Wellcome Climate Impacts Awards 2026

Enriched Foundation · Found: 2026-03-14 20:56

Wellcome grants up to £2.5M for 3-year transdisciplinary research making health effects of climate change visible to drive policy. NGOs and civil society eligible as lead applicants. Deadline 8 April 2026.

Source: https://wellcome.org/research-funding/schemes/climate-impacts-awards-unlocking-urgent-climate-action-making-health-2

Funding Details

Funder

Wellcome Trust

Funding Goal

Fund transdisciplinary research that makes the health effects of climate change visible to drive urgent climate policy at scale

Funding Amount

Up to £2.5 million per award (up to 3.125.000 €)

Deadline

2026-04-08 (Fixed)

How to Apply

Apply via Wellcome Funding Platform. Submit to administering organization for approval. Two-stage: eligibility review, then shortlisting by advisory committee, then interview stage (21-23 July 2026). Decisions in August 2026.

Target Region

Global, with priority for low- and middle-income countries and disadvantaged populations

Contact

climateimpacts@wellcome.org

Last Checked

2026-03-14 20:56

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Lead applicant must be at a not-for-profit institution with a permanent contract
• NGOs explicitly eligible as lead applicants
• Must commit at least 20% time to the project
• Transdisciplinary team required (climate, health, economics, policy)

Project Scope

• Research must address health effects of climate change in a policy-relevant way
• Must include community and policy engagement capacities

Required Documents

• Two-stage process: scope review, shortlisting, interview
• Apply via Wellcome Funding Platform

Constraints

• Not eligible: activities involving mainland China
• Max 7 co-applicants

Summary

The Wellcome Climate Impacts Awards is an annual funding scheme supporting transdisciplinary research that reveals the health impacts of climate change to accelerate policy responses. The programme funds projects that generate evidence connecting climate change to physical and mental health outcomes, specifically with the aim of making these impacts legible to policymakers and driving urgent climate action. Awards of up to £2.5 million are available for project durations of up to three years, with around 10-15 grants expected per round. Eligible organisations include universities, research institutes, NGOs, civil society organisations, healthcare organisations, and government bodies. The lead applicant must hold a permanent contract and commit at least 20% of their time to the project. Teams must be transdisciplinary, incorporating climate science, health expertise, economic analysis, and strong community and policy engagement capacities. The programme explicitly prioritises research that involves and serves communities most impacted by the health effects of climate change, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. While any geography is eligible (except mainland China), LMIC-led research is strongly encouraged. The scheme uses a two-stage evaluation process: initial eligibility and scope review, followed by shortlisting by an expert advisory committee, and then interviews. For the 2026 round, the call opened on 20 January 2026 with a submission deadline of 15:00 BST on 8 April 2026. Interviews are scheduled for 21-23 July 2026 and funding decisions will be communicated in August 2026. Scope queries can be sent to climateimpacts@wellcome.org.

Historical Context

Annual scheme. The 2023 round was the first iteration. The 2026 round is the latest open call. Wellcome has a £16B endowment and is one of the world largest health research funders.

Why it was added

grant-scan-list9-niche-2026-03-14

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