The Community Resource Exchange (CRE) is calling for proposals of collaboration grants. Please note the regional calls for Asia and Latin America are open but have a specific thematic focus, while the one for Africa is a closed call. Information about the call is also available in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian.
- Asia-Pacific, Central Asia and South Caucasus – thematic open call. We will prioritize collaborations requests focused on energy transition (ex. critical mineral mining).
- Africa – closed call (only applications from partners who received an invitation to apply will be considered)
- Latin America and the Caribbean – thematic open call. We will prioritize collaborations requests focused on two sectors linked to the energy transition: extraction of critical minerals and green hydrogen.
Deadline: 10 July 2025
Amount: The proposed budget should not exceed US $5,000.
Timeline: The proposed activities need to be completed in eight months from the start of the project.
How to apply
Please fill out the application here, making sure you respond to all the questions.
If you have an unstable internet connection and you prefer to fill the application offline, please download the collaboration form here (available in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Portuguese) and submit it to cre@rightsindevelopment.org. If you have any difficulty in filling the form, please get in touch.
Applications for financial assistance will only be considered if:
- The Collaboration Grant Request Form is fully filled-out.
- The collaboration being proposed is for communities defending their rights in the face of specific development or international investment activities (for example, projects financed by multilateral development banks, national development banks, development agencies, export credit agencies, etc. or projects that involve or could involve investment or cooperation from international companies, funds, institutional investors, etc.)
- Proposed activities are community-driven.
- Proposals fit the criteria of the relevant regional call.
Please note the CRE does not directly fund project proposals for security and protection of human rights defenders. But if your community is facing security threats and reprisals, please write to us directly though cre@rightsindevelopment.org, and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible.
Proposal review
We have a limited amount of funds to distribute as financial assistance. In the past, the CRE has only been able to provide financial assistance to about 15% of all eligible applications.
The following process will be used to determine which requests for funds are directly fulfilled by the CRE:
- The CRE secretariat will review all collaboration requests with financial assistance, and check that all eligibility criteria are met.
- They will summarise eligible proposals, and score them based on the priorities listed above through a predetermined scoring criteria. They may reach out to requesters or allies to vet the proposals.
- The eligible proposals are discussed within the Regional Working Groups to award financial assistance, and determine if there are other ways in which the CRE can support the communities.
Please note decisions on which organizations will receive the grants are expected to be made by 31 August 2025. Even if you are not awarded a grant, the CRE can still work with you to identify relevant collaborators that can help you advance your work.
Read more: about the CRE
The Community Resource Exchange (CRE) is a system to facilitate collaboration and collective strategy development with and between communities advocating for their rights in the context of international investments and development projects. The CRE aims to support communities impacted by international investments and development projects. This includes business or development activities supported by multilateral development banks, national development banks, development agencies, export credit agencies, etc. or that involve or could involve investment or cooperation from international companies, funds, institutional investors, etc. Communities do not need to establish actual links to investors, even the possibility or likelihood is sufficient to be considered. Detailed information about the CRE can be found on this page.
If you want to learn more about the CRE please see here or if you have questions, you can contact us through: cre@rightsindevelopment.org