Deadline: 16-Sep-2025
The British Embassy in San José, Costa Rica has launched a funding opportunity to support short-term projects aimed at preventing modern slavery and human trafficking, while also strengthening the protection of fundamental human rights.
The Embassy invites proposals from legally registered non-governmental, non-profit, civil society, and multilateral organizations. Projects should concentrate on protecting marginalized groups from human rights violations, strengthening protections for vulnerable populations such as women and girls, indigenous communities, and migrants, and supporting human rights defenders through capacity building and empowerment. While this program prioritizes these areas, it does not cover projects where the primary focus is on gender and equalities issues, such as LGBTI+ rights, women’s rights, or the rights of persons with disabilities, which are funded under separate initiatives.
Funded projects must run between 1 October 2025 and 31 March 2026, with no guarantee of continued funding beyond this period. Proposals must be submitted in United States Dollars (USD) and cannot exceed the maximum budget cap of US$95,000. All applications will be assessed based on alignment with thematic priorities, feasibility of delivering results within the timeframe, strong monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and evidence of sustainability to ensure long-term impact after funding ends.
Additional requirements include demonstrating that projects align with the Paris Agreement, with environmental risk and impact evaluations showing no harm will be caused. Applicants must also provide evidence of safeguarding policies to protect beneficiaries, and ensure that gender equality and disability inclusion considerations are integrated. Importantly, administration costs must not exceed 10% of the overall budget.
Certain expenditures will not be considered eligible, including communications and marketing activities, direct cash transfers or seed capital, groceries and household supplies for beneficiaries, and the purchase or maintenance of capital or IT equipment. Furthermore, proposals from commercial or for-profit organizations will not be accepted.
This opportunity represents a significant chance for civil society and non-profit actors to deliver meaningful change in Costa Rica, focusing on protecting vulnerable populations from exploitation and reinforcing the country’s human rights framework.
For more information, visit GOV.UK.
