Multi-Sector/ Sustainable Development: May 2025 Funding Opportunities
Includes open opportunities; grants, venture funding and challenges for global change makers.
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:
The 2025 Black Ambition Prize, Black Ambition. *Closing soon!*
The Black Ambition Prize competition provides a platform for underrepresented founders across the nation to access growth capital, coaching, and a curated community of innovators and mentors. Eligible applicants consist of diverse innovators building early-stage ventures across five distinct categories: consumer products and services, healthcare, media and entertainment, technology, and / or AI.
Geographies: USA.
Who can apply: Team must have at least one founding member from such a background, including, but not limited to, backgrounds such as Black/African/African American, Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx, LGBTQ, parents with earned income below the poverty level, first-generation immigrants, first-generation college graduates, and those raised by a single parent. Founders from any background traditionally overlooked in venture capital funding may apply regardless of race.
Funding amount: Total prize of US$1M to one winner.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Healthcare, technology, AI.
Deadline: May 2, 2025.
Call for Proposals to Advance Advocacy and Public Discourse Leading to Financial Integrity and Domestic Resource Mobilization, Norad. *Closing soon!*
Norad welcomes applications directed to one or more of the following three objectives: 1. Civil society in developing countries: Civil society in developing countries advances public discourse and solutions for improved domestic resource mobilization, economic justice, transparency and financial integrity. 2. Engagement of civil society from developing countries in global processes: Civil society's representation in and contributions to multilateral forums for public finance and financial integrity have been strengthened, either through directly engaging in multilateral processes, or by championing policy ideas and solutions that are in the interest of developing countries on the topics of tax, domestic resource mobilization, transparency and financial integrity. 3 Capacity of journalists in developing countries: Journalists in developing countries have increased capacity to produce stories and engage in investigative journalism that improve transparency and information regarding financial secrecy and justice (tax, corruption and illicit financial flows).
Geographies: Sub-Saharan Africa.
Who can apply: Civil society actors such as network organizations, non-governmental organizations, trade unions and independent media. Alliances and consortiums are encouraged
Funding amount: Overall indicative amount of funding available, is currently estimated to be Norwegian kroner (NOK) 60M annually in total NOK 180 million. Norad aims to enter into up to 8 grant agreements for up to three years based on this call for proposals.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: mobilizing capital, localization, journalism.
Deadline: May 6, 2025.
Call for Social Projects - International Cooperation 2025, Fundación ”la Caixa”. *Closing soon!*
The purpose of this call is to generate opportunities to reduce poverty and contribute to the fight against inequality in the least developed countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America through projects promoted by Spanish NGOs in collaboration with local partners in the recipient countries. Areas of action include: Socioeconomic development, Improved health and Promotion of education and training.
Geographies: Africa, Asia or Latin America.
Who can apply: Non-profit entities and social economy entities whose statutes explicitly state among their purposes the promotion of international development cooperation. All applications must include a Spanish partner and a local partner in the implementing countries.
Funding amount: EUR €50,000.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Health, education, sustainable development.
Deadline: May 8, 2025.
Partnership with Civil Society, Sida. *Closing soon!*
Sida is looking for partners that want to contribute to a vibrant and pluralistic civil society in low- and middle income countries. The purpose of the call for proposals is to strengthen the ability and capacity of civil society to contribute to better living conditions for people living in poverty and oppression. They welcome a variety of Swedish organizations and non-profit foundations, both new and well established, that are anchored in democratic values to apply to support partners in low- and middle income countries. Grants are given to organizations that collaborate with and pass on support to a civil society organization in a developing country. Passing on should generally only take place in one step. The activities should contribute to the goals that the government has set; to strengthen the capacity of civil society and/or to strengthen the conditions for civil society in developing countries to operate.
Geographies: LMIC’s.
Who can apply: The application needs to be made by a Swedish organization.
Funding amount: Grants range 1-5 million SEK per year.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Multisector, capacity strengthening.
Deadline: May 8, 2025.
Acceleration Portfolio, Dovetail Impact Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*
Accepting applications from African non-profits with annual budgets under $500,000 USD, who are rooted in their communities, have enterprising leadership, and have ambition to grow their impact through a scaling pathway. The focus is on local and proximate leaders who are eager to lean into the capacity building offerings that are a part of this portfolio to further develop their organization. The foundation provides both unrestricted grant funding with targeted capacity support- to help organizations lay the groundwork they need to access greater opportunities and funding. The Acceleration Portfolio is not seeking to fund specific projects, but interested in the organization as a whole.
Geographies: Africa.
Who can apply: Locally led, African not-for-profit organizations with annual budgets of less than USD $500,000.
Funding amount: Unrestricted grants between USD $10,000 – $25,000.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Health, Livelihoods, Education, Justice
Deadline: May 12, 2025.
TWAS Apex Award, The World Academy of Sciences, UNCESCO. *New!* *Closing soon!*
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