The Terra Viva Grants Directory brings free funding information to the developing world. Please consider making a donation to support our operations.

The Terra Viva Grants Directory develops and manages information about grants for agriculture, energy, environment, and natural resources in the world's developing countries.

Shell International — Energy, Water and Food Challenge

The Shell Ideas360 competition invites students from all around the world to develop ideas to tackle the pressures on the world’s Food, Water and Energy resources. The theme of the competition is “People & Planet – the Energy, Water and Food Challenge”. It is open to students currently studying as a full time bachelor’s or master’s student at a recognized university. The finalist teams will be assigned a Shell Mentor to help them develop their ideas and fly to Make the Future, London (in July 2018). The winning team will win a National Geographic Adventure. Submission deadline for ideas is 19 January 2018. Interested in submitting your idea?

World Academy of Sciences — Visiting Experts Program

The Elsevier Foundation and the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) are partners in the Visiting Expert Program in sustainability science. The program supports visits of distinguished scientists to institutions in developing countries, with a focus on 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Host institutions in eligible countries can invite distinguished scientists to collaborate in research and training. The visit should provide a minimum stay of two weeks at the host institution. Institutions wishing to be considered for this program should submit the request form before 01 March 2018. Be a Visiting Expert

Overseas Development Institute — Fellowships 2018-2019

The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) is an independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues. The ODI Fellowship Scheme appoints highly qualified postgraduate economists and statisticians through a competitive selection process. The fellowship scheme is open to candidates of all nationalities who have a master’s degree or PhD in economics, statistics or a related field. Suitable specialised qualifications at postgraduate level include agricultural economics, and environmental economics, among others. The total support per fellow amounts to approximately £21 thousand in the first year of the fellowship and £23 thousand in the second year. The deadline for applications is 1 December 2017. About the Fellowship Scheme

Belgium’s University Commission for Development — Student Micro-Projects 2018

The student micro-project program offers students in the Wallonia region of Belgium the opportunity to set up a project in partnership with students from a developing country. Topic areas may include water resources, female empowerment, and several others. The ARES program offers financial support of up to € 15 thousand per micro-project. The deadline for applications is 08 December 2017. Link

Belgium’s University Commission for Development — Student Outreach Projects 2018

The student outreach program offers students in the Wallonia region of Belgium the opportunity to raise awareness and organize activities related to development aid issues. The ARES program offers financial support between € 1,500 – 4,500 per outreach project. Past projects include the organization of an ‘awareness day around the theme of agribusiness’ and a ‘sensitization day for graduates on socio-environmental conflicts and management of natural resources in Peru’. The deadline for applications is 08 December 2017. Link

Grassroots Justice Prize — Legal Empowerment for Communities

The Grassroots Justice Prize recognizes grassroots institutions across the globe that are working to put the power of law into people’s hands. Three awards, each of US$10 thousand, are available to non-profit organizations, social enterprises, and public institutions that focus on legal empowerment to tackle poverty, injustice, or other social problems. (Note: These problems may include subject areas in the Terra Viva Grants Directory). The deadline to nominate an organization is 10 November 2017; the deadline for applications is 24 November 2017. Link

UN Environment and Think Beyond Plastic — Marine Plastics Innovation Challenge

UN Environment in collaboration with Think Beyond Plastic invites university students from all over the globe to take part in the 2017 Marine Plastic Innovation Challenge. The challenge seeks solution-oriented engineering, research and communication projects that can help solve the global marine litter problem. The innovation challenge is organized around four themes: (1) Design and Engineering, (2) Communication, (3) Prediction and Recovery, and (4) Economics. The winners will be invited to the Sixth International Marine Debris Conference in San Diego, USA, on 12 – 16 March 2018 and receive professional mentoring. Deadline for submissions is 20 November 2017. More about the Challenge

Hague Academy for Local Governance — Talent Programme 2018

Talent for Governance supports young talents from developing countries by providing knowledge exchange and training. Topics may include management of waste or water, local economic development, climate change, and others. The selected talents follow international training in The Hague and an internship in a Dutch municipality. Applicants must work for a local government (not an NGO or private enterprise). Application deadline is 01 December 2017. Interested?

Global Sustainability Fellows Program — Fellows 2018

The GSF Program invites applicants to participate in the 2018 curriculum focused on sustainability, systems thinking, and community development. The accepted fellows will receive remote orientation before participating in a multi-week session at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Israel during June-July 2018. Preference will be given to applicants who are entering, currently enrolled, or recently graduated from an accredited graduate-level program. However, the program is open to other highly-skilled individuals with unique life experiences or backgrounds, and it encourages applications from under-represented countries and communities. GSF covers the costs of the program, not including airfare to and from Israel — although some travel scholarships may be available. The application deadline is 04 December 2017. Learn more

African Innovation Fund — Innovation Prize for Africa 2018

The Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) honors and encourages innovative achievements that contribute toward developing new products, increasing efficiency, or saving cost in Africa. Priority areas for the IPA include agriculture and agribusiness; environment, energy, and water; and others. The competition is open to African entrepreneurs, academics, and inventors — and to Africans in the Diaspora if their innovations are of significance for Africa. Prizes are US$100 thousand for the winner, plus two other prizes of US$25 thousand each. Additionally, finalists will receive a voucher for US$5 thousand in post-prize technical support to assist in moving their innovations to the next step. The deadline for applications is 10 January 2018. Link