* This page is also available in Russian here / Эта страница также доступна на русском языке здесь *
The Community Resource Exchange (CRE) invites communities from Asia-Pacific, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus to submit proposals for Collaboration Grants, to support joint initiatives that strengthen community efforts to defend their human rights in the context of international investments and development projects.
This is a thematic call: we only invite proposals related to energy projects, including fossil fuels, energy transition projects (e.g. solar, wind, hydro or other), or ining projects directly linked to energy developments.
Priority will be given to proposals that:
- Target projects funded by or linked to international financial institutions or development banks;*
- Are led by, or specifically address the needs of, women, Indigenous Peoples (IPs), and youth.
*Examples of such projects include activities supported by multilateral development banks, national development banks, development agencies, export credit agencies, international companies, funds, or institutional investors. Applicants do not need to demonstrate a confirmed link to these investors. A potential or likely connection to international investment or development financing is sufficient.
Grant information and timeline
Maximum grant amount: US $5,000, for a project of maximum 8 months
Application deadline: 20 May 2026
Decision announcement: 31 August 2026
Please note that due to the volume of proposals that we receive, we will only reply to eligible proposals. Grants are decided upon by the Regional Working Groups (RWG). You can find the selection process and the criteria used by the RWG for selecting proposals here.
About the CRE
The Community Resource Exchange (CRE) is a system that facilitates collaboration and collective strategy development with and between communities advocating for their rights in the context of international investments and development projects. Now on its second phase, the CRE is deepening its focus on learning, evidence-building, and facilitating collaborative community-led initiatives.
The CRE work with communities and other collaborators to co-develop strategies in one or more of these key areas:
- Advocacy with decision-makers
- Media and campaigning
- Community organizing
- Corporate and financial research
- Scientific and technical analysis of impacts
- Complaints processes to seek remedy
- Security support
- Mobilizing resources
Detailed information about the CRE can be found on this page.
How to Apply
Applicants may submit their proposals in one of the following ways:
1. Online Form
Complete the Collaboration Grant Request Form here. Please note you will also have to upload a separate budget file that you can download here.
2. Email Submission
Download and complete the Collaboration Grant Request Form, as well as the budget template, and send it to:
cre@rightsindevelopment.org. Please write “CRE Call for proposals – Asia” in the subject line.
Important: Please ensure that all questions in the application form are answered, as incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Once we receive your grant request, we might contact you for clarificatory questions about your request.
Please note that at this stage, we can only transfer funds to bank accounts via international bank transfers. If you do not have a bank account, you can assign a partner (either from your own organisation/group or through an organisation that can assist your group) to receive your grant. Otherwise, we may not be able to process your grant.
Eligibility Criteria
Applications will be considered if:
- The Collaboration Grant Request Form is fully completed.
- The proposed collaboration supports communities defending their human rights in response to specific development or international investment activities.
- The proposed activities are community-driven.
- The collaboration aligns with the thematic priority of this call (critical minerals). Please note that critical minerals can refer to those used in energy transition projects (such as Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Copper, Graphite, Manganese, Vanadium and Rare Earth Elements) or those strategic to local and national economies.
You can find further information about the eligibility and scoring framework here.
