Small Grants for Community WASH Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East & North Africa (Luena WASH program)

Small Grants for Community WASH Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East & North Africa (Luena WASH program) is sponsored by Luena Foundation. The Luena Foundation invites small, locally led organizations across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East & North Africa to apply for microgrants through its WASH program.

Small Grants for Community WASH Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa This page is available in English. To view it in your native language, right-click anywhere on the page and select “Translate to…” from your browser’s menu.

Luena Foundation invites locally-led organizations across Sub-Saharan Africa to apply for small grants (USD $1,000–$1,500) that improve access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, creating healthier and safer environments for children and families. This call is specifically for small, locally led organizations with annual revenue under USD $50,000.

Luena Foundation is a registered nonprofit organization that partners with locally-led, community-based organizations across the Global South to improve the lives of vulnerable children. We fund grassroots initiatives that create safe, inclusive, and lasting opportunities for children to thrive, with 100% of public donations directed to projects in the field.

We fund small, community-led, locally designed projects that deliver clear, practical benefits for children and families. Our microgrants are intentionally modest. They are designed to support focused actions, not large programs, pilot studies, or institutional initiatives.

We have funded hundreds of projects across rural and low-resource settings. The projects that succeed share the same characteristics: they are grounded, technically clear, modest in scope, and led by communities themselves. Through the Luena WASH program, Luena Foundation supports small, community-led projects that improve access to clean water, safe sanitation, and basic hygiene for children and families in Sub-Saharan Africa .

This call invites locally designed, community-run WASH initiatives that address practical, on-the-ground needs. We fund modest, well-defined actions that communities can realistically implement with limited resources and within a short timeframe.

Priority is given to projects that strengthen or repair existing water and sanitation systems, demonstrate community contribution and ownership, and deliver clear, tangible benefits for children’s health and safety. This call is not intended to support large-scale infrastructure, regional water systems, or institutional WASH programs.

Instead, it exists to back focused, grassroots solutions that improve daily access to water and sanitation at the community level and can be maintained locally over time. This call funds practical, community-run WASH actions, not large infrastructure projects, institutional programs, or advocacy campaigns.

All proposals must meet the following guidelines: Projects must be modest in scale and appropriate for a microgrant of USD $1,000–$1,500 Proposals must describe specific, technical actions (e.g. repair, construction, upgrade, extension), not general WASH goals or frameworks Projects must include at least one tangible, service-delivery or infrastructure component that directly improves access to water, sanitation, or hygiene Activities must be realistic and achievable within a short timeframe and not dependent on future funding Proposals should be clearly explainable without reliance on SDG language, national WASH strategies, or donor jargon Projects centered primarily on sensitization, awareness campaigns, trainings, or hygiene promotion—without a clear physical or service outcome—will not be funded Funded projects should result in a clear, visible improvement in daily access to safe water, sanitation, or hygiene for a defined group of children and families.

In practice, this means we prioritize: Repairing or extending existing water or sanitation systems Simple, proven technologies appropriate to the local context Community contribution and local responsibility for maintenance Deep boreholes, large piped systems, or village-wide infrastructure Projects requiring engineering studies or government-level approvals WASH projects designed primarily for large institutional donors * Organizations may submit one proposal per thematic category (e.g. WASH, Health/Medical, Education).

We encourage you to prioritize your strongest and most mission-aligned proposal. Please note that organizations submitting multiple proposals are reviewed as a single applicant, and Luena Foundation typically funds no more than one project per organization per funding cycle.

📢 Call Opens: April 30, 2026 ⏰ Deadline: May 3 1 , 2026 🗓️ Shortlist Notifications: July/August 2026 ✅ Final Funding Decisions: October 2026 🚀 Project Start Window: November 2026 Sub-Saharan Africa: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Republic of the Congo), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe Priority will be given to projects that: Repair, rehabilitate, or extend existing water systems, such as handpumps, boreholes, gravity-fed systems, or short pipeline extensions serving a defined group of households Construct or improve basic sanitation facilities, including household or shared latrines, soak pits, or simple wastewater management solutions Install or upgrade handwashing stations at schools, clinics, or community gathering points, linked to reliable water access Improve water storage, protection, or drainage at the household or community level (e.g. rainwater harvesting, tank protection, drainage improvements) Address school WASH needs, such as latrines, handwashing facilities, or water access that directly affect children’s health and attendance Support simple hygiene-enabling inputs (e.g. soap, jerry cans, water containers) when clearly tied to a physical WASH improvement or service Strengthen community-led maintenance and management systems for existing WASH infrastructure, including tools, spare parts, or training directly linked to upkeep Provide small-scale WASH support in emergency or post-crisis contexts (e.g. flood-affected communities), where needs are clearly defined and community-managed ** Projects must include at least one tangible, service-delivery or access-enabling component.

Projects focused primarily on awareness campaigns, policy advocacy, large-scale infrastructure, or regional water systems are not eligible. Grant size: Up to USD $1,500 Project duration: Up to 12 months Funding model: Projects must include at least 25% community contribution , provided through cash, materials, labor, or other in-kind support. Proposals without a demonstrated community contribution will not be considered.

Why do we require community contribution? Community contribution is central to Luena Foundation’s approach. It demonstrates local ownership, shared responsibility, and long-term sustainability.

Projects that are co-invested by the community are more likely to be maintained, protected, and used well after the grant period ends.

Examples of acceptable community contribution (minimum 25% of the grant amount, in addition to the grant): Volunteer labor (e.g. excavation, construction, outreach, follow-up) Locally sourced materials (sand, stone, timber, bricks, tools) Cash contributions raised within the community Use of community assets (land, meeting space, storage, transport) Time contributed by community health volunteers or local committees Community contribution may be a mix of cash and in-kind support, but it must be clearly described and realistically valued in the project budget.

This call is open only to small , locally led, community-based organizations .

To be eligible, applicants must meet all of the following criteria: Be a registered nonprofit, community-based, or grassroots organization, or a formally recognized community organization Have total annual organizational revenues of USD $50,000 or less Be locally led , with decision-making authority, financial control, and day-to-day management based in the community served Operate as an independent organization , not a chapter, program, field office, or fiscally sponsored project of a larger NGO Be directly responsible for project design and implementation (no pass-through or intermediary funding) Be able to contribute at least 25% of total project costs through cash, materials, labor, or other in-kind support Demonstrate basic accountability and transparency, including the ability to manage funds locally and report on activities The following are not eligible: For-profit companies, including social enterprises registered as for-profit entities, businesses, or consultancies, even if the proposed project is charitable in nature Large public or private universities, research institutions, and academic centers Individuals or informal personal appeals Municipal, regional, or national government authorities (indigenous community councils or cabildos may be eligible when acting as community-based governing bodies, not as state authorities) Medium or large NGOs or INGOs Organizations that are part of, fiscally sponsored by, or operationally dependent on larger national or international organizations Projects managed primarily by external consultants or distant headquarters ** By submitting an application, organizations attest that they meet all eligibility criteria.

Applications that do not meet these requirements will not be reviewed. Examples of Fundable Projects The following examples illustrate the scope, scale, and level of specificity expected for Luena WASH microgrants in Sub-Saharan Africa. Fundable projects should serve a clearly defined group of households or a specific school, and demonstrate practical, sustainable design.

Repairing or rehabilitating a non-functional handpump or borehole serving a defined number of households Extending an existing water line or gravity-fed system to reach an additional cluster of homes or a nearby school already connected to the system Constructing household or shared latrines for a defined group of families, using locally available materials and community labor Installing or upgrading school WASH facilities, including latrines, handwashing stations, or water access points that directly affect children’s health and attendance Building soak pits, drainage improvements, or wastewater management solutions to reduce contamination around homes or schools Supporting rainwater harvesting systems for schools or community facilities (e.g. gutters, tanks, first-flush systems, protection works) that reduce reliance on unsafe sources Providing water storage, protection, or treatment improvements (e.g. tanks, covers, simple filtration) that strengthen the reliability and safety of existing water sources Supplying tools, spare parts, or locally appropriate innovations that enable communities or school committees to maintain WASH infrastructure over time Supporting small, innovative WASH solutions designed locally to address specific challenges (e.g. low-cost handwashing designs, child-friendly latrines, water-saving adaptations), where the solution is technically simple and immediately usable Implementing small-scale WASH improvements in emergency or post-crisis contexts (e.g. flood-affected schools or communities), where needs are clearly defined and community-managed Click HERE for more examples of projects we have funded Learn More About Luena Foundation luena.

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