Community-led support for practical growth

Turning local ideas into lasting opportunity.

UNEAP equips local changemakers with capital, skills and trusted guidance so communities can build their own path forward.

Explore Programmes
50+
Countries reached
12,000+
Beneficiaries supported
3,500+
Small businesses assisted
800+
Community projects funded
UNEAP impact in communities
UNEAP impact in communities
UNEAP impact in communities
UNEAP impact in communities

Empowering people. Enabling enterprises. Strengthening communities.

UNEAP works across multiple sectors to create inclusive economic ecosystems where every individual has access to opportunity, skills and resources to build sustainable prosperity.

  • Promote inclusive economic development
  • Support entrepreneurship and innovation
  • Reduce unemployment through skills development
  • Strengthen community-based economic systems
  • Facilitate access to development funding
Farmers in cooperative field
Skills training sessionCommunity market
70%
of beneficiaries report income improvement

A different way to grow economies

We don't parachute in solutions. We build the conditions for communities to thrive on their own terms — and we stay for the long term.

Community-first

We start with local knowledge and ownership, designing every programme around the people it serves.

Partnership-driven

Lasting change comes from trusted alliances between communities, funders, governments and institutions.

Evidence-led

We measure what matters — income, resilience and dignity — and adapt as the evidence guides us.

Local entrepreneurs collaborating
Community training workshop

A transparent five-step pathway

01

Apply

Submit your online application form.

02

Review

Project review and eligibility screening.

03

Assess

Verification and impact assessment.

04

Approve

Approval and onboarding into the programme.

05

Deliver

Disbursement or programme enrollment.

News & opportunities

View all
New Youth Entrepreneurship Call Opens
Youth· May 2026

New Youth Entrepreneurship Call Opens

Read more
SME Recovery Funding Round Announced
Funding· Apr 2026

SME Recovery Funding Round Announced

Read more
Skills Training Expansion Across Africa
Skills· Mar 2026

Skills Training Expansion Across Africa

Read more
Community Development Grants Now Available
Community· Feb 2026

Community Development Grants Now Available

Read more

Stories from the people we serve

Behind every programme is a person whose life changed. Three of their stories:

Amina Otieno
Story
Amina Otieno
Founder, AgriCoop Kenya

A small grant helped Amina's farming cooperative buy its first shared processing mill. Within a year the group was supplying fourteen local markets and reinvesting profits into training for neighbouring villages.

Camila Ortiz
Story
Camila Ortiz
Youth Lead, Colombia

Through the skills programme Camila learned to build and repair community Wi-Fi hubs. She now leads a team of young women training others across three regions, turning a single course into a growing local movement.

Daniel Tan
Story
Daniel Tan
Community Organiser, Philippines

When UNEAP listened before funding, Daniel's coastal village rebuilt its fishery cooperative on its own terms. Today the project supports thirty families and has become a model for nearby islands.

"

UNEAP didn't just fund a project — they believed in our community's ability to lead it. That changed everything.

Grace Mwangi
Grace Mwangi
Cooperative Leader, Tanzania

Everything you need to get started

Answers to the questions we hear most from founders, communities and partners.

Individuals, startups, cooperatives and community organisations based in eligible developing or emerging economies can apply. Each programme has its own eligibility criteria, outlined on the Programmes and Funding pages.
Get involved

Partner with UNEAP for sustainable global impact.

We work alongside development organisations, financial institutions, academia, governments and community-based organisations to maximise global development outcomes.

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Partners collaborating on community development
Together we build resilient economies