WHO Climate and SRH Research Grant: Up to $55,000 for Community Projects – Apply by April 2026

The WHO Climate and SRH Research Grant Up to $55,000 for Community-Based Projects offers a timely chance for research teams in low- and middle-income countries. Climate change brings droughts, floods, and extreme heat that harm sexual and reproductive health (SRH). The World Health Organization (WHO), through its Human Reproduction Programme (HRP), provides up to USD 55,000 per project to study these links. The deadline is 12 April 2026. This article covers the program overview, benefits, eligibility, focus areas, and application steps. If you lead a team in an eligible country, apply soon to join this vital work.

Key Takeaways

• Research teams in low- and middle-income countries can get up to $55,000 to explore climate impacts on sexual and reproductive health like maternal care and contraception access.
• Focus areas include maternal health, gender-based violence, contraception, and abortion care during events like floods and droughts.
• Selected teams attend a Protocol Development Workshop in Geneva with travel covered and gain WHO networks and training.
• Applications need a research vision, budget, and CVs; submit by April 12, 2026, via the official WHO platform.

About the WHO Climate and SRH Research Grant Programme

This program helps research teams explore how climate events like droughts, floods, and extreme temperatures affect SRH. Key areas include maternal health, gender-based violence, access to contraception, and abortion care. Teams submit a research vision, not a full protocol. This shows their approach, skills, and ties to communities.

Selected teams join a cross-country effort. They attend a Protocol Development Workshop in Geneva in July 2026. WHO covers travel and lodging for up to two members per team.

Here are the main parts of the program:

• Collaborative research across countries
• Participatory methods with community input
• Unified protocol co-designed at the workshop
• Focus on evidence from those most impacted

(Imagine an image here of communities facing climate challenges or a WHO workshop to bring the program to life.)

Why This WHO Research Grant Matters

Climate change counts as a top health threat, but its effects on sexual and reproductive health stay understudied. Few studies cover how floods raise risks for maternal health or how heat waves limit contraception access. This grant fills those gaps with community-driven research from low- and middle-income countries.

Climate change is a major global health challenge, yet SRH links need more evidence.

Local teams lead the work, so solutions fit real needs. This boosts policy changes and on-the-ground help. Participatory research also builds skills for future projects. With global urgency in 2026, this grant empowers researchers to shape health responses.

Benefits and What Participants Will Gain

Teams get up to USD 55,000 for staff, community work, data gathering, and sharing results. This funding supports full project needs.

Key gains include:

• Capacity-building like training and tools from WHO
• Work with teams from other countries for shared ideas
• Links to WHO experts and country offices
• Help with ethics, data methods, and spread of findings
• Community members as co-researchers for better impact

This table shows benefits clearly:

Benefit Type	Description	Impact on Team
Funding	Up to USD 55,000 per project	Covers all project costs
Capacity Building	Training and research tools	Builds skills for strong studies
Collaboration	Cross-country team work	Leads to bigger, shared results
WHO Networks	Expert guidance and connections	Speeds ethics and policy reach
Participatory Methods	Community as co-researchers	Makes research relevant and trusted

(An infographic on the timeline could highlight these steps.)

Who Can Apply: Eligibility Criteria

Research teams in low- and middle-income countries, especially WHO priority ones, can apply. Eligible groups include academic institutions, NGOs, community organizations, and multi-group teams.

Requirements cover:

• Principal Investigator based in an eligible country
• Experience in SRH or climate research
• Skills in participatory and mixed methods
• Strong links to communities
• High-income partners limited to 15% of grant; they cannot lead

Warning: High-income teams cannot lead—keep leadership local.

Multi-institutional setups work if the lead stays in a low- or middle-income country. This ensures focus on those facing the issues.

Research Focus Areas

Teams pick one of four questions. All use a human rights view that looks at gender, money status, and migration.

1. Maternal health outcomes in the context of climate change
   How do floods or droughts affect pregnancy and birth? This angle checks risks for mothers in hard-hit areas.

2. Gender-based violence during climate-related events
   Climate shocks like storms often spike violence. Research explores why and how to protect women and girls.

3. Access to contraception during climate shocks
   Heat or disasters cut family planning supplies. Studies find ways to keep services running.

4. Access to abortion care in climate-affected settings
   Extreme weather blocks safe care. This focuses on rights and fixes in tough spots.

Focus Area	Key Climate Impacts	Research Angle
Maternal Health	Droughts harm nutrition	Outcomes for moms and babies
Gender-Based Violence	Floods increase risks	Protection in crises
Contraception Access	Shocks disrupt supplies	Keep services open
Abortion Care	Events block safe options	Rights in affected areas

Application Process and Key Deadlines

Follow these steps to apply:

1. Review focus areas – Pick one question and plan your vision.
2. Prepare documents – Include research vision, budget, CVs, and conflict declarations. Sample outline: Start with problem, your approach, community role, and rough budget (staff 40%, data 30%, engagement 20%, other 10%).
3. Submit online – Use the official WHO/HRP application platform.
4. Wait for news – Selected by 11 May 2026.

Deadline: 12 April 2026 (23:59 GMT+1) – Submit early and check all parts to avoid rejection.

Act fast: Just weeks left to shape climate-SRH research.

The WHO Climate and SRH Research Grant provides up to $55,000 for teams in low- and middle-income countries to study how climate change affects sexual and reproductive health. With benefits like funding, workshops, and WHO support, it builds skills and drives real change. Check eligibility, pick a focus area, and submit your application by April 12, 2026, to join this important work.

Frequently Asked Questions