New environmental funding opportunities in January

Community development, protection of endangered species, empowering young people to tackle environmental issues, research, initiatives to contribute to climate change mitigation, and the implementation of climate and energy technology startups are some of the topics for which funding is available in January 2026.

Discover opportunities that can boost conservation and sustainable development!

• Future Conservationist Awards 2026. The main objective of the call for entries for the Future Conservationist Awards 2026 is to fund and support conservationists in the early stages of their careers through grants of up to 15,000 USD and ongoing mentoring, in order to promote projects that protect endangered or data-deficient species according to the IUCN Red List, and that address critical issues such as climate impact, habitat restoration, indigenous community participation, and environmental policy. Closing date: January 9. (Apply here.) 
• Gothenburg Win Win Sustainability Award 2026. The main objective of the MIT Climate and Energy Prize (MIT CEP) is to identify, promote, and reward the most promising climate and energy technology startups led by university students from around the world, providing them with non-dilutive funding, top-level mentoring, and visibility to transform their ideas into viable businesses that contribute to the goal of net-zero emissions. Closing date: January 11. (Apply here.) 
• MIT Energy and Climate Award. The aim of this award is to highlight those actors who are driving real and tangible change by placing inclusion, dignity, and equal opportunities at the heart of their work. This includes both advocates who ensure fair laws and access to resources, and leaders who actively promote women’s leadership in crucial areas such as climate action, economic development, and community building. In doing so, these actors unleash the collective power needed to tackle today’s biggest challenges. Closing date: January 11. (Apply here.) 
• Global grant for raptor research and conservation. HawkWatch International’s Global Raptor Research and Conservation Grant supports projects that address global priorities for raptors. Its vision is to close significant knowledge gaps about the world’s most threatened and least studied raptors, enabling science-based conservation led by local communities dedicated to their protection. Closing date: January 15. (Apply here.) 
• Keeling Curve Prize. The Keeling Curve Prize (KCP), named after the revolutionary Keeling Curve, recognizes and supports innovative climate solutions that seek to reduce the Keeling Curve, thereby decreasing the concentration of atmospheric CO₂ and other greenhouse gases. Our award recognizes projects and initiatives from around the world that are making significant progress in combating climate change, promoting sustainability, and driving decarbonization. Closing date: January 15. (Apply here.) 

• PADI Foundation 2026. The primary goal of the PADI Foundation is to fund research and education projects that deepen scientific knowledge and protection of aquatic environments, focusing on three key areas: understanding and conservation of underwater ecosystems, studying the physics and physiology of recreational diving to improve diver safety, and research into the impact of climate change on coastal and marine ecosystems, with the aim of promoting more sustainable and safer human interaction with the ocean. Closing date: January 15. (Apply here.) 
• Volvo Environment Prize. The Volvo Environment Prize aims to recognize and support scientific achievements of excellence that contribute significantly to environmental management and sustainability, highlighting both the academic impact of research and its relevance to decision-making and public policy formulation. Closing date: January 20.  (Apply here.) 

   

• Update of the Ecosystem Profile for the Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot. Update the Ecosystem Profile (2026) of the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot to guide the five-year investment strategy (2027-2031) of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), prioritizing Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) actions led by civil society in the four countries of the hotspot (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles). Closing date: January 26.  (Apply here.) 
• Conflict Reduction and Economic Performance Improvement Program. The main objective of this second call for proposals for the Conflict Reduction and Economic Performance Improvement Program (ReCIPE) is to fund, with large research grants of up to £100,000, projects that deepen understanding of the links between conflict, economic growth, and public policy, prioritizing multidisciplinary proposals that are relevant to policy in their Focus Countries and aligned with their core research themes, such as climate change, gender, institutions, and peacebuilding. Closing date: January 27.  (Apply here.) 
• Prince Talal International Award. The Prince Talal International Award for Human Development aims to recognize and promote innovative and successful projects that contribute to sustainable development and investment in people, disseminating their experiences to strengthen international cooperation and address factors that limit progress in developing countries, especially those affecting women, children, and vulnerable groups, such as poverty, social exclusion, education, and health. The theme of the current edition of the Award is “Clean and Affordable Energy,” in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with the aim of promoting initiatives that promote universal access to sustainable, safe, and environmentally friendly energy sources. Closing date: January 30. (Apply here.) 
• Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, worth €1 million, helps accelerate proven climate actions that benefit people and the planet. Closing date: January 30.  (Apply here.) 
• Environmental Justice Foundation. The main objective of this call for proposals from the EU-funded Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is to select one or more NGOs or civil society organizations in Latin America to act as regional coordinators for the “Global Toolkit for Participatory Fisheries Governance” project, leading its implementation in between one and three countries in the region (low- or middle-income) with an allocated budget of up to €200,000. Closing date: January 31. (Apply here.) 
• Slingshot Challenge. The goal of the Slingshot Challenge is to encourage young people aged 13 to 18 to propose creative solutions to local environmental problems through 1-minute videos, providing them with specialized mentoring through Solution Design Labs and the opportunity to obtain funding of up to 10,000 USD to implement their ideas, in order to promote their role as agents of change in global conservation. Closing date: February 6. (Apply here.) 

   

• Through Southern Lenses Photography Award. Through Southern Lenses: Science in Focus is an international photography award that highlights the beauty, challenges, and impact of science in the Global South.  This international award celebrates the scientific achievements, challenges, and human stories of the Global South through the power of photography. Closing date: February 15.  (Apply here.) 
• GEO Mountains Small Data Grants 2026-2027 Call for Proposals. Fund projects that improve the availability, quality, and usefulness of data and information on environmental and socioeconomic systems in mountain regions, prioritizing five specific areas: the Andes, Central Asia, East Africa, the South Caucasus, and the Hindu Kush Himalayas. Closing date: February 20.  (Apply here.) 
• Environmental Impact Fund for Climate Intervention. Fund field tests of climate interventions that include significant investments in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), predictive impact modeling, and/or participation of potentially affected stakeholders. Closing date: May 1.  (Apply here.) 
• The Conservation, Food and Health Foundation. The Conservation, Food and Health Foundation is an organization whose main mission is to protect the environment, ensure food security, and improve public health in developing regions of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East. To achieve this goal, the Foundation specializes in financing innovative projects that offer practical solutions to local challenges, strengthen human capital, and develop institutional capacities in three strategic areas: ecosystem conservation, sustainable agriculture, and public health systems. As part of its intervention model, the Foundation prioritizes support for pioneering initiatives through seed funding for applied research, demonstration projects, and training programs, with a special emphasis on proposals located in areas with limited access to financial resources. Its ultimate goal is to serve as a catalyst for these projects to achieve sustainability and scale their impact with support from other investors. Closing date: No deadline. (Apply here.) 
• Reece Foundation Grant. Support local initiatives that help communities in Australia and overseas access clean water, sanitation, or food security through irrigation. Closing date: No deadline. (Apply here.) 
• Rufford Grants Program. This grant program offers grants for nature conservation projects in the developing world. There are five consecutive funding schemes: Rufford Small Grant, 2nd Rufford Small Grant, Booster Grant, 2nd Booster Grant, and Completion Grant. The primary requirement is that the work must be pragmatic in nature and have a substantial and lasting impact on the issue at hand (conservation). There will often be a significant human element in a successful proposal, with community education and participation being very important. The Foundation has a broad scope of interest. In addition to the conservation of animals in their habitat, it also wishes to support conservation work focused on threatened habitats and other organisms such as plants, fungi, or insects. Closing date: No deadline. (Apply here.) 
• Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation. The DRK Foundation funds early-stage social impact organizations that solve the world’s biggest social and environmental problems through innovative and scalable approaches. Closing date: No deadline.  (Apply here.) 

   

• Pure Earth Fund. The Pure Earth Opportunity Fund supports short-term strategic projects that promote common understanding about prevention, interventions, and policies related to lead poisoning. It seeks to be a mechanism for quickly addressing emerging problems or urgent data gaps related to lead poisoning in low- and middle-income countries. Closing date: No deadline. (Apply here.) 

   

• Rainforest Trust Support. The primary objective must be the creation/expansion of a protected or conserved area. (The proposed area must currently be unprotected. You can check here: https://www.protectedplanet.net/en). Closing date: No deadline. (Apply here.)