Funding Opportunities - May 29, 2026
Inside: 34 grant & investment programs including €5m for biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction, $1m for AI in life sciences, $500k for nature-based projects, & more!
Your weekly one-stop-shop for grant opportunities, calls for proposals, requests for applications, and other programs published by funders like GIZ, Gates Foundation, AECF, Norad, and many more.
Grants and investment opportunities under $50k -> free.
Grants and investment opportunities from $50k to $10m+ -> premium.
Looking for new funding?
You can:
- Subscribe to countless funder updates and wade through newsletter after newsletter of long reports, project updates, PR content, and donation requests… crossing your fingers hoping the next email has a relevant RFP
- Spend hours searching Google or asking ChatGPT about open funding programs
- Look through pages and pages of databases - bogged down by funding exclusive to nonprofits in the United States or scholarship/fellowship programs for students
- Follow 50+ influencers on LinkedIn, hoping their next post has the right opportunity for you
Or
You can just catch new relevant opportunities in your inbox on a weekly basis and then access a curated database here on FundraisingDispatch.com.
See below for the newest social impact funding opportunities in Africa and around the world.
Emergency Funding for Conservation. Rapid Response Facility.
• Funding to address unforeseen emergencies in UNESCO natural World Heritage Sites (or occasionally sites with other international recognition for biodiversity).
• Types of organisations include (but are not limited to): Government bodies responsible for site management, Registered local, national or international NGOs, Private sector organisations.
• ODA eligible countries.
• Up to $40k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Food Systems Innovation Challenge. GBHub Africa.
• Innovators building solutions that improve food security, expand nutrition access, and create meaningful economic opportunities across the continent.
• Early-stage innovators, startups, researchers, youth-led and women-led teams.
• Algeria, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Nigeria, Senegal.
• Pre-seed funding of €20k (Equity, Debt, SAFE, Convertible note) alongside Technical and business development support.
• May 30, 2026.
Luena Scholars Grant. Luena Foundation.
• Community-designed education initiatives that address concrete barriers to learning.
• Grassroots solutions that help children remain in school, learn in safer and more supportive environments, and access educational opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach.
• Small, locally led, community-based organizations with annual revenue under $50k.
• Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Up to $1,500 grants.
• May 31, 2026.
DPI Health Hackathon 2026. DPI Health Hackathon.
• Designed to surface problem-led ideas, build rapid prototypes and accelerate the next generation of African health innovation. An intensive 3-day event on the Groote Schuur Hospital campus.
• 1) Digital Health & AI, 2) Biotechnology, 3) Medical Technology, 4) Health Financing & Access, 5) Supply Chain & Operations and 6) Emergency & Critical Care.
• Healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, engineers, designers, researchers, students, corporate innovators and NGO practitioners. Diverse, multidisciplinary teams of 3-5 people. Individual applicants are welcome.
• Africa.
• Up to ~$4,899 (R 80,000) in cash prizes.
• May 31, 2026.
Small Grants. Save Our Seas Foundation.
• Only projects concerned with marine chondrichthyan species (sharks, rays, skates, sawfishes and chimaeras) will be considered.
• Targets local projects conducted by local project leaders, aimed at original and innovative start-up projects.
• Early career scientists (within five years of a degree being awarded).
• All countries.
• Grants average $5k.
• July 3, 2026.
Care Collective Fund. GOT BAG.
• People and organizations doing vital work on the ground for our communities, our ocean, and our climate.
• Strategic pillars: 1) Plastic Life Cycle, 2) Maritime Ecosystem and 3) Community of Care & Climate Resilience.
• NGOs and foundations, Grassroots initiatives and activists, (Academic) research projects, Social enterprises, impact start-ups, sustainable enterprises with a proven impact project.
• All countries, especially in the Global South.
• €10k grant.
• July 5, 2026.
Idea Award. Moonshot Platform.
• Ideas which can change the course of history for the better, across fields - ranging from the natural sciences, humanities, arts, and technology.
• Idea advancing fulfilment of SDGs, with a working prototype, plan, or proof of concept.
• Organizations with secured funding or investment of $250k or more are not eligible.
• A young person aged 15 to 30 by 1 July, 2026.
• All countries.
• $10k equity-free grant.
• July 12, 2026.
Start-up. Moonshot Platform.
• Tech based Youth-led operations advancing fulfilment of SDGs with initial market traction and a path to profitability, looking to scale.
• Exclusion: No startups that have gone through an investment round.
• A young person aged 15 to 30 by 1 July, 2026 leading a for-profit organisation that is advancing SDGs. Can be on any C-Level position or a Founder.
• All countries.
• $10k equity-free grant + an opportunity for additional funding.
• July 12, 2026.
Non-Profit. Moonshot Platform.
• Youth-led non-profits advancing SDGs with initial success, with a plan for sustainable growth, looking to expand their impact.
• Exclusion: No organisation with secured funding $100k and more.
• A young person aged 15 to 30 by 1 July, 2026 leading a non-for-profit organisation that is advancing SDGs. Can be on any C-Level position, or a Founder.
• All countries.
• $10k equity-free grant + an opportunity for additional grants.
• July 12, 2026.
Learning. Moonshot Platform.
• Grassroots innovations and visionary leaders who are not only pioneering adaptable, future-proof learning techniques but also emphasizing inclusivity to ensure every learner thrives in an ever-evolving world.
• Proof of concept or more advancements in educational methods and access.
• Exclusion: No governmental organizations.
• A young founder or idea-maker aged 15 to 30 by 1 July, 2026.
• All countries.
• $5k equity-free grant + an opportunity for additional funding.
• July 12, 2026.
Health. Moonshot Platform.
• Innovations that enhance health outcomes and personal well-being.
• A young founder, scientist, or a medical practitioner aged 15 to 30 by 1 July, 2026.
• All countries.
• $5k equity-free grant + an opportunity for additional funding.
• July 12, 2026.
Art for Humanity. Moonshot Platform.
• Artistic endeavour that bridges divides and fosters unity amidst societal polarization.
• Written text may be supplemented with videos and/or images in applications for this award category.
• Exclusion: Only original pieces and productions. No third-party content is allowed except as specified for music backing tracks.
• A young creator, author, or an artivist aged 15 to 30 by 1 July, 2026.
• All countries.
• $5k equity-free grant + an opportunity for additional funding.
• July 12, 2026.
AI for Good. Moonshot Platform.
• Innovations to harness the power of AI for good, towards a more ethical digital future for all.
• Proof of concept or more in the use of AI technology to benefit society, support communities or protect the environment.
• A young innovator, an engineer, or a coder aged 15 to 30 by 1 July, 2026.
• All countries.
• $5k equity-free grant + an opportunity for additional funding.
• July 12, 2026.
Borderless. Moonshot Platform.
• Initiatives that serve historically and contemporary marginalised minority communities and/or communities in emergency situations on a “for the people, by the people” principle.
• Proof of concept or more advancements in educational methods and access.
• A young founder or idea-maker aged 15 to 30 by 1 July, 2026.
• All countries.
• $5k equity-free grant + an opportunity for additional funding.
• July 12, 2026.
PET Heroes 2026. adaPETation.
• Organisations who are developing or have developed initiatives that contribute to the just transition of plastic circularity, proving social benefits of plastic circular initiatives.
• Show how efforts are driving both environmental and social change. Highlight underrepresented figures.
• Individuals, startups, NGOs, cooperatives, and community-led initiatives.
• All countries.
• €10k prize.
• July 12, 2026.
2026 Interledger on Campus, Education Mini Grant. Interledger Foundation.
• Student-led innovation, learning, and community engagement focused on open payments and digital financial inclusion. Projects that explore interoperable payment systems and expand awareness of equitable financial technologies.
• Student organizations at accredited universities.
• All countries.
• Up to $5k grants.
• August 1, 2026.
Global Innovation Challenge 2026. Social Shifters.
• Startups and projects must address a clearly defined social or environmental issue and must already be delivering some measurable social outputs and impact.
• Your idea must contribute to at least one of the United Nations’s SDGs.
• Social startups, 100% youth-led (founders must be between 18 and 30 years old).
• All countries, except the following countries subject to UK government financial sanctions: Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela.
• Up to $15k grants.
• August 31, 2026.
Open Call 2 (OC2) addressed to innovation hubs. Food Safety for Africa (FS4Africa).
• Aims to provide financial support to third parties (innovation hubs) to train use case partners and Open Call 1 beneficiaries by providing mentoring and accelerating innovative business concepts.
• Innovation hubs. one entity per proposal (no consortia allowed).
• Africa.
• Up to €40k grant funding.
• August 31, 2026.
Open Payments SDK grant program. Interledger Foundation.
• To improve how developers integrate Open Payments into real-world applications.
• Improving Software development kit (SDK) generation tools so they can automatically create secure, up-to-date Open Payments SDKs for many programming languages.
• Individual or organization.
• All countries, except those subject to U.S. sanctions.
• Grants ranging from $5k - $25k.
• December 2, 2026.
👇 15 Funding Opportunities above $50k 👇
But before we get to those…
Have you missed our last few updates and new grant programs we shared there?
Catch up on our previous newsletters or subscribe to our paid plan for direct access to our database and save you and your team hours in finding the right funding for you.
There are ~200 funding opportunities with open or rolling deadlines in our database! (With 100+ opportunities for $50k and above.)
*(Prefer to use a different payment method like a Bank Transfer or M-PESA (in Kenya)?
Reply here or send an email to daniel@fundraisingdispatch.com.
Funding Opportunities above $50k
What’s below?
● 5 opportunities from $50k to $200k
● 4 opportunities from $200k to $1m
● 6 opportunities for more than $1,000,000
Including:
- $500k for nature-based projects: carbon removal and methane reduction
- $1m for AI in life sciences
- €5m for biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction
