Multi-Sector/ Sustainable Development: April 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.
This post is for paid subscribers. This helps support the time and effort it takes to curate and organize these opportunities.
To keep this accessible to everyone who needs it, we’re happy to offer discounted rates / free membership for nonprofits and individuals from LMICs (Low- and Middle-Income Countries). Message us below for more information.
Open Calls:
Camelback Fellowship, Camelback Ventures. *New!* *Closing Soon!*
Camelback Ventures is committed to empowering entrepreneurs to create impactful solutions that address systemic inequities in Education and Conscious Technology. They offer a rigorous accelerator, the Camelback Fellowship, for innovative and driven entrepreneurs. They are now accepting applications from early-stage entrepreneurs in the Education sector who drive social change by improving educational outcomes and access, including schools, programs, and products in early childhood, K-12, higher education, adult learning, and alternative pathways. They also support Conscious Technology ventures that use innovative tech solutions, particularly in health & wellness, community development, policy & advocacy, and workforce readiness.
Geographies: USA.
Who can apply: Early-stage entrepreneurs.
Funding amount: Investment of $40,000 in each venture.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Education, health and wellness.
Deadline: April 7, 2025.
Learn more and apply here. Take their alignment quiz to see if you are a good fit.
Open Call for Green Transition Projects, Interreg Euro-MED Programme, European Union. *Closing Soon!*
Interreg NEXT MED is a program funded by the European Union (EU) that supports transnational cooperation through the financing of joint projects which aim at making the Mediterranean area more resilient to the shared challenges it faces. The Call for Green Transition Projects provides €83.7 million in European Union’s funding to tackle climate challenges across the Mediterranean region. Projects that aim to contribute to smart, sustainable, fair development for all across the Mediterranean basin across four program priorities, including research and innovation, climate, energy and water, education and healthcare, and governance.
Geographies: Mediterranean region; Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Türkiye.
Who can apply: Public and private bodies, as well as international organizations. All applicant must be established in the participating countries and legally registered there since at least two years from the launching date of this call.
Funding amount: Co-financing €600,000-€3.1 million. Applicants must provide a minimum of 11% of the total project costs.
Targeted SDGs/ Sectors: Climate and environment, job creation, inclusion, health.
Deadline: April 15, 2025.
Learn more and apply here.
Open Call for Bold Projects, The Audacious Project. *Next window closes this month!*
Looking for bold ideas that cover a wide range of issues, from global health and climate change, to social justice and education. The Audacious Project looks for timely ideas that are that magic combination of deeply inspiring and convincingly credible. That means ensuring your idea balances the ability to change the way people look at an issue, with a deliverable plan that will make that vision come to life. The emotional appeal and personal connection should be met with a logical approach and a track record of your teams' relevant successes. They look for ideas that inspire with 1) Transformative vision- a bold vision for tackling one of the world's most urgent topics, 2. Contribute to a better world- ideas that offer significant, enduring impact, 3. Innovative and original- there should be a unique aspect or creative element to your approach that challenges convention or status quo or changes the narrative for the greater good. Applicants should submit proposals for proven concepts (evidence that the idea will have impact based on a track record of past success, a demand from those that would be affected, etc.) a bold vision for using the multi-year funding, and an organizational track record of receiving and managing large sums (Past projects have had an annual operating budget of $2 million or more). Open to public organizations- nonprofits, NGO, institution (such as research institution) or collaboration between multiple entities.
Geographies: Global
Who can apply: non-profits, NGO, institution or collaboration between multiple entities.
Funding amount: There is no limit to the budget that can be requested. Grant envelope total of USD ~$1 billion (with about 10 winners in 2023).
Targeted SDGs/ Sectors: Sector agnostic.
Deadline: Current application cycle closes on April 15, 2024. Requests submitted after the date will be considered for future rounds.
VinFuture Prize Nomination, VinFuture Foundation. *Closing soon!*
Calling for nominations for the 2025 VinFuture Grand Prize and three Special Prizes. The VinFuture Prize is established to honor breakthrough scientific research and technological innovations that create meaningful change in the everyday lives of millions of people. The Prize aims to recognize exceptional inventors and researchers from global academic universities, research labs, and industry. The VinFuture Prize comprises: A Grand Prize of US$3 million, awarded annually for breakthrough research and technological innovations that positively improve the quality of human life, and create a more equitable and sustainable world for future generations. The Grand Prize would be open to all, regardless of the candidate’s nationality, age, gender, social status, or economic background. Three Special Prizes of US$500,000 each with a focus on promoting diversity, equity, and new fields of study will also be awarded annually to: 1. Innovators from Developing Countries, 2. Female Innovators, 3. Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields.
Geographies: Global.
Who can apply: Researchers and innovators.
Funding amount: Grand Prize of US$3 million, and Three Special Prizes of US$500,000.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Multisector, all SDG’s applicable.
Deadline: April 17, 2025.
2025 Indigenous Communities Fellowship, MIT SOLVE. *Closing soon!*
MIT Solve seeks exceptional innovators supporting community-based solutions by and for Indigenous communities across the United States and Canada with a particular interest for 2025 in solutions that; 1. Strengthen sustainable energy sovereignty and support climate resilience initiatives by and for Indigenous peoples, 2. Develop tools to promote Indigenous sovereignty, including the ethical use of AI and data technologies, culturally aligned digital infrastructure, or access to economic opportunity, 3. Drive positive outcomes for Indigenous learners of any age and context through culturally grounded educational opportunities. Each Solver team receives $10,000 in unrestricted funding from Solve and access to additional financing in the form of grants and investments, this includes access to a pool of +$1.5M in prize funding at selection and additional funding opportunities throughout the program and after.
Geographies: USA and Canada.
Who can apply: Innovators supporting community-based solutions by and for Indigenous communities.
Funding amount: $10,000 - $150,000.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Indigenous peoples, energy, indigenous sovereignty, education.
Deadline: April 17, 2025.
Partnerships - Open Call, EU – LAC Digital Accelerator. *New!*
Open to applications from Corporate-startup and corporate-SME partnerships that seek to drive digital innovation across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. Selected partnerships will receive a wide range of acceleration services including acceleration roadmap, proof-of-concept, business case and investment and scaling. Unmatched interested parties can also explore the EU-LAC Matching Platform is designed to foster transcontinental partnerships between corporates and startups or SMEs across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe.
Geographies: Europe, Latin-America and the Caribbean.
Who can apply: Partnerships consisting of one start-up and one corporation.
Funding amount: There is no funding attached to the opportunity. Selected projects will receive in-kind services valued up to €30,000.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: The Open Call targets digital transformation challenges through open innovation despite the industry or sector. We have put the focus on areas such as smart production, cleantech or health tech, but we are open to receive applications from any industry.
Deadline: April 30, 2025.
Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), The High Commission of Canada. *New!*
The CFLI is a program designed to support small-scale, high-impact projects in developing countries, which align with Global Affairs Canada’s thematic priority areas for engagement. The program is directed at projects conceived and designed predominantly by local partners. Projects are selected and approved by the relevant Canadian embassy or high commission. All projects will be viewed through the Canadian Feminist International Assistance Policy to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as the most effective way to reduce poverty and build a more inclusive, peaceful and prosperous world. CFLI project application process require a gender-based analysis (GBA).
Geographies: Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Who can apply: A wide range of non-profit actors, including local NGO’s, community and not-for-profit organizations, local academic institutions, international NGO’s, intergovernmental, multilateral and regional institutions, municipal, regional or national government institutions.
Funding amount: The average CFLI contribution is $40,000 Canadian Dollars (CAD$50,000 is the maximum allocation amount for a project eligible under CFLI.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Multisector.
Deadline: April 30, 2025.
The Einstein Foundation Award, The Einstein Foundation. *New!*
The Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research honors contributions that demonstrate significant improvements in the rigor, reliability, and transparency of research practices, with measurable outcomes in advancing research quality. These contributions should align with the following objectives: 1. Reproducibility & Research Quality, including; fostering research integrity, quality-improving interventions, innovative approaches to research integrity, exceptional integrity, long-term archiving, addressing systemic factors, replications, and teaching good research practice. 2. MetaScience, including; research on Research to identify opportunities for improving research practice, generating evidence for potential interventions, and developing metrics and policies that incentivize the adoption of best possible research practices. 3. Research Assessment and Incentives, including identifying research standards and incentives that directly or indirectly constrain the quality of research and designing more adequate means to assess the quality of research and researchers. 4. Accessibility and Inclusion, including increasing diversity in research, making a significant contribution to increasing the diversity of research by considering aspects such as gender, race/ethnicity, geography, career stage, etc. Three types of awards available 1. Individual Award: Individual researchers or small teams of collaborating researchers can be nominated. 2. Institutional Award: Governmental and non-governmental organizations, institutions, or other entities can apply or be nominated. Early Career Award: Early career researchers or small teams of collaborating researchers can submit a project proposal that seeks to foster research quality and value.
Geographies: Global.
Who can apply: Researchers and Institutions (such as NGOs, governmental organizations).
Funding amount: Awards range €100,000 - €150,000.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Multisector.
Deadline: April 30, 2025.
True Inspiration Awards, Chick-fil-A®. *New!*
Seeks to support nonprofit organizations making an impact in their local communities. Sixteen organizations will be awarded for their work in these areas, there will be four winners from each category. 1. Caring for People: Programs or projects supporting educational initiatives, including fostering character and leadership development, academic excellence and community involvement in underserved youth. 2. Caring through Food: Programs or projects focused on addressing hunger and food insecurity facing children and their families. 3. Caring for Communities: Programs or projects focused on providing housing and other direct services to support young people and their families. 4. Caring for our Planet: Programs or projects that show care for our environment and our planet, or that demonstrate environmental stewardship through initiatives directly related to our other True Inspiration Awards categories of food, community and people (i.e., community beautification, education opportunities, community gardens, outdoor classrooms, etc.)
Geographies: USA, Canda, UK, or Singapore.
Who can apply: Non-profits based in eligible countries.
Funding amount: Grants range USD $30,000 to USD $350,000. Total of USD $6M available.
Targeted Sectors/ SDGs: Education, underserved communities, food, housing, environment.
Deadline: May 1, 2025
The 2025 Black Ambition Prize, Black Ambition. *New!*
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.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Impact Funding to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.