Happy Friday!

We’re back with your weekly excuse to pause, refill your coffee, and dig into some of the most compelling funding opportunities. Whether you're sketching out a new idea or deep in the weeds of proposal writing, this round-up is meant to inspire and inform.

This week’s list covers everything from football for good and climate storytelling to gender equity in STEM and grassroots conservation. I’ve also included a few thought-starters under each listing to help you think critically about design, partnerships, and impact, because good funding isn’t just about ticking boxes, it’s about building work that lasts.

Have a great weekend!

- Jesse

Global

⚽ UEFA Foundation for Children 2025 – Call for Projects

📝 The UEFA Foundation for Children is inviting applications from NGOs and CSOs worldwide for sport-based projects that improve children’s health, education, inclusion, and protection. The Foundation supports initiatives promoting access to sport, personal development, gender equality, environmental education, and child rights. About half of the funding is specifically allocated for projects outside Europe. Grants typically range from €100,000 to €400,000, covering 30–40% of total project costs.

🤔 Thought‑Provoking Questions and Insights

Inclusive Sport: How can football and related sport programs be designed to empower girls, children with disabilities, and youth affected by conflict, while respecting cultural contexts?

Measurable Change: What are the best indicators (physical health, emotional resilience, attendance) to assess the broad impact of sport interventions?

Sustainable Partnerships: In what ways can NGOs collaborate with local governments and football associations to ensure the lasting success of these programs?

🔗UEFA Foundation for Children 2025 – Call for Projects

🎓 SVRI Research Grant: Addressing GBV in Higher Education Institutions (STEM Focus)

📝 The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI), supported by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), invites research proposals addressing gender-based violence (GBV) within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in low- and middle-income countries. The focus is especially on STEM faculties. Grants range from USD 40,000 to 100,000 over 12–24 months. This funding stream prioritizes intersectional, institution-led research aiming to foster safe, inclusive academic environments by influencing policies and culture in science and engineering fields.

🤔 Thought‑Provoking Questions and Insights

Systemic Change: What effective strategies can transform HEI policies and institutional culture to enhance safety and equity for students in STEM?

Intersectional Analysis: How can research capture the nuanced experiences of gender, race, disability, and socio-economic status within academic environments?

Institutional Buy-In: What approaches encourage Higher Education Institutions to actively support and implement research findings for sustained impact?

🔗 SVRI Research Grant: Addressing GBV in Higher Education Institutions (STEM Focus)

📸 Photography 4 Humanity Global Prize 2025

📝 The Photography 4 Humanity Global Prize 2025 invites photographers worldwide to submit compelling images that highlight the human impact of climate change. This competition seeks to showcase the faces and stories of those affected by the escalating climate crisis, emphasizing that climate change is not merely an environmental challenge but a profound human rights issue. Entries should capture individuals—such as climate refugees, the young and elderly, the disabled and injured, the impoverished, Indigenous and island communities, and women—who are bearing the brunt of climate change. Additionally, images of climate champions advocating for change and those helping to mitigate and reverse climate change are welcome.

🤔 Thought‑Provoking Questions and Insights

Visual Storytelling: How can photography powerfully convey the personal narratives of individuals affected by climate change, moving beyond statistics to evoke empathy and action?

Diversity and Representation: In what ways can photographers ensure diverse representation in their work, highlighting the experiences of various communities disproportionately impacted by climate change?

Advocacy Through Art: How can the exhibition of these photographs on platforms like UN.org influence global conversations and policies regarding climate justice?

🔗 Photography 4 Humanity Global Prize 2025

Africa

💪 Strengthening the Women’s Movement in Kigoma

📝 Enabel invites proposals to strengthen the capacity and advocacy power of local women’s rights groups, youth organizations, and disability-focused groups in Tanzania’s Kigoma region. The program targets gender-responsive policies in secondary education access, economic opportunities, sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), violence prevention, and digital innovation. Grants totaling €180,000–200,000 will support projects over 24–26 months.

🤔 Thought‑Provoking Questions and Insights

Advocacy & Influence: What strategies can effectively shape local and national policies to enhance girls’ education and economic empowerment?

Movement Building: Which activities—media camps, youth leadership training, coalition networks—best amplify public awareness and support for women’s rights in Kigoma?

Inclusive Design: How can advocacy holistically integrate SRHR, disability inclusion, economic empowerment, and digital innovation to maximize impact?

🔗 Strengthening the Women’s Movement in Kigoma

⚡ Climate Policy & Governance and Clean Energy (UK PACT)

📝 The UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) programme invites proposals supporting climate policy, governance, and clean energy initiatives in South Africa. Focused on technical assistance and capacity building, this call aims to accelerate a just energy transition in line with national priorities and global frameworks, including the Just Energy Transition Partnership. The opportunity targets provincial and municipal government engagement.

🤔 Thought‑Provoking Questions and Insights

Policy & Planning: How can UK PACT effectively support the implementation of South Africa’s Climate Change Act (2024) at provincial levels?

Just Transition: What measures can balance the coal phase-out while scaling up renewables, such as grid modernization and workforce reskilling?

Local Ownership: How can municipalities be empowered to design and implement clean energy and climate strategies suited to their unique regional contexts?

🔗 Climate Policy & Governance and Clean Energy (UK PACT)

🌍 Adolescents Thrive: African Adolescents Bolstered through Local Evidence (AABLE)

📝 The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) invites proposals for implementation research focused on adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) across 13 African countries. Each grant offers up to CAD 692,000 to support projects lasting up to 30 months. The initiative emphasizes gender-responsive, evidence-based solutions addressing service delivery, policy, health management information systems (HMIS), and digital health.

🤔 Thought‑Provoking Questions and Insights

Locally Relevant Research: Which service delivery models best engage adolescents when co-designed with local health systems and communities?

Gender Equity Lens: How can research identify and transform harmful gender norms affecting adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes?

Data Mobilization: What opportunities do digital health tools and HMIS present for scaling and improving adolescent health services?

🔗 Adolescents Thrive: African Adolescents Bolstered through Local Evidence (AABLE)

Asia-Pacific

🐘 WCT‑BEES Grants Programme 2025 – Biodiversity & Endangered Species in India

📝 The Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) has launched its Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Endangered Species (BEES) small grants programme to support conservation research and grassroots initiatives across India. Funding ranges from ₹350,000 to ₹400,000 (~USD 4,200–4,800) per project. The programme offers two types of grants:

• Wildlife Research Small Grant for studies on endangered species and habitats
  
  
• Grassroots Conservation Small Grant for community-driven conservation actions
  
  

WCT prioritizes high-impact fieldwork lasting up to 10 months. Applications are open to Indian citizens and organizations, with a deadline of 10 August 2025.

🤔 Thought‑Provoking Questions and Insights

Grassroots Science: How can small grants be leveraged to ensure tangible conservation impact at the community level?

Community-Research Balance: What approaches best integrate rigorous ecological research with meaningful local engagement?

Sustainability: How can projects maintain momentum and impact beyond the grant's 10-month timeframe?

🔗 WCT‑BEES Grants Programme 2025 – Biodiversity & Endangered Species in India

🔬 Young Innovators STEM Lab: Empowering Future Partners to the USA

📝 The U.S. Department of State’s Embassy in New Delhi, in partnership with the U.S.–India COMPACT, invites proposals to implement a Young Innovators STEM Lab for Indian students aged 13–21. This one-year, technology-driven experiential learning program aligns with U.S. educational models and encourages participants to pursue further studies or collaborations with U.S. institutions and companies. A single award of USD 125,000 is available.

🤔 Thought‑Provoking Questions and Insights

Cross-border STEM Learning: How can the program effectively integrate U.S. experiential teaching methods with India’s diverse student learning cultures?

Youth Engagement: Which STEM project themes will most inspire and engage teens aged 13–21 across India?

Sustainability & Partnerships: What strategies can build lasting alumni networks to sustain U.S.–India STEM collaborations beyond the first year?

🔗 Young Innovators STEM Lab: Empowering Future Partners to the USA

🌫️ Scheme for R&D Projects: Prevention, Control & Abatement of Air Pollution

📝 India’s Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invites R&D proposals aimed at tackling air pollution in the Delhi–NCR region. Eligible applicants include academic institutions, NGOs, pollution control boards, and scientific organizations. The initiative focuses on innovative technologies, interventions, or frameworks that reduce emissions and improve urban air quality. Proposals must be submitted by 31 July 2025.

🤔 Thought‑Provoking Questions and Insights

Innovation with Impact: What novel, scalable air-quality solutions can be tailored for dense, heavily polluted urban areas like Delhi–NCR?

Policy Levers: How can R&D projects support and inform air-quality legislation, real-time monitoring, and effective enforcement?

Local Adaptation: Which community-sensitive technologies, such as low-cost sensors and emission controls, are best suited to mixed industrial-residential zones?

🔗 Scheme for R&D Projects: Prevention, Control & Abatement of Air Pollution

🌸 JFPP Small Grant Program – Japan Foundation, Phnom Penh Liaison Office

📝 The Japan Foundation Phnom Penh (JFPP) invites collaborative projects between Cambodia-based organizations—including research institutes, NGOs, galleries, and museums—and Japanese partners. Grants provide up to USD 2,500, with funding requests reviewed by a committee. The deadline for submissions is 10 August 2025. Funded projects promote cultural exchange, intellectual dialogue, and joint programming between Japan and Cambodia.

🤔 Thought‑Provoking Questions and Insights

Cultural Exchange: How can collaborations be designed to create mutual benefits for both Cambodian and Japanese participants?

Sustainable Partnerships: What practices help sustain long-term partnerships beyond the initial grant period?

Inclusive Dialogue: How can programs ensure active involvement of diverse voices, including rural communities, youth, and underrepresented groups?

🔗 JFPP Small Grant Program – Japan Foundation, Phnom Penh Liaison Office