Funding opportunities
Deadline: July 2018
Neglected Infectious Diseases Joint Centre Partnerships
Type of projects: funding for high quality collaborative Joint Centre Partnerships focused on addressing Neglected Infectious Diseases
Location: Brazil
Eligibility: researcher partners from Brazil must be from higher education and research organisations, public or non-profit from the State of São Paulo. The UK Investigator must be based at an organisation eligible for research council funding
Grant size: total fund value is £3.5m
Closing date: 19 July
Hivos' Green and Inclusive Energy programme
Type of projects: transitioning the energy system to one that is green and inclusive, which meets the energy needs of women and men in their daily lives and creates economic opportunities and growth while mitigating climate change
Location: Tanzania and Kenya
Eligibility: a Kenyan or Tanzanian organisation of medium to large size with proven track record in advocacy with evidence of influencing policies and working in a multi-stakeholder approach
Grant size: up to €30,000
Closing date: 20 July
African Women's Development Fund Leading from the South
Type of projects: promoting women’s rights, amplifying their voices, increasing economic opportunities and improving access to spaces of decision-making.
Location: various African and Asian countries
Eligibility: women's groups registered in eligible countries. Organisations must have: a track record of work on women’s rights; a woman as organisational director/lead; a majority (at least 70%) of women staff; at least 70% women involved in the governing board/body; a stated commitment to women’s rights/gender equality in the organisational mission/vision/values; at least 70% of programmatic resources must be dedicated to direct programming on women’s rights; the project applied for will be managed by a woman
Grant size: $20,000 - $500,000
Closing date: 24 July
DFID Darwin Initiative
Type of projects: protect and enhance international biodiversity and in doing so, to contribute to sustainable development in developing countries including the reduction of poverty
Location: developing countries
Closing date: 24 July
NERC Latin American Biodiversity programme
Type of projects: increase understanding of the role of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in managing environments for sustainable development through multilateral collaborative research proposals
Location: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru
Eligibility: applications must be made by one principal investigator from the UK and at least two participating partner countries. Prospective applicants from participating Latin American countries currently without UK collaborators can use the Universities UK International match-making service to help connect potential UK partners
Grant size: total fund value is £4·5 million. Up to 4 grants are expected to be made for projects lasting up to 36 months
Closing date: 26 July
Guernsey Overseas Aid
Type of projects: those which will help to provide the basic needs of the world’s least developed countries or to help the indigenous population to provide those needs
Location: least developed countries as classified by the UN Human Development Index
Eligibility: charities registered with one of the Charity Commissions in the United Kingdom or one of the Crown Dependencies; approved humanitarian agencies (e.g. UNICEF, UNHCR, etc.)
Grant size: up to £40,000
Closing date: 27 July (opens 1 June)
Amplify Change Network Grants
Type of projects: stronger and more inclusive movements for sexual reproductive health and rights
Location: Africa and Asia
Eligibility: lead applicant organisations must be sub-Saharan African, South Asian, Middle-Eastern or North African organisations with the ability to define strategy, setting performance targets and other objectives, define a brand identity and governance fully independently of a Global North-based headquarters or support office. International NGOs may apply as a partner within a network grant led by a southern-based organisation
Grant size: €150,000 to €550,000 over 2 years
Closing date: 31 July
Deadline: August 2018
The Brooke Innovation Fund
Type of projects: new ideas to improve the welfare of working equines and the lives of those communities that depend on them
Location: worldwide
Grant size: £15,000 - £35,000
Closing date: 3 August
The Toyota Foundation research grants
Type of projects: seeking new values for society by fundamentally exploring basic ways of thinking and methodologies on what approach we should take to address difficult issues to be faced in the future
Location: worldwide
Grant size: up to 8 million yen for projects lasting up to 2 years beginning April 2019
Closing date: 3 August
Arts & Humanities Research Council's anti-slavery knowledge network
Type of projects: innovative, interdisciplinary and rights-based challenges to slavery and related forms of exploitation, including child labour and forced marriage
Location: sub-Saharan Africa
Eligibility: the Main Applicant for a grant can be from the UK or one of the five regions of the African Union. All grants must have someone based in Africa either as Main Applicant or as a Co-Applicant
Grant size: £5000 - £100,000. Projects must begin by the end of October 2018 and at least 50% of costs must be allocated to the African countries involved
Closing date: 15 August
The World Bank Data Development group
Type of projects: allowing data to be produced faster, in a more cost effective manner; at a higher resolution or granularity; or addressing data gaps. The two themes are: Scaling local data for impact; and Fostering synergies between the communities of non-official data and official statistics
Location: low and lower-middle income countries
Eligibility: any consortium of at least two organisations may apply. Consortium members may include social enterprises, for-profit companies, non-profit organisations, government agencies, international organisations, academic organisations, networks and partnerships
Grant size: $25,000 - $250,000
Closing date: 15 August
Unitaid - child health
Type of projects: innovative and sustainable approaches to accelerating access to better tools for integrated management of childhood fever
Location: the focus is in low-income countries but proposals that include middle-income countries in scope are eligible
Closing date: 17 August (it is recommended that an "intention to submit a proposal" form is submitted by June 1st. These are not mandatory, however they allow the secretariat to provide initial feedback)
The Souter Charitable Trust
Type of projects: engaged in the relief of human suffering in all its aspects in the UK and overseas, especially, but not exclusively, those with a Christian emphasis and ethos
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: UK-registered CSOs only
Grant size: £1000 - £3000
Closing date: 18 August
US Embassy in Mali
Type of projects: countering violent extremism projects that increase young peoples’ and underserved populations’ access to information and civic dialogue via cultural gatherings
Location: Mali, particularly underserved areas outside of Bamako
Eligibility: all events should be organised entirely by Malian young activists and apprentices who learn transferable skills including planning, budgeting, and coordination, media and strategic communication, mediation, and negotiation
Grant size: $100,000 - $350,000
Closing date: 20 August
Patagonia Latin America grants programme
Type of projects: identifying and working on the root causes of environmental problems and approaching issues with a commitment to long-term change
Location: Chile and Argentina
Eligibility: small, grassroots, activist organisations with charitable status (or have a fiscal sponsor with such status)
Grant size: $8000 - $12,000
Closing date: 31 August
Patagonia media grants programme
Type of projects: environmental non-profits that use media, mostly film, as a tool tightly linked to direct-action campaigns
Location: Canada, Chile, Argentina, Japan, Korea, Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic
Eligibility: small, grassroots, activist organisations with charitable status (or have a fiscal sponsor with such status)
Grant size: between $15,000 and $30,000
Closing date: 31 August
UN Women: the global award for women's empowerment
Type of projects: women's empowerment
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: civil society, public and private institutions and individual women's empowerment champions
Grant size: $100,000
Closing date: 31 August
Deadline: September 2018
The Waterloo Foundation - marine
Type of projects: initiatives working to halt the decline of fish stocks which communities in developing countries rely on, and those working to bring about sustainable fisheries in Wales. Both practical local projects and strategic initiatives considered
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: UK-based charities, many of whom work in close partnership with smaller local NGOs based in the countries in which they operate. Non-UK CSOs need a UK reference to apply
Grant range: £50,000 - £100,000
Closing date: 1 September
AB Charitable Trust
Type of projects: hard to fund projects which champion human dignity and promote respect for vulnerable individuals. The Trust's focus areas are: migrants, refugees and asylum seekers; criminal justice and penal reform; human rights and access to justice
Location: UK
Eligibility: grants are normally awarded only to charities registered and working in the UK with annual income between £150k and £1.5m
Grant size: £10,000 to £20,000. This funder is happy to support core costs
Closing date: 7 September
The Polden-Puckham Charitable Foundation
Type of projects: projects that seek to influence values and attitudes, promote equity and social justice, and develop radical alternatives to current economic and social structures under two priority areas: 1) Peace & Sustainable Security and; 2) Environmental Sustainability
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: UK-registered charities. Non-UK charities can also be supported if they can indicate a UK organisation that can receive the funds on their behalf
Grant size: between £5,000 and £15,000 per year, for up to three years
Closing date: 14 September
Australian Aid's Harare Direct Aid Programme
Type of projects: education, health, disability, water and sanitation, vulnerable children, women’s empowerment, sustainable livelihoods and income generation for marginalised communities
Location: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Grant size: up to AUD 60,000 for up to two years
Closing date: 15 September
UK Aid Direct Small Charities Challenge Fund
Type of projects: strengthening the capacity of grassroots development organisations working with the poor, vulnerable and most marginalised to carry out work in priority countries and work towards achieving the Global Goals
Location: the lowest 50 countries in the UN Human Development Index
Eligibility: UK-registered CSOs whose annual income is < £250,000
Grant size: £50,000 over maximum two years
Closing date: 27 September (applications can be made on a rolling basis, however the deadline for the third review of proposals is 27 September)
Feminist Review Trust
Type of projects: lesbian and transgender rights; violence against women and girls; disabled women and girls; refugee women and girls
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: UK and international organisations may apply
Grant size: up to £15,000
Closing date: 30 September
Deadline: October 2018
Laederal Foundation's Saving Lives at Birth
Type of projects: practically oriented projects helping achieve the SDG 3 and specifically aiming to reduce infant and child mortality and maternal deaths by 2030
Location: Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, Bangladesh, India, Nepal
Grant size: up to $50,000. Note this funder does not cover general institutional overheads
Closing date: 1 October
SDG Partnership facility
Type of projects: food security and stimulating private sector development in developing countries through public-private partnerships (PPPs) which will impacts on the Sustainable Development Goals. The initiative must contribute to one or more of the following goals: reducing malnutrition; promoting growth in the agricultural and fisheries sector; creating sustainable and ecologically sound food chains; creating better labour conditions and efficient working procedures; causing an increase in private investments
Location: developing countries
Eligibility: companies, public institutions, NGOs or knowledge institutions may apply. Your PPP must consist of a maximum of 6 partners and include one 1 Dutch organisation, 1 local organisation, 1 NGO or knowledge institution, 1 company and 1 government organisation. A local government organisation is preferred
Grant size: €500,000 to € 3 million
Closing date: 1 October
Visegrad Foundation
Type of projects: one of the seven focus areas: Culture and Common Identity; Education and Capacity Building; Innovation, R&D, Entrepreneurship; Democratic Values and the Media; Public Policy and Institutional Partnership; Regional Development, Environment and Tourism; Social Development
Location: Central and Eastern Europe
Grant size: not stated, however grants can cover up to 100% of project budget with 15% for overheads
Closing date: 1 October
EDCTP - Diagnostic tools for poverty-related diseases
Type of projects: clinical research to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines, microbicides and diagnostics against poverty-related infectious diseases
Location: sub-Saharan Africa
Eligibility: consortia comprising a minimum of three independent legal entities. Two shall be established in two different Participating States (European Partner States) and one must be in a sub-Saharan African country
Grant size: between €1 - 3 million over 24 and 48 months. 6-12 proposals are expected to be funded
Closing date: 11 October
EDCTP - Capacity development to facilitate delivery and uptake of new or improved medical interventions in African health systems
Type of projects: the translation of research results of medical interventions into policies and practices for national health programmes and capacity development to facilitate delivery and uptake of new or improved medical interventions in African health systems
Location: sub-Saharan Africa
Eligibility: at least one legal entity must be established in a Participating State or a sub-Saharan African country. Applications must include at least one legal entity in sub-Saharan African countries
Grant size: up to €2.25m over a maximum of 60 months
Closing date: 11 October
EDCTP - Advances in product development for effective prevention, treatment and management of co-infections and co-morbidities
Type of projects: as title
Location: sub-Saharan Africa
Eligibility: between €2-4m over 30 - 60 months. 4-7 proposals are expected to be funded
Closing date: 18 October
EDCTP - Strategic action for overcoming drug resistance in malaria
Type of projects: supporting one large-scale strategic action that is part of a bigger portfolio of clinical trials with the capacity to develop new or improved antimalarial drugs
Location: sub-Saharan Africa
Eligibility: consortia comprising a minimum of three independent legal entities are eligible to apply. Two of the legal entities shall be established in two different Participating States
Grant size: 1 grant is expected to be made of no more than €22m. Matching funding equal to or greater than the amount requested is required
Closing date: 30 October
EDCTP - Vaccines for diarrhoeal diseases or lower respiratory tract infections
Type of projects: as title
Location: sub-Saharan Africa
Eligibility: consortia comprising a minimum of three independent legal entities are eligible to apply. Two of the legal entities shall be established in two different Participating States
Grant size: between €5-10m over 36 - 60 months. 2-4 proposals are expected to be funded
Closing date: 30 October
Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund
Type of projects: supporting species conservation work and elevating the importance of species in the broader conservation debate
Location: worldwide
Grant size: $25,000. Note that this funder does not contribute to the core running costs of an organisation or administrative overheads
Closing date: 31 October
Deadline: November 2018
The Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation
Type of projects: the causes, circumstances and consequences of violence
Location: Switzerland, the UK, Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Angola, Central African Republic, Chad, Myanmar, Yemen and Syria
Eligibility: UK and Swiss non-profits working in the above countries
Closing date: 15 November
Deadline: December 2018
The Waterloo Foundation - Tropical rainforests
Type of projects: tropical rainforest conservation; prevention of deforestation
Eligibility: UK-based charities, many of whom work in close partnership with smaller local NGOs based in the countries in which they operate. Non-UK CSOs need a UK reference to apply
Grant size: £50,000 - £100,000
Closing date: 1 December
Chrysalis Trust
Type of projects: relief of poverty and disability; provision of access to shelter, education, healthcare and water
Eligibility: charities registered in the UK
Grant size: £1000 - £10,000
Closing date: 15 December
Friends of Malawi Association
Type of projects: usually oriented toward social, educational and healthcare projects but will consider any project that will improve the welfare of Malawians
Location: Malawi
Eligibility: normally require the organisation to be a registered charity or NGO in Malawi
Grant size: up to £1000
Closing date: 15 December
Contracting opportunities
Find out more about contracting opportunities and how to apply in our Bidding for a DFID contract guide.
Breaking the Cycle of Hunger and Strengthening Resilience for the Poor in Malawi
The UK will provide up to £50 million (2018-2023) to this new resilience programme in Malawi. The goal of the programme is to strengthen resilience of poor and vulnerable households to shocks and stresses and to reduce annual dependence on humanitarian aid. The programme will support poor and vulnerable households and communities to manage their own risks, to reduce their exposure to shocks through better targeting and delivery of social protection, better land and water management for increased agricultural production, build a strong and sustainable natural resource base and to sustainably strengthen resilient livelihoods.
Better Aid in Conflict (BAC) South Sudan
The Better Aid in Conflict programme will support the international aid effort in South Sudan to be "conflict sensitive", minimizing the negative effects and maximizing the positive effects of all forms of aid, so as to contribute towards peace and stability whenever possible. The UK will provide funds towards the establishment of a multi-donor Better Aid in Conflict programme in South Sudan from 2018-2023.
Delivering sustainable and equitable increases in family planning in Kenya
The programme is expected to ensure that women and couples in Kenya can plan their pregnancies and improve their sexual and reproductive health, with a particular focus on adolescents, the poor and the most marginalized, including promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities.
Delivering Accelerated Family Planning in Pakistan Behaviour Change and Public Sector Service Delivery
There are high levels of unintended pregnancies, induced abortions and maternal deaths in Pakistan. This tender is for the behaviour change and support to public sector service delivery components. The impact of the programme will be 2,405 fewer maternal deaths, 3.5 million fewer unintended pregnancies and 1.64 million fewer unsafe abortions. The outcome of the programme will be more women able to safely plan their pregnancies and improve their sexual and reproductive health.
Ongoing grant opportunities
AngloAmerican Group Foundation
Type of projects: environment, education and training; community development; HIV/AIDS and welfare
Countries: UK, Chile, Peru, India, Mozambique, Brazil, Colombia, China, Mongolia, Zimbabwe
Grant range: unspecified
The C&A Foundation
Type of projects: accelerating sustainable cotton, improving working conditions, eradicating forced labour, and enabling circular fashion
Location: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Turkey, Tanzania, Indonesia
Grant size: proposals for under €100,000 can be reviewed by a programme manager. Those that are over €500,000 are reviewed by the Board of Directors who meet twice a year in June and December
Charles Hayward Foundation
Type of projects: clean water and sanitation; basic health programmes; self-sustainability through training in farming skills and income generation activities
Countries: Commonwealth countries of Africa
Grant range: up to £15,000
Charles Steward Mott Foundation
Type of projects: strengthening philanthropy and the nonprofit sector as vital vehicles for increasing civic engagement and improving communities and societies
Countries: South Africa
Grant range: $15,000 to $250,000
Dubai Cares
Type of projects: school infrastructure; school health; nutrition; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in schools; quality of education
Countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Jordan , Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia
Grant range: unspecified
Overhead recovery: this donor limits overhead recovery to no more than 7% of donations
Elton John AIDS Foundation
Type of projects: Projects providing tangible impacts on individuals living with and communities affected by HIV Aids
Location: Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, Russian Federation, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Eligibility: UK and Southern CSOs can apply
Grant range: £10,000 - £15,000
Ford Foundation
Type of projects: educational opportunity and scholarship; sustainable development; freedom of expression; gender; sexuality and reproductive justice; human rights; economic fairness
Countries: worldwide
Grant range: unspecified
Ford Foundation's JustFilms Grant
Type of projects: artist-driven film and new media projects, and other forms of creative visual storytelling, that explore the rich diversity of the human experience. These stories inspire imaginations, disrupt stereotypes, and help transform attitudes that perpetuate injustice.
Location: worldwide
Grant range: unspecified
Global Fund for Children
Type of projects: innovative, locally-led projects where all children and young people enjoy equal resources and opportunities in society and can live to their full potential
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: legally registered as a local organisation in the country where you operate with youth or child-focused programmes. Most new partners have budgets under $100,000
Global Fund for Women
Type of projects: gender equality and human rights
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: local organisations working directly in their communities, which are led by historically marginalised groups such as women, girls, or trans people
Jana Robeyst small conservation grants
Type of projects: the study and protection of endangered species with a specific focus on elephants
Location: sub-Saharan Africa
Eligibility: early career scientists, conservationists and non-profit organisations based anywhere in the world
Grant size: €1500
The Joffe Charitable Trust
Type of projects: the underlying causes of poverty and the advancement of human rights. The fund work in two areas: (a) building a fairer economy, with a focus on fighting corruption and promoting tax justice, and (b) strengthening small charities that have great potential
Location: Anglophone Africa
Eligibility: normally only UK-based charities but in exceptional circumstances will fund non-charities
Grant size: £5,000 to £30,000 per year for up to three years
The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID)
Type of projects: those which enhance livelihoods by addressing challenges in areas such as education, energy poverty, food security, public health, water supply and sanitation, which may not be directly funded through other financing windows. Projects supported include technical assistance for small-scale social schemes, research, and humanitarian aid. In addition, OFID runs special programs for health, Palestine and energy poverty
Location: priority is given to low-income, least-developed countries
Eligibility: intergovernmental organisations such as UN agencies and international, national, regional and non-governmental organisations. Individuals, private entities and OFID Member States -Algeria, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela - are not eligible to apply for assistance.
Grant size: unspecified. In 2016, OFID funded to US$11.7m over 42 projects. Half of all its commitments went to African countries in 2016
Open Society Initiative for East Africa
Type of projects: health and rights; freedom of expression and information; justice and human rights
Countries: East African countries
Grant range: $10,000 to $200,000
Patagonia world trout grants programme
Type of projects: working to restore and protect wild, self-sustainable trout, salmon and other fish species within their native range. This includes both indigenous freshwater and saltwater fish
Location: United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, Australia, Chile, Argentina, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Luxembourg, Italy, Ireland, Germany, France, Denmark, Belgium, Austria and the Czech Republic
Eligibility: small, grassroots, activist organisations with charitable status (or with a fiscal sponsor with such status)
Grant range: $5000 - $15,000
Paul Hamlyn Trust Lost Childhood Fund
Type of projects: Lost Childhoods is concerned with the many thousands of children and young people who run away from home and gravitate towards railways, where they are vulnerable to many forms of exploitation, trafficking, drugs and crime
Location: India
Eligibility: local Indian NGOs with Foreign Contribution Regulation Act registration
Grant size: There is no minimum or maximum grant size. The funder does not usually fund 100% of the amount requested. They can support overheads and running costs; applicants must be able to explain how these costs are calculated
Paul Hamlyn Trust Open Grants Fund, India
Type of projects: health, education, governance, livelihoods, and empowerment. The fund assists NGOs to consciously design and develop programmes which assist communities to build on their strengths, ensure that their rights and entitlements are not usurped and help them deal with the critical factors that make them vulnerable. Such groups might include: Ultra poor families in mixed communities; Dalit communities; Tribal communities fighting for or dispossessed of their land and resources; Women; Disabled people, particularly children; Communities with little or no access to health services or education; Unorganised labour
Location: only in the Indian states of: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal & Assam
Eligibility: organisations supported must be local Indian NGOs with Foreign Contribution Regulation Act registration. Non-Indian organisations or locally registered branches of non-Indian organisations are not supported
Grant size: There is no minimum or maximum grant size. The funder does not usually fund 100% of the amount requested. They can support overheads and running costs; applicants must be able to explain how these costs are calculated
Pollination Project and Levi Strauss Company
Type of projects: grassroots environmental projects; conserving, protecting, restoring and/or advocating for the ecosystems upon which our civilisation depends
Countries: worldwide
Grant range: $1,000 to $5,000
Saga Charitable Trust
Type of projects: education, training, healthcare and income generation
Location: developing countries that host Saga holidaymakers
Grant range: up to £20,000
UBS Optimus Foundation
Type of projects: child health, education, child protection and/or early child development
Location: Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, South Africa, Bangladesh, China (including Hong Kong), India, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Switzerland, Germany and the United Kingdom
Vitamin Angels
Type of projects: Vitamin Angels gives grants of selected micronutrient commodities, especially vitamin A, to non-profit organizations working with underserved populations globally
Grant range: gift-in-kind
The Waterloo Foundation world development main grants programme
Type of projects: sexual and reproductive health, nutrition
Location: developing countries
Eligibility: UK-based charities prioritised, many of whom work in close partnership with smaller local NGOs based in the countries in which they operate. The funder can consider providing some support towards the capacity-building of local NGO partners as part of a grant to support project delivery. Local CSOs will need to provide a reference
Grant size: £50,000 - £100,000 over 1-3 years
The Waterloo Foundation world development small grants programme
Type of projects: nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, education and WASH
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: grants will be prioritised for small UK charities led by committed individuals, especially those based in Wales, which are working to deliver projects in developing countries
Grant size: under £10,000 over a one to two year period
