Best Climate Change Grants in Europe

Common Waters: Strengthening Community-based Coastal and Riverine Stewardship

Opportunity Overview

Projects supported by this RFP must be community-based stewardship initiatives (including but not limited to stewardship driven by Indigenous and descendant communities); they should be led by an individual with a strong connection to and/or an existing track record of work in the community(ies) where the project will take place, or by a member of the community themselves, and be designed in response to community needs. Projects can focus on a wide range of specific issues, including (but not limited to) local conservation and ecosystem restoration, climate change adaptation and resilience, or sustainable fishing/agriculture. The RFP will prioritize projects in National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions destinations, including the Arctic, Asia, Baja California, Costa Rica and Panama, Europe and the Mediterranean, Patagonia, the Peruvian Amazon, the Pacific Northwest, Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, the South Pacific, and the United Kingdom and Ireland. For more detailed information on targeted areas within these regions, please refer to the targeted areas document.

Pulitzer Center

The Pulitzer Center has a bold vision: to be the venue for the world’s most innovative and consequential reporting, with journalism as the key element for mobilizing society through audience engagement strategies.

Founded in 2006 by Jon Sawyer, the Center is an essential source of support for enterprise reporting in the United States and across the globe. The thousands of journalists and educators who are part of our networks span more than 80 countries. Our work reaches tens of millions of people each year through our news-media partners and an audience-centered strategy of global and regional engagement.

Africa - Impact Seed Fund

Themes:

• Climate & Labor
• Rainforest
• Transparency and Governance
• Ocean

The Impact Seed Funding (ISF) is a micro-scale education grant that aims to support a range of education activities that can enrich the perspectives and knowledge on the socio-ecological challenges, solutions, and innovation about issues of rainforest, oceans, climate and labor crisis impact to the university/school community, specifically students and educators.

The main objective of the grant is to cultivate more curious, informed, empathetic communities on the underreported issues of Oceans and Climate change. Ultimately it aims to inspire change of perspectives, narratives, and actions amongst the communities. The Africa ISF projects will put the Pulitzer Center’s Climate & Labor, Rainforest, Transparency and Governance as well as Oceans Reporting Network (ORN) stories at the center of its engagement and activities. 

The Africa ISF will provide micro-scale grants to:

• Initiate new collaborations or develop existing collaborations among teachers, researchers, students, and journalists;
• Increase engagement between education communities, journalists, and local communities;
• Stimulate the use of creative visuals (e.g., comics, animated videos, photos, short videos, documentary, podcasts), data visuals and information from the reportages in teaching materials, student activities, curriculum and class materials, or scientific publications;
• Stimulate the introduction and promotion of DEI friendly tools in teaching materials, student activities, curriculum and scientific publications. (DEI = Diversity, Equity and Inclusion). Gender equality and Handicap issues among young students to be prioritized.
• Facilitate the adoption of featured findings in the reportages to relevant research and other scientific products.

Requirements

• The project must center around the stories reported by the Rainforest Grantees and Fellows or Climate & Labor grantees;
• The activity must showcase an intended impact towards the audience of the academic/school community (students or Fellow lecturers/researchers), or civil society;
• The project must be implemented in consultation with the relevant Pulitzer Center’s grantees or Fellows;
• The project must demonstrate a strong Diversity, Equity and Inclusion approach;
• Applicants must deliver financial and narrative reports at the end of the grant period, detailing costs and results. 

Type of Activities

Examples of successful ISF grant activities and outputs may include, but are not limited to:

Student Engagement:

• Insertion in teaching materials, on-campus debates, social issues hackathons, student-led debates and dialogues
• Visuals production and dissemination (short videos, documentary, podcast, content);
• On-campus mini exhibition
• Journalism workshop for student press clubs

Mobility/local Community Engagement:

• Knowledge exchange activities, student visits, biodiversity expeditions, citizen journalism 

Support for Research Activities:

• Data adoption to improve ongoing research accuracy, insertion of data or knowledge in a book chapter

Darwin Plus: About Us

Darwin Plus (also known as The Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund) is a UK government grants scheme that helps deliver long-term strategic outcomes for the unique biodiversity, the natural environment and improving resilience to climate change within the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). It is one of the Biodiversity Challenge Funds, which also includes the Darwin Initiative and the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, aimed at conserving biodiversity and safeguarding the environment for local people.

Most projects will include one or more of the following themes:

• Biodiversity: improving and conserving biodiversity, and slowing or reversing biodiversity loss and degradation;
• Climate change: responding to, mitigating and adapting to climate change and its effects on the natural environment and local communities;
• Environmental quality: improving the condition and protection of the natural environment;
• Capability and capacity building: enhancing the capacity within UKOTs to support the environment in the short- and long-term.
• Projects contribute to the delivery of existing commitments for individual Territories, such as those set out within the national biodiversity strategies, environmental action plans and roadmaps, or equivalent.

Darwin Plus

Darwin Plus is a UK government grants scheme that helps deliver long-term strategic outcomes for the unique biodiversity, the natural environment and improving resilience to climate change within the UK Overseas Territories.

Darwin Plus Main

Darwin Plus Main is intended for environmental projects of benefit to the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs), offering grants between £50,000 and £1 million, for projects lasting between 6 months and 3 years. Preference will be given to discrete projects implementing existing identified environmental solutions on the ground.

The Darwin Plus Fund - Local Organisations supports small-scale environmental projects in the UK Overseas Territories, aiming to enhance biodiversity and build resilience to climate change. This initiative is part of the UK government’s broader Darwin Plus fund, which seeks to protect unique ecosystems while contributing to local economies. Note that new funding rounds are currently paused. This program is crucial for fostering local capacity and environmental sustainability.

The OPCFHK Conservation Funding program aims to ensure the survival of threatened Asian wildlife, particularly the giant panda and Chinese white dolphin. This initiative encourages innovative conservation projects that deliver measurable results, promote public awareness, and involve local communities. With a focus on endangered species and their habitats, the foundation prioritizes initiatives that align with climate change, marine conservation, and terrestrial wildlife protection, fostering collaboration between local and international researchers.

About Us

The Youth Climate Justice Fund aims to support climate justice young leaders with trust-based funding, resources, and capacity strengthening, enabling them to amplify their voices and to keep their vision and influence alive.

Collectively, we have the power to ignite meaningful change and build equitable and sustainable futures. Despite the challenges posed by the current crisis, youth climate justice organizers remain determined to address current issues and explore new approaches.

Mission & Purpose

We work to strengthen existing organizing efforts and support emerging youth-led initiatives with a focus on bridging funders and organizers to enable flexible and impactful support. Through capacity strengthening and resource sharing, we empower and support young people to drive change and build a just and sustainable future.

How To Apply

The Youth Climate Justice Fund provides funding to emerging youth-led climate justice and socio-environmental groups through a participatory decision-making process.

About Us

The Pulitzer Center has a bold vision: to be the venue for the world’s most innovative and consequential reporting, with journalism as the key element for mobilizing society through audience engagement strategies.

Founded in 2006 by Jon Sawyer, the Center is an essential source of support for enterprise reporting in the United States and across the globe. The thousands of journalists and educators who are part of our networks span more than 80 countries. Our work reaches tens of millions of people each year through our news-media partners and an audience-centered strategy of global and regional engagement.

We believe that people and communities who actively engage with systemic challenges will find solutions together. By supporting journalists as they conduct in-depth investigations, produce compelling stories, and engage diverse audiences, we create a ripple effect of world-changing impact. The result? Policy reforms, public awareness, and community empowerment.

Africa Climate and Environment (ACE) Micro Grants

The second cohort of the Africa Climate and Environment (ACE) Micro Grants is receiving applications for outreach projects focused on Transparency and Governance in forest and ocean. Proposals should clearly and creatively integrate one or more Pulitzer Center-supported stories while targeting young professionals or communities. We are seeking proposals that create engagement on issues such as natural resource management, harmful corporate practices, corruption, and their impacts on biodiversity, Indigenous peoples, human rights, and climate. The initiative aims to strengthen public understanding and advocacy through storytelling, emphasizing accountability and sustainable environmental governance.

The Darwin Plus Fund supports local projects in the UK Overseas Territories aimed at enhancing biodiversity and climate resilience. This initiative funds small-scale environmental projects that contribute to local economies and build in-territory capacity. Projects must be completed within 12 months, with funding available starting from April 1, 2025, and all funds to be utilized by March 31, 2026.