Applications Invited for 2026 Civil Society Catalytic Funding

About the Organization

For more than 15 years, the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership, hosted by UNICEF, has inspired increased political attention and a new way of working collaboratively to realize the human rights to water and sanitation around the globe. SWA mobilizes global leaders to prioritize water and sanitation as fundamental human rights, ensuring lasting change through strong governance and accountability. The Heads of State Initiatives serve as the core program for accomplishing this.

About the Grant

SWA's catalytic grants have supported Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) across Africa, Latin America and Asia to engage in advocacy, financing discussions, climate action, accountability and multi-stakeholder dialogue. That engagement translates into concrete outcomes.

In Pakistan, for example, RuralAid used its grant to engage local governments across 4 provinces through advocacy meetings and multi-stakeholder consultations. In 3 of these provinces, this resulted in provincial parliamentarians making formal written commitments to increase water, sanitation and hygiene budget allocations. CSOs are continuing the advocacy to help turn those commitments into action.

These grants help civil society around the globe move beyond participation and advocacy to influence policy and financing decisions, while strengthening accountability and multi-stakeholder action.

This year, the catalytic grants will support 10 SWA Civil Society partners with USD 10,000 each for advocacy efforts, 7 at national level and 3 at regional level. This funding is available thanks to the support of SWA donors, and we are grateful for their continuous commitment to our strategy and their contributions to the work delivered by SWA’s Civil Society Constituency.

The grants aim to strengthen CSO partners' advocacy activities to support their organization's objectives and contribute to achieving SWA's Strategic Framework 2020-2030. All activities must be completed upon 3 months of receiving the funding and project start date. All grantees are expected to provide a narrative and financial report upon completion, detailing their achievements and challenges.

Proposals should be aligned to at least one of these three priorities in line with SWA's focus on high-level political prioritization and cross-sectoral work on water security and resilient sanitation:

• Prioritising water and sanitation at the heart of the political agenda: Advocating for water and sanitation to be treated as a top priority, not an afterthought.
• Turning commitments into action and funding: Driving follow-up on government commitments by strengthening governance and advocating for sustainable financing.
• Connecting water to bigger challenges: Demonstrating why water is central to climate resilience, economic strength, and social wellbeing, for instance by leveraging the High-Level Leaders Compact on Water Security and Resilience (also known as the Madrid Compact) as an advocacy tool.

We welcome all proposals, but would like to really encourage applications on the following themes:

• Proposals for advocacy initiatives in countries with upcoming presidential elections, highlighting water and sanitation as a key issue during elections through citizen manifestoes and media engagement. 
• Proposals for initiatives showcasing water as foundation to climate, economic and sectoral resilience with a strong gender focus.
• Proposals highlighting civil society initiatives in sustainable financing.

How to Apply

Deadline for proposal submission is September 6th 2026.

Application forms in English

For more information please check the Link: Civil Society Catalytic Funding

Tags Environment and Sustainability Governance Others