Global Change Program - Incite at Columbia University

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Global Change Program

  • Grant Value $25,000 USD
  • Grantees to Date 5
  • Eligible Region Global
  • Contact Evan McCormick

Communities around the world are confronting critical challenges in a number of areas, including climate change, education access, interstate conflict, public health crises, and data transparency.

Incite Institute's Global Change Program (GCP) supports activists, scholars, organizers, artists, and others working with communities most directly challenged by these issues and many others. Through the Global Change Program, Incite provides grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 to leaders of projects, initiatives, or campaigns across the globe who are tackling some of the world's most pressing problems. Global Change Program grantees remain in the field during the award year while receiving intellectual support from Incite and other institutions at Columbia University.

Since launching with a pilot in 2024, this program has supported several projects around the world. Projects have included mapping and strengthening Latin American civil society networks, bolstering the strategic planning capabilities of civil society organizations in Hungary, and fostering a regional dialogue about inequality in Colombia.

Applications for the 2025-2026 Global Change Program cohort are now open—scroll to learn more.

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Applying to the Global Change Program

We are currently seeking our September 2025–August 2026 cohort of Global Change Program grantees. If you have an idea for a project aligned with our approach, we'd love to hear from you.

The Global Change Program supports projects that bring innovative, knowledge-based solutions—derived from academic research and/or from experience—to challenges in specific, community-defined contexts. Communities can be defined in different ways—by language, geography, or interests, for example—and applicants must demonstrate how that community’s participation in the initiative will meaningfully shape it.

Strong applications will clearly identify the challenge or set of related challenges their project addresses and will clearly identify the impact the project will have on that challenge as that impact is experienced by the community.

This year, Incite is especially interested in proposals that relate to the following challenges or themes:

  • Social contexts of forced disappearances
  • Power and historical narratives
  • Effective models of worker organization
  • Music and social transformation

Note: Applicants whose projects do not fit these categories should still apply.

Incite intends for these awards to support leaders in their efforts to be transformative. In many cases, initiatives we support will be brand new; others may be existing but seek to move in new directions, experiment with new methods, or achieve greater scale and depth. When evaluating projects, we prioritize initiatives that break new ground while showing how they can be sustained and grow beyond the project year.

Application Timeline

Click to apply

FAQ

  • GCP is open to activists, scholars, organizers, artists, and other leaders around the world with compelling proposals for community-based change-making work.

    GCP funds individuals, or small groups of individuals, rather than organizations. An organizational affiliation is not required for application. However, we recognize that the applicant and project described in the proposal may be affiliated with the work of an organization.

  • We’re looking for specific, concerted efforts—projects, campaigns, or programs, for example—that are scaled to effectively deliver the impact envisioned in the proposal. Proposals may be involve new or ongoing work.

    We seek projects that center communities which most directly face the global challenge identified by the applicant, and which stand to benefit from the impact of the initiative. Communities can be defined in different ways—by language, geography, or interests, for example—but applicants must demonstrate how the community’s participation will meaningfully shape the initiative.

    Strong applications will clearly identify the challenge or set of related challenges their project is designed to address and will clearly identify the impact their project is expected to have on that challenge as experienced by the community.

    For more information, check out our past GCP projects.

  • Grant funds can be used for initiative support related to the project considered in the proposal. Initiative support might include, for example: labor, space, supplies, communications costs, and other expenses that are directly related to the project outlined in the proposal.

Incubated Projects

  • go to A Latin American Civil Society Hub
    A Latin American Civil Society Hub
    Strengthening Latin American civil society organizations through regional collaborations. Part of the Global Change Program
  • go to Centering Indigenous Health Equity
    Centering Indigenous Health Equity
    Hosting Indigenous-led conversations about health equity and access across the Philippines. Part of the Global Change Program
  • go to Climate Dialogues at Scale
    Climate Dialogues at Scale
    Producing an inclusive dialogue about climate change in Montreal by combining community engagement and natural language processing. Part of the Global Change Program
  • go to Cross-Regional Dialogues On Inequality
    Cross-Regional Dialogues On Inequality
    Fostering regional dialogues on inequality across Colombia. Part of the Global Change Program
  • go to People, Power, and Planning
    People, Power, and Planning
    Building the capacities of Hungarian civil society organizations through tailored strategic planning and mentorship programs. Part of the Global Change Program

Related opportunities

  • go to Assembling Voices
    Assembling Voices
    Supporting US-based artists, writers, scholars, journalists, performers, activists, workers, and others with compelling ideas for public initiatives. Funded by Incite Institute
  • go to Don Quixote Award
    Don Quixote Award
    Supporting idealistic, romantic, creative, impractical, adventurous projects born of teachers’ passions with awards up to $5,000. In Partnership with Academy for Teachers
  • go to Hard Questions Grant
    Hard Questions Grant
    Up to $75,000 for research that tackles hard questions with innovative approaches too risky for traditional funding mechanisms. Funded by Incite Institute
  • go to Incite Institute Dissertation Fellowship
    Incite Institute Dissertation Fellowship
    $6,000 grants for Columbia Arts & Sciences PhD students. Funded by Incite Institute