The MIT Climate CoLab organizes contests to invite the best ideas from around the world to prevent and adapt to climate change. A recently launched contest (“Anticipating Climate Hazards”) calls for ideas on how vulnerable communities can best prepare for climate-related hazards, and for new tools that can be used to incentivize early action. The Judges’ Choice Winner will receive an expenses-paid trip to present its winning proposal to the A2R Leadership Group of key global actors in building climate resilience. The contest deadline is 10 February 2017. Link
all regions
Wageningen University — Course in Landscape Governance
The Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation, in partnership with CIFOR and ICRAF, invites participants for an international course on landscape governance. The focus is institutional development at the landscape level — including multi-stakeholder platforms and networks, and financial support mechanisms. The course is open to experienced professionals with several years of experience in natural resources management, forestry, agriculture, rural development, rural livelihoods, sustainable development, or other relevant areas. The course will be held in English on the CIFOR-ICRAF campus in Bogor (Indonesia), April 2017. The deadline to apply for course scholarships through the Netherlands Fellowship Program (NFP) is 18 October 2016. Link
World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) — Prince Bernhard Scholarships for Nature Conservation 2017
WWF supports professional training and formal studies of individuals working in disciplines directly relevant to nature conservation. Eligibility extends to mid-career nationals from Africa; Asia and Pacific; Latin America and Caribbean; Eastern Europe; and the Middle East. The maximum grant is CHF 10 thousand for studies or training lasting one year or less. The deadline for applications (English, French, Spanish) is 06 January 2017. Link
Peace Direct — Awards for Environmental Peace Building
The program Tomorrow’s Peacebuilders makes awards to recognize the achievements of grassroots peace activists. The categories for the awards include one for environmental peacebuilding. Tomorrow’s Peacebuilders will offer US$10 thousand to the winning organization in each category, plus promotional opportunities. There is no geographical restriction on applications. Applicants for the awards should be local independent organizations. Peace Direct prefers applications submitted in English, but it will also accept applications in French and Spanish. The deadline for applications is 10 October 2016. Link
UK Research Councils — Building Research Capacity to Address Development Challenges
The Global Challenges Research Fund invites applications to grow research capability in the UK to meet the challenges faced by developing countries. Examples of thematic areas include sustainable agriculture; clean air, water, and sanitation; renewable energy and materials; addressing environmental shocks and long-term environmental changes; and others. Partnership building between UK research organisations and partners in developing countries is an essential part of this call. Awards will range from £2 million to £8 million over four years. The deadline for registering intentions to submit is 25 October 2016. Link
The DO School — Apprenticeship Challenge
The DO School sponsors and funds the Entrepreneurship for Good Program to build the capacity of social entrepreneurs in strategies and methods of promoting on-the-job learning, e.g., apprenticeships. The Apprenticeship Challenge will accept 20 individuals for a 10-week incubation phase in Brazil, followed by 10 months of implementation in the participants’ home countries. Applications are invited from talented young adults worldwide regardless of their socioeconomic or educational backgrounds whose interests may include green economy, sustainability, international development, etc. The course is subsidized; financial support is offered in relation to the specific needs of each applicant. The application deadline is 15 September 2016. Link
Cooper Ornithological Society — Mewaldt-King Grants
The Society makes several categories of grants, including the Mewaldt-King grants for research in ornithology and avian biology by university graduate students of any nationality in any country. Many past grants have supported research in tropical regions. Grants are US$1 thousand. The application deadline is 15 January of each year. Link
French Institute for Development Research (IRD) — Video Contest on Development Topics 2016
France’s IRD invites short audiovisual presentations related to the topics of its research in the developing countries of the global South. The contest (“Plein Sud sur la Recherche”) is open to persons ages 18-28 as individuals or in groups. The winner will receive €3 thousand and technical and administrative assistance to engage in post-production opportunities. The application deadline is 15 September 2016. Link
Securing Water for Food — SWFF Grants, Round 4
The Securing Water for Food Grand Challenge for Development (SWFF) is a collaborative initiative among the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Swedish International Development Agency, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Government of South Africa. The current call for proposals focuses on improving water efficiency and reusing agricultural wastewater; effective water capture and storage systems for extending temporal availability of water supply; and management of salinity in water supplies. Awardees will receive between US$100 thousand and US$2 million in funding and acceleration support to bring their innovations to scale. The deadline for applications is 10 October 2016. Link
UK Natural Environment Research Council — Building Resilience to Environmental Hazards
The NERC in coordination with other UK research councils calls for inter-disciplinary research on resilience to natural and man-made environmental hazards in the developing world. The focus is on how to build resilience in relation to both sudden and slow-onset environmental hazards (e.g., land degradation, deforestation, drought, hurricanes, and climate change). The lead applicant must be a UK research organization eligible for funding through NERC. Co-investigators can be researchers in low and middle-income countries, as well as researchers in international research organizations. Awards are expected not to exceed £200 thousand for projects ranging from 3-9 months, and exceptionally up to 12 months. The deadline for submitting proposals is 06 September 2016. Link