Munich Re Foundation RISK Award

Enriched Foundation · Found: 2026-03-14 20:41

Biennial EUR 100K award for disaster risk reduction. NGOs eligible. Developing countries. Next cycle 2026-2027. Coastal resilience link.

Source: https://www.munichre-foundation.org/en/climate-adaptation/risk-award.html

Funding Details

Funder

Munich Re Foundation

Funding Goal

Fund operational projects in disaster risk reduction and disaster management, aligned with the Sendai Framework, Paris Agreement, and UN SDGs. Projects must include an implementation/action component addressing climate change-induced or natural hazard risks. The 2027 edition focuses on a specific biennial topic (to be announced). Emphasis on innovation, scalability, equity, and people-centred approaches.

Funding Amount

Up to €100,000 (prize). Project total budget must be between €50,000 and €1,000,000. (50.000 € – 100.000 €)

Deadline

2026-10-13 (Fixed)

How to Apply

Online application portal (opens 1 July 2026, closes 13 October 2026 at 20:00 CET). Online proposal seminars offered on 25 July 2026 and 25 September 2026 (optional). Application in English; free-format project description plus predefined fields. Individual funding agreement concluded with winner.

Target Region

Global South — developing and emerging countries (World Bank low/middle-income classification); projects in high-income countries excluded

Contact

Munich Re Foundation (joint programme with UNDRR). Contact via foundation website.

Official Page

https://www.munichre-foundation.org/en/climate-adaptation/risk-award/Application.html

Last Checked

2026-04-21 05:55

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Applicant must be an NGO, NPO, or research institution (individuals and for-profits excluded)
• Project must be located in a developing or emerging country (Global South, World Bank classification)

Project Scope

• Project must address climate change-induced or natural hazard risks (social/war/political crises excluded)
• Project must include an operational implementation component — research-only proposals not accepted

Required Documents

• Application must be submitted in English via the online portal by 13 October 2026, 20:00 CET
• Application includes a free-format project description covering impact, equity, scalability, viability, and institutional capacity
• Budget plan and milestone planning required

Constraints

• Project budget must be between €50,000 and €1,000,000 total (RISK Award provides up to €100,000)
• Project duration must be between 12 and 24 months

Summary

The RISK Award is a biennial prize of up to €100,000 jointly organised by the Munich Re Foundation and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Established in 2012, the award supports operational projects in disaster risk reduction and disaster management, responding to the growing frequency of catastrophic events driven by climate change, population dynamics, and environmental degradation. The thematic scope of each edition is defined biennially. Past themes have included coastal resilience, nature-based solutions, early warning systems, and child/youth engagement in disaster risk reduction. All proposals must address risks related to climate change-induced or natural hazards; social, war-related, chemical, or political crises are excluded. Projects must go beyond pure research and include an operational implementation component. Eligible activities include pilot projects, community resilience programmes, early warning implementation, nature-based hazard mitigation, and capacity building for vulnerable communities. The award values innovation, scalability, equity (particularly inclusion of people at risk), and multi-stakeholder partnerships combining bottom-up community approaches with top-down frameworks. Geographically, the RISK Award targets the Global South — projects must be located in developing or emerging countries as defined by the World Bank income classification. Projects in high-income countries are explicitly excluded. Eligible applicants include NGOs, NPOs, and research institutions. Individual applicants are not accepted, nor are for-profit organisations. The award particularly encourages teams with complementary skills; consortia are acceptable but should not be excessively large. Total project budget must fall between €50,000 and €1,000,000, with the RISK Award contribution having visible impact. The 2027 cycle application phase runs from 1 July to 13 October 2026. Submission is through an online portal in English. The award winner receives up to €100,000 under an individual funding agreement tailored to the specific project, with milestone planning and a budget breakdown required.

Historical Context

RISK Award established in 2012. Awarded every two years (biennial). Previous winners: 2025 Bolivia (ChildFund Bolivia — children/DRR), 2023 South Africa (AWARD — early warning system), 2021 Vietnam (CSRD — coastal mangroves/women), 2019 Bangladesh (floating homes), 2017 Nepal, 2015 India, 2014 Chile, 2012 Mozambique. The 2019 edition theme was Coastal Resilience, and 2021 focused on eco/nature-based solutions for DRR.

Why it was added

grant-scan-2026-03-14-alternative-finance

Sources

• https://www.munichre-foundation.org/en/climate-adaptation/risk-award.html
• https://www.munichre-foundation.org/en/climate-adaptation/risk-award/Application.html

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