Inter-Agency PSEA Community Outreach and Communication Fund 2026 | UNHCR & ICVA Grants for NGOs Worldwide

Inter-Agency PSEA Community Outreach and Communication Fund 2026 | UNHCR & ICVA Grants for NGOs Worldwide

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) have officially launched the Inter-Agency PSEA Community Outreach and Communication Fund 2026, a major global funding opportunity for local NGOs, grassroots organizations, and civil society groups working in humanitarian settings.

The programme is designed to strengthen community-led initiatives focused on:

• Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)
• Community awareness campaigns
• Humanitarian protection systems
• Survivor-centered communication
• Grassroots safeguarding initiatives
• Community outreach and education

The fund specifically supports organizations working directly with:

• Refugees
• Displaced populations
• Conflict-affected communities
• Vulnerable groups in humanitarian crises

This initiative aims to strengthen local leadership while improving awareness, accountability, and protection systems in humanitarian responses globally.

Fund Overview

About the PSEA Community Outreach Fund

The Inter-Agency PSEA Community Outreach and Communication Fund was established in 2020 as a collaborative initiative between ICVA and UNHCR.

The programme focuses on empowering local organizations to create culturally appropriate awareness campaigns and protection systems in humanitarian settings.

The initiative recognizes that local organizations are often best positioned to:

• Understand local realities
• Communicate in local languages
• Design community-centered interventions
• Build trust within vulnerable communities

Main Objectives of the Fund

The programme aims to ensure that communities receiving humanitarian aid:

• Understand their rights
• Know that aid should never be conditional on favors or exploitation
• Have access to safe reporting systems
• Understand available support mechanisms
• Participate in community-led protection initiatives

The fund promotes accountability, transparency, and survivor-centered humanitarian systems.

What the Fund Supports

The programme supports a wide range of community-driven initiatives.

1. Community-Led Protection Initiatives

Projects should actively involve communities in designing and implementing outreach activities.

Examples Include

• Community awareness campaigns
• Peer education programmes
• Survivor-centered communication
• Grassroots advocacy projects
• Community dialogue sessions

2. Localized Communication Materials

The fund supports outreach materials tailored to:

• Local languages
• Literacy levels
• Cultural realities
• Vulnerable population groups

Supported Communication Formats

3. Strengthening Local Leadership

The programme encourages local ownership of humanitarian safeguarding systems and aligns with major global commitments including:

• The Grand Bargain Localization Agenda
• Global Compact on Refugees
• IASC Localization Commitments

4. Open-Source Knowledge Sharing

All outreach materials created through funded projects become part of a publicly accessible database.

This allows organizations worldwide to:

• Adapt effective materials
• Improve communication consistency
• Reduce duplication of resources

Impact of the Fund

Since its launch, the initiative has already demonstrated major global impact.

Key Achievements

Independent Evaluation Findings

An independent evaluation supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) highlighted the programme’s effectiveness.

Major Findings

Why This Fund Matters

Sexual exploitation and abuse remain major risks in humanitarian settings where vulnerable populations often face unequal power dynamics and limited protection systems.

This fund helps address these challenges by:

• Strengthening localized protection systems
• Supporting survivor-centered approaches
• Building trust between communities and aid providers
• Encouraging accountability within humanitarian systems
• Improving access to safe reporting mechanisms

Eligibility Criteria

The programme is mainly intended for:

• Local NGOs
• National NGOs
• Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
• Grassroots protection groups
• Humanitarian organizations

Applicants Should Demonstrate

Organizations must show:

• Experience in humanitarian or protection-related work
• Strong community engagement capacity
• Understanding of safeguarding and PSEA principles
• Ability to create localized communication materials
• Experience implementing outreach activities

Important Dates

Organizations are encouraged to apply early to avoid last-minute issues.

Resources Available for Applicants

Application resources are available in:

• English
• Arabic
• French

Applicants can also access:

• PSEA materials database
• Application guidance documents
• Previous project summaries
• ICVA PSEAH publications

Benefits of Participating

Selected organizations may receive:

• Financial support for outreach projects
• Capacity-building opportunities
• Increased organizational visibility
• Access to global humanitarian networks
• Long-term partnership opportunities
• Participation in international protection systems

How to Apply

Interested organizations should carefully review the official guidance documents before applying.

Application Steps

Official Links

Final Thoughts

The Inter-Agency PSEA Community Outreach and Communication Fund 2026 represents an important opportunity for grassroots organizations, NGOs, and humanitarian actors worldwide to strengthen protection systems and improve community awareness in humanitarian settings.

Through:

• Community-led outreach
• Localized communication strategies
• Survivor-centered approaches
• Grassroots protection initiatives
• Humanitarian accountability systems

the programme aims to create safer and more transparent humanitarian environments for vulnerable populations globally.

Organizations working in refugee protection, safeguarding, humanitarian communication, and community outreach are strongly encouraged to apply before the 14 June 2026 deadline.