Micro-Grants
USD 500 – 5,000
Individuals, micro-entrepreneurs, informal traders
- Seed capital for income-generating activities
- Light-touch reporting
- Mentorship pairing included
Funding
Capital that turns ideas into measurable impact.
UNEEP funding pathways combine grants, project-based capital and partner co-financing to advance inclusive economic development across communities, enterprises and institutions.
A transparent, mission-driven funding model
Every dollar UNEEP deploys is tied to a verified outcome — a job created, a business launched, a service delivered, a community strengthened. Our funding model is structured to be accessible to under-served applicants while meeting the governance standards expected of a global development body.
- No application fees, ever
- Tranche-based disbursement against milestones
- Independent review panel
- Public reporting of aggregate outcomes
Funding Tracks
Choose the track that matches your stage and scale. All tracks may be combined with skills, mentorship, and community programmes.
SME Growth Fund
USD 5,000 – 75,000
Registered small & medium enterprises
- Working capital and equipment
- Quarterly milestone reporting
- Business advisory support
Community Project Funding
USD 10,000 – 250,000
Cooperatives, NGOs, local councils
- Agricultural value chains
- Local infrastructure & services
- Co-financing with local partners
Women & Youth Empowerment Fund
USD 1,000 – 25,000
Women-led and youth-led ventures
- Reduced collateral requirements
- Combined grant + training package
- Priority review track
Institutional & Partner Co-Financing
On request
Governments, foundations, development institutions
- Joint programme design
- Shared monitoring framework
- Strategic alignment with SDGs
The Funding Cycle
A predictable, six-stage process from open call to impact evaluation.
01
Open Call
Calls are published quarterly per programme window with eligibility and required documents.
02
Application
Applicants submit proposals through the official application portal with supporting evidence.
03
Review & Due Diligence
Independent panel evaluates impact, sustainability, governance and financial viability.
04
Award & Agreement
Successful applicants sign a funding agreement defining tranches, milestones and reporting.
05
Implementation & Monitoring
Funds are disbursed in tranches against verified milestones with field monitoring.
06
Evaluation & Impact
Outcomes are evaluated, documented and shared to inform future programme cycles.
Eligibility
Baseline requirements applied across all tracks. Specific calls may add criteria.
- Operating in a UNEEP partner country or region
- Clear alignment with one or more Sustainable Development Goals
- Demonstrated community benefit and inclusion focus
- Capable governance and basic financial controls
- Willingness to participate in monitoring and reporting
Required Documents
- Project or business proposal (max 10 pages)
- Budget with line items and co-financing
- Proof of legal identity or registration
- Two reference letters (community or institutional)
- Monitoring and evaluation plan
Our Funding Principles
Six principles guide every funding decision UNEEP makes — from the smallest micro-grant to the largest institutional co-financing agreement. They protect beneficiaries, donors and the integrity of the development outcomes we are entrusted to deliver.
Outcome-Bound
Every disbursement is linked to a verified deliverable — a job created, a skill certified, a service delivered, a household reached.
Equitable Access
Application processes are designed for under-served applicants — plain-language forms, no fees, multilingual support, and offline submission options.
Anti-Fraud by Design
Independent review panels, segregated duty controls, third-party verification of expenditures, and a public whistleblowing channel.
Climate-Smart
All funded activities are screened for climate risk and carbon intensity; high-impact activities receive a green-finance premium.
Gender-Responsive
A minimum of 50% of beneficiaries across the portfolio are women or gender minorities, with dedicated tracks for women-led ventures.
Locally Anchored
At least 70% of project spend stays within the country of implementation, with preference for local suppliers, staff, and partners.
Sectors We Fund
UNEEP funding is sector-agnostic but outcome-led. Below are the eight thematic areas where the majority of our portfolio is currently concentrated. Cross-cutting proposals — for example agri-tech, climate-smart health, or inclusive fintech — are particularly welcome.
Agriculture & Food Systems
Smallholder cooperatives, irrigation, post-harvest processing, agro-logistics, climate-resilient seeds, and farmer market access platforms.
Education & Skills
TVET programmes, digital literacy, scholarships, teacher training, and accredited short courses linked to local labour-market demand.
Health & Well-being
Community health workers, maternal and child health services, mental health programmes, and last-mile pharmaceutical distribution.
Decent Work & Enterprise
MSME acceleration, formalisation support, cooperative development, apprenticeships, and inclusive procurement schemes.
Climate, Energy & Environment
Off-grid solar, clean cookstoves, reforestation, waste-to-value enterprises, and climate adaptation infrastructure.
Infrastructure & Services
Water and sanitation, rural roads, last-mile logistics, digital connectivity, and shared community facilities.
Innovation & Technology
Civic tech, fintech for the unbanked, agri-tech, edtech, and open-data platforms with measurable public benefit.
Social Inclusion & Protection
Programmes for refugees, persons with disabilities, indigenous communities, and survivors of gender-based violence.
Disbursement Schedule
Funds are released against verified milestones, never as a single up-front lump sum. This protects both the beneficiary and the donor, and ensures momentum is maintained across the life of the project.
Tranche 1
Inception (20%)
Released on signature of the funding agreement and submission of the inception report — used for set-up, hiring, and procurement of long-lead items.
Tranche 2
Mid-term (40%)
Released after the mid-term verification visit confirms 50% of activity-level milestones are delivered and financial reporting is up to date.
Tranche 3
Implementation (30%)
Released against verified delivery of the remaining outputs and the second financial report.
Tranche 4
Closeout (10%)
Released on submission of the final narrative report, audited financials, and impact verification by an independent reviewer.
Funding Calendar
UNEEP operates on a quarterly calendar. Each window prioritises a thematic focus, but cross-cutting proposals are accepted in any window. We recommend submitting at least two weeks before the closing date to allow time for clarifications.
| Window | Application Dates | Thematic Focus | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 Window | 15 January — 28 February | Agriculture & Food Systems · WASH · Climate Adaptation | By 30 April |
| Q2 Window | 15 April — 31 May | Education & Skills · Women and Youth Empowerment | By 31 July |
| Q3 Window | 15 July — 31 August | Health · Social Protection · Refugee Inclusion | By 31 October |
| Q4 Window | 15 October — 30 November | Enterprise & Innovation · Digital & Financial Inclusion | By 31 January |
Impact at a Glance
Aggregate results across the active UNEEP funding portfolio, independently verified by our monitoring partners. Detailed country-level data is available in our annual Impact Report.
Verified
USD 84M
Deployed since 2019 across grants and co-financing
Verified
1,420+
Projects funded across 38 countries
Verified
312,000
Direct beneficiaries reached and verified
Verified
58%
Women-led ventures in the active portfolio
Verified
73%
Funded SMEs still trading after 36 months
Verified
USD 1 : USD 3.10
Average local economic multiplier per dollar deployed
Stories From Funded Projects
Real outcomes from the field — drawn from the most recent reporting cycle. Names of individual beneficiaries are withheld to protect privacy; full case studies are published with consent in the UNEEP Stories archive.
Kenya
Solar irrigation for 40 smallholder farms
A USD 38,000 community grant equipped a women-led farmers' cooperative in Machakos with solar-powered drip irrigation, doubling their dry-season yields and lifting average household income by 62% within 18 months.
Bangladesh
Digital tailoring academy in Khulna
An SME Growth Fund award of USD 22,000 enabled a vocational training centre to install computerised embroidery machines and certify 180 graduates — 92% of whom secured employment or launched home-based enterprises within six months.
Colombia
Cocoa value-chain co-operative in Tumaco
A USD 145,000 community project grant, co-financed with a national development bank, helped 220 cocoa farmers establish a fermentation and drying facility, increasing the price they receive per kilogram by 41%.
What UNEEP Funding Cannot Be Used For
Transparency about what we will not fund is as important as describing what we will. The list below is not exhaustive — when in doubt, raise the activity in your proposal narrative or with your programme officer.
- Debt repayment, dividend distribution, or share buy-backs
- Activities involving weapons, surveillance technology, or extractive mining
- Single-use plastics manufacturing or fossil-fuel exploration
- Religious proselytisation or politically partisan campaigning
- Retroactive expenses incurred before the funding agreement is signed
- Real estate acquisition that does not directly serve programme beneficiaries
- Fines, penalties, bad-debt write-offs, or recoverable taxes
Safeguards & Integrity
UNEEP holds itself to the same fiduciary, ethical and safeguarding standards as the multilateral institutions we partner with. The controls below apply to every funding window without exception.
- Independent review panel rotated every 24 months to prevent capture
- Segregation of duties between proposal review, contracting, and disbursement
- All awards above USD 25,000 require an external pre-award due-diligence report
- Annual independent audit by a top-tier firm with results published online
- 24/7 confidential whistleblowing line operated by an external provider
- Sanctions screening of every applicant against UN, OFAC, EU and World Bank lists
Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
We treat monitoring as a service to grantees, not a compliance burden. Every funded project is paired with a programme officer, a monitoring framework calibrated to its scale, and access to our learning network.
Inception Workshop
Within 30 days of award, every grantee participates in a co-designed inception workshop to refine the logframe, baseline indicators, and risk register.
Quarterly Reporting
Lightweight quarterly narrative and financial reports, submitted through a mobile-friendly portal that supports offline drafting in low-connectivity environments.
Peer Learning Network
Grantees join a moderated peer network with thematic clinics, expert office hours, and regional convenings to exchange tools, templates and lessons.
Tips for a Strong Application
Distilled from the feedback our review panels give most often. Following these will not guarantee an award — but ignoring them is the most common reason proposals are declined.
TIP 01
Lead with the problem, not your organisation
Open the proposal with a sharp definition of the problem you are solving and the people affected. Reviewers should understand the need before they read about your team.
TIP 02
Quantify the change you expect
Replace vague phrases like 'improve livelihoods' with measurable targets: 'increase the average monthly income of 320 women farmers from USD 38 to USD 85 within 18 months.'
TIP 03
Show co-financing, not just need
Demonstrate that other partners (community contributions, in-kind support, government counterparts) are committed. This signals viability and unlocks larger awards.
TIP 04
Plan for sustainability beyond the grant
The strongest proposals describe how activities will continue after UNEEP funding ends — through revenue, government adoption, or community ownership.
TIP 05
Be honest about risk
Every project has risks. Listing them with credible mitigations builds reviewer confidence; hiding them undermines it.
Reporting Fraud or Misconduct
UNEEP operates a zero-tolerance policy on fraud, corruption, sexual exploitation and abuse, and any misuse of funds. Reports are handled confidentially by an independent integrity unit and may be made anonymously.
- integrity@uneep.org — monitored 24/7 by an external provider
- Whistleblowing line: +1 (888) 555-0117 (toll-free in 42 countries)
- Retaliation against whistleblowers is itself a sanctionable offence under the UNEEP Code of Conduct
Talk to a Programme Officer
Not sure which track suits your project? Book a free 30-minute consultation with a UNEEP programme officer who covers your country and sector. We will help you scope the right funding pathway before you start drafting a proposal.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your question is not answered here, write to funding@uneep.org — we respond within three working days.
Is UNEEP funding a loan?
No. UNEEP primarily issues grants and co-financed development capital — not commercial loans. Funds must be applied to the agreed activities, and unspent balances are returned at the end of the implementation period.
Are there application fees?
Never. UNEEP does not charge any fee to apply, review, or receive funding. Any individual or website requesting payment in exchange for an application form, faster review, or guaranteed approval is fraudulent — please report it to integrity@uneep.org immediately.
How long does review take?
Most decisions are issued within 6–10 weeks of the funding window closing, depending on track and volume. Complex multi-country proposals or those requiring additional due diligence may take up to 16 weeks.
Can individuals apply?
Yes — individuals can apply under the Micro-Grants and Women & Youth Empowerment Fund tracks. SME, Community Project and Institutional tracks require a registered legal entity or a recognised community-based organisation acting as fiscal sponsor.
Can I apply for more than one track at the same time?
You may submit one application per funding window per track. We discourage parallel submissions for the same activity across multiple tracks — instead, choose the track that best matches your stage, then discuss expansion with your assigned programme officer once funded.
What currencies do you disburse in?
Disbursements are made in USD by default, or in the local currency of the implementation country at the prevailing UN Operational Rate of Exchange. The selected currency is locked in the funding agreement to protect both parties from FX volatility.
Do you fund existing operating costs?
Up to 15% of any award may be allocated to indirect costs (rent, utilities, core staff time, audit). The remaining 85% must be tied to specific deliverables defined in the proposal logframe.
What happens if a project misses milestones?
Tranches are paused while the cause is reviewed. Where delays are reasonable (weather, supply chain, force majeure), milestones are renegotiated. Where delays reflect mismanagement, funds are recovered and the applicant is barred from future windows.
Do you accept proposals in languages other than English?
Yes. We currently accept full proposals in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Swahili. Concept notes may be submitted in any UN language and translated by our team for review.
Are faith-based or politically affiliated organisations eligible?
Faith-based and community organisations are eligible provided activities are non-discriminatory, services are open to all beneficiaries regardless of belief, and no funds are used for proselytisation. Organisations affiliated with a political party are not eligible.