400+ active signals; $900M+. Funders make AI the deployment layer across sectors, and identity the eligibility filter.

Hello Everyone!

The June grant cycle brings 404 active opportunities, including 141 new listings, with over UD 900M+ in available funding. The striking quality this cycle is not depth but footprint: the same thematic work is being administered through more national wrappers, more bilateral architectures, and more locally-anchored eligibility gates than any cycle this year.

The clearest cross-sector thread is the structural reframing of AI capital. Across all sectors funders are independently making the same architectural choice: stop funding algorithmic novelty, start funding AI as deployment infrastructure inside other sectors. The Clinton Health Access Initiative’s USD $700,000 catalytic grant requires AI cervical triage to work offline with same-encounter results, a deployment filter rather than a research filter. The European Union’s AIoD Open Call enforces a TRL 7-plus floor and mandatory Docker containerization. XPRIZE’s USD $2 million Build with Gemini hackathon, backed by Google, is framed explicitly for teachers, nurses, and farmers building AI businesses, not AI engineers building research prototypes. The Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Fellowships fund journalism only when it accounts for AI deployment in policing, medicine, social welfare, criminal justice, and hiring. Grand Challenges South Africa writes LMIC-deployable software-only approaches into its diagnostics call as a design criterion. AI in 2026 mission-driven funding is the deployment layer across sectors, not a sector of its own.

A second structural shift surfaces in parallel: localization commitments are crossing decisively from rhetorical positioning into binding eligibility criteria. UNHCR’s four parallel Southern Africa calls (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, all closing June 5) name Refugee-Led Organizations as the implementing partner rather than INGO intermediaries. ICVA’s PSEA Community Outreach Fund explicitly excludes large global organizations across ten acute humanitarian settings. FAO’s AFR100 Direct Beneficiary Grants in Kenya channel capital straight to forest and farmer producer organizations and women’s groups in the Kerio Valley landscape, bypassing international restoration NGOs entirely. Grand Challenges South Africa requires SA citizens at registered domestic institutions, with women-led teams and historically black universities prioritized in scoring rather than rhetoric. Aqua for All’s Ethiopia call is anchored to the Amhara region and accepts Amharic-language concept notes. The Partnership for Economic Policy’s Africa Fellows in Education program is open only to Sub-Saharan African researchers under 35. Across humanitarian, climate, health, and education, the pattern is consistent: the funder has named who the call is for, and the named identity is the eligibility filter.

What this means for practitioners right now: two questions sit at the front of every application this cycle; is your work deployment-ready, not only research-ready, and does the identity the funder has specified describe your organization, or is your competitive position constructed through framing and partnerships? The global INGO playbook of bidding across multiple country offices is becoming structurally harder when each wrapper screens for national identity; locally-rooted organizations face the opposite shift, with a meaningfully wider eligible field if they fit the wrapper the funder has named.

You can find all the opportunities, including upcoming, rolling and long-term planning opportunities, in the sector-specific pages* – perfect for planning your long term fundraising strategy.

In this edition, you’ll find opportunities in:

• Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact(81 opportunities, 12 new).Cross-sector fellowships emerge as the dominant structural form this month, with the LEGO Foundation’s inaugural research cohort (with $300,000 per fellow), Pulitzer Center AI Accountability Fellowships, and VELUX STIFTUNG Daylight Research all funding work where the sector intersection is the unit of analysis rather than the obstacle. Corporate cross-sector philanthropy consolidates a parallel tier through Morgan Stanley’s EMEA Impact Through Innovation Awards, while EU HORIZON Cluster 2’s Long-term Care policy call anchors the institutional research bridge between Health and Governance.

• Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food(91 opportunities, 50 new).Wren Climate PBC’s 2026 RFP opens four pathway tracks (USD $100K to $500K) anchoring nature-based, methane, policy, and general climate work, while the Aqua for All country-call trio (Ethiopia, Cambodia, Indonesia) carries the water-food-energy nexus into Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. EU HORIZON Cluster 6 deploys parallel bioeconomy and food-systems calls anchoring the largest single-instrument pool, and biodiversity and conservation finance continues to shift toward performance-linked instruments as pooled funds consolidate the field. Energy transition and critical-minerals work emerges as a distinct tier through Brazilian-anchored industrial-readiness pools and global LMIC-targeted infrastructure programs.

• Gender and Women’s Empowerment(50 opportunities,21 new). Women in STEM and tech accelerator capital consolidates into a multi-million corridor across EIT Community Supernovas Women2Invest, CARE SheConnects (USD $24M three-year envelope), Women Photograph with Leica sponsorship, and British Embassy Bangkok Women in STEM, while gender-based violence and women’s mental health funding shifts from program delivery into systems infrastructure across UN Women EU4 Western Balkans (USD $200K), EC HORIZON Tackling GBV (EUR €4M per project), Pilgrim Trust Young Women in Mind (GBP £500K), and Rosa Stand With Us. Founder-stage support continues through WomensNet Amber Grant, Boundless Futures EmpowHer, and Entreprenista Evolve, with global rolling funds Girls First Fund and FAU-LAC holding the LMIC equity floor.

• Global Health & WASH(54 opportunities, 22 new).The Grand Challenges network spins out regional follow-ups to its closed global cost-disruptive diagnostics call, with SAMRC South Africa (ZAR R5M to R16.5M tiered, ~USD $270K to $890K), BIRAC India, and the still-open Gates Foundation Diarrheal Diseases program (USD $1.5M) making cost-per-test diagnostics the structural thread of the month. Pharma research consolidates as a second corridor through Pfizer’s two parallel RSV and adult-immunization calls, Clinton Health Access Initiative’s AI-assisted cervical visualization RFP (USD $700K, winner-take-all), and Rising Tide Foundation and King Hussein Cancer Foundation anchoring the clinical research tier, while Aqua for All’s country-call trio (Ethiopia, Cambodia, Indonesia at EUR 20K to EUR 400K each) plus UNICEF’s USD $500K Chocó open-defecation program holds the WASH backbone.

• Education, Human Rights & Inclusion (51 opportunities, 19 new).UNICEF deploys a four-country early childhood quartet across Mexico, Colombia (Cauca and Nariño), and India (Rajasthan ECCE plus Rajasthan SNEH family-based care) anchoring system-strengthening work below the USD $150K threshold, while Wellbeing of Women PhD doctoral fellowships and EU HORIZON Cluster 2 long-term care and democracy calls hold the policy-research tier. Economic Development and Livelihoods consolidates around bilateral and consortium frameworks, while governance and justice work shifts toward locally-led implementation across UN Women and partner-network channels, with concurrent civil society and Roma-targeted social inclusion work anchoring the bottom of the section.

• Humanitarian Aid, Emergency Programming & DRR (31 opportunities, 10 new). UNHCR opens four paired calls across Southern Africa simultaneously, with South Africa social cohesion plus Namibia, Eswatini, and Botswana livelihood empowerment (all USD $49K to $60K), signalling a decisive shift toward Refugee-Led Organization implementation as the default operating model in the region. UNICEF India’s child and adolescent MHPSS systems-building work across Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat sits in trauma-informed care for juvenile justice settings, while Ukraine localized protection continues via ACTED with UKaid in Zaporizhzhia oblast and ICVA’s Inter-Agency PSEA Community Outreach Fund, with UK FCDO’s Uganda ReSET (transition from humanitarian to systems-led model) remaining expected pending publication.

• Innovation, Research & Smart Cities (46 opportunities,7 new). European Innovation Council deploys EIC Scaling Club 2.0 (EUR €4M, Jun 25) anchoring late-stage scaleup capital, while bilateral research frameworks dominate the international cooperation pathway across Eureka France-South Korea (USD $978K), Eureka Canada Call #7 (USD $368K), and EC HORIZON New European Bauhaus neighbourhood design (EUR €5M). Founder and innovator capital fills the rolling tier across Tech Matters’ Tech for Good Fellow (USD $80K, Jim Fruchterman MacArthur Fellow), Interledger Foundation Open Payments SDK (USD $1K to $25K), Kickstarter and Google’s Next Wave Fund (USD $10K), and California OSBA Accelerate California (USD $100K non-dilutive cash).

*The sector -specific pages are for paid subscribers, this helps support the time and effort it takes to curate and organize these opportunities. However, the monthly roundup of top opportunities will always remain free and accessible to all. This month we are happy to share with you these selected opportunities.

Not yet a paid subscriber? Unlock full access with a free 14-day trial and explore 300+ funding opportunities and resources to help you on your fundraising journey!

To keep this accessible to everyone who needs it, we’re happy to offer pay what you can rates. You can find more details here.

Selected Opportunities

Cross-Cutting / Intersectional Impact

Global Development Awards Competition 2026 (GDAC 2026), Global Development Network (GDN).*Closing soon!*

The Global Development Network seeks to surface and scale science, technology, and innovation work that advances peace and human security in low- and middle-income countries. Now in its 25th year and backed by Japan’s Ministry of Finance through the World Bank-managed PHRD Trust Fund, GDAC 2026 invites two distinct applicant communities through parallel tracks: LMIC-based researchers via the Outstanding Research on Development track, and non-profit NGOs and CSOs from LMICs via the Most Innovative Development Project track. The competition deliberately embeds gender equity in its selection process, with explicit encouragement of female researcher applications. Beyond cash awards, all winners receive mentoring from Scientific and Technical Advisors, and MIDP first prize winners can compete for a substantial follow-on grant under the World Bank-administered Japan Social Development Fund after twelve months of implementation. The 2026 theme anchors all proposals: Science, Technology, and Innovation for Peace and Human Security.

• Geographies: Global South – all World Bank-recognized low- and middle-income countries.

• Who can apply: ORD track – individual researchers or research teams based in LMICs, with policy-relevant proposals; MIDP track – non-profit NGOs and CSOs registered in LMICs with projects at the implementation stage targeting marginalized communities.

• Funding amount: Grants range $10,000 – USD $50,000. MIDP first prize winners eligible for follow-on JSDF grant of up to USD $200,000 after 12 months of implementation.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Governance & Justice; Health; SDGs 3, 9, 16, 17.

• Deadline: June 17, 2026. (18:00 IST).

• Learn more and apply here.

Applicants must explicitly frame proposals around the Japanese “Human Security” principle – freedom from fear, freedom from want, and freedom to live in dignity – as this is the conceptual anchor of the 2026 edition and directly tied to the funder’s priorities. MIDP applicants with implementation-stage projects already showing scale-up potential are best positioned for both the immediate grant and the high-value JSDF follow-on of up to USD $200,000.

Zayed Sustainability Prize – 2027 Cycle,Zayed Sustainability Prize. *Closing soon!*

The Zayed Sustainability Prize is one of the world’s most significant global sustainability awards, designed to accelerate transformative solutions that deliver tangible social, environmental, and economic impact. Rooted in the humanitarian and sustainability legacy of the UAE’s founding father, the Prize seeks innovations that are not only technically sound but also scalable, inclusive, and capable of improving lives at scale. The 2026 cycle will award organizations across five institutional categories—Health, Food, Energy, Water, and Climate Action—alongside the Global High Schools category, which empowers youth-led sustainability projects. The funder’s selection logic prioritizes demonstrated impact, innovation beyond the status quo, and a clear pathway for scaling solutions to underserved communities. Prize funding is explicitly tied to implementation plans, reinforcing the Prize’s focus on measurable outcomes rather than recognition alone.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: SMEs and nonprofit organizations; secondary schools for the Global High Schools category.

• Funding amount: USD $1,000,000 per organizational category winner; USD $150,000 per Global High Schools winner.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Sustainable Development; Focus areas: clean energy, food systems, water security, climate action, youth sustainability leadership.

• Deadline:June 23, 2026 (23:59 Gulf Standard Time).

• Learn more and apply here.

The Prize’s structure reflects a systems-level strategy: rewarding solutions that combine innovation with implementation readiness to deliver lasting sustainability outcomes across regions and sectors.

Climate Democracy Accelerator, People Powered. *New!* *Closing soon!*

People Powered’s Climate Democracy Accelerator is funding 30 government-and-civil-society partnerships per cohort to plan and implement participatory climate processes on renewable energy or regenerative agriculture, with all participants receiving a USD $10,000 implementation grant and the top five action plans receiving an additional USD $15,000 (total up to USD $25,000). The funder logic is participatory democracy as the operative climate-implementation methodology: applications require a formal government-CSO partnership documented through a Memorandum of Understanding, and the cash grant is disbursed to the non-governmental partner only, with government bodies barred from receiving funds directly. Priority is given to applicants from Brazil, Indonesia, India, and Mexico, four large democracies where People Powered has built operational infrastructure. The program has run since 2023 and has launched over 50 climate action programs worldwide, with the six-month structure delivering mentorship, live sessions, country-based peer groups, and access to the Participation Playbook alongside the implementation capital.

• Geographies: Global with priority to Brazil, Indonesia, India, Mexico.

• Who can apply: Civil society organizations, NGOs, and government institutions developing participatory climate programs on renewable energy or regenerative agriculture. Formal government-CSO partnership required (MoU). Grant disbursed to non-governmental partner only; government bodies cannot receive funds directly. CSO partner must be a registered non-profit with at least one year of operations, paid staff, board or advisory committee, and USD wire-receiving bank account.

• Funding amount: USD $10,000 implementation grant for all 30 participants; top five action plans receive an additional USD $15,000 (USD $25,000 maximum per partnership).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Governance & Justice; Climate & Environment. Focus areas: participatory democracy, climate transition, renewable energy, regenerative agriculture, government-CSO partnership.

• Deadline:June 26, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The mandatory government-CSO partnership documented by MoU is the call’s defining structural filter; CSO applications without a named, committed government partner in the application are deferred to the next cycle. Secure the MoU before the EoI stage, not after; the government commitment is what the accelerator selects on.

develoPPP Ventures 2026 Q2 Call for Applications, develoPPP Ventures. *New!* *Closing soon!*

develoPPP Ventures, administered on behalf of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) by GIZ and DEG Impulse, is funding privately owned, profit-oriented startups operating in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, or Tanzania with catalytic co-financed growth investment in the 2026 Q2 cycle. The funder logic is matching-capital discipline: selected startups must secure co-investment of at least equal value to the develoPPP Ventures funding by the time of disbursement, typically from angel investors, impact investors, VC funds, or other private capital sources. This requirement means develoPPP is not seed-stage capital; it functions as crowd-in capital for startups that have already attracted, or can credibly attract, parallel private investment. Applicants must show proof of concept and a first annual financial statement, demonstrating initial revenues alongside scalability and SDG-relevance. Nonprofits and NGOs are excluded by design; the funding contract concludes only with local legal entities registered in one of the five target countries.

• Geographies: Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania.

• Who can apply: Privately owned, profit-oriented startups registered (or planning to register before contract) in one of the five target countries. Must have proof of concept and initial revenues; first annual financial statement required. Must demonstrate capacity to attract co-investment of at least equal value. Nonprofits and NGOs not eligible.

• Funding amount: Amount TBD per applicant; matching co-investment required at least equal to develoPPP funding.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Development & Livelihoods; Innovation, Science & Technology. Focus areas: African startups, SDG-aligned ventures, matching capital, growth-stage co-financing.

• Deadline:June 30, 2026 (biannual calls at end of Q2 and Q4).

• Learn more and apply here.

The matching-capital requirement is the call’s binding constraint; startups without committed parallel private investment will not survive due diligence. Treat the develoPPP application as a follow-on round announcement, not a fundraising attempt; secure the parallel investor commitment before submitting and reference it explicitly in the application.

AI Accountability Fellowships, Pulitzer Center. *New!*

The Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Fellowships are funding 8 to 10 journalists from anywhere in the world to pursue 10-month in-depth reporting projects on how governments and corporations deploy predictive, generative, and surveillance AI in policing, medicine, social welfare, criminal justice, and hiring. The 2026 to 2027 round is the fifth cohort, indicating the Pulitzer Center has moved past project-fund framing into institutionalizing AI accountability journalism as a coherent field rather than commissioning episodic stories. The funder logic is field-building: cohort design, peer-learning community, methodology replication, pro bono legal support, and Global South inclusion are the structural features, not the cash. Fellowship envelope is up to USD $25,000 per project (USD $20,000 for reporting plus USD $5,000 for engagement and impact). Direct AI-reporting experience is not required; journalists from any beat are eligible. Use of large language model tools to generate or substantially draft the proposal itself is explicitly discouraged, a values-aligned design choice mirroring the substantive ethic of the work.

• Geographies: Global. Open to journalists from any country.

• Who can apply: Staff or freelance journalists working on any platform, including print, radio, video, and multimedia. Reporters from all beats and formats eligible; direct experience covering AI is not required. Team applications allowed with one designated lead Fellow. English proficiency required for proposal submission; writing samples, letters of commitment, and professional references may be in other languages. Applicants must propose a concrete pre-reported project (not a general theme) with a letter of commitment from a media organization prepared to publish the final work.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $25,000 per project (USD $20,000 for reporting costs plus USD $5,000 for engagement and impact activities). Non-cash benefits include mentorship, training, global peer-learning community, and pro bono legal support.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Arts, Culture & Media; Innovation, Science & Technology; Governance & Justice. Focus areas: AI accountability journalism, predictive AI, generative AI, surveillance AI, AI in public services, field-building, Global South AI reporting.

• Deadline:July 12, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The Pulitzer Center consistently selects fellows who arrive with a concrete, pre-reported project rather than a general theme to explore, and who can show a media outlet’s letter of commitment to publish. Proposals framed as “I would like to research AI in X” without pre-reporting evidence rarely advance. Direct AI-reporting experience is not a filter, but pre-reporting depth on the proposed story is.

The LEGO Foundation Fellowship (Inaugural Global Research Cohort), LEGO Foundation (administered by Social Science Research Council).New!

The LEGO Foundation’s first global research fellowship opens applications today for up to ten early- and mid-career researchers working on children’s thriving. Three research themes anchor the call: the youngest children (under age eight) in crisis and conflict settings, including acute, protracted, and recovery humanitarian contexts; inclusion and wellbeing of neurodivergent children, specifically autism and ADHD or proposals that incorporate one or both as part of a broader neurodivergence framing; and children’s learning and development in an AI-enabled world. Each fellowship is structured as a three-year programme of independent research, administered through the fellow’s home university or research institute, with cohort convenings, virtual exchange sessions, and access to the LEGO Foundation’s network and dissemination channels included. The selection process runs in two stages: a multidisciplinary review committee assesses applications against seven published criteria, with a final stage reviewed by a LEGO Foundation committee. Applications and notifications run on a clear timeline: applications close 31 July 2026, notifications November 2026, fellowships begin 1 February 2027 and run through 31 December 2029.

• Geographies: Global, with EU and US sanctions country exclusions.

• Who can apply: Early- and mid-career researchers employed by a university or research institute where research is the primary organisational purpose. PhD or equivalent research doctorate (MD or MBBS accepted) received within the past ten years (no earlier than 1 January 2016; documented career breaks extend the window by six months plus one day per break). Individual applications only; no research teams. Multidisciplinary backgrounds welcome.

• Funding amount: USD $300,000 per fellow over three years, inclusive of a 15 percent indirect cost allowance. Up to ten fellowships. Total programme envelope up to USD $3,000,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Children and Youth (SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 10); Education; Humanitarian Response; Health; Innovation and Technology.

• Deadline: July 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST.

• Learn more and apply here.

Three filters do the screening work. The institutional rule is the strictest: applicants must be employed by a university or a research institute where research is the primary organisational purpose. Researchers based at NGOs, government bodies, or think tanks operating under broader umbrellas will be screened out before the proposal is read. The thematic precision matters too. Neurodivergence proposals must address autism, ADHD, or both; broader neurodivergence framing is allowed only if it explicitly incorporates at least one of these. Crisis-and-conflict proposals must focus on children under age eight in humanitarian contexts. Proposals that retrofit play into a research question that does not need it tend to underperform proposals that engage the named thematic precision directly. The ten-years-post-PhD rule has a documented career-break extension worth checking carefully before assuming ineligibility: six months plus one day per documented break.

EMEA Impact Through Innovation Awards 2026, Morgan Stanley. *New!*

Morgan Stanley is opening the next annual cycle of its EMEA Impact Through Innovation Awards, a seed-funding program for charities working on children’s and young people’s health, mental wellbeing, and education across the EMEA region where Morgan Stanley operates. The funder logic prioritizes novel or piloted projects rather than core programmatic support, with the under GBP £5 million annual revenue cap deliberately excluding larger established charities (organizations over the threshold may apply only by demonstrating why existing funds cannot support the proposed initiative). Up to ten winners receive grants of GBP £100,000 each (total envelope GBP £1,000,000, approximately USD $1.3 million), with overhead explicitly excluded; funds go to the project, not organizational running costs. Selection rests on four equally weighted criteria (Innovation, Expertise, Impact, Potential), and shortlisted applicants enter a fuller review process before first-quarter 2027 announcements. Applications open in spring 2026, with a July 2026 deadline.

• Geographies: EMEA regional (countries where Morgan Stanley is present, including Europe, Middle East & North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa). Organizations based outside EMEA are not eligible.

• Who can apply: Registered charities based and delivering in EMEA where Morgan Stanley is present, with annual total revenue under GBP £5 million. Charities over the GBP £5 million threshold may apply only by demonstrating why existing funds cannot support the proposed initiative. One application per charity.

• Funding amount: GBP £100,000 per winning project (approximately USD $130,000). Up to 10 winners. Total annual envelope GBP £1,000,000 (approximately USD $1.3 million). Project-only funding; overhead and organizational running costs explicitly excluded. Capital arrives Q1 2027 following first-quarter 2027 announcements.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Youth & Children; Education. Focus areas: children’s health, young people’s mental wellbeing, educational innovation, novel or pilot project investment.

• Deadline:July 31, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

Funding excludes overhead and organizational running costs, going only to the proposed project. Charities over the GBP £5 million threshold rarely succeed in justifying why existing resources cannot fund the initiative; the practical eligibility floor is small and mid-sized EMEA charities. Winners announced first quarter 2027, so capital does not arrive until 2027.

Build with Gemini XPRIZE, XPRIZE. *New!*

XPRIZE’s Build with Gemini hackathon, backed by Google, is funding 25 prizes across a USD $2 million prize pool to individuals, teams, and small organizations under 25 employees that can launch a real AI business with real users and real revenue in 90 days (19 May to 17 August 2026). The funder logic is non-technical-builder catalysis rather than R&D subsidy: the competition is explicitly framed for teachers, nurses, farmers, and others with lived experience of real problems, not for AI engineers, and the test is whether participants can use AI tools to build commercially viable businesses rather than build novel AI systems. Five categories scope the eligible problem space: Education and Human Potential; Entrepreneurship and Job Creation; Small Business Services; Money and Financial Access; and Professional Services Access. Participants must use at least one Google Cloud product and the Gemini API. Five finalists compete live at the Moonshot Gathering in Los Angeles on or around 25 September 2026.

• Geographies: Global (excluding OFAC-sanctioned countries including Russia, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea).

• Who can apply: Individuals at or above legal age of majority; teams; small organizations with fewer than 25 employees (corporations, not-for-profits, LLCs, partnerships). No technical background required. Must use at least one Google Cloud product and the Gemini API. OFAC-sanctioned country residents excluded.

• Funding amount: USD $500,000 grand prize; USD $200,000 second place; USD $100,000 each for 3rd-5th; USD $50,000 each for 15 runner-up and 5 category prizes. Total prize pool USD $2,000,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Development & Livelihoods; Innovation, Science & Technology; Education. Focus areas: education and human potential, entrepreneurship and job creation, small business services, money and financial access, professional services access.

• Deadline:August 17, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The competition explicitly selects against pre-existing AI businesses with prior XPRIZE or Devpost financial support; submissions are scored on the 90-day build window. Entrants should treat 19 May as the project start date and document business genesis from that point forward; prior-art-heavy submissions read as misaligned with the “build something new” framing.

Rethinking long-term care policy in the face of EU demographic shifts (HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-09), European Commission. *New!*

This Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action call (Cluster 2: Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society) funds multi-country comparative research designed to feed directly into EU long-term care policy decisions, with the projection that EU residents requiring long-term care will be 21 percent higher in 2070 than in 2020 as the structural policy hook. The funder logic is explicitly policy-output-oriented: funded projects must evaluate the effectiveness of existing national and regional long-term care policies on workforce sufficiency, affordability, quality, and care integration; develop projection methodologies covering at least 15 EU Member States through 2070; and identify innovative policy solutions including digital, AI, and social-innovation interventions. The required complementarity with the European Partnership on Transforming Health and Care Systems acts as a duplication filter; applicants must verify alignment before submitting to avoid overlap. Gender-sensitive and intersectional analysis is required rather than optional. Four projects are expected to be funded from the EUR €15 million envelope at a fixed lump sum of EUR €3.75 million each.

• Geographies: Europe (EU Member States and Horizon Europe associated countries). Research must cover long-term care projections for at least 15 EU Member States.

• Who can apply: Consortia of at least three independent legal entities (public or private) from at least three different eligible countries. Eligible entity types: universities, research organizations, public bodies, NGOs, businesses (including SMEs), social partners (trade unions and employer organizations), civil society organizations, practitioners, VET providers. Joint Research Center may participate as zero-funded beneficiary but cannot lead. Individuals not eligible.

• Funding amount: EUR €3,750,000 per project (approximately USD $4.08M) as fixed lump sum. Total indicative envelope EUR €15,000,000 (approximately USD $16.30M) for four expected grants.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Governance & Justice. Focus areas: long-term care policy, demographic aging, care workforce, EU health policy evidence, gender-sensitive policy analysis, AI in social care.

• Deadline:September 23, 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time (single-stage submission).

• Learn more and apply here.

The 15-Member-State projection methodology requirement is structural; proposals covering fewer countries will not meet the call’s defined scope regardless of methodological sophistication. The lump-sum funding model means the EUR €3.75 million is fixed per project rather than negotiated; consortia must size the research program to exactly that budget. The required complementarity with the European Partnership on Transforming Health and Care Systems is enforced at evaluation; applicants should consult the partnership’s published work program and explicitly position their proposal as filling a gap rather than parallel-tracking existing work.

Angel Philanthropy Grant, The Smart Family Fund. *New!*

The Smart Family Fund is funding first-time grants of USD $25,000 to USD $100,000 to early-stage U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits that have not yet demonstrated the efficacy needed for growth-stage funding or a sustainable funding model. The funder describes itself as an angel philanthropist, mirroring early-stage venture investment in funding posture: in addition to capital, the fund provides mentorship and strategic guidance to help grantees grow their programs and prepare for larger funders. Applications are reviewed on a 12-month rolling basis (September through August); grant decisions are made once per year and funding is generally disbursed in November. The eligibility framing is structurally calibrated against organizational stage: organizations with extensive proof of impact are over-stage and not a fit; applicants must be able to clearly articulate how they will demonstrate the efficacy of their intervention, quantify their potential positive impact, and communicate how their organization is differentiated and better than other ecosystem players.

• Geographies: United States.

• Who can apply: US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits in good standing with the IRS at an early stage of development; must articulate efficacy demonstration plan, quantified potential impact, and differentiation. Organizations with prior Smart Family Fund grants excluded from standard portal.

• Funding amount: USD $25,000 to USD $100,000 first-time grants.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Governance & Justice; Social Inclusion & Community Wellbeing. Focus areas: early-stage nonprofit growth, angel philanthropy, mentorship and strategic guidance.

• Deadline:Rolling (12-month review cycle September through August; decisions once per year, funding disbursed November).

• Learn more and apply here.

The “first-time grant only” rule is the call’s binding constraint; organizations that have already received Smart Family Fund capital must work through their existing program contact rather than reapplying through the standard portal. The “early-stage” filter also screens against organizations with substantial impact evidence; over-stage applicants will be deferred to other funders.

Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Energy & Food

CIRCULOOS Open Call 3.2 (Value-Chain Extension & Enhance), CIRCULOOS (Horizon Europe project).*New!* *Closing soon!*

CIRCULOOS Open Call 3.2 is a Horizon Europe cascade-funded sub-grant competition under the Circular and Dynamic Manufacturing Supply Chain Orchestration project, inviting single entities to join existing circular manufacturing value chains by addressing specific missing links: technical bottlenecks, supply shortages, or market access gaps. Two complementary tracks structure the call: Track A (OC2 Enhance) adds new partners to one of 15 demonstrators previously funded under Open Call 2; Track B (Pilot Extensions) extends three core CIRCULOOS pilot value chains in Wood, Leather, and Plastic sectors. The funder logic is ecosystem-completion rather than open-ended innovation: applicants do not propose new value chains, they integrate into existing ones, and adopting the mandatory CIRCULOOS digital tools (RAMP Marketplace and Circuloos Data Platform) plus Life Cycle Assessment validation is a non-negotiable condition of grant disbursement. Fixed lump sum up to EUR €60,000 per entity (60 percent funding rate for commercial entities; 100 percent for RTOs and universities) for a 6-month program, approximately 10 entities funded from EUR €600,000.

• Geographies: EU-27 plus Horizon Europe Associated Countries. No geographic proximity requirement to specific supply chain being joined.

• Who can apply: Single entities only (no consortia). Manufacturing European Mid-Caps, MSMEs, and Micro-SMEs; Circular Economy Enablers (recyclers, waste collectors, upcyclers, repairers); Technology Providers and System Integrators (AI, automation, robotics, sorting, data management); RTOs and Universities (eligible only if deploying a specific technical solution by integrating into the pilot). EU-27 or Horizon Europe Associated Country established; validated PIC number required.

• Funding amount: Fixed Lump Sum up to EUR €60,000 per entity (approximately USD $65,200); 60 percent funding rate for commercial entities (40 percent co-funding required), 100 percent for RTOs and universities. Total call budget approximately EUR €600,000 for approximately 10 entities. 6-month implementation program.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment. Focus areas: circular manufacturing, value-chain integration, Wood/Leather/Plastic sectors, mandatory digital tool adoption.

• Deadline:June 10, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

Consortia are not eligible; only single entities can apply, and submitting multiple applications to the same track triggers automatic disqualification. Entities may apply to both Track A and Track B simultaneously but receive funding under only one. RTOs and universities are eligible only if deploying a specific technical solution into the pilot, not for general research.

Community-Led Restoration in Kenya AFR100 Direct Beneficiary Grants, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.*New!* *Closing soon!*

FAO’s AFR100 Support Programme Direct Beneficiary Grants in Kenya, funded by Germany, is funding locally-led forest and landscape restoration in the Kerio Valley landscape across Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet counties, with grants of USD $5,000 to $50,000 disbursed in Kenyan Shillings. The funder logic deliberately bypasses international NGO intermediation: capital flows to Forest and Farm Producer Organizations, Farmer Cooperatives, community-based organizations, women’s groups, youth groups, self-help groups, and other locally registered organizations operating within or actively engaged in the Kerio Valley landscape itself, not to international restoration consortia operating across multiple countries. Eligible activities span agroforestry, assisted natural regeneration, soil and water conservation, riparian restoration, community nurseries, and biodiversity-positive restoration approaches, with applicants expected to contribute to a program target of 7,000 hectares restored and 1,000 people engaged in Kenya alone. The broader AFR100 Support Programme operates across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Togo, and Tanzania; this is the Kenya country-specific call only.

• Geographies: Kerio Valley landscape, Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet counties, Kenya.

• Who can apply: Legally registered local organizations operating within the Kerio Valley landscape: Forest and Farm Producer Organizations, Farmer Cooperatives, community-based organizations, women’s groups, youth groups, self-help groups, and other local organizations engaged in restoration and sustainable land management. Must be located within or demonstrate strong operational engagement in the target landscape.

• Funding amount: USD $5,000 to $50,000 per grant (disbursed in Kenyan Shillings). Total program envelope not disclosed on source.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Agriculture & Food Systems. Focus areas: agroforestry, assisted natural regeneration, soil and water conservation, riparian restoration, community nurseries, biodiversity-positive restoration.

• Deadline:June 19, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The Kerio Valley landscape geographic scope is the load-bearing eligibility filter; organizations operating outside Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet counties cannot apply regardless of restoration expertise elsewhere in Kenya. Applicants should demonstrate active implementation experience in the specific landscape, not just legal registration in Kenya, since “operationally engaged” is the substantive qualifier.

Zayed Sustainability Prize – Food, Energy & Climate Action- 2027 Cycle,Zayed Sustainability Prize. *Closing soon!*

The Food, Energy, and Climate Action categories of the Zayed Sustainability Prize target solutions that operate at the intersection of environmental sustainability, economic viability, and system-wide resilience. In Food, the Prize supports organizations advancing food security through increased productivity, sustainable food systems, and reduced hunger and malnutrition. The Energy category prioritizes access to affordable, reliable clean energy, energy efficiency, and deployable clean energy technologies with demonstrated market uptake. Climate Action focuses on solutions that build climate resilience through adaptation, sustainable land use, nature-based solutions, and emissions reduction technologies, including carbon capture and ecosystem restoration. Across all three categories, the funder seeks transformational solutions already delivering impact, backed by strong governance and a credible plan to scale. The Prize explicitly favors organizations that inspire replication and behavior change, aligning innovation with long-term environmental stewardship and global climate goals.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Small and medium enterprises and nonprofit organizations with operational, impact-proven solutions.

• Funding amount: USD $1,000,000 per category winner.

• Deadline:June 23, 2026 (23:59 GST).

• Learn more and apply here.

Together, these categories reflect the Prize’s systems-level strategy: rewarding solutions that move beyond pilots to shift food, energy, and climate systems at scale.

Premio Alsea 2026 – Convocatoria de Investigacion en Alimentacion y Nutricion (5th Edition), Fundacion Alsea, A.C.*Closing soon!*

Fundacion Alsea seeks to accelerate breakthrough research that transforms how communities across Latin America and Spain access nutritious food and build resilient food systems. The foundation funds innovative, original investigations that advance nutrition science and food security solutions, particularly those benefiting vulnerable populations. Through its prestigious research prize, Alsea supports academic researchers and teams whose work aligns with sustainable development goals, emphasizing zero hunger, good health, responsible consumption, and global partnerships. The foundation calls for evidence-based approaches that can inform public policy development and drive systemic change in food systems. Alsea enables researchers to pursue ambitious projects that bridge scientific discovery with practical applications, fostering sustainable diets and addressing nutritional challenges at scale. The foundation prioritizes work that demonstrates clear pathways from research findings to real-world impact, supporting investigations that can influence policy frameworks and community-level interventions across diverse cultural and economic contexts.

• Geographies: Latin America & Caribbean, Europe. Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Spain, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay. (Paraguay (LMIC), Argentina, Colombia, Mexico (UMIC), Chile, Uruguay, Spain (HIC)).

• Who can apply: Academics or research teams backed by a legally constituted organization – including universities, research centers, public or private health institutions, NGOs, or civil society organizations advised by an academic institution – who are resident in Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Spain, Mexico, Paraguay, and/or Uruguay. Projects must be original…

• Funding amount: $150,000.00 USD (ciento cincuenta mil 00/100 dolares estadounidenses) o su equivalente de $3,000,000 (tres millones de pesos mexicanos 00/100 M.N). Maximo el 50% del incentivo ($75,000 dolares) para cubrir los gastos, sueldos o salarios del personal contratado para apoyar el proyecto y a la difusion de resultados, y el resto (minimo el 50%) para la ejecucion del proyecto.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Agriculture & Food Systems; Focus areas: nutrition; food security; food systems; public policy; sustainable diets; vulnerable populations; research prize; latin america; SDGs: 2; 3; 12; 17

• Deadline: June 24, 2026. (18:00 CST).

• Learn more and apply here.

NGOs and civil society groups can apply only if advised by an academic institution, so non-academic orgs need a university partner locked in before submission, not after.

Round 32 Darwin Initiative (Extra / Main / Capability and Capacity), Darwin Initiative (UK DEFRA / NIRAS).*New!*

Darwin Initiative Round 32, a UK Government grant program administered by NIRAS on behalf of DEFRA, is funding biodiversity-and-poverty projects across three schemes: Extra at GBP £1 million to £5 million for scaling projects building on prior Biodiversity Challenge Funds evidence, Main at GBP £200,000 to £1 million for strong biodiversity and poverty impact, and Capability and Capacity at GBP £75,000 to £250,000 for developing local and national organization capacity. The funder logic has tightened decisively in Round 32: geographic eligibility now concentrates on 13 priority biodiversity hotspots across 35 countries (significant changes from prior rounds), Stage 1 concept notes for Extra and Main have been shortened, the Innovation scheme has been discontinued (moved to GCBC), and organizations are limited to leading one application per scheme. The Capability and Capacity scheme is the localization mechanism: recipients must be local and national organizations (civil society, research institutes, public bodies) receiving capacity development support rather than international NGOs delivering capacity-building services to them.

• Geographies: 13 priority biodiversity hotspots across 35 countries. Specific list in Round 32 Guidance PDF. Significant geographic changes from prior rounds.

• Who can apply: NGOs, civil society organizations, research institutes, universities, and public bodies. Darwin Extra requires prior Biodiversity Challenge Funds project experience on a clear scaling pathway (closed to first-time BCF applicants). Capability and Capacity recipients must be local and national organizations. Lead applicant limited to one application per scheme; unlimited partner roles on other applications. Local affiliates of international networks encouraged to lead.

• Funding amount: Capability and Capacity GBP £75,000 to £250,000; Main GBP £200,000 to £1,000,000; Extra GBP £1,000,000 to £5,000,000. Up to 20 Main projects, up to 20 C&C projects, up to 4 Extra projects expected.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment. Focus areas: biodiversity hotspot conservation, biodiversity-poverty nexus, scaling pathway, gender equality and social inclusion, locally-led conservation.

• Deadline:July 1, 2026 (Stage 1 for Extra and Main; single-stage for C&C) via Flexi-Grant portal.

• Learn more and apply here.

The 13-hotspot geographic concentration is a hard eligibility filter, not a preference; projects outside the priority hotspots are ineligible regardless of biodiversity impact. The Darwin Extra scheme is closed to first-time BCF applicants; organizations without prior Biodiversity Challenge Funds project experience on a clear scaling pathway should target Main or Capability and Capacity instead.

Power of Diversity Grants 2026, Crop Trust.*New!*

The Crop Trust’s Power of Diversity Funding Facility is a EUR €2.2 million competitive grant program across six countries (Colombia, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda) funding targeted projects strengthening the value chains of underutilized opportunity crops at the USD $100,000 to $200,000 per-grant range. The funder logic concentrates capital at country-crop-intervention combinations rather than open thematic prioritization: applicants must demonstrate a minimum of three years of in-country experience, financial eligibility requires that annual average revenue turnover from 2023 to 2025 exceeds the proposed project budget, and the five eligible intervention areas (seed system development, good agricultural practices, post-harvest and processing capacity, market access, consumer awareness) map directly to where crop diversity loss happens operationally. Proposals can cover one or multiple intervention areas, crops, or countries, but the in-country experience and financial-capacity gates are structurally enforced. No specific organization-type restriction stated; all organizations are invited to explore the project interventions. English-language portal-only submission via croptrust.notion.site/powerofdiversitygrants.

• Geographies: Colombia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia. Applicants must have minimum 3 years in-country experience in the target country.

• Who can apply: Organizations of any type with minimum 3 years in-country experience. Annual average revenue turnover 2023 to 2025 must exceed proposed project budget. No nonprofit-only restriction stated.

• Funding amount: USD $100,000 to $200,000 per grant. Total program envelope EUR €2.2 million (approximately USD $2.39 million).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Agriculture & Food Systems. Focus areas: underutilized opportunity crops, seed systems, good agricultural practices, post-harvest and processing, market access, consumer awareness, crop diversity.

• Deadline:July 3, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The three-year in-country experience gate is structurally enforced; organizations with strong sectoral expertise but limited time in the target country will fail at eligibility regardless of technical quality. The revenue-turnover-exceeds-budget rule excludes applicants whose project budget would dominate annual operations; smaller organizations can apply but should size projects against their financial capacity.

Good Food Makers 2026 (open innovation accelerator), Barilla Group + Almacube.*New!*

Barilla Group’s Good Food Makers, in partnership with Italian open innovation hub Almacube, is an open innovation accelerator that co-develops technologies and solutions with startups inside Barilla’s real industrial environments, with the 2026 edition (the eighth) returning to a Barilla-led format after a broader 2025 ecosystem edition. The funder logic is corporate R&D integration rather than philanthropy or grant-making: no cash, prize, or monetary award is structured into the program, and the value to selected participants is the eight-week co-development residency at Barilla headquarters in Parma, Italy, with access to operational data, industrial use cases, and direct collaboration with Barilla professional teams. Three focus areas anchor the 2026 call: smart onboarding and learning platforms for technical workforce training, ready-to-use meal solutions aligned with evolving consumer eating habits, and snack and mini-meal concepts focused on emotional well-being and cognitive performance. The commercial deployment pathway is real (prior editions scaled solutions to 400 million-plus units), but no compensation structure is disclosed publicly. Since 2019, the program has engaged 1,100-plus startups from 50-plus countries.

• Geographies: Global. Prior editions drew applicants from 50+ countries. Physical co-development at Barilla headquarters in Parma, Italy.

• Who can apply: Startups and innovative companies globally with technologies relevant to one or more of three 2026 focus areas. Must commit to eight-week co-development program in Parma, Italy. No mention of nonprofit, NGO, academic, or government eligibility.

• Funding amount: No cash grant, prize, or monetary award. Eight-week residency at Barilla Parma with access to operational data, industrial use cases, Barilla professional team collaboration, and proof-of-concept development. Commercial deployment pathway possible but no compensation structure disclosed.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Agriculture & Food Systems. Focus areas: technical workforce training platforms, ready-to-use meals, snacks for emotional well-being and cognitive performance, food technology, industrial co-development.

• Deadline:July 10, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

This is corporate open innovation, not a grant program; selected startups should treat the eight-week Parma residency as paid corporate-R&D collaboration rather than philanthropic support, and align expectations accordingly. The 2026 reversion to a Barilla-led format (after the broader 2025 edition) means supply chain partner involvement is not part of this round.

COSMIC 2nd Open Call: AI & Data Solutions to Boost the Green Transition, COSMIC (Horizon Europe project, administered by FundingBox).*New!*

The COSMIC project’s 2nd Open Call, a Horizon Europe cascade-funded sub-grant administered by FundingBox under Grant Agreement 101189676, is funding up to 13 SMEs and startups to co-develop scalable AI- and data-driven solutions for large-scale energy resource optimization. The funder logic is industrial-deployment rather than algorithm-development: selected participants join a 10-month structured program (technical mentoring and proof-of-concept design, solution development and alpha testing, pilot testing in controlled and real-world environments, business support for market readiness) and validate solutions across 15 large-scale pilots in six European countries (Spain, Belgium, Portugal, France, Ireland added in the 2nd call, and Finland). The four specific challenges (carbon footprint integration, waste classification, smart energy management, community engagement and reporting) reflect where European Green Deal implementation actually hits constraints. Per-SME maximum EUR €150,000 lump sum covering up to 70 percent of eligible costs (non-profits not meeting the SME definition are ineligible to apply directly), with 30 percent self-financing mandatory. Total envelope EUR €1.92 million.

• Geographies: EU Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories, or Horizon Europe Associated Countries (applicant). Pilots across Spain, Belgium, Portugal, France, Ireland, and Finland.

• Who can apply: Individual SMEs and start-ups (per EC SME Recommendation 2003/361/EC) registered in eligible countries. Non-profits not meeting the SME definition not eligible to apply directly. Single entity applications; no consortium required. Self-financing 30 percent of total project budget mandatory.

• Funding amount: Up to EUR €150,000 lump sum per SME (approximately USD $163,000) covering up to 70 percent of eligible costs (100 percent for non-profit legal entities). Total budget EUR €1,915,683 (approximately USD $2.08 million) for up to 13 SMEs.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Energy; Climate & Environment; Innovation & Technology. Focus areas: AI and data for energy optimization, carbon footprint integration, waste classification, smart energy management, community engagement, European Green Deal implementation.

• Deadline:July 20, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

Each proposal must address exactly one specific challenge from the COSMIC Technical Guidelines; proposals addressing multiple challenges are not considered, so applicants should pick their strongest fit and commit. Solutions must integrate into the existing COSMIC platform environments rather than operate standalone, which means architectural compatibility is a substantive evaluation dimension.

Milken-Motsepe Prize in Circular Economy ($2M total prizes), Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize Program. *New!*

The Milken-Motsepe Prize in Circular Economy is a multi-stage USD $2 million non-dilutive prize competition for scalable, commercially viable, technology-enabled companies operating on the African continent that replace linear take-make-waste systems with regenerative, resource-efficient value chains across agriculture and food systems, plastics and packaging, electronics, textiles, and construction and the built environment. The funder logic scales proven solutions rather than seeding early-stage innovation: companies must have over two years of continuous operation on the African continent, at least USD $500,000 in total funding and revenue to date, clear evidence of social impact and job creation, and demonstrated operational readiness to deploy USD $1 million in capital. Ten semifinalists receive USD $50,000 each; five finalists receive USD $50,000 each; the grand prize winner receives USD $1 million; the runner-up receives USD $250,000. Plastics applicants must present safety audits and responsible labor practices; electronics applicants must demonstrate validated legal compliance per ISO 14001 and equivalent frameworks; failure to provide either triggers automatic disqualification. Finalists pitch at a Q4 2026 event.

• Geographies: Companies operating on the African continent (over 2 years continuous operation required). Registration globally open; US-embargoed countries and OFAC-listed entities excluded.

• Who can apply: Established companies (over 2 years continuous Africa operation) with at least USD $500,000 total funding and revenue to date, evidence of social impact and job creation, and operational readiness to deploy USD $1 million. Must operate in at least one of five verticals (agriculture and food systems, plastics and packaging, electronics, textiles, construction and built environment).

• Funding amount: Total prize pool USD $2 million. Ten semifinalists USD $50,000 each; five finalists USD $50,000 each; grand prize USD $1,000,000; runner-up USD $250,000. All prizes non-dilutive.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment; Economic Development & Livelihoods; Innovation & Technology. Focus areas: circular economy, regenerative value chains, agriculture and food, plastics and packaging, electronics, textiles, construction.

• Deadline:August 13, 2026 at 6 PM UTC. Grand prize announced May 2027 at Milken Institute Global Conference.

• Learn more and apply here.

The USD $500,000 minimum total funding and revenue gate excludes pre-revenue startups regardless of technology promise; this is a prize for established African circular-economy operators with deployment infrastructure in place. Plastics and electronics verticals carry additional compliance requirements (safety audits, ISO 14001 evidence) that are screened before scoring.

FS4Africa Open Call 2 (innovation hubs in Africa), FS4Africa (Horizon Europe project, coordinated by IITA Ibadan).*New!*

FS4Africa’s Open Call 2, the cascade-funded sub-grant arm of a Horizon Europe project under topic code HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-20 coordinated by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan, is funding at least five innovation hubs in Africa to deliver an eight-month structured mentoring and acceleration program (February to September 2027) to food safety entrepreneurs. The funder logic explicitly connects OC2 sub-projects to existing OC1 beneficiaries and the four FS4Africa Use Cases rather than running parallel acceleration tracks: hubs must deliver at least six training and mentoring activities, with a minimum of two tailored sessions serving distinct OC1 sub-project beneficiaries and at least four sessions targeting actors involved in the FS4Africa Use Cases. The milestone-based payment schedule (20 percent Phase 1, 50 percent Phase 2, 30 percent Phase 3) is the structural accountability mechanism. Up to EUR €40,000 per project across at least five sub-projects from a EUR €200,000 envelope; 100 percent of eligible costs covered. Single-entity applications only; no consortia.

• Geographies: Innovation hubs located in Africa. OC2 country eligibility tied to Horizon Europe participation rules; verify in Open Call Kit.

• Who can apply: Innovation hubs (legally registered) located in Africa. Single entity only; no consortia. All submissions and communications in English. Must commit to deliver eight-month structured program (February to September 2027) including minimum 6 training/mentoring activities (2 supporting OC1 beneficiaries, 4 targeting FS4Africa Use Case actors).

• Funding amount: Up to EUR €40,000 per project (approximately USD $43,500). At least 5 sub-projects from EUR €200,000 envelope (approximately USD $217,000). 100 percent of eligible costs covered. Milestone-based payment: 20 percent Phase 1, 50 percent Phase 2, 30 percent Phase 3.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Agriculture & Food Systems. Focus areas: food safety in Africa’s informal sector, food safety entrepreneur acceleration, OC1 beneficiary mentoring, FS4Africa Use Case actor support.

• Deadline:August 31, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

Innovation hubs must already understand the FS4Africa OC1 cohort and the four Use Cases at proposal stage; applicants approaching this as a generic acceleration grant will fail at scope screening. The OC2 sub-projects coordinate among themselves to ensure coverage across all four Use Cases, so applicants should clarify which Use Case their mentoring will serve.

LIFE-2026-SAP-CLIMA-CCA Climate Change Adaptation, European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).*New!*

CINEA’s LIFE-2026-SAP-CLIMA-CCA Standard Action Projects call is funding approximately 12 projects at EUR €1 million to €5 million each (total EUR €28 million) under the EU LIFE Programme’s Climate Change Adaptation priority area, with the strategic intent of enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience, and reducing vulnerability to climate change across the EU in line with Article 5 of the European Climate Law. Nine intervention areas anchor eligible scope: climate adaptation policies and strategies, climate risk assessment and decision-support tools, nature-based solutions for urban-rural-coastal resilience, infrastructure and building climate-proofing, agriculture and forestry and protected area adaptation, water management, climate adaptation and health, preparedness for compound and cascading risks, and financial instruments plus public-private collaboration on climate risk. The funder logic accepts single-beneficiary applications; no minimum consortium size is required, which is unusual for LIFE program topics. Maximum 60 percent EU funding rate with 40 percent co-finance mandatory. Financial support to third parties (permitted in prior years) has been removed for 2026. EU outermost regions attract a 2-point evaluation bonus.

• Geographies: EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories), EEA/LIFE-associated countries. Activities outside eligible countries allowed only if necessary for EU environmental and climate objectives. EU outermost regions (Canary Islands, La Reunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Madeira, French Guiana, Azores, Mayotte, Saint Martin) attract 2-point evaluation bonus.

• Who can apply: Legal entities (public or private) including public authorities, NGOs, private companies (including SMEs), universities, research organizations, international organizations. Sole traders eligible. Natural persons not eligible. EU bodies excluded (except JRC). No minimum consortium size; single-beneficiary applications accepted.

• Funding amount: EUR €1 million to €5 million per project (approximately USD $1.09M to $5.43M). Total CCA topic envelope EUR €28 million (approximately USD $30.4 million) for approximately 12 projects. Maximum 60 percent EU funding rate; 40 percent co-finance required. Financial support to third parties removed for 2026.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Climate & Environment. Nine intervention areas: adaptation policies, climate risk assessment tools, NbS urban/rural/coastal resilience, infrastructure climate-proofing, agriculture/forestry/protected area adaptation, water management, climate-health, compound and cascading risks, financial instruments.

• Deadline:September 22, 2026 via EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

• Learn more and apply here.

Financial support to third parties has been removed for 2026 (previously up to EUR €100,000 total at EUR €20,000 per third party); applicants planning to sub-grant to community organizations should restructure into direct beneficiary or subcontractor relationships. Outermost-region partner inclusion is worth a 2-point evaluation bonus.

Gender Equality & Women Empowerment

Women2Invest 2026: Transition into venture capital for women in STEAM, EIT Community Supernovas. *New!* *Closing soon!*

EIT Community Supernovas’ Women2Invest 15-week bootcamp is funding a structured pathway for women with STEAM backgrounds into venture capital, with the program run in collaboration with IE University and delivered live across lectures, case studies, simulated investment processes, and access to experienced VC professionals. The funder logic addresses a specific gap: STEAM-trained women have the substantive technical depth to assess deep-tech investments but rarely the financial-firm pathway, and EIT is building the pathway rather than waiting for it to emerge. Participants who perform strongly may be matched with partner VC or corporate funds for paid internship opportunities, which is the structural differentiator that distinguishes this from a typical educational program. The seven-year post-graduation eligibility window means recent graduates and early-career professionals are the target rather than mid-career transitioners. Residency in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country is required; English fluency is essential.

• Geographies: 27 EU Member States plus Horizon Europe Associated Countries (Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom). EIT Regional Innovation Scheme country residents particularly encouraged.

• Who can apply: Women with a STEAM academic background (Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD level) in final year of studies or graduated within the past 7 years. Valid passport or full residency permit from an eligible country required. No prior VC experience needed. Full command of English required. Underrepresented minority groups and women living outside major entrepreneurial hubs particularly welcomed.

• Funding amount: Free 15-week online bootcamp with live lectures, case studies, practical assignments, simulated investment processes, and networking with experienced VC professionals. Strong performers may be matched with partner VC or corporate funds for paid internship opportunities (Kosovo residency permits without accompanying work permits may limit internship participation).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Gender & Women’s Empowerment; Innovation, Science & Technology; Economic Development & Livelihoods. Focus areas: women in venture capital, STEAM-to-finance pathway, deep-tech investment, gender equity in investment ecosystem.

• Deadline:June 7, 2026 at 23:59 CEST. Cohort runs September to December 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The internship-matching mechanism after strong performance is what differentiates this from a typical VC training program; applicants who treat this as a credential rather than a pathway will lose access to the most valuable downstream component. The program actively encourages applicants from EIT Regional Innovation Scheme countries and underrepresented minority groups, and the scoring weight on those signals is real.

Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) Change Fund 2026-27, Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council. *New!* *Closing soon!*

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s EVAWG Change Fund is funding community and voluntary sector projects to prevent violence against women and girls in the council area, with three tiers (GBP £1,000 to £5,000 for awareness activities; GBP £5,001 to £15,000 for expanded programs; GBP £15,001 to £25,000 for multi-year programs requiring mentoring or significant collaboration) all anchored on Prevention Outcome 1: changing the attitudes, behaviors, and culture that lead to VAWG. The funder logic is structural prevention rather than direct service: all funded projects must address root-cause attitude and culture change, not crisis response or survivor support, which positions this fund as upstream complement to existing service infrastructure rather than as part of it. Alignment with the Northern Ireland Executive EVAWG Strategic Framework anchors the fund in national policy direction. Tier 3 requires mentoring or significant collaboration as a structural condition, building cross-sector capacity into the grant design itself.

• Geographies: United Kingdom (Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area, Northern Ireland). Activities and beneficiaries must primarily be within the council area. Cross-boundary applications possible only in exceptional circumstances.

• Who can apply: Community and Voluntary Sector organizations operating within the council area: not-for-profit, formally constituted with proper governance documentation, self-governing, independent from government or private sector. Includes registered charities, arts, faith, youth, sporting organizations. Excluded: political organizations, individuals, statutory bodies, commercial organizations, schools, trade unions, organizations with substantial demonstrable reserves.

• Funding amount: Tier 1: GBP £1,000 to £5,000 (approximately USD $1.3K to $6.4K) for one-off events and awareness activities. Tier 2: GBP £5,001 to £15,000 (approximately USD $6.4K to $19K) for expanded programs. Tier 3: GBP £15,001 to £25,000 (approximately USD $19K to $32K) for multi-year programs requiring mentoring or significant collaboration. Organizations may apply to multiple tiers but receive only one award.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Gender & Women’s Empowerment; Governance & Justice; Social Inclusion & Community Wellbeing. Focus areas: VAWG prevention, attitude and culture change, community-led prevention, NI EVAWG Strategic Framework implementation.

• Deadline:June 8, 2026 at 12:00 noon. Late applications not considered; no exceptions.

• Learn more and apply here.

Mandatory attendance at one of the Council’s information sessions is required before an application form is even issued; applicants who skip this step cannot apply regardless of project merit. Adele McCloskey at the Community Development team is the contact for session registration. Organizations with substantial demonstrable reserves are excluded, so smaller capacity-stretched groups are the intended audience.

Women’s Fund Fiji Grants Program, Women’s Fund Fiji. *Closing soon!*

Women’s Fund Fiji, anchored by the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, is one of the few dedicated feminist funders operating in the Pacific, deploying capital across three tiers from informal women’s groups through registered women-led organizations. The funder logic explicitly rejects the registration-as-prerequisite model that excludes most grassroots Pacific organizing, with non-registered and emerging groups eligible at the smallest tier. By structuring grants across an organizational maturity continuum, Women’s Fund Fiji is building a pipeline rather than competing for already-established applicants, which signals long-term commitment to ecosystem development in a region chronically overlooked by global feminist philanthropy. The Pacific geographic focus addresses a real funding gap, with Pacific island contexts receiving disproportionately small shares of women’s rights funding relative to need.

• Geographies: Fiji (Pacific).

• Who can apply: Non-registered and emerging groups, informal women’s groups and networks, registered and established women-led organizations and networks.

• Funding amount: FJD 5,000 – 100,000 (approximately USD $2,200 – $44,000) across two tiers.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment; Focus areas: feminist philanthropy, Pacific women’s organizing, grassroots organizations.

• Deadline:June 8, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The two-tier structure rewards honest self-assessment, and applicants should not stretch into Tier 2 amounts without genuine operational track record, since the two letters of reference and Ministry registration requirements in Tier 1 are specifically designed for emerging groups.

Young Women in Mind 2026 to 2028, Pilgrim Trust. *New!* *Closing soon!*

Young Women in Mind 2026 to 2028 is a three-foundation collaboration between the Pilgrim Trust, the Prudence Trust, and the Julia Rausing Trust, channelling GBP £5 million over three years specifically to UK charities that already deliver gender-specific therapeutic mental health services to girls and young women aged 14 to 25. The funder logic is explicitly about strengthening existing infrastructure rather than launching new pilots: applicants must already be delivering therapeutic services, and the programme supports growth, evaluation, or adaptation rather than service creation. The two-track income threshold (GBP £750,000 or more annual income for general mental-health charities; GBP £350,000 or more for specialist women-and-girls charities) is the load-bearing eligibility filter, designed to ensure the pooled capital lands at organisations with the operational capacity to absorb it. The geographic targeting (Northern Ireland, Scotland, North East and North West England, Yorkshire and Humber, the Midlands, plus UK-wide and England-wide organisations) reflects where the three funders see mental health inequality concentrated, not where they happen to have prior grantees.

• Geographies: United Kingdom. Funded work must operate in Northern Ireland, Scotland, North East England, North West England, Yorkshire and Humber, or the Midlands. UK-wide and England-wide organisations also eligible.

• Who can apply: UK registered charities (registered for at least three years) already delivering therapeutic mental health services. Two tracks: (1) mental health charities with clear youth and mental health mission and annual income of GBP £750,000 or more; (2) specialist charities led by and for women and girls, with mental health mission, under-18s experience, and annual income of GBP £350,000 or more. Funded work must serve girls and young women aged 14 to 25.

• Funding amount: GBP £200,000 to GBP £500,000 (approximately USD $253K to $633K) per organisation, spread over three years. Total programme envelope GBP £5 million (approximately USD $6.33M) over three years 2026 to 2028. Eligible cost categories: project delivery, staff salaries and fees, advocacy activities, learning and evaluation.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Gender & Women’s Empowerment. Focus areas: youth mental health, gender-specific therapeutic services, women-and-girls-led services, mental health inequality.

• Deadline:June 22, 2026 (Stage 1 application). Stage 2 deadline August 24, 2026; decisions end of November 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The lower-income track (GBP £350,000 or more annual income) is open only to charities that are led by and for women and girls and that have demonstrated experience delivering services to under-18s; a smaller mental-health charity without that specialist-women’s-focus framing cannot use the lower threshold to qualify. The three-years-registered requirement is structural; newer organisations with strong recent track records will not advance to Stage 2 regardless of programme quality. Applicants delivering creative or educational interventions without explicit therapeutic mental health service delivery should not apply; the programme is narrower than “wellbeing” more broadly.

Tackling Gender-Based Violence Against Politically Active Women and LGBTIQ People (HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-01), European Commission. *New!*

This Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action funds multi-disciplinary, multi-country research on gender-based violence against politically active women and LGBTIQ people, including online and offline harassment, hate speech, disinformation campaigns, and deepfakes. The funder logic is evidence-base building for EU policy: capital flows to research that advances understanding of drivers and impacts of GBV on political participation, develops evidence-based policy recommendations for EU and national policymakers, improves media reporting practices, and promotes inclusive political environments. The mandatory intersectional approach (proposals must address at least three intersecting identity factors such as race, disability, age, religion) is enforced at eligibility, not scored later, which excludes proposals that treat gender as a standalone analytic frame. Engagement with civil society organizations and individuals directly affected by the issues in research design is required, not optional. Engaging men and boys in violence prevention must be an integral research component, not an annex.

• Geographies: EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Research scope is primarily European given focus on EU policy context (EU Directive on combating violence against women, Digital Services Act, EU Equality Strategy 2024 to 2029, EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2026 to 2030).

• Who can apply: Legal entities established in EU member states or Horizon Europe associated countries, including research institutions, universities, nonprofits, civil society organizations, government bodies, and companies. Minimum 3 legal entities from 3 different eligible countries required. Multi-disciplinary teams with social sciences and humanities expertise expected. Proposals must engage civil society organizations and individuals directly affected by the issues. Engaging men and boys in violence prevention must be an integral research component.

• Funding amount: EUR €3,500,000 minimum to EUR €4,000,000 maximum per project (approximately USD $3.8M to $4.3M); total budget EUR €12,000,000 (approximately USD $13M) for approximately 3 grants. Standard Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action lump-sum funding model.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Gender & Women’s Empowerment; Governance & Justice; Social Inclusion & Community Wellbeing. Focus areas: GBV against politically active women, LGBTIQ rights, intersectional research, online harassment, hate speech, disinformation, deepfakes, EU policy translation.

• Deadline:September 22, 2026 (17:00 Brussels time; confirm exact time in EU Submission System). Single-stage submission.

• Learn more and apply here.

The intersectional requirement is the load-bearing eligibility filter: proposals that address gender as a single dimension without naming at least three additional intersecting identity factors (race, disability, age, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation) will not pass eligibility review regardless of methodological quality. The requirement that men and boys engagement be integral to research design rather than tacked on as stakeholder consultation has rejected past proposals.

SheConnects Digital Accelerator Round 2: Partnerships for Women’s Digital Empowerment at Scale (Sub-Saharan Africa Arm), CARE and GSMA Foundation. *New!*

CARE and the GSMA Foundation are managing the Sub-Saharan Africa arm of the SheConnects Digital Accelerator, a three-year, INR 200 crore (approximately USD $24 million) coordinated platform jointly anchored by the Gates Foundation in Africa and the Reliance Foundation in India to accelerate locally led women’s digital inclusion solutions. The funder logic is explicitly a scale platform, not a concept incubator: capital flows to evidence-backed organizations with existing high-impact solutions ready to scale, supported through grants and technical advisory rather than ideation challenges. Round 1 awardees document the bar: the Centre for Information Technology and Development (Nigeria), KICTANet (Kenya), Smart Regional Consultants (Kenya), and TechHer (Nigeria), all established East and West African digital inclusion organizations with operational track records. Round 2 opens May 20, 2026 with a focus on Partnerships for Women’s Digital Empowerment at Scale, and applications go through the linked RFA. Per-grant amounts and Round 2 deadline are not disclosed on the CARE landing page.

• Geographies: Sub-Saharan Africa. Round 1 awardees concentrated in anglophone East and West Africa (Nigeria, Kenya).

• Who can apply: Established Sub-Saharan Africa organizations with evidence-backed solutions for women’s digital inclusion ready to scale. Round 1 awardees were all incorporated NGOs or civil society organizations from Nigeria and Kenya. Round 2’s named focus on Partnerships indicates consortium or multi-stakeholder structures rather than single-organization applicants.

• Funding amount: Total program envelope INR 200 crore (approximately USD $24M) over three years across India and Sub-Saharan Africa arms combined. Per-grant amount not disclosed on landing page. Grants plus technical advisory.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Gender & Women’s Empowerment; Innovation, Science & Technology; Economic Development & Livelihoods. Focus areas: women’s digital inclusion, gender digital divide, mobile for development, scale-stage acceleration, South-South learning, locally led innovation, G20 halve digital gender gap by 2030.

• Deadline: Not disclosed on the CARE landing page. Round 2 opened May 20, 2026; specific deadline and per-grant amounts in the linked RFA Google Drive PDF (requires sign-in).

• Learn more and apply here.

Round 2’s named focus on “Partnerships” indicates consortium or multi-stakeholder structures, not single-organization applicants. Round 1 awardee geography skewed anglophone East and West Africa (Nigeria, Kenya), so francophone or Southern Africa applicants should treat that as evidence of where the funder is comfortable, not a strict restriction. This is scale-stage capital with evidence-backed solutions as the threshold; pilot or concept-stage applicants will misread the bar.

Global Health & WASH

Request for proposals for development and commercialization of AI-assisted cervical visualization tools in low- and middle-income countries, Clinton Health Access Initiative. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, with support from Unitaid, is funding late-stage development through commercialization of AI-enabled cervical visual triage tools designed to support cervical cancer elimination in low- and middle-income countries, with the explicit goal of at least one quality-assured, regulatory-approved, affordable tool in wide use across Africa. The funder logic is unmistakably market-shaping rather than research-funding: capital flows to milestone-based regulatory approval, manufacturing scale-up, and procurement readiness, not to algorithm development or pilot studies. By requiring offline functionality and same-encounter results, CHAI is filtering against the connectivity-dependent, cloud-anchored AI tools that dominate high-income market deployments and explicitly funding solutions designed for the operational reality of LMIC clinics. The expectation that applicants engage with prior Global Health Labs open-source AI-ACVT model work, combined with required equitable intellectual property and access commitments, indicates CHAI is not subsidising proprietary acquisition strategies; selected partners take on durable affordability obligations. The single-winner structure across the full USD $700,000 envelope concentrates capital on one credible operational team rather than fragmenting across competing pilots.

• Geographies: Sub-Saharan Africa; Southeast Asia.

• Who can apply: Organisations with demonstrated capability in AI-enabled medical device development, regulatory approval, and deployment. Partnerships and consortia encouraged. LMIC operational experience required, directly or through partners. No explicit restriction on organisation type; commercialisation focus makes for-profits a natural fit, though nonprofits and academic institutions are not excluded.

• Funding amount: Up to approximately USD $700,000 in milestone-based catalytic funding. Co-investment strongly encouraged; the envelope is positioned as a tranche rather than the full project budget. Non-cash support includes technical assistance, regulatory guidance, access to partners and ministries, and market-shaping mechanisms such as volume guarantees.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Innovation, Science & Technology. Focus areas: cervical cancer elimination, AI-enabled medical devices, LMIC health technology, market-shaping procurement.

• Deadline:June 9, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

Applicants planning to use this capital primarily for algorithm refinement or research validation are addressing the wrong stage; CHAI is funding the regulatory-through-deployment span and expects applicants to arrive with technical work already mature. The affordability and equitable intellectual property access commitments are durable contractual obligations, not aspirational language, and organisations whose business model depends on premium pricing or proprietary lock-in should not pursue this. Co-investment expectations are real: the USD $700,000 envelope is positioned as catalytic, not comprehensive, and applicants without committed matching capital will struggle to make the financial case.

Call for proposals from water and sanitation enterprises in Ethiopia, Aqua for All. *New!* *Closing soon!* *Calls are also open for Cambodia and Indonesia- see sector page for all detials*

Aqua for All’s 2026 Ethiopia call opens its flagship Making Water Count programme (2026 to 2030) to water and sanitation enterprises operating in country, with a deliberately commercial framing that distinguishes this funder from the donor-grantee model dominant in WASH funding. The funder logic is explicit: market-based service delivery rather than charity, enterprises as lead applicants rather than NGOs intermediating, and a four-instrument toolkit (milestone-based grants, results-based grants, Social Impact Incentives, and technical assistance) that maps to where a venture sits on its scaling path rather than treating all applicants identically. By requiring at least two years of operations, proof-of-concept demonstrated, and a clear path to financial sustainability, Aqua for All is filtering toward growth-stage enterprises that need catalytic capital to unlock the next investment round, not seed-stage ideas that need patient capital to find product-market fit. The Amhara region preference and Ethiopia-specific scope reflect Aqua for All’s country strategy of going deep on specific geographies rather than spreading thin globally; applicants outside Ethiopia should look for parallel calls in other priority countries rather than stretching this one. The two-stage application process (concept note first, full proposal on invitation) is a meaningful gatekeeping step.

• Geographies: Ethiopia (Sub-Saharan Africa, East Africa). Particular interest in enterprises operating in or expanding into the Amhara region.

• Who can apply: Registered (social) enterprises or commercial entities with at least two years of operations, proof-of-concept demonstrated with core products and services, activities in Ethiopia, clear SDG 6 impact mission, and a market-based water and sanitation service delivery approach. Consortia welcome but private-sector enterprise must be lead applicant. Individuals cannot apply. No religion-related or missionary component permitted.

• Funding amount: Four instrument types. Technical Assistance EUR €20,000 to EUR €100,000 (approximately USD $22K to $109K, 3 to 12 months); Milestone-Based Grant EUR €50,000 to EUR €250,000 (approximately USD $54K to $272K, 18 to 36 months); Results-Based Grant EUR €150,000 to EUR €300,000 (approximately USD $163K to $326K, 18 to 36 months); Social Impact Incentive EUR €150,000 to EUR €400,000 (approximately USD $163K to $435K, 24 to 36 months). Co-funding required.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: WASH; Economic Development & Livelihoods. Focus areas: market-based water and sanitation, private-sector water and sanitation enterprises, drinking water, sanitation, faecal sludge management, circular economy.

• Deadline:June 14, 2026 (Stage 1 concept note). Stage 2 invitations within six weeks of closing.

• Learn more and apply here.

The enterprise-as-lead requirement is structurally enforced and not negotiable; NGO-led consortia where the enterprise plays a delivery role rather than the lead role consistently fail at the eligibility screen. The four-instrument toolkit rewards applicants who arrive having matched their stage to the right instrument: applicants requesting a Social Impact Incentive without the outcome-measurement infrastructure to verify impact payments, or applicants requesting technical assistance when they’re really seeking capital, telegraph that the strategic positioning hasn’t been done.

Estimating Global Burden of Diarrheal Diseases, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is funding independent diarrheal disease burden estimation for children under five in low- and middle-income countries, explicitly framed as a triangulation alternative or complement to existing IHME Global Burden of Disease estimates. The funder logic acknowledges that decision-useful pathogen prioritization for prevention, treatment, and product development requires multiple independent modeling efforts with transparent uncertainty, rather than reliance on a single canonical estimate. Up to USD $1.5 million per project funds two-year analytic work that must deliver, at minimum, country-specific total and pathogen-attributed mortality estimates centered on 2025 with confidence intervals across eight named pathogens: rotavirus, Shigella, adenovirus 40/41, norovirus GII, ST-ETEC, endemic cholera, Cryptosporidium, and Campylobacter. Geographic preference is explicit for India, Nigeria, and sub-Saharan Africa. Eligibility requires LMIC-based institutional leadership, LMIC-led partnerships, or global consortia with meaningful LMIC engagement and capacity development.

• Geographies: India, Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia (LMIC-anchored). Global consortia eligible with substantive LMIC partner authorship.

• Who can apply: Researchers and institutions with LMIC-based institutional leadership, LMIC-led partnerships, or global consortia with meaningful LMIC engagement and capacity-development commitments. Indirect costs allowable per Gates Foundation indirect cost policy.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $1,500,000 per project, with maximum grant duration of two years.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Innovation, Science & Technology. Focus areas: diarrheal disease burden estimation, pathogen attribution, IHME triangulation, LMIC research leadership, under-five mortality.

• Deadline:June 16, 2026 at 11:30 am PDT.

• Learn more and apply here.

Proposals from non-LMIC consortia without substantive LMIC partner authorship and capacity-building plans will be screened out before scientific review, regardless of methodological strength. The eight-pathogen floor is also non-negotiable: proposals can propose more, but omitting any of the eight is a hard reject. Strong submissions foreground methodological transparency on etiologic attribution and coinfection adjudication, not breadth of analytic ambition.

Innovations in Cost-Disruptive Tools for Diagnosis and Screening, Grand Challenges South Africa (administered by SAMRC, co-funded by the Gates Foundation). *New!* *Closing soon!*

This call funds research and innovation toward cost-disruptive diagnostics and screening tools targeting four priority disease areas in South Africa: tuberculosis; HIV and related conditions; sexually transmitted infections, including HPV-related cervical cancer screening; and maternal-newborn-women’s health more broadly. The design criterion is the unusual part. Tools must credibly approach USD $1-per-test or near-zero incremental cost per screen, with feasible manufacturing pathways and operational fit for South African and broader LMIC clinical settings. The three-tier award structure (proof-of-concept at the smallest tier, product refinement at the middle tier, one mature-platform award at the top tier) is aligned to technical readiness levels, with the SAMRC panel explicitly checking tier-to-maturity match before engaging the scientific content of the proposal. Cross-sector innovation is explicitly welcome: technologies developed for non-health or different-disease applications can be adapted, provided the adaptation pathway is credible. International collaborators are welcome on South Africa-led teams, but the lead investigator must be a South African citizen or permanent resident at a South Africa-registered institution.

• Geographies: South Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa).

• Who can apply: Investigators and innovators from South African universities, public research organisations, non-profits, and for-profit companies registered in South Africa. Lead investigator must be a South African citizen or permanent resident at a South Africa-registered institution. International collaborators welcome on SA-led teams. Applications from women-led teams, historically black universities, and academic-private-sector collaborations are prioritised. Individuals and organisations classified as individuals for tax purposes are not eligible.

• Funding amount: Option A: up to ZAR R5 million (approximately USD $270,000) for proof-of-concept work, up to 24 months. Option B: up to ZAR R8 million (approximately USD $430,000) for product refinement, up to 24 months. Option C: one award up to ZAR R16.5 million (approximately USD $890,000) for mature platform development, up to 36 months.

• Priority disease areas: Tuberculosis; HIV (including viral load monitoring, early infant diagnosis, CD4 and advanced HIV disease, congenital syphilis); STIs and women’s health (including HPV and cervical cancer screen-and-treat workflows); maternal-newborn health (preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, neonatal sepsis triage).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health (SDG 3); Gender and Inclusion (SDG 5); Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10); Innovation and Technology.

• Compliance: South African IPR Act (No. 51 of 2008); Gates Foundation Global Access requirements; willingness to share prototypes, reagents, and data for third-party assessment.

• Deadline:June 23, 2026 at 15:00 PDT.

• Apply here:SAMRC application portal. Full call details at the Global Grand Challenges page:

Three filters do most of the work at screening. The tier-to-TRL match is enforced. Asking for the top tier on an early-stage concept will fail before the science gets read. The South Africa lead-investigator requirement is strict, and consortia attempting to anchor leadership outside South Africa will not qualify regardless of the strength of their South African collaborators. The exclusion list is also substantial: implementation projects without substantive R&D, large clinical trials as the primary activity, discovery-only biomarker work without a deployable prototype pathway in three to five years, and incremental modifications to established approaches are all out of scope.

Zayed Sustainability Prize – Health & Water- 2027 Cycle,Zayed Sustainability Prize. *Closing soon!*

The Zayed Sustainability Prize’s Health and Water categories are designed to elevate solutions that deliver measurable improvements in human well-being by addressing two of the most foundational systems for sustainable development. In Health, the Prize prioritizes innovations that expand access to affordable and essential healthcare, improve maternal and newborn outcomes, combat infectious and non-communicable diseases, and reduce health risks linked to pollution and environmental exposure. The Water category focuses on scalable solutions that ensure safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene, and improved water-use efficiency in water-stressed contexts. Across both categories, the funder’s selection logic emphasizes proven impact, technical and commercial viability, and a clear plan for scaling solutions that are already delivering results on the ground. Early-stage concepts and pilots are not eligible; applicants must demonstrate adoption, governance capacity, and resilience. Prize funding is explicitly tied to future deployment plans, reinforcing the Prize’s objective of accelerating real-world outcomes rather than recognizing ideas alone.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Small and medium enterprises and nonprofit organizations delivering operational solutions in health or water.

• Funding amount: USD $1,000,000 per category winner.

• Deadline:June 23, 2026 (23:59 GST).

• Learn more and apply here.

These categories reflect the Prize’s theory of change: strengthening human resilience by backing mature, scalable solutions that improve lives while reinforcing long-term system sustainability.

Clinical Trials to Validate AI-Driven Drug Repurposing 2026, Cures Within Reach. *Closing soon!*

Cures Within Reach is funding investigator-initiated clinical trials that validate drug repurposing hypotheses generated by AI models, in a structural bet that the next generation of cheap, high-impact therapeutic discoveries will come from algorithmic identification of existing drugs against unmet diseases. The funder logic is explicit about preferring openly accessible AI models and those developed by nonprofits or government, which signals a deliberate posture against proprietary black-box pipelines that cannot be independently validated. Rare diseases receive preference, reflecting the long-standing recognition that orphan indications are where drug repurposing has the highest pharmacoeconomic return and the most direct patient benefit. The 10% institutional match requirement signals expectation of institutional commitment beyond the grant, with additional funds available for community engagement built into the structure.

• Geographies: Not specified (global).

• Who can apply: Investigator-initiated Phase I or Phase IIA clinical trials. Any unsolved disease eligible with preference for rare diseases. Both on- and off-patent drugs and biologics eligible.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $100,000 including 10% institutional match; additional funds available for community engagement.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: drug repurposing, AI in health, clinical trials, rare diseases.

• Deadline:June 26, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The 10% institutional match is a hard requirement, and proposals using proprietary closed AI models will likely score lower than those using open or nonprofit-developed models even when scientific quality is equivalent.

Digitalization of the Water Sector, European Space Agency (BASS). *New!*

ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions has opened a non-competitive call for proposals on water sector digitalization, accepting submissions from May 12 to July 15, 2026. The funder logic positions space assets (satellite Earth observation, navigation, communications) as integration components in otherwise-digital water sector workflows, not as standalone deliverables; proposals must explicitly embed at least one space asset to qualify regardless of the digital innovation’s other merits. Two tracks structure the funding: Proof-of-Concept Studies up to EUR €600,000 total budget with ESA co-funding up to 80 percent for SMEs (50 percent baseline for companies, up to 100 percent for non-commercial academic and public entities capped at 30 percent of total activity cost), and Pilot Projects assessed case-by-case. The non-competitive structure means the call evaluates each proposal on its own merits rather than ranking against other applicants, and the four evaluation criteria (technical feasibility, customer relevance, business plan credibility, social or environmental benefit) are applied independently. The call was co-designed with Water Europe, Gap Inc, GWOPA, and UpLink.

• Geographies: Europe and Canada (22 eligible ESA participating states). Applicants must be based in one of: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Canada.

• Who can apply: Companies (including SMEs), non-commercial academic and public entities based in one of the eligible ESA participating states. SMEs receive higher co-funding rates. UK applicants subject to a separate 50 percent cap imposed by the UK Space Agency.

• Funding amount: Zero-equity funding. Proof-of-Concept Studies: total activity cost up to EUR €600,000; ESA cash contribution up to 75 percent baseline for companies, up to 80 percent for SMEs (approximately USD $528K maximum), up to 100 percent for non-commercial academic and public entities capped at 30 percent of activity cost. Pilot Projects: case-by-case assessment; ESA co-funding up to 50 percent baseline, up to 80 percent for SMEs.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: WASH; Innovation, Science & Technology; Climate & Environment; Infrastructure & Urban Development. Focus areas: water quality monitoring, non-revenue water loss, sanitation infrastructure, climate resilience, satellite Earth observation, GNSS in water management.

• Deadline:July 15, 2026 (APQ submissions). Three-stage process: APQ, Outline Proposal, Full Proposal; National Delegation written authorization required at final stage.

• Learn more and apply here.

This non-competitive call rewards strong customer validation and demonstrated market pull over technology novelty; applicants with existing relationships with water utilities, regulators, or sanitation authorities will have the strongest positioning. Framing the solution around a measurable operational problem (non-revenue water loss reduction, regulatory compliance monitoring, or flood and drought early warning) and explicitly embedding a satellite Earth observation or GNSS layer into an otherwise digital workflow is the most direct path to meeting all four evaluation criteria. UK applicants face a separate cap (50 percent ESA co-funding) imposed by the UK Space Agency regardless of headline rates.

Humanitarian Aid and Emergency Programming

Building Systems for Child and Adolescent MHPSS: Trauma-Informed Care, Prevention and Youth Advocacy, UNICEF India. *New!* *Closing soon!*

UNICEF India is funding capacity-building of child protection functionaries on trauma-informed mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) across Maharashtra (Nashik and Jalna), Chhattisgarh (Dhamtari and Kondagaon), Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. The funder logic is system-embedding rather than parallel service delivery: the implementing partner will apply the UNICEF and WHO EQUIP supportive supervision framework with master trainers, adapt UNICEF’s HAT (Helping Adolescents Thrive) package and the Caregiver Support Workshops Facilitator Guide for India’s adolescent context, build a cadre of National Young Champions for advocacy on mental health and suicide prevention, and support the Government of Gujarat to institutionalize a mental health program in higher education institutions. Scope spans children inside the protection system, adolescents broadly, caregivers, and higher education students; proposals that treat these as separable will misread the cross-population framing the funder is building. Indicative budget USD $60,000.

• Geographies: India (Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh; South Asia).

• Who can apply: Implementing partners with prior engagement with State Departments of Women and Child Development, the Juvenile Justice apparatus across Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh, and the Higher Education Department in Gujarat. Multi-state implementation capacity required.

• Funding amount: USD $60,000 (indicative budget).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Youth & Children; Education. Focus areas: child and adolescent mental health, MHPSS, trauma-informed care, suicide prevention, youth advocacy.

• Deadline:June 8, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

Implementation runs through government systems, not direct service. Organizations without prior engagement with State Departments of Women and Child Development, the Juvenile Justice apparatus, or Gujarat’s Higher Education Department cannot credibly anchor the four state geographies. The EQUIP framework and HAT package are non-negotiable methodological inputs; proposals offering alternatives screen out before scoring.

Inter-Agency PSEA Community Outreach and Comms Fund, International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA). *New!* *Closing soon!*

The International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), in partnership with UNHCR and an inter-agency Steering Committee, is funding local and national NGOs in ten acute humanitarian settings (Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Lebanon, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen) to develop community outreach and communication materials for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA). The call explicitly excludes large global organizations and routes capital directly to organizations with community presence in eligible countries, reflecting a deliberate read of PSEA outreach as a local-language, local-trust problem rather than a technical capacity-building one. Two tracks structure the fund: short-term grants for time-bound outreach activities, and multi-year grants of 12 to 24 months for systems-strengthening interventions. Multi-year applicants must be PSEA Network members and demonstrate systems-strengthening experience. Minimum annual organizational budget USD $100,000. Applications accepted in English, French, and Arabic via the Microsoft Forms portal by June 14.

• Geographies: Ten eligible countries: Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Lebanon, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen.

• Who can apply: Local and national NGOs, civil society organizations, and NGO networks legally registered with national authorities and operating in humanitarian settings within the ten eligible countries. Must hold an established PSEA or safeguarding policy and demonstrate prior PSEA or protection-related outreach experience. Multi-year applicants must additionally be PSEA Network members and demonstrate systems-strengthening experience. Large global organizations explicitly excluded.

• Funding amount: Not disclosed in the call. Two grant tracks: short-term (time-bound outreach) and multi-year (12 to 24 months, systems-strengthening). Minimum annual organizational budget USD $100,000 required for eligibility.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Humanitarian & Emergency Response; Gender & Women’s Empowerment. Focus areas: Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), safeguarding, community outreach, survivor-centered design, inter-agency coordination, locally-led psea.

• Deadline:June 14, 2026 (23:59 CET).

• Learn more and apply here.

Funder Culture Cue: ICVA consistently funds proposals that name specific at-risk populations, the languages and channels they use, and the survivor-centered consultation process the applicant ran before designing outreach materials. Generic safeguarding capacity statements without community-rooted specificity underperform; multi-year track applicants should additionally evidence prior systems-strengthening work, not only outreach delivery.

Uganda Refugee Support, Empowerment and Transformation (ReSET) Project: call for proposals, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is opening the bilateral Uganda Refugee Support, Empowerment and Transformation (ReSET) program to NGOs registered with the Uganda NGO Bureau, with up to GBP £20 million (approximately USD $25.3 million) available over two and a half years (August 2026 to March 2029). The architecture is explicitly two-pillar: pillar 1 covers core humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable refugees including new arrivals (food security, protection), and pillar 2 supports economic self-reliance and resilience pathways for refugees and host communities. Applicants may bid for one pillar or both, which reveals FCDO’s read that the field has not yet settled whether humanitarian-development integration happens inside consortia or across separate organizations. International NGOs, National NGOs, and refugee-led organizations are all explicitly named as eligible applicants, reflecting FCDO’s stated localization commitment. Cross-cutting emphases are gender, social inclusion, climate resilience, localization, and social cohesion. Seven-page concept notes via email to bhckampala.submissions@fcdo.gov.uk by June 16.

• Geographies: Uganda (Sub-Saharan Africa, East Africa).

• Who can apply: NGOs with valid registration under the Uganda NGO Bureau. Three sub-types named: International NGOs, National NGOs, and refugee-led organizations. Individual organizations and consortia both permitted. Applicants may bid for pillar 1, pillar 2, or both pillars.

• Funding amount: Up to GBP £20 million total envelope (approximately USD $25.3 million) over 2.5 years (August 2026 to March 2029). Per-grant size not disclosed; concept notes will be reviewed against pillar architecture.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Humanitarian & Emergency Response; Economic Development & Livelihoods; Social Inclusion & Community Wellbeing. Focus areas: refugee self-reliance, host-community resilience, humanitarian-development nexus, gender equality, social inclusion, climate resilience, localization, social cohesion.

• Deadline:June 16, 2026.

• How to apply: Seven-page concept note submitted by email to bhckampala.submissions@fcdo.gov.uk. Official call URL pending FCDO publication; check the FCDO and British High Commission Kampala publications page for the live posting. ReSET concept note template and Statement of Outcomes attached as ODT files when the page goes live.

Positioning Strategy: The pillar choice is positional. Pillar 1-only bids read as humanitarian-organization framing; pillar 2-only as development-organization framing; both-pillar bids as humanitarian-development integration. Pick the framing the applicant can credibly evidence with prior Uganda refugee work. Refugee-led organizations are particularly well-positioned for pillar 2 framing under FCDO’s localization commitment.

UNDP Global Innovation Challenge: Digital Tools for Crisis Impact Reporting, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). *Closing soon!*

UNDP seeks to accelerate humanitarian response to crises by mobilizing digital innovation that empowers affected communities as data providers. The funder supports open-source technology solutions that enable real-time crisis reporting through accessible channels, photos, and geolocation data. UNDP prioritizes bridging the gap between community-generated intelligence and government decision-making by integrating ground-level damage reports with satellite analysis. This investment logic reflects a strategic commitment to democratizing crisis information, strengthening community resilience, and reducing response times during disasters. The funder calls for solutions that work in low-connectivity contexts and ensure secure, transparent data management. By funding this challenge, UNDP enables innovators to build scalable, open infrastructure that transforms how crisis-affected populations participate in recovery planning. The funder’s approach emphasizes equity and accessibility, recognizing that affected communities hold critical knowledge essential to effective disaster response and reconstruction.

• Geographies: Global.

• Who can apply: Startups, researchers, and digital developers globally, submitting through Wazoku’s Innocentive solver community.

• Funding amount: A prize of US$50,000 will be awarded to the solution that meets the technical and operational requirements.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Humanitarian & Emergency Response; Focus areas: crisis mapping, open-source platform, damage reporting, satellite integration.

• Deadline: June 23, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

UNDP’s innovation challenge series demonstrates their strategy of leveraging open-source technology and community participation to strengthen institutional humanitarian capacity globally.

Education, Human Rights & Inclusion

LEVANTE Open Call for Proposals 2026, Jacobs Foundation.*Closing soon!*

The Jacobs Foundation seeks to revolutionize understanding of how children learn by building the world’s most comprehensive dataset on learning variability across diverse global contexts. Through LEVANTE, the foundation supports researchers who will collect longitudinal data using standardized assessments with typically developing children, enabling unprecedented cross-cultural comparisons and causal inference in educational development. The foundation prioritizes studies that capture dense measurements of cognitive development over time, particularly emphasizing research in the Global South to address historical data gaps. By requiring all funded projects to contribute data to an open, shared repository, Jacobs Foundation catalyzes collaborative science that moves beyond isolated studies toward systematic knowledge building. The foundation funds three tiers of research infrastructure to support varying scales of investigation, from targeted projects to large-scale longitudinal studies that can detect subtle patterns in learning trajectories across different cultural and linguistic contexts.

• Geographies: Global. Particular encouragement for work in underrepresented regions.. (Underrepresented regions and Global South explicitly encouraged in proposal evaluation, measures available in English, Spanish, German, with adaptation in progress for French, Dutch, Arabic, Hebrew, Kannada, Daccani, and Tamil).

• Who can apply: Main applicants must: (1) hold a PhD or equivalent degree obtained at least 5 years (excluding career breaks) prior to the application deadline; (2) be employed by and be part of a research lab at an institution of higher education or research institute; (3) be conducting high-quality research in the area of variability of learning and…

• Funding amount: The Jacobs Foundation is devoting up to USD $6 million to support project proposals. Regular projects: maximum budget USD $250,000 over a minimum of 2-3 years; Large projects: maximum budget USD $600,000 over a minimum of 4 years; Infrastructure projects: maximum budget USD $1,000,000 over a minimum of 4 years.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Focus areas: learning variability; child development; longitudinal data; causal inference; cognitive development; open dataset; global south; dense measurement; SDGs: 4; 10; 17

• Deadline: June 10, 2026. (00:00 GMT).

• Learn more and apply here.

Past grantees span Max Planck, Harvard, and Public Health Foundation of India, but the 5-year post-PhD requirement (excluding career breaks) gates out early-career researchers regardless of institutional affiliation. Partnerships recommended but not required, unusual for a network-building initiative at this scale.

Aanit Prize 2026, Mandela Rhodes Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Mandela Rhodes Foundation’s Aanit Prize is funding alumni-led African social impact ventures with annual awards of up to USD $100,000 split across one to four winners. The eligibility framing is the call’s most distinctive feature: only Mandela Rhodes Scholarship alumni from 2005 onwards and Rhodes Scholar alumni from 2005 onwards may apply, with pre-2005 Rhodes cohorts excluded to maintain parity with the Mandela Rhodes program which began that year. Applicants must be founders, co-founders, or executive team members of their organization, not general staff or advisors. Eligible impact areas span ten domains including education, agriculture, climate change, healthcare and sanitation, energy access, technology and data, financial services, affordable housing, infrastructure, and conflict and peacebuilding, all with measurable social impact for marginalized African communities. Initiatives at any stage from ideation through established ventures are accepted, and the entity may be nonprofit, for-profit, social enterprise, or hybrid; what is tested is the alumni-leadership credential and the African-impact thesis.

• Geographies: Africa (continent-wide).

• Who can apply: Mandela Rhodes Scholarship alumni from 2005 onwards and Rhodes Scholar alumni from 2005 onwards (pre-2005 Rhodes cohorts excluded). Founders, co-founders, or executive team members only. Initiative must contribute to at least one of 10 designated African impact areas. Nonprofit, for-profit, social enterprise, or hybrid entities all eligible; ideation through established ventures accepted.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $100,000 across one to four winners annually.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Inclusion & Community Wellbeing; Economic Development & Livelihoods; Education; Health; Climate & Environment. Focus areas: alumni-led African social impact across 10 impact areas.

• Deadline: Expression of Interest due June 17, 2026. Full applications 1 to 21 July 2026; interviews week of 17 August; announcement 18 September 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The alumni-leadership filter is the call’s load-bearing eligibility rule; staff members of alumni-founded ventures, board members not in executive positions, and African impact leaders without Mandela Rhodes or post-2005 Rhodes credentials are screened out at the Expression of Interest stage regardless of organizational strength.

IFE Call for Proposals 2026 – Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt and Morocco, KfW Development Bank – Facility Investing for Employment (IFE).*Closing soon!*

KfW Development Bank’s Facility Investing for Employment seeks to catalyze sustainable job creation and economic transformation through strategic private sector investment. The facility supports projects that generate decent employment opportunities while strengthening local labor markets through skills development and vocational training initiatives. KfW prioritizes investments that advance social inclusion, particularly targeting youth employment and women’s economic participation. The fund enables co-financing partnerships that leverage private capital to maximize employment impact and build resilient economic ecosystems. KfW calls for projects that contribute to just transition toward climate-friendly economies, recognizing the intersection between environmental sustainability and economic development. The facility supports infrastructure development, capacity building, and investment facilitation that creates lasting employment opportunities. KfW seeks to demonstrate how targeted development finance can unlock private sector potential while addressing labor migration challenges and promoting decent work standards across emerging markets.

• Geographies: Africa. Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Morocco. (IFE partner countries, German Special Initiative partner countries).

• Who can apply: Individual applicants: Legal entity registered in Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, or Morocco that has been in operation for at least three years. Consortia (two or more legal entities): All consortium members must each be a separate legal entity registered in the concerned country, elsewhere in Africa, or in an EU/EFTA country. Investment projects must…

• Funding amount: The Facility awards grants ranging from EUR €800,000 to EUR €10 million per project for the job creation component. IFE covers up to 90% of the investment costs (not-for-profit, no revenue); up to 75% (not-for-profit, with revenue); up to 35% (for-profit, jobs at independent 3rd parties); up to 25% (for-profit, jobs at applicant entity).

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Economic Development & Livelihoods; Focus areas: job creation; private sector investment; co-financing grants; vocational training; skills development; labour market development; decent work; challenge fund; SDGs: 8; 4; 1; 9; 10

• Deadline: June 30, 2026. (17:00 CEST).

• Learn more and apply here.

Component 2 (training with German labor market pathways) is available only in Egypt and Morocco, not Côte d’Ivoire, creating a two-tier structure within the same call. Past grantees include Eranove Training Academy, AUG Pharma’s sterile production line, and Ghabbour Foundation’s electromobility program, all at undisclosed amounts above the €880k floor.

Africa Fellows in Education Program 2026/2027, Partnership for Economic Policy. *New!* *Closing soon!*

Partnership for Economic Policy’s Africa Fellows in Education Program is funding two-year research and policy development fellowships for individual Sub-Saharan African early-career researchers committed to evidence-based education policy, with each fellow receiving a USD $25,000 research grant plus up to USD $25,000 in covered expenses for mentorship, conference travel, and in-country workshops. The funder logic is methodological pipeline-building: fellows must hold a Master’s or PhD in a relevant field with a strong quantitative focus, be 35 or younger at application, and currently be affiliated with a government, research, or higher education institution in Sub-Saharan Africa. The fellowship combines in-country research projects with regional and international network opportunities, conference attendance at leading economics-of-education conferences, short courses covering evaluation methods and incentive structures, and direct mentorship from advisors at Stanford and other African and international organizations. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply; the institutional affiliation is a prerequisite but the fellowship is awarded to the individual.

• Geographies: Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Who can apply: Individual researchers who are nationals of a Sub-Saharan African country; age 35 or younger at application; hold a Master’s or PhD with strong quantitative focus; demonstrated experience with quantitative data analysis; interest in education policy research; currently affiliated with a government, research, or higher education institution; English proficient. Female candidates strongly encouraged.

• Funding amount: USD $25,000 research grant per fellow plus up to USD $25,000 in covered expenses for mentorship, conference travel, and in-country workshops.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Governance & Justice. Focus areas: education policy research, quantitative methods, evidence-based decision-making, performance data analysis, mentored research.

• Deadline:June 30, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The strong quantitative focus is a hard filter, not a preferred skill; applicants from primarily qualitative backgrounds (ethnography, narrative policy research, advocacy-centered research) will not be selected regardless of policy-research depth or Africa-impact credentials. Quantitative methods evidence (econometrics, RCTs, statistical analysis) must be visible in the application.

Stellar x CV Labs Accelerator, CV Labs. *New!*

CV Labs and the Stellar Development Foundation’s accelerator is a 12-week remote-first program for early-stage startups building in decentralized finance, payments, or real-world assets (RWA) on the Stellar blockchain, with selected startups receiving up to USD $150,000 in XLM (Stellar’s native cryptocurrency, USD-denominated value) as initial development funding plus over USD $200,000 in ecosystem perks and credits. The funder logic is blockchain-ecosystem development rather than philanthropic capital allocation: products must contribute to the growth of Soroban (Stellar’s smart contracts platform), the Stellar network, and the broader Stellar ecosystem, with purely data-storage use cases explicitly excluded. The program is non-dilutive and free to participate, with an in-person component in Cape Town and culmination at the Stellar Meridian Conference in Lisbon in October 2026. Both incorporated entities and unincorporated teams are accepted; OFAC-sanctioned country residents and SDN-list individuals are categorically excluded. EMEA-region focus is structural, not preferential.

• Geographies: EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa); in-person component in Cape Town, Demo Day in Lisbon.

• Who can apply: Early-stage startups in DeFi, payments, or RWA building on Stellar or multi-chain with Stellar component; team members must be 18+. Both incorporated entities and unincorporated teams accepted. OFAC-sanctioned country residents and SDN-list individuals excluded.

• Funding amount: Up to USD $150,000 in XLM as initial development funding; over USD $200,000 in ecosystem perks and credits. Non-dilutive. Free to participate.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Finance & Investment; Innovation, Science & Technology. Focus areas: DeFi, payments, real-world assets, Soroban smart contracts, Stellar ecosystem.

• Deadline:July 3, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The Stellar Development Foundation rewards startups that demonstrate a clear Soroban or Stellar-native technical thesis, not generic multi-chain hedging; teams whose primary technical commitment is to another chain (Ethereum, Solana) with Stellar as a secondary deployment target will lose to teams building Stellar-first. Make the Stellar architectural commitment explicit.

TNE Exploratory Grants 2026, British Council. *New!*

The British Council’s TNE Exploratory Grants 2026, under the Going Global Partnerships initiative, are funding transnational education partnerships between UK higher education providers and partner institutions in 15 countries (Algeria, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Türkiye), with grants of up to GBP £25,000 (approximately USD $31,600) per project across 31 expected awards for 12-month projects beginning January 2027. The funder logic is UK higher education internationalization with developmental framing: projects must address inclusive access to quality education, local-context regulatory and operational understanding, or positive changes in local education systems aligned with the SDGs. The application architecture enforces UK-lead structure: only UK higher education providers with degree-awarding powers may start and submit applications, and any application initiated by a non-UK institution is automatically ineligible. The UK lead can share the form with partner institutions for input, but the formal submission must come from the UK side.

• Geographies: United Kingdom (lead institutions); partner countries: Algeria, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye.

• Who can apply: Lead institutions must be UK higher education providers with degree-awarding powers; only the UK lead can start and submit applications. Partner institutions must be based in one of the 15 eligible partner countries.

• Funding amount: Up to GBP £25,000 (approximately USD $31,600) per project; 31 projects expected. 12-month projects starting January 2027.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education. Focus areas: transnational education partnerships, inclusive access, education-system change, SDG alignment.

• Deadline:July 6, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The application platform’s UK-lead requirement is a hard procedural rule, not a preference; partner institutions in the 15 eligible countries who attempt to start the form will trigger automatic ineligibility for the entire partnership. UK partners must initiate the application; non-UK partners should coordinate input as collaborators rather than start the submission.

Educational Technology Innovation Grants 2026/2027, Kenya Education Network. *New!*

Kenya Education Network’s Educational Technology Innovation Grants are funding early-career PhD faculty at KENET member universities in Kenya to integrate AI tools into foundational undergraduate courses in Engineering, Computer Science, and Physics, with up to six grants of KES 2 million each (approximately USD $15,500) for the FY 2026/2027 academic year covering a 12-month implementation period (September 2026 to June 2027). The funder logic is AI as undergraduate pedagogical infrastructure rather than research methodology: projects must involve significant AI integration into teaching and learning, produce measurable impact evidence, and generate reusable learning materials adaptable by other faculty or institutions. The eligibility framing concentrates the capital on a specific career stage and institutional structure: PhD required in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, or Physics; minimum three years teaching experience for the proposed foundational course at a KENET member university; and written institutional approval from the Head of Department and Dean or Director required at submission.

• Geographies: Kenya.

• Who can apply: Early-career PhD faculty at KENET member universities in Kenya, holding PhD in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, or Physics; minimum 3 years teaching the proposed foundational course at a KENET member university; written institutional approval from Head of Department and Dean or Director.

• Funding amount: Maximum KES 2 million (approximately USD $15,500) per grant; up to 6 grants awarded for FY 2026/2027.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Innovation, Science & Technology. Focus areas: AI in teaching, foundational undergraduate Engineering/Computer Science/Physics courses, reusable learning materials.

• Deadline:July 10, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

KENET consistently rewards reusable, shareable learning materials as the call’s most valuable deliverable; applications that frame the AI integration as a course-specific intervention without articulated reuse pathways for other Kenyan universities will lose to applications that explicitly build their materials for adaptation. Plan the reusability artifacts at proposal stage.

2026 Breakthrough Junior Challenge, Breakthrough Prize Foundation. *New!*

The Breakthrough Prize Foundation’s annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge is funding one global high school science video winner with a USD $250,000 post-secondary scholarship, a USD $50,000 cash prize for the winner’s chosen teacher, and up to USD $100,000 in Breakthrough Science Lab renovation for the winner’s school. The funder logic is science-communication infrastructure rather than scientific research: participants aged 13 to 18 create original videos (maximum 2 minutes) explaining a concept or theory in life sciences, physics, or mathematics, judged on the ability to communicate complex scientific ideas in engaging, illuminating, and imaginative ways. The competition’s structural choice to fund the student, the teacher, and the school simultaneously builds a science-education infrastructure investment around each winner rather than awarding only the student’s future. Partners are Khan Academy and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; the competition runs through peer-to-peer review, evaluation panel review, popular vote with regional champions, and final selection committee.

• Geographies: Global (excluding U.S.-sanctioned countries).

• Who can apply: Individuals aged 13 to 18 (must be 13 by May 11, 2026; must not be 19 by October 1, 2026). High school and qualifying college/university students both eligible. Home-schooled students eligible. Individual submissions only; no group entries. Entries in English. Topics in life sciences, physics, or mathematics. Previous Breakthrough winners not eligible.

• Funding amount: USD $250,000 post-secondary scholarship to winner; USD $50,000 to winner’s chosen teacher; up to USD $100,000 Breakthrough Science Lab renovation for winner’s school. Total approximately USD $400,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Education; Innovation, Science & Technology. Focus areas: science communication, secondary STEM education, video-format pedagogy, teacher and school infrastructure.

• Deadline:September 15, 2026.

• Learn more and apply here.

The judging rewards “engaging, illuminating, and imaginative” science communication, not technical accuracy alone; the Foundation consistently selects winners whose videos make complex concepts viscerally accessible to non-specialists. Technically correct but lecture-style videos consistently lose to creative metaphor-driven explanations, even when the underlying science is identical.

Innovation, Research & Smart Cities

AIoD Open Call 1 (Private Sector), AIoD. *New!* *Closing soon!*

This AIoD Open Call 1 (Private Sector), funded under the Digital Europe Programme grant agreement 101146490, is funding SMEs, mid-caps, and research organizations to integrate mature AI solutions into the AI-on-Demand Platform, its Marketplace, and Business Navigator. The funder logic is staged and competitive across three sequential rounds: Stage 1 selects up to 50 AI Providers for pitching at EUR €5,000 each, Stage 2 narrows to 20 for full platform integration at EUR €35,000 each, and Stage 3 selects 10 consortia for real-world deployment at EUR €20,000 per Provider plus EUR €15,000 per Adopter. The TRL 7 plus floor and Docker containerization requirement is the load-bearing eligibility filter; this is not an AI research call but an integration-and-deployment call for solutions already operating at near-production maturity. Stage 3 requires consortium formation with an AI Adopter, which is a different applicant profile than the AI Providers of Stages 1 and 2.

• Geographies: EU Member States and eligible Digital Europe Programme associated countries (Iceland, Norway, and certain Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries; verify against Guide for Applicants).

• Who can apply: AI Providers (Stages 1 and 2): SMEs, mid-caps, or research organizations as single legal entities, registered in an eligible country, with an AI product at TRL 7 or above deliverable in containerized format (Docker or equivalent). AI Adopters (Stage 3 only): any organization willing to deploy an AI solution in a real-world use case; not required to be identified at initial application. Registration on the AIoD Platform required before submission.

• Funding amount: AI Providers up to EUR €60,000 total (approximately USD $65K) disbursed as lump sums across three stages (EUR €5,000 + EUR €35,000 + EUR €20,000). AI Adopters up to EUR €15,000 (approximately USD $16K) at Stage 3 only. Equity-free funding. In-kind components include AIoD Platform infrastructure access, expert mentorship, and visibility at up to three European industry events.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Economic Development & Livelihoods. Focus areas: trustworthy AI, AI integration, European AI platform, equity-free AI funding.

• Deadline:June 8, 2026 at 17:00 CEST.

• Learn more and apply here.

Stage progression is competitive rather than automatic; submitting a TRL 5 or 6 solution will fail the eligibility screen regardless of business potential. The mandatory Docker containerization requirement excludes solutions that cannot be deployed as platform-compatible containers; teams without DevOps maturity to deliver containerized AI will not pass Stage 2 integration.

2026 NRF Awards, National Research Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The 2026 National Research Foundation Awards recognize outstanding South African researchers, research teams, and institutions through eight category-specific prizes ranging from ZAR R75,000 (approximately USD $4,100) to ZAR R500,000 (approximately USD $27,000) across lifetime achievement, early-career excellence, transformation in academia, public engagement, team science, and societal impact. The funder logic centers on transformation alongside scientific excellence: dedicated tracks include the Hamilton Naki Award for Black South African researchers overcoming structural or socio-economic barriers, the Champion of Research Capacity Development and Transformation Award for mentors of Black postgraduate students, and the Research Excellence Award stream for early-career and next-generation researchers. Nominations must be submitted through the research offices of NRF-recognized institutions rather than directly by individuals, and self-nominations are not the operating model. NRF rating is not mandatory for nomination. The PhD-student track (Research Excellence Award for Next-Generation Researchers) is restricted to NRF-funded final-year doctoral students at South African public universities.

• Geographies: South Africa. Nominees must be South African citizens or permanent residents affiliated with NRF-recognized institutions (category-specific nationality requirements apply).

• Who can apply: Nominations submitted by NRF-recognized research institutions (universities, national research facilities, science councils) through their research offices via NRF Approved Designated Authorities. Both nominees and nominators must be registered on the NRF Connect System with fully updated CVs. PhD students eligible only in the Research Excellence Award for Next-Generation Researchers category (NRF-funded, full-time, final-year doctoral students at South African public universities).

• Funding amount: Lifetime Achievement Award ZAR R500,000 (approximately USD $27K); Science Team Award ZAR R500,000; NRF Societal Impact Award ZAR R500,000; Champion of Research Capacity Development and Transformation Award ZAR R300,000; Hamilton Naki Award ZAR R200,000; Public Engagement with Research Award ZAR R75,000; Research Excellence Award for Next-Generation Researchers ZAR R75,000; Research Excellence Award for Early Career Researchers ZAR R75,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Education. Focus areas: South African research excellence, transformation in academia, research capacity development, public engagement with research, team science, societal impact.

• Deadline:June 15, 2026.

• Learn more and nominate here.

Category alignment is the load-bearing decision; nominees positioned in the wrong track (for instance, mid-career nominees submitted to the Next-Generation track) face structural disadvantage because each category scoring rubric is calibrated to its eligibility population. Institutions often impose earlier internal deadlines before the June 15 NRF cutoff, so confirm timing with the research office immediately.

AI for Safer Roads Innovation Challenge, Asian Development Bank. *New!* *Closing soon!*

The Asian Development Bank AI for Safer Roads Innovation Challenge, run with the World Bank Development Impact Group, AI for Good, and ITU, is funding teams of 1 to 5 from ADB member countries to develop an AI analytical model that assesses whether posted speed limits align with Safe System principles, identifies road segments exposing vulnerable users to unacceptable risk, and produces a Speed Safety Score with geospatial visualization. The funder logic is evidence-for-policy rather than open AI research: deliverables must address speed limit alignment specifically (not driver behavior), and the top five shortlisted teams refine their visualizations on ADB GIS platform in September 2026 before pitching to a high-level jury in October. Participants receive GPS probe data, road network data, Mapillary street-level imagery, and optional contextual layers after signing a Fair Data Use Agreement. Selected teams receive seed funding (amount not disclosed in source text). Participation is free with no purchase obligation.

• Geographies: Open to participants from all 68 ADB member countries (regional Asia-Pacific members and non-regional members including the US, UK, and EU). Deliverables should demonstrate relevance to local contexts, feasibility for implementation, and potential to scale regionally in Asia-Pacific.

• Who can apply: Teams of 1 to 5 people from ADB member countries (self-formed; no required partnership structure). Target audience includes data scientists, AI specialists, transport engineers, and policy innovators. Individuals and startups both eligible. No organization-type restriction. Free participation; Fair Data Use Agreement required to access datasets.

• Funding amount: Seed Fund awarded to selected solutions (amount not disclosed in source text; verify with ADB at shortlisting). In-kind: GPS probe data, road network data, Mapillary imagery, optional contextual layers, GIS platform refinement, jury pitch slot.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Infrastructure & Urban Development; Innovation & Technology; Governance & Justice. Focus areas: road safety, Safe System principles, AI for development, evidence-for-policy, urban mobility.

• Deadline:June 25, 2026 at 23:59 GMT+8 (deliverable submission).

• Learn more and apply here.

Deliverables that frame the problem as driver speeding behavior (psychology, enforcement) rather than speed limit alignment with Safe System principles will be screened out; ADB has narrowed the problem space to the speed-limit-policy question specifically because that is where the lender clients (government transport agencies) can act on the evidence.

Research Grants in Computer Science and Information Systems FY 2026/2027, Kenya Education Network (KENET). *New!*

This Kenya Education Network call is funding early-career PhD faculty at KENET member institutions in Kenya for research grants of up to KES 2 million (approximately USD $15,500) each across two focus areas: Agentic AI Systems for real-world impact, and Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) for decision support. Two grants are awarded per theme, four in total, over a 12-month period (September 2026 to June 2027). The funder logic centers on prototype-over-paper: proposals must culminate in a functional pilot or prototype rather than a publication, and the AIoT track additionally requires proposals to leverage KENET LoRaWAN sensor network infrastructure and to generate well-curated open raw datasets as a secondary output. Eligibility requires a PhD awarded within the last five years, with prior CSIS grant recipients ineligible. Grantees also receive access to KENET research computing infrastructure (CHPC partner facility, GPU cluster) and free research data storage for the project duration.

• Geographies: Kenya. Applicants must be full-time faculty at KENET member institutions in Kenya. AIoT track requires use of KENET LoRaWAN sensor network infrastructure.

• Who can apply: Full-time faculty in Computer Science and Information Systems at any KENET member institution (universities and research institutions) in Kenya. PhD awarded within the last 5 years. Prior CSIS grant recipients ineligible. PhD from a Kenyan institution may carry added advantage. Multidisciplinary teams encouraged; MSc/PhD students may be team members.

• Funding amount: Up to KES 2 million per grant (approximately USD $15,500). Four grants total (two per theme). Total envelope approximately KES 8 million (approximately USD $62K). In-kind: access to KENET research computing infrastructure (CHPC South Africa partner facility, 24-hour local cloud services, expanded GPU cluster) and free research data storage for project duration.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Education. Focus areas: Agentic AI Systems, Artificial Intelligence of Things, decision support, AI prototypes for real-world impact, Kenya AI research ecosystem.

• Deadline:July 10, 2026 at 17:00 EAT.

• Learn more and apply: email csisgrants@kenet.or.ke (verify direct call page at kenet.or.ke before publishing).

Concept notes must be submitted with no names or institutional affiliation in the body of the 6-page document (blinded review), and shortlisted applicants attend oral presentations between August 1 and 14, 2026; teams without a Kenyan PhD advantage should foreground the prototype path and KENET infrastructure leverage rather than institutional affiliation in the written submission.

Open Call for Science Events and Gatherings, Heising-Simons Foundation. *New!*

The Heising-Simons Foundation Open Call for Science Events and Gatherings is funding in-person, hybrid, or virtual scientific events (meetings, workshops, conferences, symposia, summer schools, research collaboration gatherings) in five named fields: astronomy (including planetary science), cosmology, fundamental physics, climate change science, and efforts to increase the representation and persistence of underrepresented groups in these fields. The funder logic is community infrastructure for physical sciences: grants of USD $20,000 to $80,000 in $10,000 increments (inclusive of indirect costs) support events whose total cost is under USD $500,000, with university indirect cost rates capped at 15 percent of direct costs. Eligibility is restricted to US-based 501(c)(3) organizations and qualifying government entities; non-US entities are explicitly ineligible. Existing Heising-Simons grantees may not have an active grant for the proposed event or have received more than USD $100,000 cumulatively from the Foundation for the event or series in the last four years.

• Geographies: United States (applicant location restriction). Non-US entities explicitly ineligible. Event location restrictions for current cycle should be verified against current-cycle Box PDF (in-person events typically held in the US per prior cycles).

• Who can apply: US-based tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations or federal, state, or local government bodies treated as described in IRC Sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) or 170(c)(1). Existing Heising-Simons grantees must not have an active grant for the proposed event or have received more than USD $100,000 cumulatively from the Foundation for the event or series in the last four years.

• Funding amount: USD $20,000 to $80,000 per grant in $10,000 increments (inclusive of indirect costs). University indirect cost rate capped at 15 percent of total direct costs. Total event cost must be less than USD $500,000.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Climate & Environment. Focus areas: astronomy and planetary science, cosmology, fundamental physics, climate change science, representation and persistence of underrepresented groups in physical sciences.

• Deadline:July 10, 2026 at 14:00 Pacific Time.

• Learn more and apply here.

Events that frame themselves around increasing representation in astronomy, cosmology, fundamental physics, or climate science as a primary objective compete in a distinct evaluation track from events focused on scientific content alone; applicants should align their proposed event explicitly with one of the five named fields rather than positioning it as general-purpose STEM convening.

Moonshot Awards 2026 Idea Award, Moonshot Platform. *New!*

The Moonshot Awards 2026 Idea Award is a competition-based equity-free grant for young people aged 15 to 30 with an idea advancing one or more UN Sustainable Development Goals, supported by a working prototype, plan, or proof of concept. The funder logic is youth-stage equity-free capital with significant in-kind acceleration: USD $10,000 is the cash component, paired with mentorship, a two-year leadership journey, access to Moonshot Camp 2027, and participation in the Awards Ceremony on November 12, 2026 in New York City. The funding-cap exclusion (organizations with USD $250,000 or more in secured funding or investment are ineligible) is the structural filter that keeps the award pre-significant-funding; this is not a Series A bridge but a pre-traction pilot grant. Applicants apply individually or as a team and may also nominate for up to two Thematic Impact Awards (Learning, Health, Art for Humanity, AI for Good, Borderless, Spark) alongside the main Idea Award entry.

• Geographies: Open globally. Funder is US-based (Alexandria, Virginia); applicants and their work may be anywhere worldwide.

• Who can apply: Young people aged 15 to 30 as of July 1, 2026 (eligible birthdates June 30, 1995 to July 1, 2011) with a Moonshot Idea advancing UN SDG fulfillment, supported by working prototype, plan, or proof of concept. Individual or team. Founders, artists, scientists, social advocates holding C-level or leadership roles. Exclusion: organizations with USD $250,000 or more in secured funding. For applicants under 18, prize money may be awarded to legal parent or guardian.

• Funding amount: USD $10,000 equity-free grant (Idea Award cash component). Plus in-kind acceleration: mentorship, two-year leadership journey, Moonshot Camp 2027 access, global community membership, Awards Ceremony participation in New York City on November 12, 2026.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Social Inclusion & Community Wellbeing. UN SDG alignment required across all 17 goals. Thematic Impact Awards: Learning, Health, Art for Humanity, AI for Good, Borderless, Spark.

• Deadline:July 12, 2026 at 23:59 Pacific Time. Note: rolling evaluation may close competition early once sufficient quality applications are received.

• Learn more and apply here.

Applications are evaluated on a rolling basis and the competition may close once a sufficient number of quality applications are received; teams should not wait for the July 12 deadline if the application is ready earlier. Multiple distinct applications per applicant are permitted, so founders with multiple separately-ownable ideas can submit them as separate entries.

AID4SME Open Call 2, AID4SME. *New!*

This AID4SME Open Call 2 (Horizon Europe project) is funding SMEs and start-ups from Horizon Europe associated countries developing combined AI and data-driven solutions for large-scale resource optimization challenges across four industrial domains: data collection (augmented sensing), insights generation (digital twins for product-production, hygiene inspection, energy systems), decision support (machine selection, EV battery work instructions, warehouse logistics), and automation (machine downtime energy management, semi-automated EV battery disassembly, co-bot assembly). Up to 12 projects are selected across 10 defined industrial challenges. Each project receives up to EUR €200,000 (approximately USD $217K) at 70 percent funding rate via lump-sum payments. The funder logic is targeted industrial application rather than open-ended AI research: each application must address exactly one of the 10 defined challenges, with UK and Switzerland explicitly excluded from this call. Selected projects access AID4SME industrial and academic playgrounds, including Arçelik facilities in Turkey and KU Leuven in Belgium.

• Geographies: EU Member States and Horizon Europe associated countries (per EC reference list v3.1). UK and Switzerland explicitly excluded. Industrial and academic playgrounds in Turkey (Arçelik) and Belgium (KU Leuven).

• Who can apply: SMEs and start-ups registered in Horizon Europe associated countries (excluding UK and Switzerland). Single legal entity or consortium of up to two (SME or start-up as lead and sole recipient of financial support). Second partner without financial support may be industry, integrator, research institution, non-profit, or public research center. Maximum one application per eligible entity (research/non-profit institutions exempt).

• Funding amount: Up to EUR €200,000 (approximately USD $217K) per project at 70 percent funding rate (total eligible project cost ceiling approximately EUR €285K). Indicative total envelope EUR €2,350,000 (approximately USD $2.55M) across up to 12 projects. Lump-sum payments: 30 percent at M1, 40 percent at M8, 30 percent at M14. Personnel, purchase, and 25 percent flat-rate indirect costs eligible.

• Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation & Technology; Climate & Environment; Economic Development & Livelihoods. Focus areas: AI and data-driven solutions, industrial resource optimization, manufacturing AI, EV battery, energy management, warehouse logistics, digital twins.

• Deadline:July 15, 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time (CEST).

• Learn more and apply here.

Each application addresses exactly one of the 10 defined challenges, and only the last application from any given entity is considered eligible if multiple are submitted; teams with capability across multiple industrial domains should commit to their strongest single challenge alignment rather than hedge across submissions. The 70 percent funding rate means roughly EUR €285K total project cost capacity per project.

Subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date on the latest funding opportunities for purpose driven organizations!