Unearthodox Exploration Co-Lab 2027: a CHF 10,000 grant and incubation for nature-society initiatives
Verified by the editorial team 25 October 2026
Added to the catalogue Added to the catalogue from the 23 October GetGrant export, terms verified on the Unearthodox call page on YouNoodle
Summary
A CHF 10,000 grant and 10-month online incubation for early-stage initiatives from any country seeking systemic answers to the crisis in the human-nature relationship. The initiative must be past the idea stage. Deadline - 16 November 2026.
About the call
Unearthodox is a Swiss organisation supporting unconventional environmental innovators. Its Exploration Co-Lab is an alternative incubator for initiatives that address not symptoms but the root causes of nature loss: worldviews, institutions built on commodification and extraction, and our relationship with the living world.
Each cohort member receives a CHF 10,000 grant and access to a shared pool of non-financial support worth an estimated CHF 60,000: coaching, expert guidance, systems mapping, futures thinking, positioning support and visibility through Unearthodox channels. Incubation runs online in English from 1 March to 31 December 2027, with regular calls scheduled between UTC-6 and UTC+6, a range that includes Ukraine.
The programme seeks initiatives past the idea stage, with research, testing, a pilot or community engagement already in place. For Ukrainian environmental NGOs and initiative groups it is a way to fund experimental approaches to restoring nature and communities after the war that are hard to fit into classic donor programmes. Applications from underrepresented communities are especially welcome.
Who can apply
- Initiatives from any country working at the intersection of environmental and societal change
- Early-stage initiatives past the idea stage, with research, testing, a pilot or community engagement
- Also established initiatives that need a meaningful shift in approach or model
- Participants able to work in English in an online cohort
What the funds are for
- Initiatives shifting worldviews and human relationships with nature
- Challenging institutions built on commodification and extraction of nature
- Testing, proving, deepening or pivoting systemic environmental initiatives
What is not funded
- Projects reinforcing extractive or dominant systems
- Projects prioritising profit, speed or growth over purpose
- Solutions addressing only surface-level symptoms rather than root causes
- Concepts on paper only with no practical work
Documents required
Forms and templates are on the call page
How to apply
- 1Read the information-for-applicants document on the call page
- 2Complete the application on YouNoodle by 16 November 2026, 23:59 (GMT+1)
- 3If shortlisted, take part in an interview on 14-18 December 2026
Timeline
Questions and answers
- How much funding does the Unearthodox Exploration Co-Lab provide?
- Each participant receives a CHF 10,000 grant plus access to a shared pool of non-financial support worth an estimated CHF 60,000.
- Can I apply with an idea that has no practical results yet?
- No. The initiative must be past the idea stage, with initial research, testing, a pilot or active community engagement. A concept on paper alone is not enough.
Change history
- Added: Added to the catalogue from the 23 October GetGrant export, terms verified on the Unearthodox call page on YouNoodle
Donor contacts
Email: colab@unearthodox.org
Website: unearthodox.org/exploration-co-lab/
