Call For  Proposals 

We aim to support practical, community-led education projects that remove concrete barriers to learning. We are particularly interested in projects that focus on access, safety, and learning readiness:

• Improve access to early childhood development (ECD), primary, or secondary education for children in low-income or rural communities

• Support marginalized or underserved children (including Indigenous communities, migrant or displaced children, and other locally excluded groups) in accessing and remaining in school

• Provide essential education inputs such as school supplies, uniforms, textbooks, desks, or exam fee assistance when clearly linked to school attendance or retention

• Promote literacy and reading, particularly for early learners and girls, through community-based or school-linked initiatives

• Strengthen community-based learning spaces such as libraries, reading rooms, after-school programs, or homework clubs that provide safe, structured learning environments

• Support small-scale classroom repair or learning environment improvements that make schools safer, more functional, or more inclusive for children

• Improve safe and reliable transport or access pathways to school for children in remote areas (e.g. bicycles, transport coordination, modest infrastructure solutions)

• Support practical parent or caregiver involvement that directly improves children’s attendance or learning (e.g. school follow-up, supervision, learning support)

• Pilot simple, low-cost, locally designed solutions that reduce clear barriers to education and can realistically function within a microgrant budget

Clarifications

Projects must:

• Benefit a clearly defined group of children

• Be community-designed and community-managed

• Produce a tangible improvement in children’s access to learning or the learning environment

**Projects focused primarily on advocacy, awareness campaigns, policy engagement, or large-scale education programming are not eligible.

• Grant size: Up to USD $1,500

• Project duration: Up to 12 months

• Funding model: Projects must include at least 25% community contribution, provided through cash, materials, labor, or other in-kind support. Proposals without a demonstrated community contribution will not be considered.

Why do we require community contribution?

Community contribution is central to Luena Foundation’s approach. It demonstrates local ownership, shared responsibility, and long-term sustainability. Projects that are co-invested by the community are more likely to be maintained, protected, and used well after the grant period ends.

Examples of acceptable community contribution (minimum 25% of the grant amount, in addition to the grant):

• Volunteer labor (e.g. excavation, construction, outreach, follow-up)

• Locally sourced materials (sand, stone, timber, bricks, tools)

• Cash contributions raised within the community

• Use of community assets (land, meeting space, storage, transport)

• Time contributed by community health volunteers or local committees

• Community contribution may be a mix of cash and in-kind support, but it must be clearly described and realistically valued in the project budget.

This call is open only to small, locally led, community-based organizations. To be eligible, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be a registered nonprofit, community-based, or grassroots organization, or a formally recognized community organization

• Have total annual organizational revenues of USD $50,000 or less

• Be locally led, with decision-making authority, financial control, and day-to-day management based in the community served

• Operate as an independent organization, not a chapter, program, field office, or fiscally sponsored project of a larger NGO

• Be directly responsible for project design and implementation (no pass-through or intermediary funding)

• Be able to contribute at least 25% of total project costs through cash, materials, labor, or other in-kind support

• Demonstrate basic accountability and transparency, including the ability to manage funds locally and report on activities

The following are not eligible:

• For-profit companies, including social enterprises registered as for-profit entities, businesses, or consultancies, even if the proposed project is charitable in nature

• Large public or private universities, research institutions, and academic centers

• Individuals or informal personal appeals

• Municipal, regional, or national government authorities (indigenous community councils or cabildos may be eligible when acting as community-based governing bodies, not as state authorities)

• Medium or large NGOs or INGOs

• Organizations that are part of, fiscally sponsored by, or operationally dependent on larger national or international organizations

• Projects managed primarily by external consultants or distant headquarters

** By submitting an application, organizations attest that they meet all eligibility criteria. Applications that do not meet these requirements will not be reviewed.

The following examples illustrate the scope, scale, and level of specificity expected for a Luena Scholars microgrant. These examples emphasize community solutions that strengthen families’ ability to keep children in school, rather than one-time subsidies.

• Establishing a community-run literacy or reading club for early learners or girls, using local facilitators and simple learning materials

• Providing backpacks, exercise books, pens, and basic learning supplies where lack of materials is a documented barrier to attendance

• Supporting parent-led savings groups, school support funds, or cooperative mechanisms that help families plan for and cover school-related costs over time

• Supporting safe transport solutions for children in remote areas, such as bicycles or community-organized transport arrangements

• Purchasing textbooks, teacher guides, or shared classroom learning materials for under-resourced rural schools

• Equipping a community library, reading corner, or learning space with age-appropriate books, learning games, and basic furnishings

• Supporting after-school homework clubs or study groups that provide structured learning support and supervision

• Providing small-scale classroom or learning environment improvements (e.g. desks, lighting, partitions, repairs) that directly improve safety and learning conditions

Click HERE for more examples of projects we have funded