Funding opportunities
Deadline: January 2019
Siemenpuu Foundation and EKO Energy Climate Fund
Type of project: establishing renewable electricity installations aiming at alleviation of energy poverty and social inequality in rural areas
Location: Mali, Myanmar and Nepal
Eligibility: registered local civil society organisation in Mali, Myanmar or Nepal, with capacity for renewable electricity installations
Grant size: approximately 30,000 to 60,000 euros, lasting maximum for two years. A minimum of 10% self-financing is required, either cash, voluntary work and/or gift-in-kind
Closing date: 20 January
Google.org AI for Social Good
Type of projects: using AI to address social challenges
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: any non-profit organisation, public charity, or for-profit, provided that the project has a charitable purpose
Grant size: from a pool of $25m, plus coaching and credit
Closing date: 22 January
Embassy of Japan in Uganda
Type of projects: particular attention will be given to projects designed to assist the most vulnerable groups such as women, children and the physically disabled. Focus areas are: Primary/secondary education; Vocational training; Primary health care, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS; Water and sanitation; Reconstruction for disaster areas; Agricultural development
Location: Uganda
Eligibility: any non-profit organisation which has been registered with the National Board of NGOs or local governments and has a minimum of two years’ experience implementing development projects at a grassroots level, and which has full-time paid staff and track record in handling at least 50 % of the requested fund is eligible to apply
Grant size: approximately USD$100,000 per project. Items which cannot be financed include: consumables (except in case of emergency or humanitarian relief); running and maintenance costs of facilities and equipment; and recipient administrative costs
Closing date: 31 January
Southall Trust Overseas Development Fund
Type of projects: improving the life chances for the next generation of children born into war-torn nations and/or those in the Global South, as well as those born into nations with poor access to education
Location: the Global South
Eligibility: UK-registered charities
Grant size: average grant is £1800
Closing date: 31 January - requests over £3,000 must be submitted by this deadline. Lower requests can be submitted at any time
Deadline: February 2019
Danida Fellowship Centre
Type of projects: development research activities designed to further the SDGs, focusing on the following five themes: Sustainable economic development; Gender equality and development; Humanitarian assistance and development; Climate change resilience; State building and governance
Location: a Danida priority country: currently Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Palestine, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Eligibility: applications can only be submitted by universities or by a research-based institution (public and private, nationally registered institutions) in Denmark, Ghana, or Tanzania, which will be responsible for the grant
Grant size: a maximum grant of DKK 12 million (c. £1.4m) for each project over a maximum of five years.
Closing date: 1 February
Heineken Africa Foundation
Type of project: directly improving the health situation for communities, specifically focusing on mother and child care and/or water, sanitation and hygiene
Location: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa, the DRC.
Eligibility: project proposals can only be submitted by the local Heineken operating companies in close collaboration with an NGO, government organisation, overseas development ministries or international organisations
Grant size: maximum funding is EUR75,000 per year for up to 3 years
Closing date: 1 February
Amplify Change Strengthening Grant
Type of project: advocacy campaigns which bring about positive change in one or more of the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights priority themes. During this round, approximately one third of grants will be awarded for projects working to remove barriers to safe abortion, another third will be awarded for projects working to increase access to comprehensive reproductive health services for poor, vulnerable and marginalised people, and the remaining grants will be distributed to the best applications working on either: Gender-Based Violence, Stigma or Youth.
Location: Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
Eligibility: small to medium CSOs, partnerships and coalitions who are operating at a local, community, district or national level. Organisations must have an annual expenditure of less than €1m per year, calculated as an average of the organisation’s expenditure over the past three years
Grant size: €40,000 - €100,000 over a maximum of 12 months. Up to 40% of grant can be used to support the costs of organisational development and boosting organisational effectiveness of an organisation
Closing date: 5 February
Positive Action Challenges
Type of project: innovative solutions to specific but common problems in HIV care
Location: low and middle-income countries
Grant size: $5,000 USD
Closing date: 5 February
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: UK and overseas
Eligibility: UK registered charitable NGOs. UK registered charities may also be supported if they can indicate a UK registered charity that is able to receive funds on their behalf. Organisations that are new to PPCF are encouraged to get in touch with the trust secretary for an informal discussion about your work prior to submitting an application.
Grant size: between £5,000 and £15,000 per year, for up to three years
Closing date: 8 February
Ernest Kleinwort Medium Grants Programme
Type of project: wildlife and environmental conservation. Grants will be considered for start-up costs, core costs or for a specific project for which applicants have requested support. This could include a contribution towards a building/refurbishment project, purchase of specialist equipment or other similar capital expenditure, or assistance with running costs
Location: UK and overseas
Eligibility: UK registered charities
Grant size: £5,001 – £10,000
Closing date: 11 February
Blue Action Fund
Type of project: marine and coastal conservation by safeguarding marine biodiversity; creating new protected areas and improving the management of existing ones, as well as the sustainable use of marine biodiversity in fisheries, aquaculture and tourism.
Location: South East Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam. In transboundary projects, project components can also be carried out in Malaysia or Thailand.
Eligibility: national and international non-governmental organisations that: are willing to cooperate with local partners; have sufficient implementing capacity, necessary safeguards, especially with regard to Environmental and Social Safeguard Requirements; have an annual budget at least twice the size of the proposed budget; are willing to fund at least 25% of the total project costs through their own resources and via co-financing from other public donors.
Grant size: EUR 1-3 million over 3-5 years
Deadline: 14 February
Medical Research Council Health Systems Research Initiative Call 6
Type of project: research generating evidence on strengthening health systems. There are two different types of grant available: Research Grants, which are larger, stand-alone research projects expected to address clearly defined challenges faced by health systems; or Foundation Grants, which are smaller and can be either exploratory, for example, looking into existing health systems and investigating the underlying causes beneath perceived problems to conduct pilot work to build the necessary knowledge and methodological base to support a future full proposal.
Location: low and middle income countries
Eligibility: projects with principal investigators (PIs) from an LMIC are strongly encouraged. All proposals must include co-investigators from the LMIC in which the research is taking place. PIs can be based in the UK or any LMIC.
Grant size: Foundation Grants are for up to up to £200,000. There is approximately £4 million available for grants under this call. Funders would like to fund 5 to 10 projects of varying sizes.
Closing date: 14 February
Van Tienhoven Foundation
Type of project: environmental conversation, social justice and sustainable development
Location: developing countries or in countries in transition, predominantly following the DAC list
Eligibility: not-for-profit organisations that are registered as legal bodies (NGOs and scientific institutions)
Grant size: a maximum requested budget of 10,000 euro and a total project budget of no more than 50,000 euro. Costs of salaries and consultancy fees based on rates outside the countries of implementation are not covered. Travel costs from outside the countries of implementation are not covered. The purchase of vehicles (e.g. cars, boats) is not supported. Overhead costs are not supported
Closing date: 15 February
Innocent Foundation - Help the poorest families feed themselves
Type of project: innovative projects working to help hungry people feed themselves and adapt to climate change
Location: countries rated serious or alarming on the Global Hunger Index
Eligibility: registered not-for-profits
Grant size: up to £150k per year
Closing date: 22 February
The World Bank - Identification for Development
Type of project: practical and cost-effective "privacy by design" features that can be embedded into digital identification systems
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: individuals, including academics, entrepreneurs, scientists, technologists and other engaged citizens. Organisations, involved in research, advocacy, design and implementation of digital identification systems
Grant size: up to $50,000
Closing date: 24 February
THET Africa Grants Programme 2019 - 2020
Type of project: training of health workers in low- and middle-income countries through engaging established partnerships between health organisations in the UK and Ireland and their counterparts in Sub-Saharan Africa. THET welcomes grant applications to strengthen the healthcare workforce in one of the following two areas: Stream 1: Essential Surgical and Anaesthetic Care and Stream 2: Community Healthcare.
Location: Sub-Saharan Africa.
Eligibility: health partnerships applying must have been working together for a minimum of 6 months. The UK/Irish Lead Partner must be either a UK or Irish registered charity that is involved in health education or health delivery activities, or a recognised UK or Irish health delivery institution, health education institution or professional association
Grant size: £15,000 - £50,000 over 6 to 16 months
Closing date: 28 February
Deadline: March 2019
Palliative Care Development in Africa: Small Grants Programme
Type of project: hospices and palliative care providers across Africa which directly improve the patient experience and the standard of palliative care services for people of all ages. Funding is primarily for one-off projects, with a duration of one year
Location: Africa
Eligibility: only registered hospices and/or palliative care providers in any setting of care can apply. All work supported by this programme must adhere to the WHO definition of palliative care.
Grant size: £500 - £5,000
Closing date: 1 March
Tinker Foundation Incorporated
Type of project: effective policy changes that improve the lives of Latin Americans, specifically democratic governance; education; and sustainable resource management
Location: Latin America
Eligibility: registered non-profit organisations
Grant size: up to $1m
Deadline: 1 March for letters of inquiry. Full proposals are due 15 March
United Nations Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery [PDF]
Type of project: victims of contemporary forms of slavery and their family members. Ptiority is given to projects that provide specialised assistance to: victims of slave labour and slavery-like practices, including forced and early marriage; women and children; and projects operating in conflict and humanitarian crises scenarios. Grants may be spent on medical, psychological, legal, social, humanitarian or educational assistance, including vocational or skills trainings and other support to promote independent livelihoods
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: only NGOs
Grant size: $15,000 to $30,000
Deadline: 1 March
Ernst Kleinwort Large Grants Programme
Type of project: wildlife and environmental conservation. Grants will be considered for start-up costs, core costs or for a specific project for which applicants have requested support. This could include a contribution towards a building/refurbishment project, purchase of specialist equipment or other similar capital expenditure, or assistance with running costs.
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: UK-registered charities
Grant size: £10,001 and over
Closing date: 4 March
BBC Radio 4 Appeal
Type of project: activities that fall within the following categories will be considered eligible for an appeal: Medical research; Hospitals/hospices; Other medical/health/sickness; Disability; Housing/homelessness; Social welfare and services; Humanitarian aid/famine; disaster relief; Human rights; Education/training; Arts/culture; Amateur sports/recreation; Environment/wildlife; conservation/ heritage.
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: a charity can only have an appeal broadcast on the BBC once every three years. UK-registered charities whose work has an impact at UK or international level are eligible. Priority will be given to international charities that deliver activities for beneficiaries located across several regions within a country or across countries.
Grant size: on average charities raise between £5,000 and £20,000
Closing date: 19 March
Comic Relief Children Survive and Thrive: Rise and Shine
Type of project: early childhood development
Location: Kenya, Malawi and the UK
Eligibility: single applicants or partnerships, organisations registered in the country where the work will take place are prioritised
Grant size: up to £300,000 over 3-5 years
Closing date: 22 March
DFID Small Charities Challenge Fund
Type of project: strengthening the capacity of grassroots development organisations by working with the poor, vulnerable and most marginalised to carry out work in priority countries towards achieving the Global Goals. This round particularly welcomes applications focused on securing better outcomes for widows.
Location: DFID's project countries
Eligibility: small, UK-registered charities or not-for-profit organisations, with an annual income of £250,000 or less.
Grant size: up to £50,000 for up to 2 years. The fund does not specify how much of the budget should go to capital expenditure, monitoring and evaluation activities or UK costs.
Closing date: 28 March
US Embassy in Burkina Faso Self-Help Programme
Type of project: community groups carrying out small development projects. The projects must be initiated by and benefit the community by increasing income or improving living conditions. If the project is designed to generate income, it must be truly community-based and not a for-profit enterprise or sole proprietorship.
Location: Burkina Faso
Eligibility: local community organisations or NGOs. The Self-Help Programme cannot fund political, religious, military, or recreational activities. Funds cannot be used for administrative costs, transportation, training, scholarships, consumable items, vehicles, or to finance repairs
Grant size: the maximum grant is $10,000 over 1 year.
Closing date: 31 March
Deadline: April 2019
SUEZ Foundation
Type of project: promoting access to essential water, sanitation and waste services for disadvantaged populations. Projects should include the active implication of the populations concerned; the reinforcement of knowledge and expertise; sustainability and innovation
Location: urban and peri-urban areas of developing countries will be prioritised.
Eligibility: international solidarity organisations and non-profit organisations may apply. While they cannot be the sole funder, the Foundation will review all projects, regardless of their size
Grant size: up to 50% of the project’s total budget
Closing date: applications received before 30 April 2019 will be presented at the Board of Directors meeting in October.
Deadline June 2019
The Waterloo Foundation Tropical Rainforests
Type of project: protecting tropical rain forest, principally through avoiding deforestation
Location: tropical forests
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.
Deadline: 1 June
The Edith M Ellis 1985 Charitable Trust
Type of project: Quaker work and witness; peace-building and conflict resolution; interfaith and ecumenical understanding; community development work in the UK and overseas; work with forced migrants, including internally displaced people; sustainable development.
Location: UK and overseas
Eligibility: UK registered charities, NGOs, public bodies and social enterprises with a turnover of less than approximately £350,000 may apply. Those who can demonstrate other sources of funding for their project are prioritised as well as innovative projects not normally able to attract other funding
Grant size: up to £3,000. In exceptional circumstances larger grants may be given. Interest-free loans of up to £5,000 repayable over 5 years are also available.
Deadline: 30 June
Contracting opportunities
Find out more about contracting opportunities and how to apply in our Bidding for a DFID contract guide.
DFID Multi-Disciplinary Programme Framework Agreement
DFID is seeking to appoint suppliers to an International Multi-Disciplinary Programme Framework Agreement (IMDP), which will enable DFID to access advice and expertise in a cost efficient and effective manner across eleven thematic areas -provided by multi-disciplinary teams of quality professionals to design, manage and deliver international development programme services with agility and innovation whilst maintaining fair competition, in response to the dynamic and challenging needs of working in complex and fragile contexts.
Deadline: 9 November
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.
Health Research Programme Consortia (RPCs)
DFID has committed to the production and use of high quality evidence, data and innovation to accelerate progress towards the Global Goals. Following extensive internal and global consultation, the following areas were identified as being gaps and an opportunity for the UK to intervene: (i) Building stronger and more resilient health systems; (ii) Improving the health of the world’s most vulnerable, including sexual and reproductive health, mental healthand maternal, newborn and child health; (iii) Tackling infectious diseases
Investing in Adolescent Girls in Rwanda (IAG-R)
DFID is seeking partner(s) to deliver a 5 year programme to enable adolescent girls in Rwanda to have the capabilities for a safe, healthy, educated and empowered transition to adulthood.
Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC)
This multi-country research programme intends to generate operationally-relevant evidence on how to design, fund and better support pastoralism and agriculture in recurrent and protracted crises. The programme will build on the limited evidence on how agriculture and livestock services can better respond to recurrent and protracted crisis in a variety of contexts.
Ongoing grant opportunities
Abilis Foundation
Type of projects: supporting people with disabilities to implement their own projects in developing countries
Location: developing countries
Eligibility: Disabled People's Organisations from developing countries
African Women's Development Fund
Type of project: young women, women facing multiple discrimination, and approaches that include engaging the arts, culture, sports and technology. The fund focuses on the following themes: Body & Health Rights; Economic Security & Justice; Leadership, Participation & Peace. The fund also awards capacity building grants that focus on advancing organisational growth and development – for example strategic planning, developing fundraising and communications strategies, strengthening organisational governance systems and human resources management
Location: Africa
Eligibility: applicants must be African women’s organisations which are led by a woman and which have a majority female staff and board. They must also be registered in an African country and have been in existence for at least 3 years. The fund will only consider grants that are less than 50% of an organisation’s annual income
The Alborada Trust
Type of project: medical and veterinary causes, research and education, welfare of animals and help with relief to disaster areas worldwide
Location: worldwide.
Eligibility: registered national and international charities may apply
Grant size: the Trust only awards grants of £25,000 or more
The Al Fayed Foundation
Type of project: relieving the plight of orphans, refugees and street children abroad
Location: worldwide
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 Ashworth Charitable Trust
Type of project: humanitarian causes operating locally, nationally and internationally. The underlying principals are: justice; education for all; the need to address the situation of the very poor and of those at the margins of society; that all people everywhere should be able to share the fruits of and be empowered to participate in the construction of a just, prosperous and sustainable society; and that to achieve these aims, it is necessary to build the capacity of individuals, communities and institutions
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: UK-registered charities whose turnover is under £1 million.
Grant size: not usually exceeding £3,000
The Austin Bailey Foundation
Type of project: the relief of poverty and ill-health, and the fostering of opportunities for young people in the developing world
Location: developing countries
Eligibility: registered UK charities only
Grant size: grants for new applicants rarely exceed £400. Grants for charities known to the Trust can reach approximately £4,000
The Blackwood Engineering Trust
Type of projects: education or projects which generally benefit children and young people in need due to poverty, bereavement, sickness or disability which have little funding from statutory bodies are a largely run by voluntary organisations
Location: locations where Blackwood Engineering operates, including the UK, China and around the world
Grant size: £500 - £2000. Larger grants may be considered in exceptional circumstances
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
The Catriona Hargreaves Charitable Trust
Type of project: transforming the lives of deprived people all over the world where disease and poverty meet. Disease focus areas include, but are not limited to, leprosy, TB and Buruli Ulcer. The Trust’s overall focus is on project which provided food, shelter, medical treatment and health education in the most vulnerable communities
Location: worldwide
Grant size: sample grants range from £500 - £2,000
Chalk Cliff Trust
Type of project: education, malnutrition or medical related. The grant need not be specifically tied to funding projects. The funding can be used as seed capital, to help with core administration costs, or to help an organisation through a difficult time
Eligibility: Organisations should be based in East Sussex, UK. Donations will normally be made to registered charities, however organisations pending registration or pressure groups will also be considered
Grant size: most grants are in the region of £3,000 - £5,000
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
Cisco Foundation Global Impact Cash Grants
Type of projects: innovative approaches to critical social challenges. Organisations and programmes must focus on at least one of the following areas: access to education; economic empowerment; critical human needs. Programmes must serve the underserved, and leverage technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services.
Location: worldwide
Grant size: the maximum request amount for first-time grant recipients is US$75,000
Danson Foundation
Type of project: education projects
Location: developing countries
Eligibility: UK NGOs may apply
Grant size: various grants between £1,000 - £150,000
Denise Coates Foundation
Type of project: education and training; disaster recovery/emergency relief; community development; medical research and development
Location: UK and overseas
Eligibility: UK NGOs may apply
Grant size: in the 2016-17 financial year the Foundation committed to provide £5,964,536 of grants and donations to 21 charitable entities, 19 of which totalled more than £20,000
De la Rue Charitable Trust
Type of projects: educational projects at home and abroad which promote relevant skills, international understanding and bring relief from suffering
Location: the UK and under-developed communities where De la Rue does business
Eligibility: UK registered charities
Grant size: approximate annual fund value is £60,000 with 10-12 charities supported in 2016/17
The Dorfred Charitable Trust
Type of project: relief of third world poverty
Location: developing countries
Eligibility: UK registered charities only
Grant size: £18,000 of grants were awarded in 2016/7
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
Dulverton Charitable Trust
Type of projects: 1) Community Development which covers the provision of water and power, the encouragement of farming, enterprise, wildlife conservation. 2) Peace & Humanitarian Support including disaster relief.
Location: Kenya and Uganda
Eligibility: UK charities and charitable incorporated organisations may apply.
Grant size: between £25,000 and £35,000 per year.
Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust
Type of projects: benefit women or orphaned children; demonstrate local involvement in scoping and delivery, except where skills required are not currently available e.g. eye surgeons in remote rural areas; repair damages in post-conflict countries; deliver clean water and sanitation
Location: sub-Saharan Africa, Indian sub-continent including Afghanistan, and projects in Palestine or those supporting Palestinian refugees
Eligibility: UK CSOs may apply
Grant size: £1000 - £3000
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
F G CHARITABLE TRUST
Type of project: supporting groups who are victims of either: breaches of human rights; any public calamity (including famine earthquake or pestilence); war or civil disturbance; the immediate or continuing effects of lack of natural or other resources; or any other cause of poverty distress or suffering.
Location: Any part of the world but with a particular focus on Africa, South America, the Indian sub-continent and Eastern Europe.
Eligibility: faith-based organisations only
Grant size: £450,000 worth of grants and legacies were disbursed in 2016/7
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
FP2020 Rapid Response Mechanism
Type of project: family planning
Eligibility: Registered NGOs, CSOs and INGOs, governments, private and UN organisations are eligible
Grant size: up to US$ 250,000. The vast majority of projects receive less than US$100,000. Please note grants cannot be used to fund: Purchase of contraceptives; Government staff salaries or honorariums; Scholarships to individuals; Fees to attend a conference; Basic research, academic studies or surveys; Capital equipment (such as machinery, vehicles, IT equipment, and office furniture)
The Gibbs Trust
Type of projects: innovative undertakings by Methodist churches and organisations, other Christian Causes, especially of an ecumenical nature, and a wider category in the fields of the creative arts, education, social and international concern
Location: Wales and overseas
Eligiblity: UK-registered charities
Grant size: grants totalling £43,250 were made to international causes in 2016/7. This figure included one £9,000 donation. The remainder were between £1,000 - £3,000
Deadline: the pattern is for the Trustees to meet three times during the financial year: around Easter, in late summer, and after Christmas
The Girl Generation’s End FGM Grassroots Fund
Type of project: supporting local, grassroots organisations in some of the countries most affected by FGM. Projects funded include: educating people about the harmful effects of FGM; promoting community dialogue on and offline; training teachers and healthcare workers, or building a new generation of youth activists to tackle FGM
Location: current grantees are working in Nigeria, Kenya, Somaliland, Sudan, The Gambia, Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso
Eligibility: local, grassroots organisations in some of the countries most affected by FGM
Grant size: an average of $10,500 per grant
Gisela Graham Foundation
Type of project: alleviating poverty and deprivation among children in less developed countries through care, education, and family support
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: corporate bodies and registered charities
Grant size: grants awarded are normally for sums under £10,000, but most donations are for less than £5,000
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
Global Innovation Fund
Type of project: social innovations that aim to improve the lives and opportunities of millions of people. There are three stages applicants can apply for:
- Pilot: Your innovation is still in an early phase. You are testing core assumptions around operational, social and financial viability.
- Test and Transition: Your innovation has completed initial testing and is now transitioning to larger scale. You have some information on your operational, social and financial viability. You want to solidify this before you scale.
- Scale: Your innovation has solid operational, social and financial viability. You have strong evidence that my innovation improves the lives of those living on less than $5 PPP per day. Now you want to replicate your innovation in new countries and context, reaching millions of people.
Location: developing countries.
Eligibility: for-profit firms, non-profit organisations, researchers, and government agencies may apply. Less than 10% of applicants are invited to submit full proposals.
Grant size:
- Pilot projects: The maximum per project is $230,000 USD.
- Test and Transition: The maximum per project is $2.3 million, although the average investment size is smaller
- Scale: The maximum per project is $15 million, although the average investment size is much smaller
Global security challenges
Type of projects: combatting global security challenges, with particular focus on countries affected by conflict and fragility and to support relevant analyses and the development of situational awareness
Location: regions in North Africa, the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia
Eligibility: NGOs (Norwegian, international and local, including non-commercial foundations), the UN system and other multinational organisations
Her Voice
Type of projects: meaningful engagement of adolescent girls and young women in national youth related policy and program processes supported by or linked to the Global Fund
Location: Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Eligibility: registered or unregistered group, network or community-based organisation of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) or young people; or a community-based organisation implementing programs for AGYW and/or youth
Grant size: £2000
The International HIV/Aids Alliance Challenge Response Grant
Type of project: projects impacting both of the following: 1) the people/person you intend to help is/are experiencing discrimination or threats to their health, life or security that impact their access to HIV services and; 2) it is critical that activities take place within the next few months to address barriers that prevent them accessing HIV services
Location: various countries in Africa, Latin American and the Caribbean
Eligibility: Civil society organisations that are led by, or work with, LGBT people or MSM. Organisations can apply to support individuals whose situation meets the criteria stated above
Grant size: up to $20,000
The International HIV/Aids Alliance Emergency Response Grant
Type of project: urgent situations where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) and men who have sex with men (MSM) are facing stigma, discrimination and threats of violence that impact their access to HIV services
Location: various countries in Africa, Latin American and the Caribbean.
Eligibility: Civil society organisations that are led by, or work with, LGBT people or MSM. Organisations can apply to support individuals whose situation meets the criteria stated above
Grant size: up to $20,000
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 Jephcott Charitable Trust
Type of project: four main areas of funding: population control, the natural environment, education and health.
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: a registered charity or properly constituted organisation whose administrative expenses do not form more than 15% of their annual income
Grant size: £2,000 to £10,000, and in exceptional cases only, up to £20,000
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
John Ellerman Foundation
Type of projects: advancing the wellbeing of people, society and the natural world by focusing on the arts, environment and social action. The fund is willing to be flexible, and may venture outside it funding criteria if a different approach would be more effective
Location: UK and UK Overseas Territories
Eligibility: UK CSOs with an income between £100,000 and £10m
Grant size: up to £100,000
The John Lewis Foundation
Type of projects: investing in disadvantaged communities that support the John Lewis business throughout the world to acquire the relevant skills required for meaningful employment and improve social inclusion
Location: the project must benefit communities in which there is a John Lewis store, supplier, manufacturer, distribution hub, call centre etc.
Eligibility: groups and organisations that are registered with the appropriate Charity Commission or where the grant is for an exclusively charitable purpose. Funding cannot support building renovation or other capital expenditure or consumables
Just Trust
Type of projects: addressing the difficulties of some of the most disadvantaged sections of society in some of the least advantaged parts of the world
Location: worldwide (not UK)
Eligibility: UK-registed charities
Grant size: in 2017, the trust made 45 grants ranging from £300 to £5,000 and totalling £62,800
The Oak Foundation
Type of projects: there are six main programmes are: Environment, Child Abuse, Housing and Homelessness, International Human Rights, Issues Affecting Women and Learning Differences. There are four national programmes: Brazil, Denmark, India and Zimbabwe
Location: worldwide
Grant size: there is an annual grant-making budget of more than $200m. Except in special circumstances or in Zimbabwe, the foundation generally does not provide programme grants under US$25,000
The Old Dart Foundation
Type of project: initiatives to improve health, literacy, education and employment opportunities among impoverished women, children and young people
Location: worldwide, but especially Peru and Papua New Guinea and also Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and the Philippines
Grant size: grants ranged from £5,000 - £500,000 in 2017
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
The Marr Manning Trust
Type of projects: two focus areas: 1) education, including access to education by marginalised groups; Quality of teaching; equality for female and disabled students and; 2) Livelihoods projects including secure employment; Access to finance, support to entrepreneurs; market access
Location: sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Sub-Continent and South East Asia
Eligibility: registered, independent charitable organisations and NGOs with an annual income of between £25,000 and £1m
Grant size: 14 grants were supported in 2017/8 with a total value of £372,888
Michael and Susan Dell Foundation
Type of project: serving children living in urban poverty, particularly in the areas of education, family economic stability (including microfinance) and childhood health.
Location: USA, India, South Africa
Eligibility: generally, the foundation does not provide grants to support: individuals, medical research projects, event fundraisers or sponsorships, lobbying of any kind or endowments
Grant size: the foundation generally will not fund more than 25 percent of a project’s budget or more than 10 percent of an organisation’s total annual operating expenses
The Noel Buxton Trust's African Grants
Type of projects: hard-to-fund community-led organisations working to build local sustainable livelihoods, such as small business support and training and microfinance in both urban and rural settings
Location: Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Sudan and South Sudan
Eligibility: trustees tend to offer grants to smaller, grass-roots organisations. The trustees welcome applications from diaspora-led organisations based and registered in the UK. The trust is also considers direct applications from registered civil society organisations in Africa
Grant size: maximum grant is £5000 per year for up to three years
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
The Prince of Wales's Charitable Foundation
Type of projects: the primary areas of interest are the built environment, responsible business and enterprise, young people and education, and global sustainability
Location: UK and overseas
Eligibility: UK registered not-for-profit organisations that support grassroots community-based projects
Grant size: average £1500, maximum £5000
Pro Victimis Foundation
Type of projects: bringing about lasting changes in the lives of the most vulnerable communities by supporting primarily the victims of forgotten or unrecognised disasters, including extreme forms of exploitation, chronic consequences of armed conflict, natural or industrial disasters, etc. Priority is given to issues which receive little or no international attention and innovative approaches
Location: Africa: Algeria; Burundi; Liberia; Morocco; Rwanda; Sierra Leone. Asia: Cambodia; Laos; Nepal. America: El Salvador; Guatemala; Nicaragua; El Salvador; Guatemala; Nicaragua
Eligibility: hard to fund national or international NGOs with recognized expertise and a proven track record
The Queen Anne's Gate Foundation
Type of projects: making potentially unproductive lives productive
Location: predominantly the UK and Asia
Grant size: total grant funding for 2017 was £204,049
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
The Said Foundation
Type of projects: the Foundation has a long-term commitment to supporting the needs of children and young people with disabilities. The current priority is supporting Syrian children in Jordan and Lebanon, and the host communities that support them
Location: Jordan and Lebanon
Eligibility: the Foundation welcomes new proposal applications, however the humanitarian crisis in Syria has resulted in resources being heavily committed to existing partners and projects. Before submitting a grant application they recommend that you contact them for the most up to date information about funding priorities
Segal Family Foundation
Type of project: SRHR and secondary & tertiary education.
Location: organisations are more likely to be considered for a grant if they: 1) Operate in a country where the foundation currently has several other grantee partners; 2) Operate in a country that is not currently involved in armed conflict and 3) Operate in countries where the foundation is actively growing our portfolio: Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, and Malawi.
Eligibility: priority organisations are: small and early stage; have an annual budget ranging between $50,000 and $500,000; demonstrate at least two years of operations and successful fundraising to support such operations; have paid staff and a board of directors or advisory committee; are legally registered as a non-profit organisation in the country of operations. The foundation does not support local affiliates of international organisations
Tanzania Development Trust
Type of projects: combating poverty and disease among the people of Tanzania by the development of education, health and other social services, the improvement of water supplies, other communal facilities, and the promotion of self-help activities
Location: Tanzania. Priority is given to projects in these regions: Dodoma, Kagera, Kigoma, Lindi, Mara, Mtwara, Pemba North, Pwani, Shinyanga, Singida, Simiyu and Tabora
Eligibility: the Trust does not fund grants to: individuals; purchase, maintenance and running costs of transport; salaries, allowances, per diems; or running costs of an organisation. However, it may consider training costs in order to develop and assist a project in its implementation and sustainability
Grant size: less than £6000
Thackery Medical Research Trust
Type of project: supporting international charitable medical supply organisations. This may include establishing sustainable supply chains for the production, distribution and use of medical equipment in areas of the world that are poorly supplied. Projects which relieve and prevent disease and sickness in under-developed countries by supporting appropriate research and manufacture of medical products will also be considered
Location: UK and developing countries
Grant size: the Trust has an annual budget of £30,000 and aims to offer grants to more than one organisation
The True Colours Trust Small Grants Programme Africa
Type of projects: promoting and developing palliative care for adults and children in Africa, including improving access to appropriate pain relief
Location: Africa
Eligibility: local African and UK organisations may apply
Grant size: £500 - £5000
THINK Foundation
Type of project: supporting the understanding and development of fundraising skills in the not-for-profit sector around the world, including developing fundraising and resource mobilisation skills, research/studies or training resources on specific aspects of fundraising
Location: applications are prioritised from South Asia, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia and Eastern Europe
Eligibility: applications from smaller organisations will be given priority
Grant size: average level of grants will be £500 to £1000. The usual maximum for a single grant is £2,500
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
UNDP Small Grants Programme
Type of projects: biodiversity, climate change mitigation and adaptation, land degradation and sustainable forest management, international waters and chemicals
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: local communities including indigenous people, community-based organizations and other non-governmental groups may apply
Grant size: the programme provides grants of up to $50,000
The Urgent Action Fund Asia and the Pacific's rapid response grant-making programme
Type of project: protection and support to women, non-binary (e.g., lesbian, Trans) human rights defenders or organisations that face urgent risk in their advocacy to uphold women’s human rights and human rights. There are two funding streams: 1) Security and Well-being Grants and 2) Resourcing Resilience Grants.
Location: Asia and the Pacific
Eligibility: women/non-binary people must be the primary beneficiaries of the grant, preferably channelled via a women’s rights organisation
Grant size: up to USD $5,000
Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights
Type of project: responding to security threats or unexpected advocacy opportunities experienced by women, transgender, or gender non-conforming, activists and human rights defenders
Location: Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the South Caucuses, and the following countries: Canada, Turkey, United States, and Russia. There are separate Urgent Action Funds for Africa and Latin America
Eligibility: applications must be Women/Trans-led. Women/Trans people must be the primary decision-makers in the organisation, group, or action.
Grant size: applicants for Security Grants can request up to $8,000 USD for immediate needs (for use within 3 months). Applicants for Opportunity Grants can request up to $8,000 USD for activities that will be carried out within the next 6 months
USAID’s Development Innovation Ventures fund
Type of project: DIV is USAID’s open innovation programme that tests and scales creative solutions to any global development challenge, funding products, technologies, services, or applications that can scale breakthrough solutions to critical global development challenges
Location: any country in which USAID operates
Eligibility: DIV accepts applications from U.S. and non-U.S. organisations, non-profit and for-profit entities
Grant size: three tiers of start-up financing: Stage 1: Proof of Concept ideas can receive up to $200,000 in seed funding over 3 years. Stage 2: Testing and Positioning for Scale applicants can get $200,000 to $1,500,000 in supporting grants for 3 years. Stage 3: Scaling solutions can ask for $1,500,000 to $5,000,000 in investments over 5 years
ViiV Positive Action for Girls and Women Small Grants Programme [PDF]
Type of project: community-led interventions that address either: sexual violence; harmful practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM); early and forced marriage; sexual and reproductive health and rights for underserved and vulnerable girls
Location: resource-limited settings
Eligibility: non-governmental and either not-for-profit or have a social purpose
Grant size: £5,000 - £25,000 per year for 2 years
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
Wellcome Trust Innovator Awards
Type of project: Innovator Awards are open to researchers who are developing healthcare innovations that could have a major and measurable impact on human health working in any scientific discipline and on any type of technology
Location: worldwide
Eligibility: individuals and teams from not-for-profit and commercial organisations can apply. Collaborations are encouraged
Deadline: apply online at any time. Shortlisting meetings happen every three months
Grant size: up to £500,000, or up to £750,000 for multidisciplinary collaborations
