Pure Earth Opportunity Fund

About the Pure Earth Opportunity Fund (duration 2025-2027) 

The fund prioritizes geographies in low-and middle-income countries. Eligible projects will focus on activities associated with lead exposure source assessment and mitigation activities for various sources, not including paint.

Examples of potential grant activities could include, but are not limited to:

-Screening market goods for lead or a survey of a single potential exposure source (e.g. a survey of fish or other food items)-Piloting a new lead detection technology or protocol-Awareness-raising efforts in a particularly sensitive or high-risk community around source assessments or piloting mitigation activities-A targeted engagement with a specific industry around industrial processes or material inputs (e.g. used lead-acid battery (ULAB) recycling facilities)-Seed funding to initiate a national-level lead working group or other related coordination efforts-Research to answer key questions that presently prevent progress in reducing exposure-Policy analysis-Other efforts to assess or prevent lead exposure

Grant Size: 

Grants ranging from USD $10,000 to $100,000 will be awarded over a 12 month period for each proposal or project, subject to renewal for an additional 12 months.

Geographic Scope:

Low- and middle-income countries.

Eligibility:

Legally registered NGOs, CSOs, universities, or other types of non-profit entities; preference for organizations based in the country/region where the activities will take place.

Deadline to Apply:

The deadline for submitting a screening form for the December 1st deadline has now passed. Please check the website later this year for updates on the next round of applications.

Which Fund Should I Apply To? 

–Pure Earth’s Fund focuses on providing technical assistance to governments to increase their capability to identify and assess lead exposure sources, identify priorities, and design and implement source-specific exposure mitigation programs (such as site cleanup programs), not including paint, as well as technical guidance. (Contact: oppfund@pureearth.org).

–LEEP’s Fund focuses on activities associated with reducing lead exposure from paint and lead chromates, as well as research to design, test, and evaluate practical and scalable solutions to reduce lead exposure from any source. (Contact: oppfund@leadelimination.org).

–Vital Strategies’ Fund is intended to promote creative public health responses to the complex challenges of addressing lead exposure. Priority will be given to proposals that advance public health systems engagement, build public health surveillance capacity or systems, and formulate policies that address key gaps in public health systems’ response to lead. (Contact: leadopportunity@vitalstrategies.org).

Pure Earth Application Instructions 

Applications will be screened for meeting basic requirements, and then will be asked to submit a full proposal to be reviewed by a Project Review Committee. Proposals will be reviewed on a quarterly basis and are due December 1st, 2025, March 1st, 2026, June 1st, 2026, and September 1st, 2026. Successful applicants will be required to complete a due diligence process, during which time you will be requested to submit additional documentation, i.e., incorporation certificate (including translation to English), financial statements, internal policies/procedures, annual report, reference letters, etc.

Please note: This is a two-step process. Applicants will first be screened to ensure they meet the basic requirements.  

The deadline to complete the screening form is 12pm ET on October 10th, 2025.

The deadline for submitting a screening form for the December 1st deadline has now passed. Please check the website later this year for updates on the next round of applications.

For questions, please reach out to Carol Sumkin, VP of Development, and Laurie Puzio, Assistant Director of Development, at oppfund@pureearth.org.