Deadline: 22-Aug-2025
The Refugee-led Innovation Fund is now accepting applications from organizations led by forcibly displaced or stateless individuals, regardless of location. This initiative is designed to empower displaced and stateless people by placing them at the center of humanitarian efforts, allowing them to identify needs and create solutions for their communities.
The Fund offers comprehensive support that includes financial assistance, mentorship, and expert guidance. This helps refugee-led organizations develop impactful projects that bring lasting benefits to their communities. The approach is grassroots, directly empowering those with lived experiences to lead innovation.
Supported organizations will receive guidance from UNHCR and experts to strengthen their capacity in programme and project management. Technical advice will be available as needed, covering areas such as technology, legal issues, and innovation practices. Organizations will also be encouraged to connect with peers, share experiences, and build partnerships.
Learning is a key component of the Fund. Support will help organizations track progress, evaluate results, and adapt based on feedback from their communities. Documentation and sharing of lessons learned will be encouraged to support long-term growth and effectiveness.
Applicants may request up to USD 45,000 in funding. Eligible organizations must be led by individuals with personal experience of forced displacement or statelessness, such as refugees, asylum-seekers, returnees, or internally displaced people. Applications must be submitted by teams representing existing organizations composed of multiple community members and structured collectively.
Both registered and unregistered organizations may apply, provided they are recognized within their communities for past contributions. The Fund especially encourages applications from groups led by women, LGBTIQ+ persons, people with disabilities, Indigenous populations, and other underrepresented groups. Individual applications, however, will not be considered.
For more information, visit UNHCR.
