African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) invites applications for its nine-month, non-residential Leadership Program for Emerging African Women in Agricultural Sciences, building leadership, communication, and networking skills for up to 40 selected women and their mentors. Applicants must be women under 35 working in agricultural sciences, from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, or Zambia. The deadline is 20 September 2026. African Women in Agricultural Sciences
Funding News
Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry
The Garden Club of America (GCA) offers several grants, prizes, and fellowships for students enrolled at universities in the USA, including some awards that have a tropical focus. The GCA Awards in Tropical Botany are open to PhD candidates (application deadline is 15 January); the Loy McCandless Marks Scholarship in Tropical Horticulture is restricted to U.S. citizens who are graduate students or advanced undergraduate students (deadline is 15 January). The Anne Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal Botany is open to PhD students and recent PhD graduates (deadline is 31 January). Applicants should review all programs, criteria, and deadlines. Botany and Horticulture Scholarships
Welthungerhilfe and the Seeding The Future Foundation invite nonprofits, academic institutions, and early-stage for-profit or social enterprises worldwide to submit food-system innovations to the 6th Annual Global Food System Challenge, particularly addressing challenges in the Global South. Three award tiers are available: Seed Grants (US$25,000, up to eight awarded, for early prototypes), Growth Grants (US$100,000, up to three awarded), and Grand Prizes (US$250,000, up to two awarded). Eligible applicants are organizations, not individuals, from any country. Applications open 1 January 2027; the deadline is 15 February 2027. Global Food System Challenge
Biodiversity, Conservation, Wildlife
The British Ecological Society (BES) makes grants to PhD students and postgraduate research assistants to meet the costs of specialist field training courses and to network and publicize their research at workshops and conferences. Applicants must be members of BES. However, there are no restrictions on the nationality or residence of applicants. Grants of up to £500 are available. The application deadline is 08 September 2026. Training & Travel grants
The British Ecological Society (BES) makes small research grants in support of scientific ecological research where there are limited alternative sources of funding. Small projects can be awarded up to £5 thousand. Applicants must be members of BES. However, there are no restrictions on nationality or residence of applicants, or where they carry out their research. The application deadline is 08 September 2026. More about the Research Grants
- Tags: biology, early-career, individuals, research, september2026, worldwide
Primate Conservation, Inc. (PCI) funds field research on rare and endangered primate species in their natural habitat, prioritizing under-studied species and projects involving local citizens from the range country. Grants average US$2,500, with a maximum of US$5,000; PCI does not fund conferences, travel to scientific meetings, tuition, or salaries. Eligible applicants are graduate students, conservationists, and primatologists; current priority regions are Asia and West Africa. Deadlines are 1 February and 20 September each year. Visit Primate Conservation, Inc.
Energy, Climate Change
The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet invites Expressions of Interest for its Universal Access Coalition Financing Facility, supporting solar, mini-grid, and productive-use energy access projects across Latin America and the Caribbean. The Facility offers Technical Assistance grants of US$100 thousand to US$400 thousand and Investment Financing of US$200 thousand to US$750 thousand in grants and concessional loans. Eligible applicants include government agencies, utilities, NGOs, project developers, and private-sector organizations in Phase One’s eight countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Haiti, Peru, and Suriname. The application deadline is 09 September 2026. More
Africa No Filter invites journalists, content creators, podcasters, vloggers, muralists, and data visualizers to apply for its 12-month Voices for Climate Justice program, exploring how climate change, debt, gender, and fossil fuels affect African communities. Selected storytellers receive training, mentorship, and grants of up to US$4,000. Applicants must be aged 18+ and based in Mozambique, Uganda, Nigeria, Angola, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Tanzania, South Sudan, Malawi, or Zambia. The application deadline is 25 September 2026. Climate Justice Storytelling Grants
The CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars program provides funding, skills training, mentorship, and opportunities for research collaboration. CIFAR invites early-career researchers pursuing the most exciting and important research questions across the natural, biomedical and social sciences and the humanities to join an interdisciplinary research program. As part of the program, scholars receive C$100 thousand in unrestricted research support over two years. To be eligible for this program, applicants must hold a PhD (or equivalent) and be within the first five years of starting a full-time research position at an institution of higher education or research. The deadline for applications is 04 November 2026. CIFAR Global Scholars
Water Resources
The Saudi Water Authority invites innovators, researchers, universities, and specialized institutions worldwide to submit water-sector innovations to the Global Prize for Innovation in Water (GPIW), across six categories: desalination, water reclamation, conservation, digital water management, environmental sustainability, and wastewater solutions. Winners receive monetary awards; amounts are not specified on this source. Open to any nationality, at no cost to enter. The deadline is 30 September 2026. Global Prize for Innovation in Water
The Fair Water Action Fund supports civil society organizations, journalists, and researchers in the Global South—especially in Africa—to promote water justice and hold governments and corporations accountable for water security. Grants range from £3,000 to £36,000 for projects up to 12 months that focus on advocacy, community monitoring, investigative reporting, and systemic change. Eligible applicants include grassroots networks, NGOs, academic centers, and independent media. Priority is given to countries facing water scarcity and governance challenges. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Fair Water Action Fund
The National Geographic Society invites proposals under a Request for Proposals for scientific research on ecological dynamics in the Okavango River Basin, spanning Angola, Namibia, and Botswana. National Geographic will hold an informational webinar on 01 September 2026 ahead of the deadline. General eligibility across all Society RFPs requires applicants to be 18 or older, and the Society states a preference for applicants with strong ties to the local context. Applicants may lead only one active proposal at a time, and anyone who previously led a National Geographic Society grant must submit that project’s final report before applying to lead a new one. The deadline is 23 September 2026. Ecological Research
- Tags: Africa, individuals, research, september2026, water
Cross-Cutting
The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) invites applications for admission to four master’s programmes (Data Science and AI, Environmental Technology and Innovation, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Management, and Embedded and Mobile Systems), with a concurrent, fully-funded scholarship covering tuition, flights, a monthly stipend, and other allowances. Applicants must be citizens of an EAC Partner State other than Tanzania, under 35, with a bachelor’s degree. The deadline is 10 September 2026. Link
The NGO Whisperer® Centre For Social Impact announces its Global Fellowship Program. The fellowship program is a six-month virtual leadership program for leaders and founders of non-governmental organizations and social enterprises worldwide. Participants receive online tailored mentorship and leadership coaching as well as online masterclasses. The goal is to build the capacity of professionals who are focused on designing and implementing high-impact programs in low- and middle-income countries. Applications close 15 September 2026. Global Fellowship Program
IUCN and the Global Environment Facility invite proposals from civil society organizations to scale or replicate proven environmental solutions in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific and Oceania, with grants up to US$300 thousand. Applicants must be legally registered CSOs based in a GEF-eligible country, working in one of five priority areas: threatened ecosystems and species, sustainable agriculture and food security, low-carbon energy, chemicals and waste, or sustainable urban solutions. The deadline is 15 September 2026. CSO Challenge