There are some great social impact programs in Africa and emerging markets all over the world with calls for applications quickly approaching their deadlines!
We’ve featured all of these on our recent newsletters. Here’s our monthly recap.
Summary:
126 “rolling” opportunities
10 due by the end of the day, today, October 5, 2026 (Hurry!)
21 due by the end of the week, October 11, 2026 (Hurry!)
59 due later in October
31 due in November
18 due before EOY (December 31, 2026)
11 with deadlines in 2027
With 174 opportunities offering funding larger than $50,000!
But before we get into the 275+ Impact Funding Opportunities with open deadlines…
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Alright. Now let’s recap open funding.
276 Impact Funding Opportunities with Open Deadlines
Animal Welfare Grants. The Pollination Project.
• Support individuals and groups who are working to protect animals.
• 1) Reducing the consumption of land and sea animals raised using industrial agriculture practices, 2) Advocating for farmed animal welfare and 3) Helping animals that are not usually the focus of animal welfare efforts.
• Open to individuals in all countries with a special focus on Brazil, India and Mexico
• A $1k seed grant.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Awesome Foundation Micro Grants. Awesome Foundation.
• Awesome project on wide range of areas including arts, technology, community development, and more.
• Individuals, groups, and organizations working anywhere in the world.
• $1k.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Conservation Fund. International Marine Animal Trainers Association (IMATA).
• Conservation-oriented issues that serve marine mammal science through training, public display, research, husbandry, conservation, and education.
• Non-profit organizations.
• Global.
• Up to $5k.
• Applications accepted on rolling basis.
The Explorers Club Impact Grants. The Explorers Club.
• Fieldwork in biological sciences, archaeology, anthropology, paleontology, earth sciences, ecology, and astronomy.
• Exploratory projects that reveal new knowledge about the planet and its inhabitants, including regions undergoing environmental or cultural change.
• Researchers and explorers.
• Global.
• Up to $25k.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Egmont Trust EOI. Egmont.
• Innovative ways of combating the impact of HIV & AIDS on children and families and provide financial support and project management advice to local, grassroots organisations.
• NGOs/CSOs.
• Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia & Zimbabwe.
• Up to $20k grant.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Apply for a Rufford Small Grant. Rufford Foundation.
• Funds nature conservation projects.
• Species you are working on must be considered threatened.
• Early stages of conservation career. Focus on supporting current MSc or PhD students or recent graduates.
• Emerging or developing economy countries.
• Up to £18k.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Startups for Sustainable Development program. Google.
• Supports a global ecosystem of impact-focused startups.
• Connects them to the funding ecosystem, including venture capital and other investment partners.
• Supports them with advisors and technology.
• All countries.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Conservation Fund. Neotropical Birding and Conservation (NBC).
• Conservation action or research that has an intended measurable benefit.
• Globally threatened species — those on the IUCN’s global red list.
• Middle and South America and the Caribbean.
• Up to $5k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Grants to Foster Community Philanthropy. Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF).
• Aimed at strengthening individual organizations as trusted and effective grassroots grantmakers that can harness both local and external resources.
• Women’s fund, environmental fund, national public foundation, grassroots grantmaker or any other kind of organization that identifies with the concept and practice of community philanthropy.
• Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, or Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Up to $20k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Small conservation grants. Jana Robeyst Trust Fund (JRTF).
• Early career biologists/conservationists to carry out vital field conservation and research work of endangered mammals in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• All countries.
• Up to €1,500 grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis (30th April, 31th August and 31th December each year).
Call for Proposals: Right Sharing of World Resources Partner in Kenya. Right Sharing of World Resources.
• Offers training, support, and financial grants to small, grassroots women’s groups. The goal is to grow strong and sustainable women-led income-generating projects.
• All groups who receive grants have first completed the Group Strength & Financial Training Program.
• Kenya, India, Sierra Leone, Guatemala.
• Up to $6,500 grant to launch a revolving loan fund.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Empowering Student Innovation Across Nigeria. Federal Ministry of Education.
• Students and teams building high-impact solutions across Nigeria’s key development sectors: 1) Science, 2) Technology, 3) Engineering, 4) Mathematics and 5) Medical Science.
• Student-led businesses.
• Nigeria.
• Up to ~$34,528 (₦50 million) grant funding.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Rapid-Response, Advocacy & Protection Grants. Urgent Action Fund Africa.
• Strategic interventions that take advantage of opportunities to advance woman’s human rights.
• Both informal and formal women’s right organizations. Applications from non-registered collectives or groups are encouraged.
• Africa.
• Up to $20k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Harry Frank Guggenheim African Fellow Awards. The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation.
• Recognize emerging African scholars studying aspects of violence on or directly related to the African continent.
• Individual scholars, must be aged 45 or younger.
• All countries - must be currently enrolled in an accredited Ph.D. program at an African higher-education institution, and living on the continent.
• $10k research grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis (March 1 of every year).
Bridges for Enterprise Incubation Programme. Bridges for Enterprise.
• Passionate entrepreneurs seeking to solve some of the world’s most urgent challenges. Lasts between 6-8 months.
• Pre-seed and seed stage social impact startups.
• Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
• Consulting, Finance Advisory, Legal Advisory and Technical Advisory.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis (April and 1 October).
Submissions open for Holohil Grant Program. Holohil.
• Supports research and educational work focused on endangered species.
• Projects that demonstrate strong conservation value and sound scientific design.
• Open to scientists and non-scientists.
• All countries.
• ~$1,800 (CAD 2,500 toward the purchase of Holohil transmitters for selected projects).
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis (January 15, April 15, July 15, October 15).
TCF Grant Program. Turtle Conservation Fund.
• Projects that focus on tortoises or freshwater turtles that are highly threatened according to the IUCN Red List or the TFTSG Provisional Red List, as either Critically Endangered or Endangered, or which may be highly threatened but not yet officially classified as such on the Red List. We do not support work on marine turtles.
• Organizations or individuals.
• All countries.
• Up to $5k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis (June 1 and December 1).
The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. United Nations.
• Providing rehabilitation and assistance to thousands of individuals whose human rights have been severely violated as a result of contemporary forms of slavery, including: children in armed conflict, debt bondage, forced and early marriage, forced labour, traditional slavery, trafficking of persons, sale of children, sale of wives, serfdom, sexual slavery, widow inheritance and worst forms of child labour.
• Civil society organizations (e.g. NGOs, rehabilitation centers, foundations, associations of victims, hospitals, legal clinics). Been in operation for at least two years.
• All countries.
• Up to $35k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis (every year from 15 January to 1 March).
Stephen R. Tully Research Grant. Raptor Research Foundation.
• To support research, and conservation of raptors.
• Students and amateurs with limited access to alternative funding.
• All countries.
• Up to $4,500 grant, plus waived page charges to publish the research in the Journal of Raptor Research.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis (30 June each year).
Kevin Kritz Research Grant. Raptor Research Foundation.
• Seeks to provide support and advance research on eagles and eagle conservation anywhere in the world.
• Conservationists.
• All countries.
• Up to $5k grant plus waived page charges to publish their research in the Journal of Raptor Research.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis (30 June each year).
IMATA Research Grant. International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association.
• To advance the humane care and handling of marine animals by fostering communication between professionals that serve marine animal science through training, public display, research, husbandry, conservation, and education.
• Principal Investigator (PI) who is a current Professional IMATA member who has maintained this membership level for a minimum of two years prior to the applications submission.
• All countries.
• Up to $3k grant.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Humanitarian Innovation Programme in Emergency Response (Hiper). World Food Programme (UN WFP).
• Life-saving solution in waste management, WASH, or personal resilience, designed for the critical first 60 days of a humanitarian emergency.
• Humanitarian actors, solution providers and private sector partners.
• All countries.
• Potential inclusion in the ecosystem, for consideration for ongoing opportunities and future challenges.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Thrive Seed Grant. Thrive Philanthrophy.
• Proposals that aim to create just, plant-based food systems by reducing the global consumption of animals, reducing industrial animal agriculture, or for vegan advocacy.
• Not a for-profit company, should not be an international chapter of a US-based organization. Geared toward new or small-scale organizations.
• All countries except the US.
• Up to $5k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis (1 March, 1 June, 1 September, 1 December).
Thrive Grants. Thrive Philanthrophy.
• Proposals that aim to create just, plant-based food systems by reducing the consumption of animals, reducing industrial animal agriculture, or for vegan advocacy.
• Not a for-profit company, should not be an international chapter of a US-based organization. Geared toward mid-size or larger organizations.
• All countries except the US.
• Up to $30k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis (1 March, 1 June, 1 September, 1 December).
Funding for Women-Led Initiatives in Africa. Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD).
• Women’s leadership and empowerment: initiatives led by women leaders that create positive community impact.
• Nonprofits, Grassroots organizations, Community-based organizations, Individual leaders, Social enterprises.
• Africa.
• Up to $5k grant.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Grassroots Climate Action Fund (GCAF). Centre for Environment and Migration Assistance(CEMA).
• Inclusive, locally led solutions to climate and environmental challenges.
• Community-based organizations (CBOs), women-led groups, youth-led initiatives, grassroots civil society organizations, local environmental justice movements.
• All countries.
• Up to $5k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
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.
Empowering Women Entrepreneurs. Indie EmpowerHer.
• A specialised women’s financing and business initiative designed to support potential women-owned businesses across Lagos, Nigeria.
• Women entrepreneurs, been in operation for at least 12 months.
• Nigeria.
• Business loans of up to ~$3,667 (N5 million) alongside Capacity Building & Mentorship.
• Deadline TBC.
eCooking Demonstrators. CLASP.
• Proposals for the Domestic, Commercial and Institutional eCooking Demonstrator Project, a strategic initiative designed to accelerate the adoption of eCooking for institutional (such as schools, health facilities, correctional facilities) and commercial (e.g. MSMEs), eateries, food vendors, agro-processing) settings, as well as households.
• NGOs, governments, the private sector, academia, research institutes, policy representatives, and communities.
• Ghana, Kenya (Kajiado, Kilifi, Makueni, and Nairobi counties), Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda.
• Up to $20k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Join the timbuktoo Pan-African Incubation Programme for AgriTech Startups. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• Tech-driven solutions with the potential to strengthen agricultural productivity, improve food systems, increase farmer incomes and build climate-resilient agriculture.
• Have a prototype or Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
• Particularly encourages applications from startups led by women, youth entrepreneurs, and founders working in underserved or rural communities.
• Africa.
• Structured incubation programmes alongside access to experienced mentors, entrepreneurs and sector experts.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Wildlife Emergency Fund (WEF). East Coast Zoological Foundation (ECZF).
• Conservation-based organizations that are responding to sudden, episodic, and unpredictable threats impacting wildlife. Ongoing, recurring, or long-term threats are not considered to be an immediate emergency.
• 501(c)3 non-profits (or equivalent), governmental and NGOs that focus on direct in-situ conservation action.
• All countries, except in countries or regions subject to U.S. government sanctions or restrictions.
• Up to $2,500 grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Original WIDU Grant. WIDU.
• To support entrepreneurs to develop their business ideas by providing professional business coaching and funding to them. Two partners, consisting of a diaspora donor in Europe and an Africa-based entrepreneur – need to team up.
• All sectors (e.g. small farms, garages, shops, hairdressers). Max. 20 employees. Investment of the diaspora donor and entrepreneur (50%).
• Entrepreneurs, micro or small business.
• Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Togo, The Gambia or Tunisia.
• Up to €5k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
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.
Amplify Kenya. Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF).
• Assists Kenya-based independent media through capacity building, leadership-focused development and network building within the broader East Africa media landscape.
• Access to a range of capacity-building activities, one-on-one coaching, opportunities to learn from experts, workshops and bespoke training.
• Early-stage new actors and digital-first outlets as well as more mature media companies pivoting to a new revenue model or adding a new revenue line.
• Kenya.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Next Wave Fund. Kickstarter.
• Early-stage tech startups and small businesses building bold new ideas across hardware, software, gaming, and connected technology.
• Entrepreneur or small business with fewer than 20 full-time employees.
• At least one member of your team is a citizen, resident, or O-1 visa holder in the United States.
• A $10k pledge when project goes live on Kickstarter alongside training and Opportunities for marketing exposure and promotion.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The RCDIJ Africa Fund. Ripples Centre for Data and Investigate Journalism (RCDIJ).
• Small to mid-scale data and/or investigative journalism projects spanning a wide range of areas consistent with our objectives, including education, health, security, environment, democracy, corruption, economy, migration, technology, culture and development.
• Individual journalists: Employed/Freelance, Online, Print, Broadcast, Photo, Cartoon, Multimedia.
• Africa.
• Up to $10k grant funding.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Small Grants Program. Friends of Liberia (FOL).
• Community development projects across a diverse range of focus areas.
• From education and healthcare to economic development and environmental sustainability. The focus is on empowering local communities to take charge of their development, leveraging their unique insights and strengths to create lasting, positive change.
• Nonprofits and NGOs.
• Liberia.
• Up to $3k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Anzisha Fellowship. Anzisha.
• Identifies and supports young African entrepreneurs aged 15–22 who are already building and growing real businesses.
• Your business, invention, or social project can be in any field or industry.
• Young African entrepreneurs aged 15–22.
• Africa.
• $10k prize.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Program recurs yearly - 2026 Applications open on September 29, 2026.
IWRS Teaching Innovation Award. Insect Welfare Research Society.
• Instructors developing new approaches to teaching invertebrate biology that incorporate the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement). It also supports the development and implementation of any novel curricula addressing invertebrate welfare and sentience across invertebrate biology, animal welfare science, and/or veterinary medicine fields.
• An instructor at an educational institution, scientific society or museum, field-training course, or similar educational context.
• All countries that are not subject to sanctions from the UN and the USA.
• Up to $2k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis (2 annual application deadlines — July 15 and November 15).
Rainforest Journalism Fund (RJF). Pulitzer Center.
• Supports journalists, staff and freelancers, to report on issues in tropical forests, especially in three main rainforest regions—Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia.
• Applications with in-depth reporting that follow illegal wildlife trades across borders; shed light on harmful forest extraction industries; and investigate the systems, organizations, and people that enable corruption.
• Journalists, freelancers, a staff reporter or an editor with an idea can also apply.
• All countries, quality, independent journalism in three key regions: the Amazon, the Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia.
• Up to $15k grants.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
IWRS Travel Grants. Insect Welfare Research Society.
• Supporting early-career researchers presenting invertebrate welfare research at major academic conferences, with funding for registration, travel, accommodation, and per diem costs.
• Early-career researchers who are undergraduate or graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, or within five years of completing their terminal degree.
• All countries except those subject to sanctions by the UN or the USA.
• Up to $1k grant funding.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
IWRS Small Meeting Grants. Insect Welfare Research Society.
• Supporting events on insects and other terrestrial or aquatic invertebrates, with funding for researcher travel, event logistics, registration waivers, childcare, and related costs.
• Open to event organizing committee members from any discipline, excluding professional fundraisers and conference agencies.
• All countries except those subject to sanctions by the UN or the USA.
• Up to $2k grant funding.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Impact Grant Fund (IGF). Financial Sector Deepening Tanzania (FSDT).
• Supporting high-potential, scalable MSMEs—particularly women- and youth-led—in climate-smart sectors, with a focus on growth, job creation, innovation, and climate resilience.
• MSMEs.
• Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.
• Up to ~$11,331 (TZS 30 million) non-reimbursable grants.
• Deadline TBD.
Social Impact Track. WEMA Hackaholics.
• Solutions that improve lives while creating sustainable impact across communities.
• NGOs, Social Enterprises, Civic Technology Teams, Non-profits, Universities, Community Builders, Researchers.
• Africa.
• Up to ~$18,765 (₦25 Million) grant funding.
• Deadline: Not specified / Ongoing.
Startup Pitch Competition. WEMA Hackaholics.
• Startups with validated ideas or products and strong potential for innovation and scalable growth.
• Early-stage & growth-stage startups, Technology founders, Social enterprises, Product-led businesses, University spin-offs.
• Africa.
• Up to ~$18,765 (₦25 Million) grant funding.
• Deadline: Not specified / Ongoing.
Hackathon. WEMA Hackaholics.
• Technology solutions that address real-world challenges and helping builders turn ideas into practical solutions.
• Developers, Designers, Product Managers, Engineers, Data Scientists, AI Builders, Students.
• Africa.
• Up to ~$18,765 (₦25 Million) grant funding.
• Deadline: Not specified / Ongoing.
Catalytic Africa x Timbuktoo. Catalytic Africa.
• Providing 2:1 equity-free matching capital alongside angel investments to help African startups extend runway and accelerate growth.
• Very specific requirements: Must be a ABAN network affiliated angel investor or group that applies and would receive matching funding only for investment into a Timbuktoo incubated start-up.
• Africa.
• Invest up to $20k and Catalytic Africa matches at 2:1 on an equity-free basis.
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Catalyst Grant. Digital Science.
• Early-stage AI tools and platforms that use trusted, auditable agentic workflows to advance research and strengthen research integrity.
• Early-stage startups, research projects and moonshot thinkers.
• All countries.
• Up to £25k grant funding.
• October 5, 2026.
Entrepreneurs Investment Program (EIP). Global Entrepreneurship Festival (GEF).
• Startups building innovative solutions. Whether you’re launching, scaling, or transforming your business.
• Individuals with innovative ideas, startups at any stage, founders seeking international growth, and businesses seeking funding to scale.
• All countries.
• $35k seed investment alongside business coaching.
• October 6, 2026.
Nominations open for Earth Partner Prize 2026. Earth Partner.
• Invites artists to submit work that comments on the ecological crisis.
• Explore themes such as: climate justice, corporate greenwashing, Indigenous rights, material innovation, wildlife and ecosystem conservation, grassroots activism, intersectional environmentalism, regeneration, the physical and mental impacts of the climate crisis, and nature-based wisdom.
• Artists, aged 14 to 30.
• All countries.
• Up to $10k cash prizes.
• October 7, 2026.
Technological Innovations track. GHAYIB 2026.
• Technology-enabled Primary Health Care solutions such as AI screening, tele-counselling, connected devices, and decision-support tools, with priority given to clinically relevant, field-tested solutions that demonstrate impact, scalability, strong teams, and ethical sustainability.
• Health startups and technical teams.
• Africa.
• $10k prize pool.
• October 7, 2026.
Scientific Research track. GHAYIB 2026.
• Rigorous research on mental health in Africa including epidemiological, clinical, and operational studies, aimed at generating evidence to improve primary care and inform public policy and clinical practice.
• PhD candidates, young researchers, and research teams.
• Africa.
• $10k prize pool.
• October 7, 2026.
CANEX Creative Pitch. CANEX.
• Creative entrepreneurs and enterprises operating in CANEX’s active markets across film, fashion, music, sports, gastronomy, visual and performing arts, literature, publishing, creative technology, and related high-growth sectors.
• Selected finalists must be available in Lagos, Nigeria on 5–6 November 2026 to deliver their live pitch.
• Individuals, early-stage startups, and established enterprises.
• Africa.
• Up to $20k prizes.
• October 9, 2026.
Shifting Power through Action and Reciprocal Knowledge Exchange (SPARK). World Health Organization (WHO).
• Organisations applying WHO guidance innovatively to advance sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health and rights.
• Youth-, women-, Indigenous-, or community-led organisations operating for 2+ years with prior experience using at least one WHO guideline, tool, or product.
• African Region, Region of the Americas, South-East Asia Region, European Region, Eastern Mediterranean Region, Western Pacific Region.
• Up to $20k per grant.
• October 9, 2026.
Carnegie Challenge for Civic Leadership. Ashoka Changemakers.
• Youth aged 5–20 to apply with community-impact projects, youth-led initiatives, or ideas for positive change.
• Applicants must be between the ages of 5 and 20 by the end of the entry period (January 31, 2027).
• Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa & United States.
• Up to $10k grand prize.
• October 10, 2026.
EOI: Strategic Innovative Fund. ActionAid Nigeria (AAN).
• Innovative, scalable interventions by women-led Nigerian women’s rights organizations that advance gender equality and the rights of women and girls, particularly structurally excluded groups, through approaches addressing violence, economic empowerment, political participation, conflict, and other systemic barriers.
• A women’s rights organization or women’s rights network.
• Nigeria.
• Up to ~$15,095 (₦20 million) grant funding.
• October 12, 2026.
HealthTech. The Shift Innovation Challenge.
• Supports 20 HealthTech startups in Egypt across health, AI, mental health, women’s health, and sports technology, providing blended training and investment-readiness support to legally registered startups with scalable solutions and a commitment to establishing a long-term presence in Egypt.
• HealthTech startups.
• Egypt.
• Up to $10k grant alongside mentorship.
• October 14, 2026.
Imminent Research Grants. Imminent.
• To help innovators who share the goal of making it easier for everyone living in our multilingual world to understand and be understood by everyone else.
• 5 grants from these topics: Language economics – Language data – Machine learning algorithms for translation – Human-computer interaction – Neuroscience of language.
• Startuppers, researchers, innovators, authors, university labs, organizations, and companies.
• All countries.
• Up to $20k.
• October 15, 2026.
Brain Awareness Week Grants 2027. International Brain Research Organization (IBRO).
• Outreach initiatives that raise public awareness of the brain, brain health, and neuroscience research in the region.
• Activities may include outreach efforts directed at local schools, the establishment of advocacy groups, and events targeted at policymakers and the media.
• Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, US/Canada.
• Up to $1,250 grant funding.
• October 15, 2026.
Species Conservation Fund. Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund.
• Global conservation projects protecting threatened or poorly known animal, plant, and fungal species, through targeted species-focused grants.
• Individual species conservation initiatives.
• All countries.
• Up to $25k grants.
• October 15, 2026.
AGNES-BAYER Research Grant. African-German Network of Excellence in Science (AGNES).
• Supports published PhD researchers from sub-Saharan Africa conducting doctoral research on biodiversity conservation and/or sustainable agriculture.
• Candidate must be officially registered for a Doctoral degree at a university/tertiary institute in sub-Sahara Africa and a national of a sub-Saharan African country.
• Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Up to €7k grant funding.
• October 16, 2026.
Financial Aid. Pave HER Way.
• Need-based support for women facing financial barriers to taking the next step.
• For women with a vision for impact, who presently need financial assistance to fund their education or to overcome personal hardship.
• Must be a US citizen or resident. Work can seemingly be done in any country.
• Up to $30k grant funding.
• Closing October 16, 2026.
2026 AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants for Junior Researchers. AGNES.
• Supports sub-Saharan African doctoral researchers with 1–2 month research stays at institutions in other African countries to advance their doctoral studies and scientific networks.
• Sub-Saharan African doctoral students with at least one Scopus/Web of Science-indexed publication, an international research host, and a project relevant to African development that cannot be conducted at home.
• Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Up to €3k grants.
• October 16, 2026.
PAIE Scholars Program. J-PAL.
• Rigorous evaluations of AI applications for social good and poverty reduction through training.
• PhD-qualified researchers at universities.
• LMICs in Asia and Africa.
• $1k award alongside research mentorship.
• October 16, 2026.
thinkcell Global Case Competition. thinkcell.
• A competition challenging participants to solve a real-world business problem while demonstrating strong analytical, problem-solving, and storytelling skills under pressure.
• Any currently enrolled student at a verified higher education institution.
• All countries.
• Up to $3k prizes.
• October 16, 2026.
Aspire Leaders Program. Aspire Institute.
• A free, fully funded six-week online program for first-generation and limited-income university students and recent graduates worldwide, offering self-paced learning, live masterclasses, peer learning, and access to a global community of emerging leaders.
• 18–29-year-old university students and graduates who are currently enrolled in or have completed undergraduate or postgraduate studies and come from a limited-income or first-generation university background.
• All countries.
• Up to $5k seed funding alongside mentorship.
• October 16, 2026.
The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance. The Lab.
• Incubates early-stage climate finance vehicles designed to mobilize private capital for climate mitigation and adaptation in emerging markets.
• Financial vehicles.
• ODA-eligible countries.
• Technical assistance, investor engagement, and fundraising support.
• October 18, 2026.
DFF Grantmaking Cycle 7. Doria Feminist Fund.
• Groups working to advance women’s and LBTQ+ rights, feminist movement-building, advocacy, knowledge production, services, legal reform, and other forms of social change.
• Feminist activists and feminist movement builders. Only collectives, groups, or organisations are eligible to apply, not individuals. Prioritise work led by women and trans groups and collectives.
• Middle East and North Africa.
• Up to $10k grant funding.
• October 19, 2026.
Ignacio H. de Larramendi Research Grants. Fundación Mapfre.
• Study related to health promotion or insurance and social protection.
• Principal Investigator.
• All countries.
• Up to €30k grants.
• October 22, 2026.
Andrea Leenen Memorial All From One Research Grant. PAST.
• Supports innovative African-based palaeontology research on human origins, past climate and ecosystems, and prehistoric extinctions.
• African-based postdoctoral and senior researchers, or African researchers overseas with established African institutional affiliations, leading research based in Africa with strong local capacity-building and student-training components.
• Africa.
• Up to $25k grants.
• October 23, 2026.
Africa Innovation in Agriculture and Food Security Accelerator (2027). Halcyon.
• Early-stage, post-revenue/pre-profit ventures across Sub-Saharan Africa using market-based, tech-enabled solutions to strengthen agriculture and food systems, improve smallholder livelihoods and resilience, and address climate, food security, productivity, market access, finance, supply chain, nutrition, and related challenges.
• Full-time founders aged 21+ with an MVP-stage startup that has reached paid pilots or post-revenue, demonstrated commercial traction and market validation.
• Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Up to $10k equity-free stipend per venture alongside $10k AWS credits and workshops.
• October 23, 2026.
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.
• For-profit, nonprofit, and other business models. Supporting new organizations, especially first-time entrepreneurs in LMICs developing poverty-focused solutions or scaling proven evidence-based interventions.
• All countries.
• Up to $20k grant funding to support a three-month pilot.
• October 25, 2026.
EIFL Public Library Innovation Award 20. EIFL.
• Supporting public libraries that deliver innovative AI literacy programmes to build technical skills, critical thinking, and responsible use of AI.
• A public or community library.
• Developing economy countries. See full list here.
• $1,500 prize.
• October 26, 2026.
4YFN Awards 2027. 4YFN.
• Recognises innovative digital startups advancing climate tech, health tech, fintech, digital transformation, and connectivity.
• Startups.
• All countries.
• €20k cash prize for the winner.
• October 26, 2026.
IFRA-Nigeria research grants 2027. IFRA-Nigeria.
• Supports research addressing health, citizenship and gender, heritage and environment, or digital humanities, with a clear knowledge-sharing component.
• Second year master’s students, doctoral and postdoctoral students, as well as researchers working in humanities and social sciences.
• Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Chad and Togo.
• Up to €1k grants.
• October 30, 2026.
Turn Your Agribusiness Idea Into Impact. Agri-Business Facility for Africa.
• Supports early-stage young agripreneurs through free training in business modelling, climate resilience, and investment readiness, focused on cocoa, maize, cashew, and livestock value chains.
• Young and emerging agripreneurs, aged 18 and above.
• Member state of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).
• €6k award.
• October 30, 2026.
Build Your AgriCanvas. Build Your Future. ComCashew.
• Inviting young and emerging entrepreneurs within the cashew sector to transform their ideas into investment-ready, climate-smart ventures.
• Submission should build on the knowledge and tools from the free cashew courses on e-MOVE.
• Member state of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).
• €2k direct funding to boost your business alongside a laptop, tablet, or software to keep you on top of operations.
• October 30, 2026.
Seed Grants. Wild Animal Initiative.
• Small grants for pilot or observational wild animal welfare research that generates evidence-based hypotheses for future, more advanced studies.
• Small research projects.
• All countries.
• Up to $30k grant funding.
• October 31, 2026.
Fund 2: WASH & Pharma R&D Innovation Fund — Cycle 2. CoElevate.
• West African ventures working in Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) and Pharmaceutical Research & Development (Pharma R&D). Applications from Pharmaceutical Technology (PharmaTech) and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) will also be considered.
• Tech companies.
• Africa.
• Up to $10k in milestone-based funding in exchange for 10–20% equity.
• October 31, 2026.
Community Impact Grant Program. TEEEM (The Empathy Equality Entrepreneurship Mission).
• Supporting community-driven organizations that create measurable, sustainable impact through education, youth development, empowerment, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
• Nonprofit and charitable organizations.
• All countries.
• Up to $30k grants.
• November 1, 2026.
The Environmental Photography Award. Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
• Supporting photographers who raise awareness of environmental protection and humanity’s relationship with nature across five environmental categories: 1) Polar Regions, 2) Forests, 3) Ocean, 4) Humanity versus Nature and 5) Changemakers.
• Photographers.
• All countries.
• Up to €5k grand prize.
• November 1, 2026.
go go NEXT Emerging Retail Design Challenge. PAVE Global.
• Open to undergraduate and graduate students designing innovative, sustainable, and adaptable modular retail fixtures for an original lifestyle fashion brand.
• Current undergraduate and graduate students studying design-related disciplines.
• All countries.
• $5k, travel support, industry recognition, and recognition at the PAVE Global Gala.
• November 2, 2026.
Creatives For Our Future. Swarovski Foundation.
• Aims to accelerate the next generation of creatives in sustainable development and is open to creatives aged 21-30, across various creative disciplines including jewelry, fashion, art, design, architecture, videography, photography, and engineering.
• Creative individuals, aged 21 to 30.
• All countries.
• Six selected participants will each receive a €20k grant, alongside an immersive week in London featuring workshops, collaborative experiences and exclusive activations.
• November 9, 2026.
Local Impact Mini-Grants. Interledger Foundation.
• Initiatives that work to expand digital financial access from the inside out.
• 1) Open payments and digital financial access, 2) Open source and open innovation, 3) Financial inclusion and fintech ecosystems and 4) Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI/DPG) and related themes.
• Community organisations, nonprofits, cooperatives, civil society and advocacy groups, local fintech startups, social enterprises, and individual practitioners.
• All countries, projects serving communities in the Global South, rural areas, or peri-urban regions are a priority.
• Up to $3k grants.
• November 11, 2026.
Conservation Action Now Grants. Oklahoma City Zoo.
• Supports invertebrate conservation through education, scientific research, and species preservation initiatives benefiting threatened species and their habitats.
• Early career professionals, defined as those currently enrolled in a graduate program (e.g., MSc, PhD, DVM) or those who were awarded a graduate degree no earlier than 2021.
• All countries.
• Up to $2,500 grants.
• November 13, 2026.
Exploration Co-Lab 2027. Unearthodox.
• Supports early-stage initiatives reimagining nature–society systems through innovative, regenerative approaches to environmental and social challenges.
• Individuals, informal teams, community collectives, and nonprofit or for-profit organisations led by applicants pursuing social and ecological impact.
• All countries.
• CHF 10k grant funding alongside tailored mentorship.
• November 16, 2026.
Space-IoT Innovation Programme. KijaniSpace.
• Supports projects with existing agriculture-related solutions to enhance crop or fish farming and other climate-smart applications using Copernicus Earth Observation, IoT, and Space-IoT Box resources, with a focus on benefits to the Lake Victoria Basin.
• SMEs & start-ups.
• Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
• Up to €5k grant funding alongside mentoring.
• November 16, 2026.
National Call for Applications in the Sudan. Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
• Supports youth-led climate innovations in Sudan’s agriculture and livestock value chains to create jobs for youth and women and reduce fragility.
• Open to 18–35-year-old IGAD citizens legally residing and able to own businesses in Sudan who are current students or recent university/TVET graduates, co-founders of a proposed initiative, and not employed full-time.
• Select IGAD member countries, namely South Sudan, Sudan and Djibouti. Preference will be given to citizens of Sudan.
• Seed funds of up to $10k.
• November 20, 2026.
Call for nominations for the OPEC Award for Research. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
• Researchers, academics and experts from around the world are invited to nominate outstanding individual candidates whose work has made a significant contribution to advancing knowledge and understanding of the petroleum industry and oil-related issues.
• Individuals, institutions and organizations can submit nominations.
• Outstanding individual candidates, be well-known in the energy industry and/or academia.
• OPEC Member Countries and the developing world: Algeria, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
• Monetary prize of €10k.
• November 30, 2026.
Living Legacy: Grants for Fostering and Spreading the Traditional Building Cultures. Traditional Building Cultures Foundation.
• Supports research, documentation, conservation, education, training, publications, exhibitions, digital resources, and other non-commercial initiatives that advance the knowledge, practice, preservation, transmission, or dissemination of traditional building cultures.
• Applications may be submitted by individuals, as well as by associations, foundations, universities, research centers, cultural institutions, and any other entity committed to this field.
• All countries.
• Three grants of up to €3k each will be awarded.
• December 1, 2026.
2027 Horowitz Foundation Awards. Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy.
• Supports dissertation-level PhD research by emerging social science scholars addressing contemporary policy issues through significant, feasible, original, theoretically informed, and empirically rigorous research.
• Aspiring PhD students at the dissertation level.
• All countries.
• $10k research grants, with additional $3k and $5k awards for the most innovative and most outstanding projects, respectively.
• December 1, 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.
The AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
• Recognizing professional journalists whose impactful cancer reporting advances public understanding of cancer, research, advocacy, and policy.
• Open to print, broadcast, and online professional journalists whose stories appear in newspapers, magazines, websites, and broadcast platforms that target lay public audiences.
• All countries.
• $5k unrestricted cash award and a commemorative award.
• December 7, 2026.
AI and the Workforce Faculty Research Grant Program. Institute for Humane Studies.
• Supports academic research examining AI’s long-term effects on employment, productivity, occupational change, economic opportunity, and innovation.
• Academic scholars, should be affiliated with an accredited college or university.
• All countries.
• Up to $20k grant funding.
• December 15, 2026.
Global Raptor Research and Conservation Grant. HawkWatch International.
• Supports local researchers conducting ecological research and conservation projects focused on high-priority raptor species (>0.5 RCPI-Edge*), including habitat, population, threat mitigation, and community-based conservation.
• Local researchers associated with a registered NGO and/or university in the country where the project will take place.
• All countries except USA, Canada, or Europe.
• Up to $3,500 grant funding.
• December 31, 2026.
Capacity Development Grants. Aubrey Barker Fund.
• 1) To help the development of curriculum or teaching materials (including translation to online) in a developing country, which will have lasting benefit to a number of students and society; or 2) for projects that develop the capacity of relevant professional institutions in developing countries.
• Educational or professional organisation.
• LMICs.
• Up to £3k grants.
• December 31, 2026.
Ran and Ginny Fiennes Award. Royal Geographical Society.
• Supports humanitarian, scientific or educational projects which follow in the Transglobe Expedition’s tradition of challenge and perseverance.
• Designed to support the next generation of emerging travelers and expeditioners.
• All countries.
• Up to £5k grants.
• January 8, 2027.
International Development Grant. Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA).
• To increase opportunities for individuals and organizations for the development and/or dissemination of behavior analysis internationally.
• Applicants must be formally affiliated with a university or institution.
• All countries.
• Up to $5k grants.
• January 13, 2027.
Sidney W. and Janet R. Bijou Grant. Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA).
• Supports doctoral research using a behavior-analytic natural-science framework to investigate behavioral development and its underlying processes, particularly cognitive, social, emotional, and language development in children.
• Doctoral students in psychology, education, behavioral science, or related fields conducting rigorous child-development research from a behavior-analytic perspective, with at least six months remaining in their program and adequate faculty supervision.
• All countries.
• Grants of up to $12k.
• January 13, 2027.
Global Entrepreneurship Competition. Diamond Challenge.
• Empowers young people to develop and pitch business or social venture concepts addressing customer or societal challenges.
• Teams must consist of 2-4 high school students aged 14-18 at the submission deadline. Each team is required to have one adult advisor aged 21 or older.
• All countries.
• Up to $12k prizes.
• January 14, 2027.
Student Research Grants. Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
• Supports postgraduate research that helps fisheries improve environmental performance and progress toward or maintain MSC certification.
• Current Master’s students or PhD candidates in fisheries science. Undergraduates with a secured postgraduate position by the start of the project.
• All countries.
• £10k grant.
• February 28, 2027.
Fourth Call to Proposals. The Pandemic Fund.
• Targeting countries with the greatest capacity gaps, highest pandemic risks, and significant socioeconomic challenges that have not been previously awarded single-country grants.
• Implementing Entities.
• Afghanistan, Benin, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Guinea, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, and Uganda.
• The Grant Amount equals the total cost of pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) activities plus the Implementing Entity Administrative Fee.
• Rolling Applications until March 31, 2027.
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