Oilwatch International, with funding from the Global Greengrants Fund (GGF), has opened its Small Grants Programme 2026. It offers up to US$5,000 for community-led projects that protect the environment, advance climate justice, resist fossil fuel expansion and build community energy alternatives. Applicants in Africa apply through the Oilwatch Africa hub.
The deadline is Friday 13 November 2026 at 23:59 GMT.
Important: applicants must be active members or partners of Oilwatch. If your organisation isn’t already part of the network, contact Oilwatch Africa first.
At a Glance
| Organiser | Oilwatch International, with the Global Greengrants Fund |
| Grant | Up to US$5,000 per project |
| Duration | 6–9 months |
| Who can apply | Grassroots, Indigenous, women-led and youth-led groups that are Oilwatch members or partners |
| Africa hub | [email protected] |
| Deadline | 13 November 2026, 23:59 GMT |
Thematic Areas
Your project must address at least one of these:
- Defending the Earth: protecting forests, mangroves and wetlands, community pollution monitoring, and campaigns against destructive projects
- Energy justice and energy democracy: community-owned renewable energy, energy literacy and just-transition dialogues
- Equity and climate justice: gender justice, Indigenous land rights, youth participation, and protecting environmental defenders
- Keeping fossil fuels in the ground: mobilising against new oil and gas projects, and documenting extraction impacts
- Restoring communities and ecosystems: reforestation, wetland restoration, agroecology and resilient livelihoods
Not eligible: projects promoting fossil gas, carbon offsets or trading, large-scale geoengineering, industrial biofuels or other “false climate solutions”.
Benefits
- Up to US$5,000 for a 6–9 month project, paid directly to the organisation
- Support from an international environmental justice network
- Visibility for community-led climate action
Eligibility
- Grassroots and community-based organisations
- Indigenous Peoples’ organisations
- Women-led and youth-led organisations
- Environmental justice groups, small civil society organisations, social movements and local advocacy networks
- You must be an active member or partner of Oilwatch and fully support its objectives.
- Groups working directly with frontline communities affected by oil, gas, coal or mining get priority, for example in the Niger Delta, Lake Albert or the Rovuma Basin.
How to Apply
- Download and complete the application template from Oilwatch’s official page. It has four sections: basic data, project description, context and policy environment, and implementation, sustainability and budget.
- Show clear community needs, measurable activities, cost-effectiveness and your capacity to deliver.
- Email your application to [email protected] with the subject line “GGF Application”.
- Make sure it arrives by 13 November 2026, 23:59 GMT. That’s 00:59 on 14 November in Lagos, and 2:59am in Nairobi.
Official Oilwatch Small Grants Programme 2026 page
Tips
- Confirm your Oilwatch membership or partnership before applying.
- Use local evidence, such as pollution data, community testimony or photos of the impacts.
- Keep the budget realistic, with clear costs for a 6–9 month project.
- Show how the community leads, not just benefits.
