30,000 per year for two years; average USD $20,000 per year.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Grassroots Organizing; Social & Environmental Justice.

• Deadline: February 25, 2026, 4:00 PM ET.

• Learn more and apply here.

By providing flexible core support rather than project-specific funding, this program strengthens grassroots organizations’ capacity to build power, advance systemic change, and sustain justice-driven campaigns across vulnerable communities.

MassChallenge Switzerland Accelerator, MassChallenge. *New!*

MassChallenge Switzerland Accelerator is a leading early-stage startup acceleration program designed to help ambitious founders refine their business models, expand their networks, and prepare for scale without giving up equity. Over a structured four-month period, participating startups gain access to world-class mentorship, expert-led workshops, curated introductions to corporate partners and investors, and a rich ecosystem of support tailored to high-impact innovation. While the program is industry-agnostic, it features sustainability and impact-focused tracks such as Agtech & Foodtech, Materials & Industry, and Healthtech, allowing founders to deepen domain expertise with specialized resources. The accelerator culminates in opportunities to compete for a share of up to CHF 1 million in non-dilutive cash prizes and in-kind awards, reinforcing MassChallenge’s commitment to fostering startup growth and ecosystem connectivity.

• Geographies: Switzerland (open to startups globally).

• Who can apply: Early-stage startups from any country and industry with viable, scalable concepts.

• Funding amount: Non-dilutive cash prizes up to CHF 1 million plus in-kind benefits.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Entrepreneurship & Innovation; Focus areas: product-market fit, scaling readiness, startup growth support.

• Deadline: March 4, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The program’s equity-free model and global network access reflect MassChallenge’s strategy of lowering barriers for early innovators and accelerating their path to measurable growth and impact.

Robert G. Wilmers Integrity Prize, Wilmers Integrity Prize. *New!*

The Robert G. Wilmers Integrity Prize honors individuals whose leadership is defined by integrity, service to community, and sustained commitment to making the world better across a wide range of fields. Awarded annually, the Prize recognizes one laureate whose work exemplifies ethical courage and positive social impact, alongside two finalists whose contributions reflect the same values. Eligible fields span the arts, education, environment, law, medicine, nutrition, social justice, and social reform, underscoring the funder’s belief that integrity-driven leadership is essential across all sectors of society. Rather than rewarding technical innovation or organizational scale, the Prize centers character, accountability, and the long-term effects of principled action. Applicants may nominate themselves or be nominated by others, reinforcing the Prize’s openness and emphasis on values over visibility.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individuals across eligible fields; self-nominations and third-party nominations accepted.

• Funding amount: USD $50,000 to one laureate; USD $5,000 to each of two finalists.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Impact; Focus areas: ethical leadership, community service, integrity-driven change.

• Deadline: Self-application deadline March 31, 2026, it’s possible to nominate year-round.

• Learn more and apply here.

The Prize reinforces a clear funder philosophy: lasting social progress depends not only on what leaders achieve, but how they choose to lead.

Business Partnership Challenge 2026, Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

ADA’s flagship private sector funding mechanism is back for 2026, inviting proposals from enterprises and eligible nonprofit actors to drive employment, entrepreneurship, and market systems change in the Global South. The Business Partnership Challenge funds initiatives that strengthen institutional frameworks, support SME growth, and build inclusive labor mobility and training systems. Projects must demonstrate multi-stakeholder collaboration, alignment with SDG 8 and SDG 9, and deliver long-term, systemic impact. All applicants are required to provide 50% of total project costs in cash and ensure projects last 3 to 5 years. Grants will be disbursed against narrative and financial reporting milestones.

• Geographies: All ODA-eligible countries.

• Who can apply: Enterprises, chambers, associations, and nonprofit foundations based in Austria, the EEA, or Switzerland with 3+ years of experience.

• Funding amount: EUR €500,000–1,000,000 per project; total envelope: €5,000,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Livelihoods & Economic Recovery; Focus areas: SME development, employment mobility, skills partnerships, public–private cooperation.

• Deadline: April 12, 2026 (23:59 CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call emphasizes systemic transformation through public–private collaboration, with a clear mandate to catalyze jobs, SMEs, and inclusive economic systems.

iF Social Impact Prize 2026, iF Design Foundation. *New!*

The iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE recognizes and supports implemented projects that use design as a lever for social and environmental progress. Anchored in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Prize seeks initiatives that address pressing global challenges while demonstrating ethical responsibility, feasibility, and measurable benefit to target communities. Unlike concept-stage awards, this prize explicitly prioritizes projects already in operation, valuing relevance, real-world application, and sustainable impact over scale or visibility. The funder’s selection logic places strong emphasis on moral-ethical standards, problem-solving capacity, and the meaningful integration of design principles, whether through design thinking, design-led processes, or the design of project elements themselves. The Prize is awarded twice annually, with a total fund of EUR €100,000 that may be allocated to one or multiple projects, reflecting iF’s intent to amplify diverse, effective responses to complex societal needs.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Companies, NGOs, foundations, public organizations, social enterprises, and entrepreneurs with implemented projects.

• Funding amount: Total prize fund EUR €100,000, awarded to one or multiple projects.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Impact; Focus areas: design-led innovation, ethical and inclusive design, SDG-aligned solutions.

• Deadline: May 20, 2026 (Round 1); August 19, 2026 (Round 2).

• Learn more and apply here.

The Prize reflects iF’s core philosophy: that design, when grounded in ethics and real-world use, is a powerful system-shaping tool for social change.

Zayed Sustainability Prize – 2027 Cycle, Zayed Sustainability Prize. *New!*

The Zayed Sustainability Prize is one of the world’s most significant global sustainability awards, designed to accelerate transformative solutions that deliver tangible social, environmental, and economic impact. Rooted in the humanitarian and sustainability legacy of the UAE’s founding father, the Prize seeks innovations that are not only technically sound but also scalable, inclusive, and capable of improving lives at scale. The 2026 cycle will award organizations across five institutional categories—Health, Food, Energy, Water, and Climate Action—alongside the Global High Schools category, which empowers youth-led sustainability projects. The funder’s selection logic prioritizes demonstrated impact, innovation beyond the status quo, and a clear pathway for scaling solutions to underserved communities. Prize funding is explicitly tied to implementation plans, reinforcing the Prize’s focus on measurable outcomes rather than recognition alone.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: SMEs and nonprofit organizations; secondary schools for the Global High Schools category.

• Funding amount: USD $1,000,000 per organizational category winner; USD $150,000 per Global High Schools winner.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Sustainable Development; Focus areas: clean energy, food systems, water security, climate action, youth sustainability leadership.

• Deadline: June 23, 2026 (23:59 Gulf Standard Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

The Prize’s structure reflects a systems-level strategy: rewarding solutions that combine innovation with implementation readiness to deliver lasting sustainability outcomes across regions and sectors.

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Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food

Tech Solutions for Climate Resilience in Colombia – Call for Proposals, Mercy Corps Ventures. *New!*

Mercy Corps Ventures invites early-stage startups developing technology-driven solutions that help vulnerable communities in Colombia prepare for, adapt to, or recover from climate shocks. Far from a conventional grant, this initiative is structured to advance practical innovation that bridges climate resilience with sustainable business models, focusing on adaptive agriculture, inclusive climate fintech, and climate-smart technologies tailored to underserved populations such as smallholder farmers, low-income households, and micro-enterprises. Selected ventures receive equity-free funding, technical assistance, mentorship, and access to Mercy Corps Ventures’ global partner and investor network to help validate and scale their solutions. Rather than seeding prototypes with unclear pathways, the Fund emphasizes measurable impact, replicability, and solutions that can strengthen food security, unlock access to climate finance, or enhance risk management infrastructure through data and digital tools.

• Geographies: Colombia.

• Who can apply: Early-stage, tech-enabled for-profit startups based in Colombia.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $40,000 per startup (equity-free).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate Resilience; Focus areas: adaptive agriculture, inclusive fintech, climate-smart tech.

• Deadline: February 9, 2026 (9:00 pm Colombia time).

• Learn more and apply here.

Designed as a test-and-learn platform, this call embodies Mercy Corps Ventures’ strategy to validate high-impact climate innovations where community vulnerability intersects with technological possibility.

Honnold Foundation Core Grant – 2026 Grant Cycle, Honnold Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

Designed as a core funding mechanism for equitable solar access, the Honnold Foundation’s 2026 grant cycle backs community-connected organizations using solar energy to strengthen resilience and expand opportunity in underserved communities. The Foundation’s approach emphasizes durable local ownership and real-world uptake—supporting projects where community leadership and trust are not incidental, but central to delivery and long-term stewardship. Eligibility signals a preference for grounded, accountable actors (including organizations with fiscal sponsors and tribally-led applicants), pairing flexibility in organizational form with clear expectations around community connection and readiness to implement. The two-step process (starting with an Organization and Project Summary) reflects a deliberate screening logic: identify aligned work early, then move selected applicants into deeper due diligence and technical review.

• Geographies: Global (both domestic and international applicants welcome).

• Who can apply: Domestic and international organizations with charitable status (or fiscal sponsor) and community connection, including U.S. Tribes and tribally-led organizations.

• Funding amount: Core grants typically range from USD $25,000 to $150,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Energy Access; Focus areas: equitable solar access, community-led solar, energy justice, climate resilience.

• Deadline: February 12, 2026 (05:00 PM EST).

• Learn more and apply here.

The structure reinforces a clear funder preference for community legitimacy and execution readiness, using core support as a lever for durable, locally stewarded solar outcomes.

Global Nutrition Cluster Technical Support and Leadership (Re-advertisement), UNICEF. *New!* *Closing soon!*

This partnership opportunity seeks a specialized civil society organization to provide global leadership and strategic support to the Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC), strengthening how Nutrition in Emergencies is coordinated, delivered, and advocated across humanitarian contexts. As Cluster Lead Agency, UNICEF is reinforcing the GNC Programme Team’s capacity to provide timely, high-quality technical assistance to countries facing acute and protracted nutrition crises. The selected partner will play a central role in shaping strategy, governance, and partner engagement, while also leading communications and advocacy efforts that elevate Nutrition in Emergencies within global humanitarian priorities. The assignment reflects a clear emphasis on systems-level coordination, localization, and evidence-driven programming, aligned with the GNC Strategy 2026–2029 and related capacity-strengthening frameworks. By combining leadership facilitation, technical advisory support, and structured knowledge dissemination, this role is designed to enhance coherence, visibility, and collective impact across more than 60 country responses.

• Geographies: Global; Kenya (Nairobi); United States of America (New York).

• Who can apply: Civil society organizations with technical expertise in Nutrition in Emergencies and experience supporting cluster coordination.

• Funding amount: USD $150,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Nutrition; Focus areas: nutrition in emergencies, cluster coordination, localization, advocacy.

• Deadline: February 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call underscores UNICEF’s strategy to professionalize and systematize Nutrition in Emergencies leadership through dedicated partners that combine technical depth with coordination and advocacy capability.

Environment and Peace – Call for International Partners (Conflict Sensitivity), PeaceNexus Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

PeaceNexus Foundation is inviting international environmental organizations to partner in a long-term process to integrate conflict sensitivity into their operations, strategies, and ways of working. Grounded in the recognition that biodiversity loss, climate vulnerability, and violent conflict increasingly overlap, this call focuses on institutional change rather than project delivery. Selected partners will receive tailored organizational accompaniment alongside flexible funding to strengthen staff capacities, embed conflict analysis into environmental programming, adapt safeguards and policies, and improve engagement with communities in fragile and polarized contexts. The initiative is designed as a phased partnership, reflecting PeaceNexus’s belief that meaningful conflict-sensitive practice requires sustained internal change, leadership buy-in, and adaptive learning over time.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: International environmental organizations with programs in at least five countries and experience working in conflict-affected or polarized contexts.

• Funding amount: Up to CHF 50,000 per phase of support, with up to three phases possible.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Environment and climate; peacebuilding; organizational development; Focus areas: conflict-sensitive conservation, environmental peacebuilding, institutional capacity strengthening.

• Deadline: February 16, 2026 (23:59 CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

PeaceNexus prioritizes trust-based partnerships, favoring organizations open to deep reflection and internal change over those seeking light-touch technical assistance.

Mitigation Action Facility – Call for Projects 2026, Mitigation Action Facility. *Closing soon!*

The Mitigation Action Facility’s 2026 Call supports ambitious, transformational climate mitigation initiatives in ODA-eligible countries that are tightly integrated into national policy frameworks. Previously known as the NAMA Facility, this fund backs public-sector-led programs that unlock private capital, address carbon lock-in, and catalyze systemic decarbonization. Selected projects must demonstrate strong MRV frameworks, sector-wide impact potential, and multi-stakeholder collaboration across planning and implementation. Funding is provided for both implementation and technical assistance phases, with a two-step application process beginning with a Concept Note due in May 2026.

• Geographies: Global South (ODA-eligible countries, incl. Africa, Asia, Latin America).

• Who can apply: National governments or public authorities, with at least one co-applicant (e.g. DFI, UN, NGO, private sector).

• Funding amount: Up to EUR €25 million per project.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Environment / Climate; Focus areas: transformational change, decarbonization, carbon lock-in, climate finance, MRV systems.

• Deadline: February 25, 2026 (Concept Note stage).

• Learn more and apply here.

The Facility favors policy-aligned, large-scale proposals that leverage institutional reform and blended finance- early alignment with national climate strategies and co-financiers is essential.

Youth Climate Justice Fund – 2026 Open Call, Youth Climate Justice Fund. *New!*

The Youth Climate Justice Fund (YCJF) supports youth-led movements at the frontlines of the climate crisis that are advancing justice-centered, community-rooted solutions. The fund prioritizes grassroots groups that challenge structural inequities, hold decision-makers accountable, and build collective power through organizing, campaigns, and movement infrastructure. YCJF’s funding approach is intentionally flexible and inclusive, welcoming both registered and unregistered collectives as well as individuals applying on behalf of a group. Beyond grantmaking, the fund invests in long-term movement strength through peer learning and capacity-strengthening support in areas such as leadership, financial literacy, project management, and communications. The 2026 open call focuses on local and national initiatives with deep community ties, reflecting YCJF’s commitment to shifting resources toward youth-led actors who are often excluded from traditional climate finance despite their critical role in driving equitable climate action.

• Geographies: Global (local and national groups across all regions).

• Who can apply: Youth-led local and national climate justice groups or collectives; individuals may apply if acting on behalf of a collective.

• Funding amount: USD $20,000 (local groups); USD $40,000 (national groups).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate Justice; Focus areas: youth-led climate action, movement building, policy accountability.

• Deadline: March 1, 2026 (23:59 UTC).

• Learn more and apply here.

YCJF’s model centers power-building rather than projects, positioning youth-led movements as essential political actors in shaping just climate futures rather than short-term implementers.

eBay Circular Fashion Fund, eBay. *New!*

The eBay Circular Fashion Fund returns in 2026 as an annual global funding and mentorship initiative aimed at supporting early-stage fashion businesses that are transforming the industry through circular design, recycling, reuse, and repair models. The program is designed to accelerate innovators that extend the life of clothing and reduce waste across the fashion system by combining direct financial backing, expert mentoring, and global exposure with eBay and industry leaders. Selection is judged by a panel of sustainability experts, previous alumni founders, and eBay leadership based on circularity impact, business model strength, and alignment with eBay’s sustainability strategy.

• Geographies: United States; United Kingdom; European Union; Switzerland; Canada; Australia.

• Who can apply: Early-stage businesses (6 months–6 years) legally registered as companies, charities, or social enterprises in eligible markets.

• Funding amount: Eight finalists: USD $50,000 each with mentoring; one Global Winner eligible for up to USD $300,000 venture investment.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Sustainable Fashion; Circular Business Models; Textile Recycling; SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure); SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production); SDG 13 (Climate Action).

• Deadline: March 8, 2026 (11:59 PM Eastern Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This program underscores eBay’s strategic commitment to scaling circular fashion solutions by combining targeted grant awards, global mentoring, and venture-backed growth pathways to help innovators deliver measurable environmental impact.

Climate Intervention Environmental Impact Fund – 2026 Grants, Climate Intervention Environmental Impact Fund (CIEIF). *New!*

The Climate Intervention Environmental Impact Fund (CIEIF) is a focused global grants program designed to support rigorous environmental impact work for proposed small-scale climate intervention field tests that aim to reverse climate change. The fund invests in projects that integrate predictive environmental impact assessments (EIA), advanced impact modeling, and stakeholder engagement strategies ahead of actual field demonstrations. This targeted funding mechanism prioritizes innovative technologies on the cusp of real-world testing that show clear potential for meaningful climate benefits, while ensuring that environmental, social, and governance implications are well understood and documented. CIEIF’s strategy reflects its mission to bridge the gap between concept and responsible implementation by supporting transparent analysis and peer-reviewed reporting on intervention risks and opportunities.

• Geographies: Global (applications accepted worldwide).

• Who can apply: Investigators with innovative climate intervention field test proposals emphasizing EIA, impact modeling, and stakeholder engagement.

• Funding amount: USD $75,000 per grant (three awards).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate Change; Environmental Impact Assessment; Climate Intervention.

• Deadline: March 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The 2026 cycle advances CIEIF’s focus on building credible, socially accountable evidence about emerging climate intervention technologies by funding analytical groundwork that can shape future research, policy, and practice.

15th E-ASIA Joint Research Program Call: Alternative Energy, E-ASIA Joint Research Program.

The 15th E-ASIA Joint Research Program call on Alternative Energy invites multinational research consortia to advance innovative energy technologies and systems that support low-carbon and sustainable energy transitions across the Asia-Pacific region. The program is designed to align national research investments around shared priorities, funding collaborative projects that address renewable energy generation, energy storage, hydrogen and fuel technologies, smart grids, and system integration challenges. E-ASIA places strong emphasis on scientific excellence, complementary expertise across countries, and solutions with clear potential to contribute to climate mitigation and long-term energy security. Funding is administered at the national level, with each participating country supporting its own research teams under a coordinated framework. By requiring multi-country collaboration and harmonized implementation, the call aims to generate regionally relevant knowledge and technologies that can accelerate the transition to clean energy systems.

• Geographies: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania (participating E-ASIA countries).

• Who can apply: Transnational research consortia with eligible partners from at least three participating E-ASIA member countries.

• Funding amount: Country-specific caps apply; examples include PHP 15,000,000 total for two projects (Philippines) and up to CNY 2,000,000 per project (China).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Energy & Climate; Focus areas: renewable energy systems, energy storage, hydrogen, smart grids.

• Deadline: March 18, 2026 (5:00 pm JST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call reflects E-ASIA’s strategy of coordinating national clean energy research investments to deliver collaborative solutions with regional relevance and climate impact.

MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity 2026, AEON Environmental Foundation. *New!*

The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity is a prestigious global award that recognizes individuals whose work has delivered exceptional contributions to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Established to advance the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the prize highlights leadership that translates ecological knowledge into lasting environmental and societal impact. The 2026 cycle will honor two laureates whose achievements demonstrate international relevance, long-term commitment, and influence across one or more of three areas: on-the-ground implementation, science and research, or policy and public enlightenment. By elevating individual leadership rather than project proposals, the MIDORI Prize is designed to amplify proven change-makers whose work can inspire replication, policy uptake, and broader public engagement in biodiversity protection worldwide.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individuals worldwide contributing to biodiversity conservation or sustainable use; nominations required.

• Funding amount: Two prizes of USD $100,000 each.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Biodiversity Conservation; Focus areas: biodiversity leadership, conservation impact.

• Deadline: March 31, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

By centering individual achievement, the MIDORI Prize reinforces AEON Environmental Foundation’s strategy of advancing global biodiversity outcomes through visible leadership, systems influence, and alignment with international biodiversity frameworks.

Innovate for Impact Challenge, World Food Prize Foundation.

The Innovate for Impact Challenge is a global competition designed to spotlight and accelerate early‑stage agricultural technology (AgTech) startups whose breakthrough solutions have the potential to transform food systems and advance global food security. Aligned with the Foundation’s mission to elevate innovations that address sustainability and hunger, this challenge invites visionary founders from around the world to compete for cash prizes and unparalleled exposure. Entrants move through stages including submission, semi‑finalist selection, public engagement, and a live pitch event at the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa, in October 2026 — a convening that draws leaders across agriculture, policy, and investment.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Early‑stage, for‑profit AgTech startups with at least one full‑time founding member.

• Funding amount: $50,000 (1st), $10,000 (2nd), $5,000 (3rd).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Food & Agriculture; innovation for sustainable food systems (SDG 2, SDG 9).

• Deadline: April 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This challenge accelerates scalable AgTech innovations by combining global competition, expert evaluation, and strategic exposure at one of the food system’s premier convenings.

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Gender Equality & Women Empowerment

Call for Proposals for Civil Society – UNFPA Türkiye (Lots 1 & 2), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). *New!* *Closing soon!*

Through this call, UNFPA Türkiye is seeking to operationalize its 8th Country Programme (2026–2030) by partnering with civil society organizations that can advance sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, and youth empowerment through complementary pathways. Lot 1 emphasizes service delivery and outreach for vulnerable women, girls, and young people, paired with systems-strengthening collaborations with public and local actors. Lot 2 focuses on research, evidence generation, policy development, and advocacy designed to influence decision-making and national discourse. Across both lots, UNFPA prioritizes rights-based, gender-responsive, and intersectional approaches that strengthen national capacity, improve service quality, and embed sustainability beyond project cycles. The call reflects UNFPA’s dual investment logic: pairing frontline implementation with upstream evidence and policy influence to drive durable, system-level change.

• Geographies: Türkiye.

• Who can apply: Non-profit civil society organizations legally registered in Türkiye.

• Funding amount: Lot 1: Up to USD $150,000; Lot 2: Up to USD $100,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; Focus areas: GBV prevention, youth empowerment, care economy, policy and systems strengthening.

• Deadline: February 16, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

By structuring the call into service delivery and policy-evidence tracks, UNFPA signals that durable progress on SRHR and gender equality requires simultaneous investment at community and system levels.

Prevention of Gender Violence and Protection of Adolescent Girls in Trinidad and El Alto, UNICEF. *New!* *Closing soon!*

Through this call, UNICEF Bolivia seeks to address entrenched patterns of gender-based violence, sexual violence, and early and forced unions by investing in prevention models centered on adolescent agency and protective community environments. The initiative reflects UNICEF’s strategic framing of violence not only as an individual harm, but as a systemic outcome shaped by social norms, family dynamics, and weak protection ecosystems. By integrating life skills, psychosocial support, parental engagement, and community-based prevention, the program aims to shift risk trajectories for adolescent girls while strengthening local protection systems. The call is explicitly aligned with UNICEF’s 2026–2029 Strategic Plan, prioritizing gender equity, adolescent empowerment, and evidence-based, multisectoral approaches that can disrupt cycles of violence and exclusion in high-risk urban and peri-urban contexts such as El Alto and Trinidad.

• Geographies: Bolivia, El Alto (La Paz Department) and Trinidad (Beni Department).

• Who can apply: Non-profit civil society organizations.

• Funding amount: Total pool: USD $755,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Protection; Focus areas: adolescent agency, GBV prevention, protective environments.

• Deadline: February 18, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call underscores UNICEF’s conviction that reducing violence against girls requires sustained investment in agency, family systems, and community norms, not only crisis response.

For Women in Science Challenge – Call 101, L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Program. *New!* *Closing soon!*

This global For Women in Science challenge recognizes women scientists whose research excellence and leadership contribute to advancing scientific knowledge and innovation. Structured as both a funding and recognition mechanism, the program combines financial awards with international visibility and integration into a global network spanning academia, research institutions, and science-policy ecosystems. By spotlighting women’s contributions to science and supporting their continued research trajectories, the call directly addresses persistent gender gaps in scientific careers. The award reflects the program’s long-term strategy of strengthening women’s professional capital in research — pairing resources with recognition to support sustained impact and leadership in science.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Women researchers and scientists.

• Funding amount: €25,000 per award; four awards granted.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Scientific Research; Focus areas: women in STEM, research leadership, scientific excellence.

• Deadline: February 21, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This award exemplifies the For Women in Science model of advancing gender equality in research by coupling direct funding with long-term visibility and professional recognition.

Al Madad Foundation Small Grants Call 2026, Al Madad Foundation (linked to homepage). *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Al Madad Foundation’s Small Grants Call 2026 invites small and emerging charitable organizations in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt to submit concept notes for projects that strengthen women’s capacity to provide for their families and act as agents of change in their communities. Beyond funding, this program integrates tailored organizational support — including mentoring, webinars, and practical guidance- to help organizations grow both their project delivery and institutional systems. Reflecting AMF’s strategic focus on empowerment and sustainability in displacement settings, the call emphasizes interventions that combine direct community impact with enhanced organizational resilience.

• Geographies: Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt.

• Who can apply: Small and emerging charitable organizations registered in the country of implementation.

• Funding amount: Up to GBP £10,000 per grant.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Humanitarian Aid; Focus areas: women’s empowerment, organizational capacity building, refugee support.

• Deadline: February 23, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call underscores AMF’s commitment to strengthening the capacity and sustainability of emerging civil society actors while advancing women’s agency and resilience in displacement contexts.

Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Global Award for Women’s Empowerment, Supreme Council for Women, Bahrain / UN Women.

The Global Award celebrates exceptional contributions across the public, private, and civil society sectors toward advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality. With no application fees and open globally, it invites individuals and organizations to submit one application (which may contain multiple initiatives) demonstrating impactful, innovative, and inclusive work. Applicants are encouraged to highlight policy influence, sustainable programming, advocacy, or leadership models that foster women’s rights. The award—given every three years—aims not only to recognize achievement but to amplify visibility and drive momentum behind feminist action globally.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individuals; civil society, public or private institutions worldwide.

• Funding amount: USD $100,000 per award (4 total awards by category).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Gender Equality; Focus areas: women’s empowerment, innovation, advocacy, leadership.

• Deadline: March 20, 2026 (11:59 PM NY Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

The award supports global recognition as a lever for scaling feminist impact across borders and sectors.

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Global Health & WASH

2026 Hillman Emergent Innovation (HEI), The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation. *Closing Soon!*

This call seeks to accelerate bold, nursing-driven interventions that reshape how care is delivered for marginalized populations in the United States—prioritizing approaches that narrow equity gaps, challenge conventional models, and show credible potential to become best-in-class. The Foundation’s investment logic emphasizes early-stage concepts that can move from promising prototype to scalable intervention within a short runway, backed by measurable outcomes and a clear pathway to real-world adoption. Competitive proposals will be rooted in nursing’s holistic strengths while demonstrating strong institutional and community partnerships, meaningful engagement of patients/families/caregivers, and collaboration across disciplines—especially when care is delivered outside hospital settings. The program is designed to catalyze practical innovations that can influence broader systems of care and sustain beyond the grant period.

• Geographies: United States (including U.S. territories).

• Who can apply: U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofits (non-private foundations); international equivalents serving marginalized populations within the U.S.; government entities; faith-based organizations that welcome and serve all regardless of belief.

• Funding amount: USD $50,000 (per award); up to ten (10) awards.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: workforce development, health governance, community engagement

• Deadline: February 20, 2026 (5:00 pm ET).

• Learn more and apply here.

With a high-volume, low-award funnel, proposals that embed cross-sector partnerships and specify how evidence will translate into practice or system uptake tend to align best with the Foundation’s selection logic.

CaixaResearch HealthCare Research Call 2026, ”la Caixa” Foundation. *Closing soon!*

The 2026 HealthCare Research call from the “la Caixa” Foundation supports applied research that advances the design, implementation, evaluation, and scalability of healthcare interventions focused on health promotion and disease prevention. Priorities include projects that demonstrate meaningful pathways from evidence to practice in areas such as mental health, women’s health, child and adolescent health, nutrition and healthy lifestyles, healthy ageing, and chronic conditions, while integrating rigorous, validated methods and multidisciplinary perspectives. This call emphasizes real-world research that produces actionable insights and scalable intervention strategies, rewarding proposals that address feasibility, impact measurement, and sustainability beyond initial funding. Applicants must lead projects based in Spain or Portugal with strong host organizations, and proposals may include research partners and civil society collaborators within budget guidelines. The selection process includes eligibility screening, remote review, and expert committee assessment.

• Geographies: Spain and Portugal (project conducted in these countries), global partners allowable within budget limits.

• Who can apply: Host organizations (non-profit research performing organizations) in Spain or Portugal, with project leaders holding a doctoral degree.

• Funding amount: Pilot studies up to €80,000; retrospective evaluations up to €150,000; new interventions up to €300,000; total envelope up to €2,500,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: pilot feasibility, retrospective evaluation, new intervention design & evaluation

• Deadline: February 25, 2026 (14:00 CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

This first edition call is designed to foster evidence-based health interventions with pathways from demonstration to scalable public benefit, strengthening preventive and promotional health research in real systems.

Roux Prize – 2026 Call for Nominations, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).

The Roux Prize is an annual international award that celebrates individuals or groups who have used health evidence in bold, innovative ways to improve population health. Administered by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the prize emphasizes real‑world impact from evidence such as global disease burden data, rewarding not just research but application that drives health improvements for communities or populations.Rather than financing project proposals, the prize recognizes impactful translation and application of data- from burden of disease metrics to policy, practice, or implementation at scale. Nominations are peer‑sourced and evaluated by an expert committee, with the award spotlighting ingenuity in evidence use and the power of data to drive lasting health gains.

• Geographies: Global, individuals and groups from any country may be nominated.

• Who can apply: Individuals or groups nominated by others (not self‑nominated) whose work demonstrates impactful use of health evidence.

• Funding amount: USD $100,000 (prize).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Public Health; Focus areas: evidence‑to‑impact, population health improvement.

• Deadline: March 3, 2026.

• Learn more and nominate here.

IHME values innovation in evidence application - nominations should clearly articulate how evidence changed health outcomes or policy decisions.

GAP Fund: Single-Step Support for Medical Product Development, Medical Research Council (MRC).

The GAP Fund provides flexible, one-step support for academic-led projects that aim to bridge the translational gap in medical product development. Managed by MRC and Innovate UK, this fund supports early-stage, high-risk projects that address clear unmet healthcare needs. It is open to researchers across all modalities, from advanced therapies to diagnostics and digital tools, and is designed to advance projects toward feasibility for more substantial follow-on investment.

• Geographies: United Kingdom.

• Who can apply: UK-based research organizations; collaborators may include SMEs, NHS bodies, and industry.

• Funding amount: £50,000–£300,000; Total fund: £3,000,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: translational science, medical product development, early-stage innovation.

• Deadline: March 11, 2026 (16:00 UK time).

• Learn more and apply here.

Strong applications will demonstrate clear routes to downstream funding and alignment with critical health needs in the UK.

Call for Proposals: Water and Sanitation Enterprises in Senegal (Making Water Count 2026–2030), Aqua for All. *New!*

Aqua for All is inviting scalable, impact-driven water and sanitation enterprises in Senegal to apply for support under the new phase of its flagship Making Water Count program (2026–2030). The call targets market-based solutions that can sustainably expand access to safe drinking water and sanitation while mobilizing private capital and strengthening local service delivery ecosystems. Priority is given to enterprises operating across drinking water and sanitation value chains, including household water treatment, fecal sludge management, smart water technologies, and circular economy models. Aqua for All is particularly interested in solutions that integrate climate resilience and gender considerations, and that demonstrate readiness to scale beyond proof-of-concept. Support may include grant funding, technical assistance, or a combination of both, tailored to enterprise needs and growth stage.

• Geographies: Senegal.

• Who can apply: Registered water and sanitation enterprises with at least two years of operations.

• Funding amount: EUR €20,000–400,000 depending on instrument (plus technical assistance).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Water and Sanitation; Focus areas: SME scaling, market-based WASH, climate resilience.

• Deadline: March 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call reflects Aqua for All’s investment logic: using smart, performance-linked grants to unlock private capital and build durable WASH markets led by local enterprises.

Female Heart Research Grants – Clinical & Mechanistic Tracks, Novo Nordisk Foundation. *New!*

Through its Female Heart Research program, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is addressing one of the most persistent gaps in biomedical science: the underrepresentation of women in cardiovascular research and the limited understanding of sex-specific disease mechanisms. The program is intentionally structured across two complementary tracks. The Clinical Research Grants support patient-oriented, epidemiological, and interventional studies that can improve diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular disease in women. In parallel, the Mechanistic Research Grants focus on uncovering the biological, molecular, and physiological pathways that drive sex differences in cardiovascular disease. Together, the tracks reflect a coherent investment logic — linking discovery science with clinical translation to generate evidence that can reshape cardiovascular care for women across the life course. Projects are expected to embed sex-specific hypotheses at their core, rather than treating sex as a secondary variable.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Research institutions with eligible Principal Investigators.

• Funding amount: Up to DKK 10,000,000 per grant (Clinical track); up to DKK 10,000,000 per grant (Mechanistic track).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: women’s cardiovascular health, sex-specific mechanisms, translational research.

• Deadline: March 19, 2026 (2:00 pm Copenhagen time).

• Learn more and apply here – Clinical Research Grants.

• Learn more and apply here – Mechanistic Research Grants.

This dual-track design signals the Foundation’s strategy: advancing women’s cardiovascular health requires simultaneous investment in mechanistic insight and real-world clinical evidence.

Engagement Award: Capacity Building — Spring 2026 Cycle, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). *New!*

This Engagement Award from PCORI seeks to strengthen the capacity of patients, caregivers, clinicians, and broader healthcare stakeholders to participate as meaningful partners in patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER). The focus is not on funding clinical studies, but on enhancing skills, infrastructure, and community readiness so that diverse voices can contribute throughout all phases of CER — from planning and design to dissemination of results. Projects may also strengthen researchers’ ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders and support prior Engagement Award recipients in scaling impact. Successful applicants will demonstrate a clear pathway for engaging patients and stakeholders in future patient-centered CER, generate transferable insights for others, and align with PCORI’s Foundational Expectations for Partnerships in Research. Letters of Intent are due March 30, 2026, with invited full proposals due July 13, 2026.

• Geographies: United States (primary institutional focus), with potential collaborative components internationally.

• Who can apply: Organizations, including non-profits, for-profits, academic institutions, and public entities (not individuals).

• Funding amount: Up to USD $300,000 per project (Engagement Award Program total pool up to $25 million across engagement tracks).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: patient engagement in CER, stakeholder capacity building.

• Deadline: March 30, 2026 (Letters of Intent); invited proposals due July 13, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This award underscores PCORI’s strategic emphasis on equipping patients and communities to shape comparative clinical effectiveness research in ways that reflect real-world priorities and lived experiences.

Accelerating Cervical Cancer Elimination through Secondary Prevention in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, Unitaid. *New!*

Unitaid is calling for large-scale, catalytic proposals to accelerate global cervical cancer elimination by transforming access to secondary prevention in low- and middle-income countries. The initiative targets persistent gaps in screening, triage, and treatment of pre-cancerous lesions, with a clear emphasis on overcoming market and delivery barriers that limit uptake at scale. Rather than funding stand-alone pilots, Unitaid seeks interventions capable of reshaping markets — lowering prices, diversifying suppliers, and integrating innovations into national health systems in line with WHO elimination targets. Successful proposals are expected to combine technical innovation with health system integration and sustainable access strategies, delivering population-level impact for women and girls who remain underserved.

• Geographies: Low- and middle-income countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

• Who can apply: Consortia of organizations with implementation, technical, and market-shaping expertise.

• Funding amount: Approximately USD $30 million total across all selected projects.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: cervical cancer secondary prevention, HPV screening, access to diagnostics.

• Deadline: April 9, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call exemplifies Unitaid’s model of using market-shaping investment to convert proven health tools into equitable, large-scale access for women in LMICs.

Humanitarian Aid and Emergency Programming

Technology Acquisition and Deployment Fund (TADF): Innovative Technologies for Disaster Management in South Africa, Technology Innovation Agency (TIA). *New!* *Closing soon!*

TIA is inviting proposals for market-ready and advanced-pilot technologies that can strengthen South Africa’s disaster management system across the full disaster cycle; from risk assessment and early warning to response, recovery, and long-term resilience. The call is framed as a shift from reactive crisis response toward proactive, innovation-led disaster governance, with a strong emphasis on technologies that integrate science and technology with social and behavioral insights. Priority areas include AI-driven early warning systems, satellite and drone applications, inclusive preparedness tools, rapid response technologies, recovery and beneficiary-linkage platforms, and resilience-building solutions such as smart infrastructure and climate-resilient water systems. Proposals are expected to demonstrate feasibility, scalability, and alignment with national disaster management policies, while centering community engagement, equity, and local ownership.

• Geographies: South Africa.

• Who can apply: South African SMMEs, start-ups, non-profits, research institutions, and community-based organizations.

• Funding amount: Up to ZAR R1,000,000 per project.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Disaster Risk Reduction; Focus areas: early warning systems, disaster response technologies, community engagement tools.

• Deadline: February 9, 2026 (17:00 SAST).

• Learn more and apply here.

This is a systems call, not a gadget call, framing your solution within national disaster governance and resilience priorities will strengthen alignment.

AICS Emergency Initiative: Education, Protection and Livelihoods in Lebanon, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). *Closing soon!*

This urgent call from AICS Beirut seeks to improve the lives of vulnerable populations in Lebanon—especially women, youth, children, and refugees—by supporting access to quality education, child protection, and livelihood opportunities. Structured in two lots, the initiative emphasizes systems strengthening, institutional alignment, and multi-actor coordination. Lot 1 supports projects in education and protection, including formal and non-formal TVET, while Lot 2 focuses on employment and income generation, aligned with the Lebanon Livelihoods Sector Framework. Projects must reflect humanitarian–development–peace nexus principles and mainstream cross-cutting priorities such as gender, disability inclusion, and protection from exploitation and abuse.

• Geographies: Lebanon.

• Who can apply: Legally registered non-profit organizations with relevant experience and compliance with Italian legal, tax, and social security standards.

• Funding amount: Lot 1: up to €900,000 (single) / €1.8M (joint); Lot 2: up to €1.05M; total pool €8M.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Focus areas: TVET, child protection, employment access, refugee inclusion.

• Deadline: February 16, 2026 (23:59 Beirut time).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call reflects Italy’s long-term commitment to integrated service systems in fragile settings, bridging humanitarian response with inclusive, locally led development.

Regional Response to the Great Lakes Crisis: Uganda and Burundi (AID 012905/01/0), Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo (AICS). *Closing soon!*

Through this call, AICS seeks to reinforce Italy’s humanitarian engagement in the Great Lakes region by funding coordinated, multisectoral responses to a protracted displacement crisis affecting both refugees and host communities in Uganda and Burundi. The initiative is explicitly designed around a humanitarian–development–peace nexus, emphasizing interventions that combine immediate life-saving assistance with actions that strengthen resilience, social cohesion, and self-reliance. AICS prioritizes proposals that integrate health, protection, food security, WASH, and livelihoods within nationally led and UN-coordinated response frameworks, ensuring alignment with refugee response and humanitarian planning instruments in both countries. Particular emphasis is placed on addressing the needs of women, children, persons with disabilities, and survivors of gender-based violence, while promoting coordination, accountability, and localization as core principles for effective delivery in highly fragile contexts.

• Geographies: Uganda; Burundi.

• Who can apply: Eligible non-profit civil society organizations under AICS regulations.

• Funding amount: Lot 1 – Uganda: EUR €1,000,000; Lot 2 – Burundi: EUR €500,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Humanitarian Assistance; Focus areas: multisectoral emergency response, refugee and host community support, protection.

• Deadline: February 27, 2026 (1:00 PM).

• Learn more and apply here.

This call illustrates AICS’s strategic use of lot-based humanitarian financing to tailor responses to distinct national contexts while maintaining a coherent regional crisis response.

UNVTF Grants Programme Cycle 10.2, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (linked to homepage). *New!* *Closing soon!*

The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF), managed by UNODC, is now accepting applications under its Cycle 10.2 Grants Program to support initiatives that deliver direct assistance to survivors of human trafficking. This call prioritizes organizations that can provide humanitarian, legal, social, and psychosocial support to victims, with an emphasis on survivor-centered and rights-based interventions that contribute to reintegration and reduced risk of re-trafficking. By facilitating small grants that directly impact survivors on the ground, the UNVTF seeks to strengthen front-line responses and build scalable pathways to recovery and social inclusion.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Non-profit civil society organizations (NGOs/CSOs/CBOs) with valid UN Partner Portal registration and required documentation.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $20,000 per grant.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Human Rights; Protection; Victim Assistance; Focus areas: humanitarian support, legal aid, psychosocial assistance, reintegration.

• Deadline: February 28, 2026 (23:59 CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

This funding window reflects UNODC’s broader emphasis on survivor-centred support that translates directly into improved access to justice, wellbeing, and sustainable reintegration for people affected by human trafficking.

United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture – Annual Grants 2026, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture is designed to ensure that survivors of torture receive comprehensive, dignity-centered support that responds directly to the physical, psychological, legal, and social harm caused by severe human rights violations. The Fund prioritizes projects that place survivors at the core of program design and delivery, emphasizing trauma-informed, gender-responsive, and holistic models of care. Its investment logic centers on sustaining experienced service providers that can deliver consistent, high-quality assistance while operating under strict accountability and safeguarding standards. By focusing exclusively on direct services rather than research or advocacy, the Fund reinforces rehabilitation and access to justice as foundational elements of redress, recovery, and long-term social reintegration for survivors and their families.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Civil society organizations and other non-governmental channels of assistance delivering direct services to victims of torture.

• Funding amount: USD $20,000–50,000 for first-time or returning applicants; up to USD $100,000 for eligible on-going applicants.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Human Rights; Focus areas: torture rehabilitation, legal aid, psychosocial support, survivor assistance.

• Deadline: March 1, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The Fund operationalizes the right to rehabilitation by channeling predictable annual support to frontline organizations delivering survivor-centered care under international human rights standards.

2026 GCSP Prize for Transformative Futures in Peace and Security, Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP).

The GCSP Prize for Transformative Futures in Peace and Security rewards innovative and forward-thinking concepts that offer bold approaches to advancing global peace and security. Open to individuals, teams, and organizations worldwide, this award seeks ideas with originality, implementation potential, and systemic impact. The winning concept will receive a fully funded two-month incubation at GCSP’s Creative Spark in Geneva — a unique opportunity to refine and amplify their approach within a global foresight and security innovation hub.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Individuals, groups, and organizations (excluding current GCSP staff/fellows and families).

• Funding amount: CHF 15,000 value (in-kind incubation program).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Peacebuilding; Focus areas: foresight, peace innovation, systems thinking.

• Deadline: March 20, 2026 (23:59 UTC+1).

• Learn more and apply here.

GCSP champions radical creativity grounded in systems analysis. Submissions should reflect both visionary thinking and grounded feasibility.

Education, Human Rights & Inclusion

AU–EU Youth Action Lab – Cooperation Grants, AU–EU Youth Action Lab. *Closing soon!*

The Cooperation Grants supports projects led by consortia of youth‑led organizations from both Africa and Europe. The call supports cross‑continental collaboration aimed at joint advocacy, policy influence and youth‑driven social change across the two continents. Organizations must be youth‑led, formally registered, and apply as a consortium (at least one African and one EU partner). The grant unlocks resources for projects ranging from continental youth networks and shared campaigns to cross‑border joint initiatives addressing global challenges.

• Geographies: African Union focus countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and European Union member states.

• Who can apply: Youth‑led non‑profit organizations forming cross‑continental consortiums. Apply as a consortium of two to four organizations: including one established in one of the 12 eligible African countries..

• Funding amount: EUR €50,000 per consortium (12‑month project).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Youth Development / Civic Engagement; Focus areas: youth cooperation, cross‑continental advocacy, policy influence, social innovation.

• Deadline: February 12, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

By bringing together youth organizations from Africa and Europe, this grant aims to build bridges, enabling joint action, shared learning, and stronger youth-led influence at continental scale.

ICNL Grants & Fellowships for Defending Civic Space, International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL). *New!*

The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) is offering a coordinated suite of small-grant opportunities in 2026 to strengthen civil society resilience and defend civic space in contexts facing legal, political, and structural constraints. Across Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and targeted country contexts in Southeast Asia, ICNL seeks to support locally led initiatives that advance enabling legal environments for civil society, protect fundamental freedoms, and counter restrictive regulatory trends. The funding prioritizes strategic advocacy, coalition-building, legal analysis, and engagement with national, regional, and international accountability mechanisms—rather than service delivery. Together, these calls reflect ICNL’s long-term strategy of pairing legal expertise with grassroots leadership to expand civic space where it is most at risk, while reinforcing organizational resilience and cross-border learning. Grants are designed to be flexible, time-bound, and impact-oriented, with clear expectations around feasibility, accountability, and contribution to systemic change.

• Geographies: Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries (selected countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Caribbean); Philippines; Thailand.

• Who can apply: Civil society organizations and non-profit organizations legally based in eligible countries (country-specific eligibility applies).

• Funding amount: Up to USD 20,000 (SIDS & LDCs call); up to USD 30,000 (Philippines and Thailand calls).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Governance & Civic Space; Focus areas: civic freedoms, enabling environment reform, civil society resilience.

• Deadline: February 15, 2026 (Philippines and Thailand); February 28, 2026 (SIDS & LDCs).

• Learn more and apply here.

Taken together, these calls signal ICNL’s emphasis on legally grounded, locally driven strategies that protect civic space not just through resistance, but through durable reform, coordination, and institutional resilience.

Education Innovation Awards 2026, Theirworld. *New!*

The Theirworld Education Innovation Awards support bold, practical ideas that improve access to quality education for children and young people facing the greatest barriers to learning. The fund is designed to identify and back innovative solutions, often early-stage or under-resourced, that address systemic challenges such as exclusion, poor learning outcomes, and inequitable access to education in low-resource and crisis-affected contexts. Theirworld prioritizes initiatives with a strong evidence base, clear learning objectives, and the potential to influence education systems beyond a single pilot. Funded projects are expected to demonstrate innovation in approach, delivery, or technology, while remaining grounded in real-world feasibility and learner needs. The structure of the awards reflects Theirworld’s strategy of using catalytic funding to surface scalable ideas that can shift how education is delivered to marginalized communities.

• Geographies: Global (with emphasis on low-resource and marginalized contexts).

• Who can apply: NGOs, nonprofits, and social enterprises working in education.

• Funding amount: Up to GBP £50,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Focus areas: education innovation, inclusion, learning outcomes.

• Deadline: February 16, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The Awards reflect Theirworld’s investment logic: small, catalytic grants used to surface innovations capable of reshaping education access and quality at scale.

Catalyst 2026 – CTIA Wireless Foundation, CTIA Wireless Foundation. *New!*

Catalyst is CTIA Wireless Foundation’s flagship funding program backing ambitious early-stage social entrepreneurs who are using mobile-first, wireless-enabled solutions to tackle pressing challenges in American communities. The Foundation’s investment logic centers on wireless networks as civic infrastructure: it seeks innovations that can translate connectivity (including 5G-enabled capabilities) into measurable community benefit—especially for challenges that disproportionately affect marginalized populations. Catalyst is structured as a competitive, staged process that pairs unrestricted prize funding with high-leverage visibility and field-building support, including professional storytelling assets, media coaching, and convening opportunities with industry and policy leaders. The program prioritizes founders with lived experience of the problem they are solving and ventures that have moved beyond ideation to a proof of concept, signaling readiness to scale impact through a powerful technology platform.

• Geographies: United States and U.S. Territories.

• Who can apply: U.S.-registered nonprofits, for-profits committed to social good, and B-Corps (mobile-first; proof of concept; not CTIA members; not past winners).

• Funding amount: USD $100,000 (1st), $50,000 (2nd), $25,000 (3rd), $10,000 (3 honorable mentions); finalists submitting Phase 2 receive minimum $10,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Entrepreneurship & Innovation; Focus areas: mobile-first wireless solutions, 5G-enabled social impact, community inclusion.

• Deadline: February 24, 2026 (11:59 pm ET).

• Learn more and apply here.

Catalyst’s design reflects a clear thesis: pairing unrestricted capital with narrative and network access can accelerate wireless-enabled solutions from proof-of-concept to community-scale impact.

Large Research Grants on Education, Spencer Foundation. *New!*

The Spencer Foundation’s Large Research Grants on Education program supports ambitious, multi-year research projects designed to generate foundational knowledge that can meaningfully inform education systems, policy, and practice. Structured as a two-stage, invitation-only process, the program begins with a competitive pre-proposal phase, followed by full proposals from selected teams. Spencer anticipates awarding grants across three funding tiers, enabling research projects at varying scales over one to five years. The program is explicitly field-initiated, prioritizing conceptual rigor, methodological strength, and long-term contribution to educational discourse over short-term evaluations or applied pilots. Funded projects often examine systemic challenges such as equity, governance, learning environments, institutional design, and policy implementation, with clear pathways for scholarly and practitioner dissemination. The structure signals Spencer’s strategic commitment to depth, scale, and sustained inquiry in education research.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Researchers with an earned doctorate affiliated with nonprofit or public institutions.

• Funding amount: USD $125,000–500,000 across three funding tiers.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education Research; Focus areas: systems-level education research, policy-relevant evidence.

• Deadline: Pre-proposal: February 24, 2026 (12:00 noon CT); Full proposal (invited): June 23, 2026 (12:00 noon CT).

• Learn more and apply here.

By funding field-initiated research rather than predefined themes, Spencer reinforces its role as a steward of long-horizon knowledge creation in education.

Yidan Prize 2026 – Nominations Open, Yidan Prize Foundation.

The Yidan Prize 2026 nomination call invites global nominations for two premier awards recognizing extraordinary contributions to education — one for education research and one for education development. As the world’s highest education accolade, the Prize combines substantial financial support with international recognition, aimed at accelerating the adoption of transformative ideas that improve learning quality, expand access, and influence educational policy and practice. The Prize’s design reflects a broad strategy to foster a global community of education changemakers by rewarding both deep, evidence-based research and bold, practice-driven innovations. By opening the process to all credible nominators worldwide — including self-nominations — the Foundation signals an inclusive, impact-oriented intent to identify and amplify voices that are reshaping education systems across diverse contexts.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Nominations open to anyone with credible insight into the nominee’s work; nominees may be individuals or teams (up to three).

• Funding amount: HK$30,000,000 (~USD $3.8M) per category, comprised of HK$15M cash and HK$15M project fund for laureates.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education Innovation; Focus areas: education research excellence, education development impact.

• Deadline: March 3, 2026 (12 noon HKT).

• Learn more and apply here.

The Yidan Prize’s emphasis on both research and practical educational transformation underscores its mission to support scalable, sustainable approaches that shape the future of learning worldwide.

International Children’s Peace Prize 2026 (nominations open), KidsRights Foundation.

The International Children’s Peace Prize is a globally recognized award celebrating youth changemakers aged 12–18 whose courage, leadership, and impact have advanced the rights and wellbeing of children. Nominations may be submitted by any adult on behalf of a young leader or a group of up to five children. Beyond the honorary Nkosi statuette presented by a Nobel Peace Laureate, the Prize package includes significant educational support through the Desmond Tutu Study & Care Fund and a €50,000 project fund dedicated to furthering the winner’s impact, with additional investment from KidsRights. Every nominee gains global visibility on the Prize platform, amplifying their message and inspiring broader youth engagement.

• Geographies: Global. Open to children from all countries.

• Who can apply: Nominations by adults or individuals on behalf of young changemakers (12–18 years); group nominations permitted (max 5).

• Funding amount: €50,000 project funding for the winner.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Children’s Rights Advocacy; Focus areas: youth leadership, peace, social justice.

• Deadline: March 31, 2026 (17:00 CET).

• Learn more and nominate here.

KidsRights prioritizes authentic, youth‑led impact - nominations should clearly show how a child’s leadership has driven measurable change for peers or communities.

Innovation, Research & Smart Cities

Mustafa (pbuh) Prize – 2027 Call for Nominations, Mustafa Science & Technology Foundation. *Closing soon!*

Nominations are open for the Mustafa (pbuh) Prize, a biennial international science and technology award that celebrates monumental scientific contributions with transformative impacts on human life and global knowledge. Laureates are selected in two major categories: Life and Medical Science and Technology and Basic and Engineering Sciences, recognizing work that advances understanding and delivers practical benefit in areas such as biomedical innovation, engineering breakthroughs, and foundational science. Interested nominators, including universities, research centers, accredited scientific bodies, and distinguished scientists, may submit candidates whose work demonstrates lasting scientific influence.

• Geographies: Global (with focus on scientists residing in Islamic countries).

• Who can apply: Scientists (individuals or groups) nominated by accredited scientific institutions or respected scientists.

• Funding amount: USD $500,000 per laureate.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Research & Innovation; Focus areas: biomedical sciences, engineering, scientific discovery with global impact.

• Deadline: February 20, 2026.

• Learn more and submit nominations here.

Frame your candidate’s work as transformative at a global scale - emphasize how the scientific innovation reshapes boundaries of knowledge or delivers tangible benefits to human well‑being.

MAGICIAN Second Open Call – Application Use Cases (OC2), MAGICIAN Project (EU Horizon Europe).

Through its Second Open Call, the MAGICIAN project seeks to accelerate the adoption of autonomous defect detection and repair technologies by extending its robotics and AI framework into new industrial domains beyond automotive manufacturing. The call is structured as cascade funding, enabling startups and SMEs to test, adapt, and validate up to two MAGICIAN capabilities within a single targeted sector, in close technical collaboration with the MAGICIAN consortium. Priority is placed on solutions that combine advanced perception, learning systems, and control technologies with human-centered design, reflecting the project’s emphasis on productivity gains alongside improved working conditions. The funder’s logic centers on real-world feasibility and market relevance: supported Application Use Cases are expected to demonstrate industrial applicability, scalability, and readiness to reach higher technology readiness levels within a 12-month implementation window.

• Geographies: EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries (see full list here).

• Who can apply: Startups and SMEs applying alone or as a consortium of up to two entities.

• Funding amount: Up to €200,000 per Application Use Case; up to five projects funded.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Manufacturing & Industry; Focus areas: robotic defect detection, AI-driven rework, human–robot interaction.

• Deadline: March 2, 2026 (17:00 Brussels Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

Designed as a lean experimentation mechanism, the call channels Horizon Europe funding into rapid, industry-embedded validation of human-centered automation technologies.

Digital Cities Innovation Accelerator – Small Grants Program, U.S. Department of State. *New!*

The Digital Cities Innovation Accelerator – Small Grants Program supports the deployment of secure, trusted, and high-impact digital solutions in cities across Latin America and the Caribbean. Administered by the U.S. Department of State’s City and Digital Policy (CDP) team, the program is explicitly designed to advance secure digital infrastructure, resilient urban services, and trusted data ecosystems while promoting U.S. technology standards abroad. Funded projects must deploy technology at readiness level 7 or higher, use trusted American technology vendors, and demonstrate clear potential for measurable impact at the sub-national (city or municipal) level. Beyond technical implementation, the program emphasizes economic opportunity, private-sector partnerships, and long-term digital resilience — positioning urban digital transformation as both a governance and economic development strategy. With large award sizes and a limited number of grants, the call targets initiatives that are ready to validate, deploy, and scale secure digital solutions in real-world urban environments.

• Geographies: USA and Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Aruba; Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Bolivia; Brazil; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; El Salvador; Guyana; Honduras; Jamaica; Mexico; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Martin; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Suriname; Trinidad and Tobago; Uruguay.

• Who can apply: U.S.-based and foreign non-profits, public entities (including municipal governments), higher education institutions, and for-profit entities.

• Funding amount: Approximately USD $1.25 million total; USD $100,000 – $700,000 per award.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Digital Development; Focus areas: secure digital infrastructure, urban public services, trusted technology deployment.

• Deadline: March 13, 2026 (Round 1 Statement of Interest).

• Learn more and apply here.

This accelerator reflects a strategic push to anchor urban digital transformation in security, trusted standards, and cross-border economic partnerships.

Urban Urgencies – Seed Funding for Collaborative Primary Research, Urban Studies Foundation. *New!*

The Urban Studies Foundation has launched Urban Urgencies, a new research funding initiative designed to seed-fund innovative collaborative primary research that speaks directly to urgent urban challenges while advancing timely scholarly debate in urban studies. The program is structured to support projects that are academically rigorous and analytically compelling but also grounded in real-world partnerships: every proposal must be built on an active collaboration with at least one non-academic organization. USF’s investment logic is to generate new primary evidence and insights that can shift how pressing urban issues are understood, debated, and acted on- strengthening both academic contribution and societal relevance. Funded projects are expected to mobilize quickly (starting within nine months of the deadline) and to deliver within an 18-month window, enabling responsive, high-quality research with clear intellectual and public value.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Academic-led research teams with at least one active non-academic partner organization.

• Funding amount: Up to GBP £35,000 per project (up to six awards).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Urban Development; Focus areas: collaborative primary research, urban urgencies, evidence for action.

• Deadline: March 23, 2026 (23:59 UTC+0).

• Learn more and apply here.

Urban Urgencies positions primary research as a time-sensitive intervention—resourcing partnerships that can generate new evidence while the urban stakes are still live.

UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences 2026, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Celebrating its tenth edition, the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences recognizes outstanding scientific contributions that tangibly improve human life through advances in the life sciences. This global prize is part of UNESCO’s broader mandate to support science for sustainable development and to drive progress on priorities such as health equity, food security, and resilient ecosystems. By inviting national commissions and official partner NGOs to nominate excellence from their research ecosystems, UNESCO aims to spotlight work that bridges fundamental discovery with societal impact, fosters international knowledge exchange, and strengthens scientific capacity across regions. With the Republic of Equatorial Guinea providing financial backing, laureates receive a monetary award that fuels further research, a certificate, and a symbolic statuette, reinforcing the Prize’s role in elevating life sciences research as a public good.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Nominated individuals, groups, institutions, or NGOs endorsed by UNESCO Member States’ National Commissions or UNESCO partner NGOs.

• Funding amount: USD $300,000 total prize pool, divided equally among up to three laureates.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Scientific Research; Focus areas: life sciences breakthroughs, research with demonstrable human impact.

• Deadline: March 31, 2026 (midnight UTC+1).

• Learn more and apply here.

Framed as an international science award with a development lens, the Prize positions transformative life sciences discoveries at the forefront of efforts to improve health, livelihoods, and equitable access to scientific benefits worldwide.

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Hello everyone!

The mid-January update to the Impact Funding Digest brings 62 new opportunities to the table, representing a massive $1.4 Billion+ in available capital. This month, the landscape is defined by a high-velocity mix of grassroots security, advanced medical research, and climate-smart infrastructure. We are seeing a surge in funding for locally led civil society in the Philippines and Sri Lanka, alongside sophisticated global calls for AI literacy and deep-tech manufacturing.

From endowment growth strategies in the nonprofit sector to nursing-driven healthcare models in the U.S., the portfolio is diverse, actionable, and ready for immediate engagement. Whether you are scaling a tech solution or strengthening community resilience, this update captures the full breadth of where the global money is moving right now.

What’s inside

• Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact (6 new opportunities!). Catalytic, locally grounded civil society strengthening—focused on human security and grassroots resilience in Jordan, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.

• Global Health & WASH (15 new opportunities!). A heavy focus on translational research—bridging the gap between peer-reviewed evidence and real-world clinical practice in nursing and rare disease care.

• Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (5 new opportunities!). Moving toward economic self-reliance and sustainable social enterprise models for women-led organizations in conflict-affected regions.

• Education, Human Rights & Inclusion (8 new opportunities!). Shifting toward digital empowerment and BIPOC leadership, with a major focus on AI literacy and inclusive institutional growth in Indonesia and Canada.

• Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food (18 new opportunities!) A surge in "bankable" green finance in South Africa and capacity support for agroforestry and sustainable energy transitions across Timor-Leste and Europe.

• Humanitarian Aid, Emergency Programming & DRR (6 new opportunities!). Prioritizing survivor-centered justice and multisectoral responses in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and the Great Lakes over top-down relief.

• Innovation, Research & Smart Cities (4 new opportunities!). Tackling the "implementation gap" in deep-tech, from autonomous robotics in manufacturing to national space program coordination in South Africa.

This post is for paid subscribers only, but the monthly round-up will always remain free. I also regularly share updates on my LinkedIn.

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Quick note: I don’t think funding intelligence should be a luxury good, but I also want this to be sustainable. So for January, I’m running a pay-what-you-can experiment — full access at different levels, based on what works for you. If this resource is useful to you and you’re able to support it, and you want to support it’s growth you can choose a level that makes sense for you below.

Pay what you can links:

• $20 / year

• $40 / year

• $80 / year

• $100 / year (standard)

Latest Funding Opportunities:

Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact

Small Actions Programme 2026 – Sri Lanka & Maldives, Embassy of Switzerland in Sri Lanka and Maldives. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Small Actions Program 2026 is a yearly call for small-scale civil society initiatives funded through Swiss foreign policy’s international cooperation framework. The program is designed to support agile, locally driven efforts that advance key priorities in governance, human development, gender equality, and human rights in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Switzerland’s strategic logic here emphasizes grassroots impact: investing in dynamic organizations that can deliver measurable benefits to vulnerable populations such as women, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups. By restricting funding to project-focused activities (rather than salaries or basic supply purchases) and capping administrative costs, the fund encourages lean, results-oriented proposals tailored to local contexts. The program also embeds a commitment to inclusion and human rights, positioning small-scale civil society actors as critical partners in broader social and democratic processes.

• Geographies: Sri Lanka; Maldives.

• Who can apply: Civil society organizations legally registered in Sri Lanka or the Maldives with adequate organizational capacity.

• Funding amount: LKR 3,000,000–5,000,000 per project (approx USD $7,500–12,500).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Civil Society Strengthening; Focus areas: democracy & governance, human rights, gender & inclusion, social development.

• Deadline: January 20, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This call reflects Switzerland’s commitment to catalytic, locally grounded civil society engagement as a cornerstone of its international cooperation strategy.

Motorola Solutions Foundation Annual Grants Program 2026, Motorola Solutions Foundation. *New!* *Inquiry form due by the 22nd!*

The Motorola Solutions Foundation Annual Grants Program 2026 is the foundation’s flagship corporate giving initiative, designed to support nonprofit organizations and educational institutions that strengthen community resilience through first responder programming and technology & engineering education. The foundation’s strategy reflects its corporate mission to create safer cities and thriving communities by funding projects that build capacity, improve preparedness, and expand access to STEM and public safety learning opportunities. The 2026 cycle prioritizes measurable impact and structured engagement. Grants are awarded to organizations capable of delivering outcome-oriented initiatives that address pressing community needs, especially for under-resourced and underrepresented populations.

• Geographies: Global (with priority where Motorola Solutions operates, including North America).

• Who can apply: Nonprofit organizations and educational institutions aligned with the foundation’s focus areas.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $50,000 per initiative (with possibilities for larger requests for returning partners).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Public Safety & Innovation; Focus areas: first responder support, technology & engineering education, blended programs.

• Deadline: Inquiry form due January 22, 2026; full application by invitation.

• Learn more and apply here.

This annual grant cycle reflects the foundation’s strategic focus on community resilience, public safety capacity building, and equitable access to technology and engineering education.

Direct Aid Program (DAP) – Philippines, Australian Embassy Philippines. *New!*

The Direct Aid Program (DAP) is the Australian Government’s small-grants mechanism for supporting locally led development initiatives that deliver practical, community-level outcomes across the Philippines. The program is designed to fund feasible, high-impact projects that strengthen livelihoods, expand access to basic services, and improve human security for vulnerable and marginalized groups. DAP’s investment logic prioritizes initiatives that can move quickly from approval to implementation, with approved projects expected to commence immediately and demonstrate tangible progress over a 12–24-month period. By focusing on community-based organizations and local government actors, the program reinforces local ownership and responsiveness while aligning grassroots action with Australia’s broader development cooperation objectives in the Philippines.

• Geographies: Philippines.

• Who can apply: Legally registered NGOs, CSOs, community groups, and local government units operating in the Philippines.

• Funding amount: Up to PHP 1.5 million per project.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Community Development; Focus areas: livelihoods, grassroots service delivery, social inclusion.

• Deadline: January 30, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.