EPPIC — End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative Grant Program

Enriched multilateral · Found: 2026-03-14 21:01

EPPIC (hosted by IUCN, Aspen Institute, Ocean Foundation, Searious Business) provides grants up to $150,000 to in-country entities in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and South Africa for upstream and midstream plastic pollution interventions and circular solutions. 2024 RFPs closed; next round pending.

Source: https://iucn.org/our-work/topic/plastic-and-other-pollution/end-plastic-pollution-international-collaborative-eppic

Funding Details

Funder

IUCN / End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative (EPPIC)

Funding Goal

Grants for in-country entities in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa to address upstream and midstream interventions to significantly reduce plastic pollution and advance circular solutions. Funded solutions aim to have positive impact on local communities and serve as best practices for upstream (before plastic becomes waste) and midstream (before disposal) interventions. Also includes an Innovation Prize (upcoming) for plastic circularity MSMEs and local solutions.

Funding Amount

Grant amounts not explicitly stated; based on past RFPs, grants ranged up to approximately USD 100,000-150,000 per project. Innovation Prize: ~USD 1-2M total prize pool (upcoming, not yet launched). (up to 150.000 €)

Deadline

Rolling, per RFP announcement; 2024 RFPs are now closed. Next RFPs date unknown. (Rolling)

How to Apply

Grant applications submitted during open RFP periods only (announced via EPPIC news updates). RFP PDFs provide detailed instructions; proposals submitted via WAVES online system (oceanfdn.us-1.smartsimple.com). Subscribe to EPPIC news at EPPIC@iucn.org for future RFP alerts. Membership application via Google Form on the IUCN EPPIC page.

Target Region

Latin America (Costa Rica, Guatemala) and Sub-Saharan Africa (Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa)

Contact

EPPIC@IUCN.org; grants@oceanfdn.org (for RFP questions)

Last Checked

2026-04-21 05:30

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Applicant must be an in-country entity based in one of the six EPPIC priority countries: Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Costa Rica, or Guatemala

Project Scope

• Project must address upstream or midstream plastic pollution interventions (NOT downstream waste/recycling of existing streams)
• Project must aim to reduce plastic pollution and advance circular solutions with positive community impact

Required Documents

• Applications submitted only during open RFP periods via WAVES online system
• Proposals must follow the detailed instructions in the specific RFP PDF document

Constraints

• No active RFP as of April 2026; subscribe to EPPIC@iucn.org for future call alerts
• Innovation Prize (upcoming): open to MSMEs and local/informal sector actors; prize purse approximately USD 1-2M

Summary

The End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative (EPPIC) is a multi-stakeholder partnership hosted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), co-convened with the Aspen Institute, The Ocean Foundation, and Searious Business, with seed funding from the U.S. Department of State. EPPIC's mission is to galvanize global action on plastic pollution by supporting in-country projects that make the full lifecycle of plastic more sustainable. Thematically, EPPIC focuses on upstream and midstream plastic pollution interventions. Upstream interventions occur after raw material extraction (product design, material substitution, business model innovation). Midstream interventions occur before a product is discarded as waste (reuse systems, refill infrastructure, collection). This framing explicitly excludes downstream waste management and recycling of existing waste streams. Priority themes include plastic product redesign, reuse and refill systems, plastic circularity, and community-based collection. Eligible activities include: plastic waste reduction pilots, product redesign initiatives, reuse and refill system development, capacity building for local communities, policy engagement, and market development for plastic alternatives. The Grant Program targets practical, on-the-ground interventions that can serve as replicable models. Geographically, the Grant Program is strictly limited to EPPIC priority countries: in Latin America — Costa Rica and Guatemala; in Sub-Saharan Africa — Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa. Only organisations based in (or with strong presence in) these specific countries are eligible for grants. The upcoming Innovation Prize may have a broader global scope. Eligible grant applicants are in-country entities: local NGOs, civil society organisations (CSOs), social enterprises, and community-based organisations located in the six priority countries. Organisations from outside these countries are not eligible for the Grant Program but may join EPPIC as Members. The EPPIC membership is open globally and free to any organisation working on plastic pollution. Grant amounts were not published in the call text but historical RFP data suggests grants in the range of USD 50,000-150,000 per project. The upcoming Innovation Prize has a tentative prize purse of USD 1-2 million distributed across winners.

Historical Context

EPPIC is a public-private partnership hosted by IUCN with seed funding from the U.S. Department of State, launched around 2023-2024. Partners include the Aspen Institute (USA), The Ocean Foundation (USA), and Searious Business (NL). In 2024, EPPIC funded projects in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa. An Innovation Prize of USD 1-2M is in development. The 2024 RFPs are closed; future calls expected.

Why it was added

grant-scan-list8-2026-03-14

Sources

• https://iucn.org/our-work/topic/plastic-and-other-pollution/end-plastic-pollution-international-collaborative-eppic

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