#FridayFundingFocus, 25 September 2026 – Commonwealth Foundation
Opportunity: Collective Action Grants
The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation established by Commonwealth Heads of Government to strengthen civil society and amplify citizens’ voices in decision-making across member states.
As part of its newly launched 2026–2031 Strategic Plan, the Foundation has expanded its funding framework to introduce the Collective Action Grants. This new stream aims to empower networks, coalitions, alliances, and creative platforms of civil society actors to deliver shared projects that foster constructive engagement with decision-makers.
Applications must focus on one or more of the Foundation’s three core priority themes: climate and environmental justice, economic inclusion, and freedom of expression. These complex challenges often overlap, and applicants are encouraged to explore their intersections. Additionally, proposals must demonstrate a commitment to integrating gender and intersectionality into project design and implementation. The Foundation especially welcomes applications from small states and youth-led organisations.
Eligibility: Open to networks, coalitions, alliances and creative collectives operating in eligible Commonwealth member countries. If an applying network is unregistered, a participating registered civil society organisation must act as the lead applicant on its behalf.
Value: £15,000 to £20,000 per year for up to two years (up to £40,000 total).
Deadline for applications: 26 October 2026 at 13h00 GMT.
More information and to apply: https://commonwealthfoundation.com/grants/annual
For information about other funding opportunities, refer to the African NGO Fundraising Hub’s Grants and Funding section.
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#FridayFundingFocus, 18 September 2026 – Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
Opportunity: CSO Call for Expressions of Project Intention
Agence Française de Développement (AFD) implements France’s international development and climate solidarity policies. Operating globally, it supports and accelerates transitions toward a fairer, more sustainable world by funding civil society projects focused on sustainable development and international solidarity.
This annual funding opportunity is designed to shortlist impactful CSO initiatives for potential co-financing in 2027. It prioritises projects that contribute directly to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a strategic focus on climate and biodiversity, health, education and employment, gender equality, human rights and civic engagement, and sustainable agriculture.
Eligibility:
Open to French CSOs and organisations based in countries eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA) under OECD/DAC guidelines. Priority is given to Least Developed Countries and climate-vulnerable nations.
Locally governed entities must have previously completed a project financed by an AFD Group entity or a French Embassy (annual financing > €100 000).
Value: Total project budgets must generally be greater than or equal to €500 000. The grant operates on a co-financing model, covering up to 90% of the total budget for locally governed CSOs.
Deadline for applications: 9 October 2026 (via the OSCar portal). Only CSOs that already possess or have successfully requested an OSCar platform account can apply.
More information and to apply: https://www.afd.fr/en/calls-for-projects/2026-cso-call-expressions-project-intentions
For information about other funding opportunities, refer to the African NGO Fundraising Hub’s Grants and Funding section.
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#FridayFundingFocus, 11 September 2026 – Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation
Opportunity: Social Impact Funding
Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK) is a global venture philanthropy firm that supports early-stage, high-impact social enterprises. Established in 2002, it finds, funds, and supports exceptional organisations building innovative, scalable, impact-first solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.
DRK primarily supports organisations with the following attributes:
- Problem-first – addressing an urgent or critical social or environmental problem that directly benefits underserved populations.
- Systems-thinking – developing solutions that work within existing systems, leveraging existing stakeholders, infrastructure and incentives to grow their impact.
- Scalable – building solutions that can scale significantly and can grow exponentially over time to directly impact a minimum of 10 000 lives within the next five years, and with ambitions to grow well beyond that.
- Geographically aligned – operating in Africa, Europe, India and the United States.
- Independent entities – structured as independent nonprofit or impact-first, mission-driven for-profit entities.
- Financially sustainable – demonstrating a growable stream of earned income or plans to develop an earned income revenue stream in the immediate future.
- Measurable evidence of impact – developing solutions based on data and clear evidence of what works, and through their pilot(s) have a demonstrated ability to clearly and effectively measure their impact.
Value: Up to US$300 000 in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over three years, plus technical and capacity support.
Deadline for applications: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
More information and to apply: https://www.drkfoundation.org/apply
For information about other funding opportunities, refer to the African NGO Fundraising Hub’s Grants and Funding section.
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#FridayFundingFocus, 4 September 2026 – Global EbA Fund
Opportunity: 8th Call for Proposals for Small-Size Grants
The Global EbA Fund is a catalytic funding mechanism for supporting innovative approaches to Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA). It aims to enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities and ecosystems against the impacts of climate change.
Implemented by IUCN and UNEP, with funding from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, and Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), the Fund helps overcome barriers to upscaling EbA, addresses knowledge gaps, pilots innovative EbA approaches, engages in strategic EbA policy mainstreaming, and incentivises innovative finance mechanisms and private sector EbA investment.
The Fund’s call for proposals for small-size grants invites innovative and catalytic proposals that address systemic barriers for EbA scaling by enhancing institutional and technical capacities, quality data and evidence generation, learning networks, and investment readiness. It aligns with the IKI Strategy up to 2030, specifically its focus on socio-ecological transformation through technologies, business models, or climate-friendly infrastructure.
While the primary geographic focus of this call is on ODA-eligible SIDS and LDCs, applications from other ODA-eligible countries will be considered where the proposal demonstrates exceptional ambition and unique opportunities to scale EbA.
Deadline for applications: 26 October 2026 (submissions via online platform from 28 September 2026)
More information and to apply: https://globalebafund.org/small-size-grants
Additionally, the Fund invites applications for its “Medium-size Grants Call for Proposals.”
For information about other funding opportunities, refer to the African NGO Fundraising Hub’s Grants and Funding section.
