The CIVICUS Nelson Mandela-Graça Machel Innovation Awards shed a light on the importance of people power and civil society activism in creating a more just, inclusive and sustainable world. The Awards will recognize seven individuals, groups or organizations that stand out for their innovative work building people power in support of human rights and social justice for everyone. Each winning initiative will receive a US$5 thousand prize. The Awards are open to any individual, organization or group in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Pacific. Deadline to submit the online application form is 20 September 2021. Innovation Awards
fisheries
U.S. African Development Foundation — Mandela Washington Fellows Program
The Mandela Washington Fellows Program provides up to US$25 thousand in funding to African-owned, sustainable social ventures. Venture must be based in and operate in Sub-Saharan Africa. Applicants have to demonstrate how the venture will improve and change the communities in which the grants are implemented. Applications are open until 21 September 2021. More info here
Aspen Institute — New Voices Fellowship 2022
The New Voices Fellowship is a year-long program that provides intensive media and advocacy training for top development professionals in the developing world. The Aspen Institute aims to select 15-20 Fellows who will write opinion articles, participate in interviews with local and international media, and speak at international conferences. Subject areas of interest include food security, climate change, and other themes. For the 2022 class, Aspen will give special consideration to Fellows whose work focuses on COVID-19 relief, vaccine development, and pandemic resiliency. Applications are welcome from all developing countries. The program provides funds to participate in media-related activities and conferences. The application deadline is 20 October 2021. Find the nomination form
United States Agency for International Development — Resilience of Community Conservancies Kenya
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) seeks concept papers from qualified entities to implement the Scaling Sustainability and Resilience of Community Conservancies and Coastal Ecosystems of Kenya program. The goal of this activity is to improve the resilience of vulnerable populations and environments by increasing the capability of local communities to mitigate against recurrent environmental, economic, socio and political risks. USAID intends to provide US$9.8 million to prevent the loss of biodiversity, up to US$2.5 million for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and US$2 million for Feed the Future activities. Eligibility extends to non-profit and for-profit organizations. The closing date for applications is 13 September 2021. Resilience of Community Conservancies
Caribbean Policy Development Centre — Sustainable Livelihoods in Vulnerable Communities
The Caribbean Policy Development Centre seeks partners to implement a project to strengthen the enabling environment for Caribbean NGOs to provide essential developmental services to vulnerable communities by improving access to resources and increasing institutional capacity building opportunities post-COVID 19. Applicants are encouraged to include specific activities in their actions to increase livelihood opportunities for vulnerable groups in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Grant requests must fall between US$10 thousand and US$12 thousand. To be eligible, the applicant must be non-profit-making and be a legally registered and established organization in the Caribbean States: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and Grenadines. The deadline for submitting applications is 23 September 2021. Link
European Commission — Food Security and Economic Empowerment of Women
The European Commission seeks to strengthen food security and the economic empowerment of women in Vanuatu through the adoption of green growth and the promotion of sustainable food systems. The priorities of this call for proposals are local innovative initiatives that create an enabling environment for smallholder farmers, agriculture diversification, and reducing CO2 emission and/or promoting carbon sequestration. Grants range from €500 thousand to €1.2 million. Eligibility extends to non-profit organizations established in a Member State of the European Union or Vanuatu. The application deadline is 11 October 2021. Details
U.S. Department of Labor — Decent Work in the Fishing Sector
The U.S. Department of Labor announces the availability of approximately US$5 million to fund one technical assistance project in South America to strengthen decent work in the fishing sector. The duration of the project will be a maximum of 4.5 years (54 months). The following organizations are eligible to apply: Nonprofits, Institutions of Higher Education, For-Profit Organizations, and Non-US Entities. The closing date for applications is 30 September 2021. Link
African Women’s Development Fund — Grants for Women’s Organizations
The African Women’s Development Fund supports organizations working towards the empowerment of African women and the achievement of gender equality on the continent. The six thematic areas include one on economic empowerment and livelihoods related to food security, agriculture, climate change, and other issues. The program makes grants to local, national, sub-regional, and regional women’s organizations in Africa and the following Middle East Countries: Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Yemen. Grants range from US$8 thousand to US$50 thousand. The closing date for applications is 11 August 2021. More
United States Agency for International Development — Resilience of Coastal Communities and Ecosystems
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) to co-create, co-design, co-invest, and collaborate to pilot new and innovative approaches that provide actionable solutions to improve the resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems in Mozambique. USAID envisions to fund solutions building sustainable food and fisheries systems, and building climate resilient, diversified, and economically viable livelihoods. Please note that the resources made available under this call will depend on the concepts received. Some award types may not include any funding. Eligibility extends to public, private, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations, as well as institutions of higher education, public international organizations, non-governmental organizations, U.S. and non-U.S. government organizations. The closing date for applications is 30 August 2021. Know more
Unleash — Incubation Program for Entrepreneurs
UNLEASH Plus is a global 6-month incubation program for entrepreneurs working on social or environmental challenges, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The program provides teams with the right skills, mindsets, and resources to test and launch their solutions, and design them for large-scale impact. Teams will explore real-life challenges within the SDG themes, before defining specific problems and coming up with solutions. The top teams will present their solutions to investors and experts. The program is open to all youth entrepreneurs looking to advance solutions that address the SDGs. The application deadline is 25 July 2021. UNLEASH Plus