FCDO HELP-S Sudan Grant 2026: £30 Million Funding Opportunity for Humanitarian and Resilience Programmes

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has launched the Humanitarian Emergency and Longer-term Planning – Sudan (HELP-S) programme, a major £30 million funding initiative aimed at strengthening resilience and humanitarian response systems in conflict-affected areas of Sudan.

The programme will run for 2.5 years from 2026 to 2029 and seeks to support communities in more stable regions affected by the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Through this initiative, the FCDO aims to strengthen locally led humanitarian action, improve community resilience, and build sustainable response systems that can better address both immediate humanitarian needs and long-term recovery challenges.

This funding opportunity is particularly important for humanitarian organisations, local Sudanese actors, NGOs, academic institutions, and international agencies working to support vulnerable populations across Sudan.

About the HELP-S Programme

The Humanitarian Emergency and Longer-term Planning – Sudan (HELP-S) programme was developed in response to the growing humanitarian crisis and displacement challenges affecting Sudan.

The initiative recognizes that local communities are often the first responders during emergencies and that sustainable humanitarian responses require stronger partnerships between local and international actors.

The programme focuses on:

• Supporting community resilience
• Strengthening local humanitarian responders
• Improving humanitarian coordination
• Enhancing locally led approaches
• Filling critical response gaps in stable but high-need areas
• Promoting adaptive and flexible humanitarian programming

The FCDO aims to create a model that combines immediate humanitarian assistance with longer-term resilience planning to help communities better withstand future crises.

Funding Details

Total Funding Value

The HELP-S programme provides:

• £30 million in total funding

Programme Duration

The programme will run for:

• 2.5 years (2026–2029)

Funding Focus Areas

The programme targets sectors including:

• Girls and women
• Health
• Humanitarian emergencies and disasters
• Livelihoods
• Community resilience

Organisations applying for funding are expected to develop innovative and sustainable approaches that address humanitarian needs while strengthening long-term resilience.

What the Fund Will Achieve

According to the FCDO, the HELP-S initiative is designed to transform humanitarian response models in Sudan by placing local actors at the center of humanitarian action.

Locally Led Humanitarian Response

The programme emphasizes that communities are the first responders during crises. The initiative therefore prioritizes:

• Community-led action
• Local partnerships
• Sudanese leadership
• Demand-driven humanitarian responses

Strong Partnerships

The programme encourages genuine collaboration between:

• International humanitarian actors
• Sudanese civil society organisations
• Community groups
• Research institutions
• Relief agencies

These partnerships should be based on mutual respect, shared accountability, and complementary expertise.

Flexible and Adaptive Programming

Given the rapidly changing situation in Sudan, organisations must demonstrate the ability to:

• Adapt activities quickly
• Respond to changing humanitarian conditions
• Operate effectively in volatile environments
• Maintain programme continuity despite conflict-related challenges

Innovation and Accountability

The FCDO also expects funded organisations to:

• Promote innovation in humanitarian delivery
• Strengthen accountability to affected populations
• Improve community acceptance
• Uphold humanitarian principles

Eligible Organisations

The HELP-S programme is open to a wide range of humanitarian and nonprofit organisations.

Eligible applicants include:

• International NGOs
• Sudanese national NGOs
• Local civil society organisations
• United Nations agencies
• Humanitarian relief organisations
• Nonprofit academic institutions
• Research organisations
• Consortia partnerships

For-profit organisations are not eligible to apply directly but may participate as downstream partners in consortium arrangements.

Requirements for Applicants

To qualify for the programme, organisations must demonstrate several important operational and institutional capacities.

Humanitarian Experience

Applicants must show:

• Proven experience delivering humanitarian assistance in challenging contexts
• Experience operating in conflict-affected areas

Sudan Operational Capacity

Organisations must demonstrate:

• Ability to work in hard-to-reach regions of Sudan
• Understanding of local humanitarian dynamics
• Strong local partnerships where possible

Safeguarding Systems

Applicants are required to have:

• Strong safeguarding mechanisms
• Measures to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment
• Accountability and protection systems

Commitment to Localisation

The FCDO places significant importance on:

• Locally led humanitarian approaches
• Genuine partnership with Sudanese organisations
• Shared leadership and participation

Financial and Compliance Capacity

Eligible organisations must have:

• Strong financial management systems
• Compliance systems aligned with FCDO requirements
• Transparent operational procedures

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit the following documents:

Required Documents

• A 5-page Expression of Interest using the official template
• A high-level budget estimate using the provided budget template

Submission Deadline

The deadline to submit expressions of interest is:

27 May 2026 at 11:59 PM East Africa Time (EAT)

Late applications will not be considered.

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