IUCN is pleased to announce the kick-off of the GEF SGP CSO Challenge Program, a new pilot program of the GEF Small Grants Program – developed and approved by GEF in Dec 2025. The Program will be coordinated by the IUCN Secretariat.
The overall objective is to recognize and support innovative environmental solutions from civil society organizations and actors, including from youth, women and indigenous peoples.
The program will do this by establishing a competitive, global, and inclusive call for proposals open to CSOs working across the 5 GEF SGP strategic areas:
- Sustainable agriculture and fisheries, and food security
- Chemicals and waste management (including plastic pollution)
- Community-based management of threatened ecosystems and species
- Low-carbon energy access
- Sustainable urban solutions
Winning CSOs will be supported with direct grants of up to USD 300,000, as well as supports for capacity building and other technical support, and extensive support for knowledge exchange, knowledge generation, and awareness raising.
Calls for proposals
- There will be 4 Regional calls for proposals targeting the following regions:
- Eastern Europe, Caucasus & Central Asia (EECCA) – launched at the upcoming GEF Assembly in Uzbekistan
- 1 Jun 2026 – Call for proposals opens
- 8 Jun 2026 – Informational webinar for prospective applicants
- 16 Jun 2026 – Deadline to submit concept notes
- 21 Jul 2026 – Finalists notified, full proposals invited
- 21 Aug 2026 – Deadline to submit full proposals
- 7 Sep 2026 – Winners and finalists notified
- Africa
- Tentative launch: 1 Jul 2026
- Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC)
- Tentative launch: 1 August 2026
- Asia-Pacific
- Tentative launch: 1 Sep 2026
- A minimum of 24 CSOs will be supported through the current funding envelope, with approximately 6 winners and 6 finalists from each call, and we are working to raise additional co-funding to hopefully expand the number of CSOs that can be supported.