Apply for Grants 2026 for Strengthening social cohesion and addressing anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa, Across South Africa, communities continue to face challenges linked to social cohesion, inclusion, and perceptions of people from different national and social backgrounds. In this context, locally rooted organizations can play an important role in creating spaces for dialogue, challenging harmful stereotypes, and building stronger relationships between communities.
The UNHCR South Africa Community Grants are designed to support community-based organizations developing innovative initiatives that contribute to social cohesion and help address anti-foreigner sentiment. The programme recognizes that meaningful change often begins at the community level, where local organizations understand the realities, concerns, and opportunities within their communities and are well positioned to develop practical responses.
With an indicative grant budget of 100,000, the opportunity places particular emphasis on initiatives and organizations operating in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Western Cape. These geographic priorities reflect the programme’s focus on supporting locally driven solutions in communities where interventions can contribute to more inclusive and cohesive societies.
A distinctive feature of the programme is its emphasis on organizations representing or working closely with groups that can bring valuable lived experience and perspectives to community-level solutions. This includes refugee-led, stateless-led, women-led, youth-led, LGBTIQ+, disability-focused, and diaspora organizations. By supporting a diverse range of community actors, the programme seeks to strengthen participation and ensure that solutions to social cohesion challenges are informed by the people and communities most directly affected.
The grants also provide an opportunity for organizations to think creatively about how community engagement can take place. In addition to traditional community-based approaches, the programme highlights the potential of digital solutions to reach wider audiences, encourage constructive dialogue, counter harmful narratives, and promote greater understanding between different groups.
For organizations working on inclusion, community empowerment, refugee and migrant issues, or social cohesion, this opportunity represents more than financial assistance. It offers a chance to turn locally developed ideas into practical initiatives that can strengthen relationships, challenge anti-foreigner attitudes, and contribute to communities where diversity is better understood and respected.
Ultimately, the UNHCR South Africa Community Grants place local organizations at the center of efforts to build stronger and more cohesive communities. By investing in innovative, inclusive, and community-driven approaches, the programme aims to support solutions that can create positive change both within individual communities and across South Africa more broadly.
Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the full details and submit their applications before the specified deadline to seize this grant opportunity.
Last Date of Submission: 15th September 2026
Overview Apply for Grants 2026 for Strengthening social cohesion and addressing anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa
In communities across South Africa, social cohesion can be challenged by misinformation, discrimination, hate speech, and negative perceptions of people perceived as foreigners. Refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, and host communities may find themselves particularly affected by these narratives, both in their everyday interactions and increasingly through digital platforms. Recognizing the importance of community-led solutions, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), through its South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), is inviting community-based organizations in South Africa to submit Expressions of Interest for innovative initiatives that promote social cohesion and counter harmful anti-foreigner narratives.
The UNHCR South Africa Community Grants build on UNHCR’s ongoing engagement with refugee and community organizations across the country. The initiative seeks to strengthen the ability of local organizations to respond to social tensions, promote accurate information, build trust, and create more positive relationships between refugee, stateless, and host communities.
With an indicative budget of 100,000, the programme will prioritize organizations and initiatives in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Western Cape, while exceptional proposals from other provinces may also be considered. The geographic approach recognizes that harmful narratives and misinformation can spread beyond local boundaries, particularly through online platforms, and that community-based responses may therefore be relevant across different parts of South Africa.
At the heart of the opportunity is the belief that communities themselves are often best placed to understand and respond to the challenges they face. Community-based organizations can draw on local knowledge, trusted relationships, and lived experience to develop messages, activities, and engagement strategies that are relevant to their audiences. For this reason, the programme particularly encourages participation from organizations led by or working closely with refugees, stateless persons, women, youth, LGBTIQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and diaspora communities. Refugee-led organizations and stateless-led organizations are specifically among the community actors encouraged to participate.
The grants are intended to support innovative and context-sensitive approaches that can strengthen social cohesion while addressing the narratives that contribute to division and mistrust. Organizations may consider initiatives such as community dialogues, peer-to-peer engagement, trust-building activities, misinformation and hate-speech monitoring, locally relevant messaging, pre-bunking, digital literacy, and online safety. Projects can also combine face-to-face community engagement with digital outreach, allowing organizations to reach people through the communication channels they use in their everyday lives.
A particularly important dimension of the programme is its focus on helping communities become more resilient to misinformation and harmful online content. Rather than responding only after false or damaging narratives have already spread, organizations can explore approaches that help people recognize misleading information, understand how harmful narratives develop, and engage more responsibly with digital content. Through pre-bunking, digital literacy, community monitoring, and accurate information-sharing, local organizations can help strengthen communities’ ability to navigate increasingly complex information environments.
At the same time, digital interventions are not expected to replace community engagement. Meaningful social cohesion often depends on creating opportunities for people from different backgrounds to meet, communicate, and develop greater understanding of one another. Community dialogues, peer networks, and locally led trust-building activities can therefore complement digital campaigns and help translate online messaging into positive community relationships.
For organizations seeking to apply, the strength of a proposal will depend on how clearly it connects a real local challenge with a practical, community-driven solution. Applicants should demonstrate an understanding of the social context in which they work, explain the specific harmful narratives or social cohesion challenges they intend to address, and show meaningful links with the communities they seek to serve. Strong proposals should also present realistic activities, demonstrate how different community groups will be engaged, explain how accurate information and inclusion will be promoted, and establish clear ways of measuring results.
The UNHCR South Africa Community Grants therefore represent an opportunity for community organizations to move beyond simply responding to social tensions and instead help shape more inclusive and resilient communities. By supporting organizations with strong local connections and encouraging innovative combinations of offline and digital approaches, the programme aims to place communities at the center of efforts to challenge harmful narratives, strengthen trust, and promote more constructive relationships across South Africa.
Overview Apply for Grants 2026 for Strengthening social cohesion and addressing anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), through its South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), is calling on community-based organizations in South Africa to submit Expressions of Interest for innovative initiatives that promote social cohesion and challenge harmful anti-foreigner narratives.
The initiative builds on UNHCR’s continued engagement with refugee and community organizations across South Africa.
It seeks to respond to increasing challenges affecting refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, and host communities, including the spread of misinformation, hate speech, and harmful narratives in both online and offline spaces.
Key Details Apply for Grants 2026 for Strengthening social cohesion and addressing anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa
- Grant: UNHCR South Africa Community Grants
- Funder: UNHCR South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO)
- Country: South Africa
- Indicative Budget: 100,000
- Application Type: Expression of Interest
- Purpose: Promote social cohesion and address anti-foreigner sentiment
- Priority Provinces: Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Western Cape
- Other Provinces: Exceptional initiatives may also be considered
- Eligible Applicants: Community-based organizations operating in South Africa
- Priority Groups: Refugees, stateless persons, women, youth, LGBTIQ+, persons with disabilities, and diaspora communities
- Key Focus: Community-led and digital solutions, misinformation, hate speech, inclusion, trust-building, and positive community engagement
What Is the Grant Designed to Achieve?
The grant programme is intended to support community-driven solutions that address social tensions and harmful narratives affecting forcibly displaced people, stateless persons, and host communities.
Its key objectives are to:
- Promote stronger social cohesion.
- Address anti-foreigner sentiment.
- Tackle misinformation and harmful narratives.
- Encourage the sharing of accurate and reliable information.
- Strengthen trust among different communities.
- Foster constructive engagement between refugee, stateless, and host communities.
- Encourage innovative digital solutions.
- Build community resilience.
- Improve digital literacy and online safety.
- Enable community organizations to play a greater role in developing locally relevant solutions.
Why Is Social Cohesion Important?
Refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, and host communities can experience a range of complex social and economic challenges. Misinformation and hate speech can further deepen misunderstandings, discrimination, and tensions among different groups.
The programme therefore promotes locally driven approaches that combine community engagement with digital communication.
Community-based organizations are often well placed to understand the concerns and dynamics within their communities. Their local knowledge and relationships can help them design relevant activities and messages that respond effectively to community needs.
What Types of Activities Can Be Supported?
Applicants are encouraged to propose innovative and context-specific activities that contribute to social cohesion and help challenge harmful narratives.
Potential activities may include:
Community Dialogues
Facilitating structured discussions among diverse community groups to address concerns, improve mutual understanding, and encourage constructive communication.
Peer-to-Peer Engagement
Mobilizing trusted community members and peer networks to share reliable information and encourage positive interactions among different groups.
Trust-Building Initiatives
Implementing locally led activities designed to strengthen relationships between forcibly displaced people, stateless persons, and host communities.
Misinformation and Hate Speech Monitoring
Community-led monitoring and analysis can help organizations identify misinformation, hate speech, and other harmful narratives affecting communities.
Locally Relevant Messaging
Developing locally appropriate messages and digital content that address community concerns, promote accurate information, and challenge harmful perceptions.
Pre-Bunking and Resilience Building
Projects may incorporate pre-bunking strategies and other resilience-building approaches that help communities identify and resist harmful narratives before they gain wider circulation.
Digital Literacy and Online Safety
Providing communities with skills and knowledge to identify misinformation, use online platforms safely, and interact responsibly with digital content.
Combined Online and Offline Engagement
Projects may bring together face-to-face community activities and digital outreach, using multiple communication channels to strengthen engagement and reach wider audiences.
Priority Geographic Areas
Priority will be given to proposals from organizations and initiatives based in:
- Gauteng
- KwaZulu-Natal
- Western Cape
However, exceptional proposals from other provinces may also be considered.
This broader approach acknowledges that misinformation and anti-foreigner narratives can affect communities throughout South Africa and are not necessarily confined to the priority provinces, particularly when such narratives spread through online platforms.
Funding Available
The indicative budget for this grant opportunity is 100,000.
Applicants should prepare a realistic and well-justified budget that clearly demonstrates how proposed costs will contribute to project activities and anticipated results.
As the funding amount is identified as an indicative budget, applicants should carefully review the official Expression of Interest requirements for any specific funding ceilings, eligible costs, budget conditions, or allocation provisions.
Who Is Eligible?
Eligible applicants are community-based organizations operating in South Africa.
The call particularly encourages organizations that represent, are led by, or work closely with communities including:
- Refugees.
- Stateless persons.
- Persons with disabilities.
- Women.
- Youth.
- LGBTIQ+ communities.
- Diaspora communities.
Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs) and stateless-led organizations are specifically identified among the types of community organizations encouraged to participate.
What Makes a Strong Proposal?
A competitive proposal should demonstrate that the applicant organization:
- Has a strong understanding of the local social context.
- Maintains meaningful relationships with the communities it intends to serve.
- Can clearly identify specific harmful narratives or social cohesion challenges.
- Presents an innovative yet practical solution.
- Applies a community-led approach.
- Has the capacity to engage relevant community groups.
- Promotes accurate and reliable information.
- Advances inclusion and constructive engagement.
- Has a clear and practical system for measuring project results.
Projects that effectively combine offline community engagement with digital outreach may be particularly relevant to the objectives of the call.
Why Is This Grant Opportunity Important?
The UNHCR South Africa Community Grants present an important opportunity for local organizations working to strengthen social cohesion, inclusion, and community resilience. By supporting community-based solutions, the programme recognizes the role that local organizations can play in addressing tensions and harmful narratives affecting refugees, stateless persons, and host communities.
The opportunity is particularly relevant because misinformation, hate speech, and anti-foreigner sentiment can contribute to discrimination, mistrust, and social division. Supporting initiatives that promote accurate information, constructive dialogue, and positive engagement can help communities respond to these challenges in practical and locally appropriate ways.
The programme is also significant because it encourages the participation of refugee-led, stateless-led, women-led, youth-led, LGBTIQ+, disability-focused, and diaspora organizations. This can help ensure that people with direct experience of community challenges have a meaningful role in designing and implementing solutions.
Another important feature is the programme’s focus on both online and offline engagement. As harmful narratives increasingly spread through digital platforms, community organizations can use digital literacy, online safety, monitoring, pre-bunking, and targeted communication alongside traditional community activities.
For eligible organizations, the grant can provide an opportunity to test innovative approaches, strengthen community networks, promote more accurate information, and contribute to longer-term efforts to build inclusive and resilient communities across South Africa.
Tips for Preparing a Strong Proposal
Applicants should develop proposals that clearly demonstrate how their organization can address a specific social cohesion challenge within its community. The following tips may help strengthen an Expression of Interest:
- Clearly define the problem: Identify the specific social tension, misinformation, hate speech, anti-foreigner narrative, or community challenge the project intends to address.
- Demonstrate strong community connections: Explain the organization’s existing relationships with the communities it seeks to serve and show how local people will participate in the project.
- Make the approach genuinely community-led: Show that activities have been informed by community needs and that affected groups will have meaningful roles in planning and implementation.
- Present an innovative but practical solution: Introduce a creative approach while ensuring that the proposed activities are realistic, achievable, and appropriate to the local context.
- Consider both digital and offline approaches: Where relevant, combine community dialogues, peer engagement, and trust-building activities with digital outreach, misinformation monitoring, online safety, or digital literacy.
- Address harmful narratives directly: Clearly explain which harmful narratives or misinformation the project will address and how the proposed intervention will help counter them.
- Use trusted messengers: Consider involving community leaders, peer networks, youth representatives, refugee-led groups, or other trusted voices who can effectively communicate accurate information.
- Prioritize inclusion: Demonstrate how refugees, stateless persons, women, youth, persons with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ communities, diaspora groups, or other relevant populations will be included.
- Set measurable outcomes: Identify clear and realistic results and explain how progress will be monitored and measured throughout the project.
- Prepare a realistic budget: Ensure that every major budget item is connected to a proposed activity and contributes directly to achieving the project’s intended results.
- Demonstrate sustainability: Explain how relationships, knowledge, digital resources, community networks, or other project benefits can continue beyond the grant period.
- Focus on local relevance: Avoid generic solutions. Show a clear understanding of the particular community, province, audience, and social context in which the project will operate.
How to apply?
Note: For more comprehensive details click the link below
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who can apply for the UNHCR South Africa Community Grants?
The opportunity is intended for community-based organizations operating in South Africa. Particular encouragement is given to organizations representing or led by refugees, stateless persons, women, youth, LGBTIQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and diaspora communities.
2. What is the purpose of the UNHCR South Africa Community Grants?
The grants aim to support innovative, community-led initiatives that strengthen social cohesion and counter anti-foreigner sentiment, while addressing misinformation, hate speech, harmful narratives, and other challenges affecting forcibly displaced, stateless, and host communities.
3. Which areas of South Africa are prioritized?
Priority is given to organizations and initiatives in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Western Cape. However, exceptional proposals from other provinces may also be considered.
4. What types of activities can organizations propose?
Applicants may propose activities such as community dialogues, peer-to-peer engagement, trust-building initiatives, misinformation and hate-speech monitoring, locally relevant messaging, pre-bunking, digital literacy, online safety, and combined online and offline engagement. Proposed activities should be innovative, context-sensitive, and aligned with the programme’s objectives.
5. What is the indicative funding available?
The grant opportunity has an indicative budget of 100,000. Applicants should prepare a realistic budget that clearly links proposed costs to project activities and expected outcomes. Since the amount is indicative, applicants should consult the official Expression of Interest requirements for detailed funding and budget conditions.
Get full access to the grant information, visit the Official Website Link
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