IUCN IslandPlas Community Grants - Plastic Recovery

Expired UN / Multilateral · Found: 2026-03-11 12:31

IUCN grants targeting grassroots actors for small-scale initiatives enhancing plastic recovery and logistics. Supports waste picker cooperatives and community-level efforts.

Source: https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/2026-01/call-for-proposals_guidelines_community-grants_paco.pdf

Funding Details

Funder

IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) - IslandPlas Project, funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation

Funding Goal

Community grants to support community-based circular economy solutions that reduce plastic pollution in Cabo Verde and Sao Tome and Principe. Funded activities include community-led plastic waste collection and sorting models, upcycling and repurposing of plastic waste into value-added products, refill and reuse innovations, circular livelihoods training for women and youth, recycling support chain activities (aggregation points, sorting, logistics, pre-processing), locally appropriate technologies and tools, and digital community solutions for waste coordination.

Funding Amount

USD 3,000 to USD 5,000 per grant (approximately EUR 2,800–4,700) (3.000 € – 5.000 €)

Deadline

2026-02-15 (Fixed)

How to Apply

Submit completed application form (Annex 1), budget form (Annex 2), and Declaration of Undertaking (Annex 3) by email to islandplas@iucn.org with subject line: CFP - ISLANDPLAS COMMUNITY GRANT - [Name of Organisation] - [Country]. An online Q&A session (in Portuguese) was held on 29 January 2026. Applications in Portuguese accepted. Late submissions not accepted.

Target Region

Africa (Cabo Verde and Sao Tome and Principe only, for this specific call round)

Contact

islandplas@iucn.org

Last Checked

2026-03-15 10:41

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Organisation must be not-for-profit and based in Cabo Verde or Sao Tome and Principe (for this round)
• Must be a registered CBO, cooperative, social enterprise, women's group, youth group, or similar community structure
• Minimum one year of experience in community work, environmental activities, or waste management required

Project Scope

• Project must address at least one focus area: plastic collection, upcycling, reuse, circular livelihoods, or recycling support chain
• Project must demonstrate both environmental benefits (reduced plastic leakage) and social impact (livelihoods, women/youth participation)

Required Documents

• Submit completed Application Form (Annex 1), Budget Form (Annex 2), and Declaration of Undertaking (Annex 3) by email

Constraints

• Must demonstrate pathway to sustainability beyond the grant period
• Grant size is USD 3,000-5,000 for a 6-9 month project only; cross-country applications not allowed
• Must have institutional bank account with at least two authorised signatories
• Only one application per organisation allowed under this call

Summary

The IUCN IslandPlas Community Grants offer small grants of USD 3,000-5,000 to community-based organisations in Cabo Verde and Sao Tome and Principe for grassroots circular economy solutions to reduce plastic pollution. The call is part of the broader IslandPlas project, funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation and running until 2027, which targets seven African island nations generating an estimated two million tonnes of municipal waste annually, of which approximately 200,000 tonnes is plastic. Eligible activities range from establishing plastic collection and sorting systems, upcycling waste into value-added products, creating refill and reuse models, providing circular livelihoods training for women and youth, to deploying simple digital tools for waste tracking and coordination. Projects must run for 6-9 months and demonstrate both environmental benefits and social impact. Scalability and long-term sustainability are highly valued. Applicants must be not-for-profit, locally based in the application country, with at least one year of relevant experience and an institutional bank account. The February 2026 deadline has passed for this round, but the IslandPlas project continues through 2027, meaning future calls may be issued for the remaining five island countries (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zanzibar) or additional rounds in existing countries. For organisations working on plastic waste collection and circular economy solutions in Small Island Developing States in Africa, this represents a targeted and well-structured grassroots funding mechanism with fast turnaround (grant signing expected mid-March 2026).

Historical Context

The IslandPlas project is funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation and implemented by IUCN under the Great Blue Wall initiative. The project targets seven African island nations (Cabo Verde, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, and Zanzibar) and runs until end of 2027. This Community Grants call is under Objective 3 of the project (sector innovation and enterprise development). Future call rounds for the other five island countries may be published throughout the project lifespan (2027). The call was published 20 January 2026.

Why it was added

IUCN grants for community-level plastic recovery, directly supports waste picker cooperatives

Sources

• https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/2026-01/call-for-proposals_guidelines_community-grants_paco.pdf

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