Human Rights & Inclusion: February 2025 Funding Opportunities
Includes opportunities in human rights, reduced inequality, financial inclusion, and livelihoods.
The grants are organized into three categories:
Open Calls: Current grant and opportunities with a deadline. Grants are listed by closing date.
Rolling Applications: current grant and opportunities with rolling applications (but it’s still best to submit as early as possible).
Long term planning: Grants that have closed their current rounds, but are expected to open new windows.
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Open Calls:
Litigation on Digital Rights, Digital Freedom Fund (*Closing this month*)
Is accepting applications from organizations that support strategic litigation on digital rights in Europe that contribute to advancing human rights in the digital context. Funding will support two types of activities – litigation track support and pre-litigation research support.
Geographies: Europe.
Who can apply: Digital rights advocates (e.g. NGOs and other entities that pursue a public interest objective), pro bono lawyers, and other litigators seeking to protect and advance digital rights in Europe, as well as racial, social, feminist, queer, environmental, migrant rights and economic justice movements and organizations working on digital rights.
Funding amount: Grants ranging from EUR €3,000-€100,000.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Human rights, digital rights.
Deadline: Feb 17, 2025.
Addressing Economic and Social Inequalities through Financial Innovation (Local Currency Focus), SDG Impact Finance Initiative. *New!*
This Call for Proposal is designed to support innovative financial solutions to reduce income disparities, ensure equitable access to economic resources, and protect vulnerable populations, with a dedicated focus on addressing the local currency challenge. This includes (a) mitigating exchange rate risks to ensure financial sustainability, (b) encouraging access to long-term financing for local businesses and institutions, (c) aligning funding with local economic conditions to foster stability and growth and (d) supporting local actors in implementing SDG-related projects effectively. Financial Innovation should aim to (a) reduce income disparities, (b) ensure equal access to economic resources and/or (c) promote policies that protect vulnerable populations. Applicants can use the grant for: feasibility studies to evaluate the feasibility of a proposed financial mechanism designed to address a clearly defined problem, or expansion projects to scale an already launched financial mechanism and achieve financial viability.
Geographies: Solutions can target any developing country or countries eligible to receive official development assistance (ODA) according to the OECD-DAC List of ODA Recipients. Preference for solutions that target low-income and least-developed countries.
Who can apply: For-profit and non-profit. Registered impact-focused organizations—such as investment managers, NGOs, and similar entities.
Targeted Sectors/ SDG’s: SDG 1: No Poverty, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Funding amount: Up to CHF 500,000 (for up to 5 innovators, total envelop of CHF 2 million.
Deadline: March 3, 2025.
Connecting the Unconnected, Internet Society Foundation. *New!*
The Connecting the Unconnected funding program supports communities and local organizations working to build and expand Internet infrastructure to connect people living in rural, remote, and low-income areas. This includes initiatives such as community networks, municipal networks, cooperatives, and other forms of complementary access solutions. The program will fund projects that 1. Build new complementary access solutions: projects that focus on providing Internet connectivity to underserved or unconnected communities. This could be done through building community networks, municipal networks, cooperatives, and other forms of complementary access solutions. 2. Expand existing complementary access solutions: projects that focus on expanding the connectivity of existing complementary access solutions to connect more people, improve existing connectivity, or enable access to new communities.
Geographies: Rural, isolated, and low-income areas in all regions of the world.
Who can apply: Communities and local organizations.
Targeted Sectors/ SDG’s: Digital connectivity, inclusion.
Funding amount: $15,000-$40,000 USD to build new complementary access solutions to connect the unconnected, $5,000-$20,000 USD to expand or improve existing complementary access solutions to connect the unconnected
Deadline: 2 windows to apply: 4 February - 31 March 2025, 15 July - 27 August, 2025
Open Call for Rights, Governance and Accountability Grants for Kenyan civil society organizations, KIOS Foundation. *New!*
The grants of the Haki ni Yetu project are meant for community-based organizations and other grassroots civil society groups in rural Kenya, based outside Nairobi or in informal settlements in Kenya. Two types of grants are available for human rights work in two categories: Rights, Governance and Accountability Grants for more experienced civil society actors and Civic Action and Community Empowerment Grants, tailored for community-based organizations (CBO) or other grassroot civil society groups.
Geographies: Kenya.
Who can apply: Kenyan CSOs. Women- and youth-led organisations and civil society groups led by marginalized groups themselves are particularly encouraged to apply. At least 50 % of the financial support will be awarded such civil society groups.
Targeted Sectors/ SDG’s: Human rights, civic protection.
Funding amount: €15,000 -€ 30,000 per grant.
Deadline: Call due to launch in February 2025.
Rolling Applications:
Impact Lab and Fund Grants, Livelihood Impact Fund (LIF).
Support organizations that are focused on improving livelihoods for the global poor by providing skills, capital, and opportunities to support self-sufficiency and increased earnings, targeting interventions that result (or have the potential to result) in a 5X income increase for the participant. They support organizations working on 1. Agriculture: Smallholder farmers productivity and regenerative agriculture. 2. Entrepreneurship: Micro, small & medium enterprise development, and 3. Workforce Development: Employability training programs across various industries. LIF offers a number of funding options; 1. through the 'Impact Lab portfolio,' they invest in African-led organizations with budgets between $150,000 and $1M. 2. The Fund - supports partners that have clear evidence of impact, strong organizational structures and reliably deliver high, impact-level returns with annual organizational budgets of over $1M.
Geographies: The fund works primarily in Africa but will consider projects in additional LMIC's.
Who can apply:
Funding amount: “Impact Lab Grants” range USD $100,000- $150,000 per year for us to three years (covering 25%-30% of an organizations annual budget). Grantees also receive additional capacity-building support. “Fund Grants” typically range from $250-500,000 per year.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Agriculture, entrepreneurship, workforce development.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Incubation and Scaling Grants, Multitudes Foundation,
For political change-makers from Europe. Incubation grants provide funding and expert support to those ready to build their vision into sustainable and efficient organizations. Scaling grants provide funding for registered organizations ready to scale their efforts and build more power.
Geographies: Europe.
Who can apply: Political change makers, individuals.
Funding amount: Grants range EUR €50,000-€100,000.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Politics and governance.
Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
The Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF), Human Rights Foundation. *New!*
Is dedicated to supporting individuals and projects that make Bitcoin and related freedom technologies more powerful tools for human rights defenders operating in challenging political environments. In authoritarian regimes such as Nicaragua, Nigeria, China, and Russia, Bitcoin provides a crucial way for human rights defenders to transact privately, pay salaries, receive donations, and crowdfund without the threat of censorship or confiscation by dictators. The foundation provide grants and invest in projects that empower human rights defenders — and everyday citizens — to continue their struggle for democracy with uncensorable money. Previous grants have focus on global education, decentralized communications, and providing nonprofits and human rights groups with an easier onramp to financial freedom tools.
Geographies: Asia, Latin America, Africa.
Who can apply: Political change makers, individuals.
Funding amount: Grants typically range EUR €50,000-€150,000, there is no minimum or maximum that can be requested.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Human rights protection.
Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, grantees are announced at the end of every quarter.
Long Term Planning:
BOLT and Connecting the Unconnected (CTU), Internet Society Foundation. *Keep an eye out for 2026 funding opportunities*
The Internet Society Foundation supports the development of innovative methods, technologies, and infrastructure to enhance Internet connectivity and access. By funding teams of creatives, technologists, researchers, and social/cultural workers, the Foundation aims to foster prototypes and pilots that bring novel connectivity solutions to communities where current technologies are unavailable or limited. This approach aligns with the Foundation’s vision: The Internet is for everyone.
Geographies: Marginalized communities globally.
Who can apply: Political change makers, individuals.
Funding amount: Grants typically range up to USD $300,000.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Last-mile internet access.
Deadline: There will be no round in 2025, as the foundation is going through a learning process. Keep an eye out of 2026 funding opportunities!
All content is currently open and free as we transition to Substack. Starting mid-February 2025, access to the full list of opportunities on this page will be available to paid subscribers. This helps support the time and effort it takes to curate and organize these opportunities. Thank you for being part of the Impact Funding community!
To keep this accessible to everyone who needs it, we’re happy to offer discounted rates for nonprofits and individuals from LMICs (Low- and Middle-Income Countries). Message us below for more information.