Funding Opportunities - May 8, 2026
Inside: 46 grant programs including $10m+ for sector-agnostic AI startups, $100k for conservation, $1.5m for data-driven health insights, $2m for AI-driven advisory in agriculture, & 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.
Standard Product Grant. Wildlife Acoustics.
• Advancement of wildlife research, habitat monitoring, and environmental conservation. To advance the study of bats, birds, amphibians, and other terrestrial wildlife.
• Scientists.
• All countries.
• Up to $4k of product-in-kind grants (recorders, accessories, and software licenses).
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives – Ghana (2026). Government of Canada.
• Innovative projects that deliver measurable results.
• NGOs, community and not-for-profits, academic institutions and government institutions. They should all be working on local projects.
• Ghana.
• Up to ~$33,116 ($45k Canadian Dollars) grant funding.
• May 10, 2026.
The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives – Togo (2026). Government of Canada.
• Innovative projects that deliver measurable results.
• NGOs, community and not-for-profits, academic institutions and government institutions. They should all be working on local projects.
• Togo.
• Up to ~$33,116 ($45k Canadian Dollars) grant funding.
• May 10, 2026.
ClimateLaunchpad 2026: Green business ideas competition. Climate KIC.
• Great ideas for climate innovation.
• Should have attracted less than € 200.000 in total funding and company has been incorporated for less than two years.
• Start-up, SME, researcher, student, public organisation, consultant, engineer or a combination of the above.
• See full list of eligible countries here.
• Prizes may include cash and/or in-kind support.
• May 15, 2026.
Visa Accelerator Program. Visa.
• Game-changing startups building the future of FinTech: 1) Unlocking New Payment Flows, 2) Embedded Finance, 3) Empowering Merchants & SMEs, 4) Payment Infrastructure Enablers, 5) The Future of Finance and 6) Sustainable & Inclusive Finance.
• Startups from Seed to Series A with at least an MVP.
• Africa.
• Potential investments from Visa, Plug and Play, and leading VCs alongside mentorship and product perks.
• May 17, 2026.
Advancing agrifood innovators to grow groundbreaking startups. Sprout Accelerator.
• A 3-month adventure that guides formulating a pitch on your startup foundations through: 1) 2–3 hours of weekly online individual mentoring and group sessions, 2) 2 Underground events that are 2 days each and 3) A final online Showcase presentation to an audience of industry connections and investors.
• Early-stage novel innovations, technology or science with direct or potential application in the agrifood value chain that are pre-revenue, or up to $1,000,000 revenue post-launch.
• Early-stage startups.
• All countries.
• Provides the opportunity to attract engagement from investors and industry organisations.
• May 26, 2026.
Small Grants programme for Palliative Care Development in Africa. The True Colours Trust.
• Support projects that deliver palliative care, in alignment with the WHO’s definition of palliative care.
• Registered hospices and pallative care providers.
• Africa.
• Up to £5k grants.
• May 26, 2026.
AI for Discovery: Accelerating scientific breakthroughs. Nature Awards.
• Teams conducting applied scientific research powered by AI or machine intelligence in one of three categories: health & life sciences; energy, environment & agriculture; and industry, infrastructure & manufacturing.
• Research groups.
• All countries.
• A development grant, bespoke training and the opportunity to present their work to a global audience of scientific and industry leaders.
• May 27, 2026.
FII Innovators Pitch. FII Institute.
• Solutions must be supported by AI and impact the areas of: 1) Sustainability, 2) Health, 3) Robotics and 4) Education.
• Companies: solution stages of Pilot, Growth, or Scale. You need to have a minimum viable product (MVP), but revenue is not required. There is no need to incorporate before applying. Fundraising: Seed, Series A, Growth (Series B/C).
• All countries.
• Connect with the FII Investment Community alongside a chance to participate in masterclasses.
• May 28, 2026.
Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF - SGP) 2026. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• Project proposals in the areas of environment and climate change, to be implemented in the terrestrial and aquatic landscapes of Chimanimani-Gorongosa-Marromeu and Matutuine, in the provinces of Sofala and Maputo, respectively.
• Civil society organizations, community-based organizations (CBOs) and NGOs.
• Mozambique.
• Up to $20k grants.
• May 30, 2026.
Sustainable Development through astronomy projects. IAU-OAD
• Proposals with high potential for making a positive societal impact using astronomy. Themes: 1) Sustainable, local socio-economic development through Astronomy, 2) Science diplomacy through Astronomy: Celebrating our Common Humanity and 3) Knowledge and Skills for Development.
• Anyone regardless of background. Projects can be proposed by a single person or by a team of people (given the real-world nature of projects, interdisciplinary teams are encouraged with relevant social scientists).
• All countries.
• Up to €15k grants.
• May 31, 2026.
Species Conservation grants. Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund.
• Eligibility for grants extends to all plant, animal, and fungi conservation efforts, without discrimination based on region or species.
• Anyone directly involved in species conservation.
• All countries.
• Up to $25k grants.
• May 31, 2026.
The Kickstarting For Good Incubator. Kickstarting For Good (K4G).
• An 18-week incubation programme including two intense in-person weeks in Berlin, Germany. Social-impact entrepreneurs and organisations looking to move the food system towards a plant-forward future.
• Social-impact entrepreneurs and organisations. Solo applications or from groups of co-founders together.
• All countries, especially from the Global South.
• A share of $350k in seed funding to successful graduates.
• May 31, 2026.
Chat for Health Accelerator. Turn.io.
• Ambitious organisations ready to scale their health innovation using chat and AI technology. Already serving 10,000+ users, or have demonstrated real traction with a proven, evidence-backed go-to-market strategy—not just a plan.
• It is a prerequisite that you have a Live WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) on the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) before the Accelerator begins.
• Primary healthcare organisations.
• All countries.
• Up to $750k in value through platform access, technical support, expert mentorship, tokens, and funding pathways.
• May 31, 2026.
Startup Prize Health Competition. Startup Prize.
• Medical/health-related startups: health devices, health services, therapeutic development, health technology (web-based, app-based), nutrition, preventive healthcare, medical device, early stage and late stage drug research, surgical devices and advancements in the field, and nanotechnology in surgery/wound care.
• Two tracks: 1) FDA Track: Requires FDA Approval to get to market and 2) Non-FDA Track: Does not require FDA Approval.
• Early-stage: no more than 3 to 5 years old, has not secured over $1m in equity-based capital and will not exceed $2m in annual revenue for the current year.
• Health-focused entrepreneurs.
• All countries.
• $10k cash grand prize.
• June 15, 2026.
ExciteLab Hybrid Acceleration Program. ExciteLab.
• Startups in the field of robotics, sensors, IoT, semiconductors, and quantum.
• Early-stage startups.
• All countries.
• Up to €6k prize. Startups that establish a legal entity in Saxony, Germany can additionally receive up to €30k non-dilutive funding.
• June 19, 2026.
New organizations distributing proven poverty solutions. D-Prize.
• Proven poverty solutions in: 1) Agriculture, 2) Education, 3) Energy, 4) Health, 5) Livelihoods, 6) Public services, 7) Water.
• Does not support organizations that have more than 18 months of full-time operations, or raised more than $30k in outside funding.
• First-time entrepreneurs who have not yet launched or raised outside funding.
• All countries.
• Up to $20k grant funding to support a three-month pilot.
• June 28, 2026.
TWAS-Fayzah M. Al-Kharafi Award. UNESCO-TWAS.
• Achievements in Agricultural Sciences and/or Biology by women scientists.
• Female scientists national of a ST-lagging country and have been living and working there for at least two years immediately prior to their nomination.
• Scientifically and Technologically Lagging (STL) countries. See full list here.
• $4k cash award.
• June 30, 2026.
TWAS-Samira Omar Innovation for Sustainability Award. UNESCO-TWAS.
• 1) Clean and renewable energy, 2) Green chemistry, 3) Sustainable agriculture and agrobiodiversity, 4) Plastic: degradation, pollution and microplastics, 5) Water purification and sanitation, 6) Climate change, 7) Transportation tech, 8) Waste management, 9) Biodiversity and 10) Ecological economics and planetary health.
• Woman scientist living and working in a LDC during the last two years immediately prior to his/her nomination.
• Least developed countries. See full list here.
• $4k monetary award.
• June 30, 2026.
TWAS-Abdool Karim Award in Biological Sciences. UNESCO-The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).
• To honour women scientists for their achievements in Biological Sciences.
• Female scientists not older than 45 years of age.
• Least Developed African countries.
• $5k cash award.
• June 30, 2026.
Partnership & Research Development Fund (PRDF). Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN).
• To build and sustain higher education and research collaboration. Priority Research Themes: 1) Environment, climate, and the energy transition, 2) Equality, security, and social cohesion, 3) Public health and human wellbeing, 4) Sustainable food and water systems and 5) Artificial intelligence and the digital revolution.
• Academic staff (faculty members), Early Career Researchers (ECRs, who hold a PhD and are up to five years since PhD award date).
• Australian and African universities. See full list here.
• Up to ~$7,257 (AUD 10k) grant funding per project in matching funding and must be matched in cash funding by partner teams.
• June 30, 2026.
TO DO Award for Socially Responsible Tourism. Studienkreis.org.
• Projects, measures or products which are characterised by the active participation of the local population and fairness in the way the projects interact with all the stakeholders involved in the development of tourism.
• Tourism businesses and organisations, public institutions or other legal entities.
• All countries.
• ~$6,379 (5k Swiss Francs) prize money.
• July 31, 2026.
Small grants. Mérieux Foundation.
• Local initiatives aimed at fighting infectious diseases in developing countries, particularly projects relating to maternal and child health.
• A non-profit association or a foundation recognized as being in the public interest, been in operation for at least three years.
• See full list of eligible countries here under Eligibility criteria for projects.
• Up to €5k grants.
• August 1, 2026.
The Marion Paviour Award. Hawk Conservancy Trust.
• To further research into the conservation of birds of prey.
• Early-career researchers.
• All countries.
• Up to £1,250 grant award.
• August 31, 2026.
👇 12 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.)
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Reply here or send an email to daniel@fundraisingdispatch.com.
Funding Opportunities above $50k
What’s below?
● 14 opportunities from $50k to $200k
● 4 opportunities from $200k to $1m
● 4 opportunities for more than $1,000,000
Including:
- $100k for conservation and environment
- $1.5m for data-driven insights for child health in LMICs
- $2m for AI-driven advisory for smallholder farming
- $10m+ for sector-agnostic AI startups
