Call for proposals: Philippines grants

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is a UK-based non-profit organisation working internationally to protect the environment and defend human rights.

EJF is inviting national fisher associations (NFAs) from across the Philippines to apply for a grant under the project, ‘A Global Toolkit for Participatory Fisheries Governance. This project seeks to support small-scale fishing communities to better participate in the management of the fisheries resources.

This objective is achieved through three strategies:

1. Promoting community surveillance to decrease industrial IUU fishing;

2. Developing co-management associations (CMAs) to decrease artisanal IUU fishing;

3. Supporting national fishers associations (NFAs) to achieve policy reforms that give small-scale fishing communities more equitable access and tenure rights to well-managed fisheries resources.

As part of strategy 3, EJF will provide grants to NFAs to support their participation in the project.

Scope of grants

The grants issued by EJF seek to help NFAs to engage in advocacy-related activities that drive reforms of Philippine fisheries legislation (including national or local fisheries laws, policies, regulations etc).

These advocacy activities should aim to achieve one or more of the following:

• Improve small-scale fishers’ participation in fisheries governance (e.g. by gaining a permanent seat for a small-scale fishing representative in a national committee or other decision-making forum);

• Incorporate the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) principles into national fisheries regulations (e.g. by advocating for amendments to regulations so they require the government to consult fishing communities before issuing industrial fishing licences, or carry out social impact assessments before designating a fishing ground as a Marine Protected Area);

• Secure equitable access and tenure rights for small-scale fishers (e.g. by advocating for regulations that require the government to recognise and map customary or traditional fishing areas as part of fisheries management plans).

EJF may support activities such as:

• Advocacy activities to seek government support for an issue (e.g. policy dialogues, workshops, meetings, TV debates etc);

• Capacity building or training sessions to build the advocacy capacity of the members of an NFA;

• The hiring of staff members to support advocacy on participatory fisheries governance;

• The hiring of consultants to support advocacy work on participatory fisheries governance (e.g. support in setting up a bank account, drafting a constitution etc).

This is not an exhaustive list and other activities that contribute to fulfilling the objectives specified above will be considered. Grants may be used to cover employment costs, travel, event organisation, communications, IT and office space.

Grant eligibility

To be eligible for grant support from EJF, applicants must:

• Be a Philippines--based and registered NFA or civil society organisation (i.e. not-for-profit and non-governmental);

• Be legally constituted and functioning (i.e. possess legal documents, an office and staff available to carry out activities under the grant);

• Represent the interests and rights of small-scale fishers (commercial or non-commercial) in the Philippines;

• Have some previous experience in the implementation of projects and/or local initiatives related to fisheries;

• Have a proven advocacy track record of supporting small-scale fisher interests and influencing regulation either at the regional or national level.

Having a national presence would be an asset though is not obligatory for grant eligibility (i.e. work across more than one region or with multiple fishing communities).

Grant amount and timeline

The average grant per organisation will be EUR 7,000, with a maximum grant of EUR 15,000. EJF expects to issue grants from March/April 2026, with all subgrant activities and reporting to be completed no later than October 2026.

How to apply

Applications must be in English and include a detailed budget (using the attached template here) and a project proposal (using the attached template here).

Please email the above documents to will.may@ejfoundation.org, copying angel.ysik@ejfoundation.org. The deadline for applications is 25 February 2026. Please note that no late applications will be considered.

All applications will be assessed based on:

• Alignment with objectives: How well the proposed project contributes to securing equitable access and tenure rights for small-scale fishers and/or building the capacity of NFAs and small-scale fishers to participate in fisheries governance;

• Value for money: Proposals must demonstrate cost-effectiveness;

• Organisational capacity: The ability of the organisation to successfully implement the project, including the necessary financial controls and reporting mechanisms.

Please note that expenditure may be made by EJF on behalf of the organisation should they not have sufficient fiduciary controls in place to receive grants. Applicants may be asked to revise budgets if project staff identify ineligible or unjustified expenditures, to ensure value for money.

Successful applicants will be required to sign a contract outlining the grant's terms and conditions. This agreement will cover:

• Approved expenditure (based on the submitted and, if needed, modified budget).

• Financial controls and reporting requirements.

• Payment terms and performance monitoring.

Grant payments will be made in stages. Where EJF is managing payments on behalf of the organisation, costs will be covered as they are incurred.

Contact information

For any further information or questions regarding your application, please contact will.may@ejfoundation.org, copying angel.ysik@ejfoundation.org.

We look forward to receiving your proposals and partnering with you to promote participatory fisheries governance in the Philippines.