Coca-Cola Foundation Plastic Waste Grants (Asia & Africa)
Enriched Corporate · Found: 2026-03-11 12:22
Coca-Cola Foundation pledged $15M to UNDP for plastic waste initiatives across 9 Asian countries. $10M grant to IUCN for plastic packaging waste on 7 African islands. $120K pan-African challenge for plastic recycling innovations. Aims to collect/recycle a bottle for every one sold by 2030.
Source: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/social-impact/the-coca-cola-foundation
Funding Details
- Funder
- The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) via UNDP and OceanHub Africa partnerships
- Funding Goal
- Scale up plastic waste management and recycling in Asia and Africa through sub-grants to local NGOs, CBOs, innovators, and SMEs working on plastic collection, recycling, and waste reduction value chains
- Funding Amount
- UNDP-TCCF Asia sub-grants: up to USD 30,000 per winner (6 winners), up to USD 10,000 for runners-up (6 runners-up); OceanHub Africa TCCF challenge: total USD 120,000 across multiple awardees (10.000 € – 120.000 €)
- Deadline
- 2026-02-15 (periodic)
- How to Apply
- UNDP-TCCF Asia: apply via UNDP country programme channels - check UNDP country office websites in India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Sri Lanka. OceanHub Africa TCCF challenge: apply via OceanHub Africa website; 2026 round closed 15 February 2026. Next rounds expected annually.
- Target Region
- Asia: India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal. Africa: Sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania eligible for OceanHub Africa challenge)
- Contact
- UNDP-TCCF Asia: respective UNDP country offices; OceanHub Africa: oceanhub.africa; The Coca-Cola Foundation: cocacolafoundation@coca-cola.com (inquiries only)
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-15 13:31
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) operates major plastic waste management funding programmes in Asia and Africa through partnerships with UNDP and OceanHub Africa, creating accessible sub-grant channels for local implementing organisations. In Asia, the Coca-Cola Foundation committed USD 15 million to UNDP to support plastic waste management across nine countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. The programme aims to improve plastic waste collection and recycling systems, reduce plastic leakage into waterways and oceans, foster country-based innovation, and catalyse policy change and community action. Within this programme, country-level competitions and innovation challenges are run to award sub-grants of up to USD 30,000 to winning organisations and up to USD 10,000 to runners-up. Priority is given to women and youth groups, NGOs, community-based organisations, governmental and non-governmental academic institutions, and SMEs. Applications are submitted through UNDP country-level channels. In Africa, the Coca-Cola Foundation partnered with OceanHub Africa to operate a Plastic Waste Innovation Challenge offering a total of USD 120,000 across multiple awardees for innovations reducing plastic waste in sub-Saharan Africa. The 2026 round of this challenge closed on 15 February 2026. Eligible applicants include scientists, innovators, startups, and impact teams, with business models, community systems, and process innovations all welcomed. Countries including Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania are within the eligible geography. Additionally, the Foundation committed USD 10 million to IUCN for the IslandPlas project, targeting plastic packaging waste reduction across seven African island nations including Comoros, Madagascar, and Zanzibar. These programmes together represent the primary accessible grant pathway through the Coca-Cola Foundation for organisations in the target regions, as the Foundation itself does not accept unsolicited applications. Organisations in India and Vietnam should monitor UNDP country office communications for sub-grant call announcements. Organisations in Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania should watch for the next OceanHub Africa TCCF round, expected in late 2026 or early 2027.
Historical Context
The UNDP-TCCF Asia partnership was announced around 2023 and is a 3-year programme. The OceanHub Africa TCCF challenge launched its first sub-Saharan Africa round in late 2025 with a February 2026 close. Prior to this, TCCF had funded plastic waste innovation challenges in specific Asian countries (Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia) as standalone UNDP country programmes since around 2022. The Foundation's plastic waste commitment reflects the Coca-Cola Company's World Without Waste pledge made in 2018.
Why it was added
Major corporate foundation with $25M+ in direct plastic waste grants across Asia and Africa
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