Updated and checked: 9 September 2026. Five grant programmes below have future September deadlines on their official issuing pages. The previous CEPF listing is retained separately because its advertised deadline has passed.

Eligibility differs by country, institution and partnership structure. Use this shortlist to screen your fit, then read the complete official call. For additional research awards, country-led funding and repayable finance, visit ATI’s Funding Opportunity Finder.

Current grants and funding opportunities in Africa

1. GEF SGP CSO Challenge Program: Environmental Solutions

Funder: Global Environment Facility and IUCN
Funding: Up to US$300,000 per organisation
Deadline: 15 September 2026 at 23:59 UTC
Project duration: Up to 24 months

For legally registered CSOs in eligible GEF recipient countries seeking to scale or replicate existing environmental work. Applicants need legal status and an organisational bank account. Both the organisation and proposed work must be in a GEF recipient country. Women, youth and Indigenous Peoples and local communities are especially encouraged to participate; this is funding to scale existing environmental work.

Review eligibility and apply through the official GEF SGP CSO Challenge website.

2. WHO AFRO/TDR Impact Grants for Implementation Research

Funder: WHO Regional Office for Africa and TDR
Funding: Up to US$15,000 per grant
Deadline: 15 September 2026 at 17:00 CEST
Study duration: Maximum 12 months

Eligibility and geography: The principal investigator and most team members must be based at institutions in the WHO African Region, including NGOs, and conduct the study in that region. Operational or implementation-research experience, a programme-manager acknowledgement and relevant authorisation are required. Funding depends on ethics approval. Studies must finish by the end of 2027.

Health/WASH fit: Priorities include WASH integration into primary health care, climate-sensitive disease responses, community systems and One Health. This funds implementation research, not a general service-delivery or construction grant. Qualified women and early-career researchers are encouraged.

Timing note: the official header says 17:00 CEST, while its application section says CET. Confirm in eTDR and submit early. This is a fixed deadline, not rolling.

Read the official WHO call and application instructions.

3. STISA 2034 Multilateral Research Call

Programme: Science Granting Councils Initiative
Funding envelope: US$12 million
Expression-of-interest deadline: 25 September 2026 at 23:59 EDT
Project duration: Up to 36 months

The call supports African-led, multi-country research consortia aligned with the African Union’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034. Applications must involve at least three institutions from eligible SGCI countries, with up to five co-applicant institutions from five countries. Country eligibility, thematic streams and grant caps vary.

NGO participation: Unless a country annex says otherwise, lead/co-applicant institutions are universities or public/government research organisations. NGOs may participate under an eligible institution; they should not assume they can lead. Each principal investigator needs full-time employment at the applicant institution. Review the official IDRC call and country annexes. The US$12 million figure is the overall envelope, not an individual award.

Check country eligibility, find partners and access the official STISA call.

4. Connect & Create 2027: Africa–Europe Cultural Partnerships

Funder: European Union
Support: Up to 70% of eligible project costs
Deadline: 30 September 2026 at 23:59 Paris time

Two calls are available: one supports the circulation of performing arts and music, while the other supports professional mobility for cultural delegations attending major international events. Eligible applicants include organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa and the European Union.

Applicants should confirm the required partnership structure, eligible costs and co-financing arrangements in the full call documents.

Open the official EU announcement and application information.

5. ECMWF SEWA Grants: Strengthening Early Warning in Africa

Funder: European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
Focus: Regional pilots for impact-based forecasting tools and services
Deadline: 30 September 2026 at 14:00 CEST

The Strengthening Early Warning in Africa programme has regional calls for Western, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. The grants support pilots that improve impact-based forecasting and early-warning services.

Funding: Up to €1.25 million per grant; four awards are envisaged within a €5 million envelope, for 24-month projects. Required consortium: an eligible European legal entity, the relevant Regional Climate Centre (AGRHYMET, CAPC-AC, ICPAC or SADC-CSC), and ACMAD. All participants must meet Schedule 1 eligibility. A standalone NGO cannot meet this consortium requirement. The relevant RCC must receive at least 20% of the requested budget and ACMAD at least 5%. The coordinator submits through the official portal. Clarification requests close 16 September 2026.

Access the official ECMWF SEWA calls and submission instructions.

Find the right funding route for your organisation

For women’s rights organisations, see the UAF-Africa funding guide. For small community initiatives, check the hub’s rolling opportunities. Climate and ESG teams should match a call’s actual environmental outcomes and applicant rules; an ESG label alone does not establish eligibility. All five calls above have fixed closing dates.

How to choose which grant to pursue

Do not choose a call only because its funding ceiling is attractive. First test organisational eligibility, geographic coverage, thematic alignment, required partnerships, co-financing, project duration and evidence requirements. A smaller, well-aligned opportunity is usually a better investment than a large call that requires your organisation to stretch beyond its mandate.

Create a short bid/no-bid note for management. Summarise the donor, deadline, award size, strategic fit, expected impact, required partners, estimated preparation effort and major compliance risks. Record who authorised the decision to proceed.

Use ATI’s NGO funding calendar to record deadlines, owners and verification dates, then prepare a project logframe that connects your activities to measurable results.

Application preparation checklist

• Download and read the complete official call and all annexes.
• Confirm the legal status, country and organisational eligibility rules.
• Check whether a consortium, co-financing or endorsement letter is mandatory.
• Develop a clear problem statement supported by current evidence.
• Connect activities, outputs, outcomes, indicators and budget lines.
• Assign responsibility for narrative, budget, safeguards and final quality review.
• Submit before the deadline and retain the portal receipt or confirmation email.

Build stronger funding systems

A competitive proposal needs more than persuasive writing. It requires a feasible results framework, realistic budget, risk controls, partner due diligence and a plan for monitoring and learning. ATI’s Proposal Writing and Fundraising Training Workshop helps teams build these capabilities, while the Grants Management Training Workshop focuses on compliant implementation after an award.

Important funding notice

Funding calls can be amended, extended or closed by the issuing organisation. Africa Training Institute does not administer these grants, charge application fees or guarantee selection. Always use the official links above to confirm the current deadline, eligibility rules and submission channel.

Previous call: advertised deadline has passed

This entry is retained for reference and is excluded from the current shortlist. Its published deadline was 31 August 2026. Check the funder for any new or separately reopened call.

Previous listing — CEPF Small Grants for the Guinean Forests of West Africa

Funder: Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
Funding: Up to US$50,000
Deadline: 31 August 2026 at 23:59 UTC

This call supports conservation work in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and São Tomé and Príncipe. Eligible applicants include NGOs, community groups, private enterprises, independent public institutions and other civil-society organisations.

Applicants must use the official Letter of Inquiry template and follow the required submission format. English, French, Portuguese and Spanish applications are accepted.

Review the current official CEPF calls and application documents.