Ready to Take the Challenge?
Find out more about the CSO Challenge, check the eligibility requirements and submit your application through the official CSO Challenge website.
CHALLENGE
The CSO Challenge is an opportunity for civil society organisations to develop innovative solutions to the challenges facing their communities and create meaningful social impact.
Applications close: 15 September 2026
The CSO Challenge funds civil society organizations to scale and replicate high-impact environmental solutions worldwide.
The programme supports civil society organizations to take effective environmental solutions further, helping to scale and replicate approaches that can deliver high-impact results across different communities and regions.
Participants are invited to put forward environmental solutions with the potential to create meaningful, lasting impact at scale.
Check the requirements below to see whether the CSO Challenge is a fit for your organisation.
Local, national, regional or international civil society organisations that are authorised to receive charitable contributions from foreign sources, hold a bank account in the organisation’s own name, and are directly responsible for implementing the project.
International organisations are eligible provided they work closely with national stakeholders and local communities and obtain all required government authorisations.
Projects must replicate, scale or expand an environmental solution that is already proven, not basic research or untested pilots.
Applicants must have no personal, financial or political conflict of interest. Current IUCN or GEF employees and their immediate family members are not eligible.
Proposals are selected through an inclusive and transparent, two-stage review process. Applicants first submit a Concept Notei. Shortlisted applicants are then invited to submit a Full Proposal.
Selected winners receive direct funding and full programme support, while finalists receive recognition and access to capacity-building support.
A diverse Programme Selection Committee — comprising the GEF Secretariat, representatives of civil society, Indigenous Peoples, youth and women’s organisations, and IUCN — selects the winning and finalist CSOs from among the proposals received.
Proposals may be submitted in:
English
Español
Français
Find out more about the CSO Challenge, check the eligibility requirements and submit your application through the official CSO Challenge website.