Note: Many other smaller NGO/UN-funded grants exist; these are major frameworks with funding windows, some of which you can tap into either as project leads or sub‐partners.

Step-by-Step Guide to Applying for Water Resource Management & Drought Resilience Grants (Beginner Friendly)

Whether you are from a county government in Kenya, a university research centre in Ethiopia, or a local NGO in Somalia, here’s how to approach applying for a grant like one of those above.

Step 1: Clarify your focus & geography

• Select your topic: Do you want to work on groundwater mapping? Rainwater harvesting? Drought early warning systems? Pastoralist water access? Choose one clear thematic focus.

• Pick your geography: For example, Turkana or Wajir in Kenya; Somali Region in Ethiopia; Gedo or Galmudug in Somalia. The project should explicitly state impact on high-risk zones of drought.

• Align to funder priorities: Review the funder’s focus. If you target a groundwater project, a program like HoAGWRP fits. For drought-resilience research, then INTERVENE or IDMP-HOA might be relevant.

Step 2: Build your team and context

• Assemble partners: A lead applicant organisation (NGO, university, county government), plus local community partners, perhaps a regional office/authority.

• Map the problem: Provide data on water scarcity, drought incidents, affected communities. Use local statistics.

• Engage communities: Demonstrate community involvement and gender/inclusion focus. Funders increasingly emphasise this.

Step 3: Draft your concept or proposal outline

• Goal & objectives: State your goal (e.g., Improve drought resilience for 10,000 pastoral households in north-eastern Kenya). Then set 2-4 objectives (e.g., increase groundwater recharge by X m³, establish community-managed water committees, pilot early-warning system).

• Activities & outputs: What you’ll do, how, and by when (e.g., drill 5 monitoring boreholes, train 100 community water managers, install sensors).

• Budget summary: Estimate major cost items—field equipment (borehole drilling), training, monitoring sensors, community engagement.

• Impact & sustainability: Describe how the project will be maintained beyond grant period (community ownership, local government embedding, income streams).

• Monitoring & evaluation (M&E): Provide indicators (e.g., % increase in water access, reduction in drought-related migration).

• Budget request: Align with funder’s grant size (e.g., the INTERVENE student grant was ~€6,000).

• Gender & inclusion strategy: As shown by INTERVENE’s emphasis on gender-sensitive drought resilience.

Step 4: Prepare eligibility & submission checklist

• Confirm you meet eligibility: geographic focus, organisational type, budget size, alignment with funder’s goals.

• Gather documents: organisational registration, bank details, previous project references, CVs of key staff, letters of support from local authorities, risk assessment.

• Follow funder instructions exactly: Many grants have strict deadlines (e.g., INTERVENE had June 15, 2025 as application deadline).

• Ensure budget alignment: over-ambitious budgets may get rejected.

Step 5: Submission, follow-up, and full proposal

• Submit your concept note or full technical proposal as required.

• If shortlisted, you may be asked for more detail or invited for interviews.

• Once awarded: sign grant agreement, begin implementation, monitor progress, report as required.

Step 6: Implementation and reporting

• Track your M&E indicators.

• Engage stakeholders and communities continuously.

• Ensure documentation of outcomes (photos, testimonies).

• Provide reports to funder as per schedule.

• Plan for sustainability: This might involve forming community water associations, setting up maintenance funds or linking to county government budgets.

Key Insights & Real-World Examples

Insight 1: Groundwater as drought buffer

Groundwater is one of the most reliable buffers in drought-prone regions. The Horn of Africa Groundwater for Resilience Program emphasizes aquifer management in Kenyan ASAL borderlands of Turkana and Mandera. This suggests that a grant proposal focusing on groundwater recharge, borehole monitoring and community-owned maintenance could hit a very relevant funder priority.

Insight 2: Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) and drought resilience

The IDMP-HOA project underscores that drought resilience isn’t just about water supply—it requires integrated management of land, water, policy frameworks, community systems and early warning. Thus, your project is stronger if it ties surface water, groundwater, land use, and social adaptation.

Insight 3: Gender and inclusion matter

Projects like INTERVENE place strong emphasis on the gender dimensions of drought resilience—how women are disproportionately impacted and how adaptation must address intersectional vulnerabilities. Therefore proposals that integrate women, youth and marginalized groups are more competitive.

Insight 4: Transboundary and regional scale funding

Many significant grants span multiple countries (e.g., Kenya-Somalia borderlands) or basin/river systems (e.g., Lake Victoria, Juba/Shebelle). That means there is value in linking to regional water bodies or cross-border issues (and even IGAD frameworks). This can add weight to your application.

Real-world example

In Kenya, the NDMA (National Drought Management Authority) drives a ‘Drought Resilience Programme’ in ASAL areas, working with county governments to build early warning, water infrastructure and community resilience. A grant aligned with NDMA’s priorities—such as community-managed boreholes plus sensor monitoring in Garissa or Wajir—would have strong local relevance.

Proposal/Concept Note Framework – A Simple Strong Structure

Here is a structure you can adapt when preparing your full proposal:

1. Title: e.g., “Enhancing Drought Resilience through Community-Managed Groundwater and Early Warning Systems in Mandera County, Kenya”

2. Background & Rationale: Describe drought risk, water scarcity statistics, livelihood impacts in Mandera.

3. Goal: Increase resilience of pastoralist households in Mandera to recurrent droughts through improved groundwater access and early warning.

4. Objectives:

   • Drill and equip 4 community-managed monitoring boreholes in Mandera within 12 months.

   • Train 60 pastoralist water-user committees in groundwater monitoring and maintenance by month 9.

   • Establish an early-warning SMS water-availability alert system reaching 1,500 households by month 18.

5. Activities:

   • Engage county-government and community consultations (month 1–2)

   • Hydrogeological survey and borehole siting (month 2–4)

   • Borehole drilling & equipping (month 4–8)

   • Training & community water-forum establishment (month 6–9)

   • Install sensors + SMS alert system (month 8–12)

   • Monitoring, evaluation and knowledge-sharing workshop (month 12–18)

6. Outputs/Results:

   • 4 functional boreholes; 60 trained committee members; Early-warning system operational; Reduced water-truck interventions by 50 % in target area, etc.

7. Budget Summary: Provide cost breakdown: boreholes, sensors, training, community forums, M&E. Align numbers with funder scale.

8. Sustainability Plan: Establish community maintenance fund; link borehole equipment maintenance to county budgeting; water-user association rules.

9. Gender & Inclusion Strategy: Ensure minimum 40 % of water-user committee members are women; include pastoralist youth; accessibility for persons with disabilities.

10. Monitoring & Evaluation: Indicators, data collection methods, reporting schedule.

11. Risk Analysis & Mitigation: Drought delaying drilling, community disengagement, sensor failure—mediate with contingency plans.

12. Partners & Roles: County government, local NGO, hydro-geological consultant, mobile-SMS provider.

13. Timeline/Gantt Chart: 18 months or 24 months clearly laid out.

14. Appendices: CVs of lead staff, letters of support, organisational evidence, previous experience.

Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them