The BEARR Trust Small Grants Scheme 2026
The BEARR Trust’s Small Grants Scheme supports small, community-based civil society organisations (CSOs) across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Through the Scheme, BEARR aims to encourage cooperation and partnership, strengthen organisational capacity, and support practical, locally driven initiatives that respond to local needs.
While much of BEARR’s recent work has focused on responding to the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, this round of the Small Grants Scheme is open only to organisations working in Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Later rounds of the Scheme this year are planned to be open to organisations working in Ukraine and Moldova.
For the first 2026 round, BEARR invites applications for projects in Central Asia and the South Caucasus addressing the theme “Violence against women and girls”. This call is open to CSOs based in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. All applications should be a joint application from two or more partner organisations. Priority will be given to new partnerships or pre-existing partnerships showing clear signs of development.
We especially encourage applications focused on the prevention of violence towards women and girls. Projects may target women and girls directly or work with other groups, including men and boys, to address underlying causes and contribute to meaningful prevention.
Applicants may apply for grants of up to £4,000. Our grant must be matched by resources provided by the partner organisations, and we will not fund more than 50% of the cost of a project. 20% of BEARR’s grant up to a maximum of £500 may be used to strengthen the applicants’ organisational capacity, including technology to improve communications with beneficiaries. Applications must be expressed in GBP, but grants may be paid in other currencies. Grant recipients will bear any costs of conversion into local currency.
Projects should normally be completed within six months of receipt of the funds, and grantees are expected to complete a monitoring form and to write an article about their project for publication on BEARR’s website. We would like to learn from the projects we fund and share what works – so we may involve you in further evaluation.
A webinar will be held on 26 February at 11.00 – 12.00 London time to assist people with the application process. Speakers will include previous recipients of grants. The event will be held in English, with simultaneous interpretation available in Russian.
All applicants must use the Application Form provided. All text boxes in the application form can be extended to fit your text. Application Forms must not exceed 5 pages, or 4 pages plus a budget in Excel. Longer applications will not be considered.
Please refer primarily to the Application Guidelines for guidance on how to fill in the application form. However, if you still have questions about the application process, please feel free to direct them to info@bearr.org. You can email your questions in English or Russian.
Deadline for applications: 13 March 2026, 23:59 GMT.
Please put ‘SGS 2026/Organisation Name’ in the subject line of your email.
