About the ISTAT Foundation:
The ISTAT Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT), a global organisation of professionals in the commercial aviation industry. ISTAT represents over 4,000 members worldwide including aircraft manufacturers, airlines, lessors, financiers, appraisers, and other aviation professionals. The Foundation channels the aviation industry's resources and expertise toward humanitarian impact, education, and career development in aviation. The Foundation operates grant programmes, scholarships, internships, and educational initiatives. Its Humanitarian Aid Grants programme specifically supports organisations that leverage aviation as a tool for delivering life-saving assistance worldwide.

Humanitarian Aid Grants — Programme Overview:
The Humanitarian Aid Grants support organisations that use aviation as a tool to provide life-saving assistance, improve access to healthcare, and respond to humanitarian crises around the globe. These grants prioritise projects that demonstrate measurable impact, strong operational capability, and a commitment to serving communities in need. The programme recognises that aviation plays a unique and irreplaceable role in humanitarian work — reaching remote and inaccessible communities, providing rapid disaster response, enabling medical evacuations, delivering essential supplies, and bringing healthcare professionals to areas that cannot be reached by road.

Who Can Apply — Eligibility:
Applicants must be a registered non-profit organisation. Must be established for a minimum of two years prior to applying — demonstrating track record and stability. Must demonstrate a clear humanitarian mission supported by aviation-related activities — aviation must be integral to the organisation's humanitarian work, not incidental. Must have a proven ability to deliver aid effectively and responsibly — the Foundation evaluates operational capability and impact. Religious organisations are eligible but must be inclusive of all religions and not specific to one or a few religions.

Types of Projects Funded:
Based on the 2025 awardee portfolio, the Foundation funds a diverse range of aviation-based humanitarian projects.

• Air ambulance and aeromedical services — emergency medical transport, helicopter rescue, critical care airlift for patients who cannot access hospitals by road.
• Flying doctor and medical safari programmes — healthcare professionals travelling by air to remote communities for medical consultations, surgery, dental care, and women's health services.
• Medical mission aviation — organisations that fly surgical teams, medical supplies, and equipment to underserved regions for targeted healthcare interventions.
• Airfreighting humanitarian supplies — transporting water purification kits, emergency health packs, medical equipment, and other essential supplies by air to areas in need.
• Surgical and specialist healthcare access — using aviation to bring specialist surgeons, ophthalmologists, dentists, and other healthcare professionals to communities that lack such services.
• Disaster response aviation — rapid deployment of aviation assets for disaster relief, evacuation, and recovery operations.

2025 Awardees — Examples of Funded Projects:

• Austin Smiles — medical mission in El Salvador providing plastic surgery services (Central America).
• Aviation Without Borders UK — airfreighting water purifying kits and emergency health packs (Africa, Europe).
• Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust — air ambulance operations "Saving More Time, Saving More Lives" (Europe).
• Flying Angels Foundation — flight emergency fund for medical evacuations (Global).
• London's Air Ambulance — operational PPE and equipment (Europe).
• Mercy Air South Africa — Kalahari Wings air ambulance service (Africa).
• Mission Aviation Fellowship — CURE Medical Safaris in Kenya (Global).
• Partners for Andean Community Health — surgical and women's health access for Indigenous communities via air (South America).
• Project Orbis International — Flying Eye Hospital ophthalmic surgery programmes (Global).
• Royal Flying Doctor Service (Victoria) — rural women's GP programme via aviation (Oceania).
• Wings of Hope — dental and medical relief in Paraguay via air (Global).

These examples demonstrate the range of aviation-based humanitarian work the Foundation supports — from air ambulance operations to medical missions, from supply airlifting to specialist healthcare delivery.

Nepal Eligibility and Relevance:
Nepal is eligible as the programme is global with no geographic restrictions. Nepal's unique geography makes aviation-based humanitarian aid exceptionally relevant — more so than in many other countries. Nepal is one of the most mountainous countries on Earth, with significant populations living in remote hill and mountain districts that are often inaccessible by road, especially during monsoon season, after earthquakes, or following landslides. Aviation — particularly helicopter services — is frequently the only means of reaching these communities for healthcare delivery, medical evacuation, disaster response, and supply transport.

Nepal's Aviation-Dependent Humanitarian Needs: Medical evacuation from remote mountain communities — helicopter rescue and aeromedical transport are critical for trauma, obstetric emergencies, and acute illness in areas days away from the nearest hospital by foot. Disaster response — Nepal's 2015 earthquake, recurring floods, landslides, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) all require aviation-based disaster response. Airlifting supplies to remote districts — during road closures (monsoon, landslide, earthquake damage), aviation is the only way to deliver food, medicine, and essential supplies. Healthcare access — flying medical teams to remote airstrips in districts like Humla, Dolpa, Mugu, Jumla, and other mountain areas where healthcare facilities are minimal. Trekker and mountaineer rescue — Nepal's Himalayan terrain generates significant helicopter rescue demand, and lessons from these operations can be applied to community healthcare delivery.

Potential Nepal Applicants: Organisations operating helicopter-based medical evacuation or rescue services in Nepal. NGOs running medical missions to remote airstrips and helicopter landing zones in mountain districts. International aviation humanitarian organisations (like Mission Aviation Fellowship) with Nepal programmes or planning Nepal operations. Nepal-based disaster response organisations that use aviation for relief delivery. Air ambulance services operating in Nepal. Organisations airfreighting medical supplies to remote health posts in Nepal. International organisations partnering with Nepali aviation operators for humanitarian purposes.

Nepal-Specific Project Ideas: Establishing or strengthening helicopter-based medical evacuation corridors from remote mountain districts to district or regional hospitals. Medical mission flights bringing surgical teams, dental care, or specialist healthcare to remote airstrip communities in Nepal's mountain districts. Airlifting essential medical supplies (vaccines, emergency health kits, maternal health supplies) to remote health posts during monsoon season road closures. Disaster preparedness aviation — pre-positioning aviation assets and training for rapid response to earthquakes, floods, and landslides. Flying eye hospital or specialist surgical missions to Nepal's remote communities via air.

KEY DETAILS

• Grant: ISTAT Foundation Humanitarian Aid Grants 2026
  
• Organization: ISTAT Foundation (International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading)
  
• DEADLINE: May 29, 2026 — 60 DAYS REMAINING
  
• AWARDS ANNOUNCED: July 31, 2026
  
• APPLY AT: https://istatfoundation.submittable.com/submit/4fa4c0a7-464d-4ee5-a80a-b44c953638d0/humanitarian-grant-program-2026
  
• GRANT SIZE: Not publicly specified — varies by project
• WHO CAN APPLY:
  — Registered non-profit organisations
  — Established for minimum 2 years
  — Clear humanitarian mission supported by AVIATION-RELATED activities
  — Proven ability to deliver aid effectively
  — Religious orgs must be inclusive of all religions

• KEY REQUIREMENT: AVIATION MUST BE INTEGRAL TO YOUR HUMANITARIAN WORK
  — This is NOT a general humanitarian grant
  — Your organisation must use aviation (planes, helicopters, airfreight) as the delivery mechanism
  — Projects without an aviation component will not qualify

• TYPES OF PROJECTS FUNDED (based on 2025 awardees):
  — Air ambulance / aeromedical services
  — Flying doctor / medical safari programmes
  — Medical mission aviation
  — Airfreighting humanitarian supplies
  — Surgical/specialist healthcare via aviation
  — Disaster response aviation

• GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE: Global — no country restrictions

• NEPAL ELIGIBILITY: ELIGIBLE — HIGHLY RELEVANT DUE TO GEOGRAPHY
  — Nepal's mountainous terrain makes aviation CRITICAL for humanitarian access
  — Helicopter rescue and medical evacuation are essential in remote mountain districts
  — Disaster response (earthquakes, floods, landslides) requires aviation
  — Airlifting supplies during monsoon road closures is a regular need
  — Medical missions to remote airstrips serve communities with no road access
  — Nepal's geography makes this grant MORE relevant than for most countries
  

• CONTACT:
  ISTAT Foundation
  330 North Wabash Avenue, Suite 2000
  Chicago, IL 60611 USA
  Phone: +1.312.321.5169
  Email: foundation@istat.org

• IMPORTANT NOTES:
  — DEADLINE IS MAY 29, 2026 — 60 DAYS REMAINING
  — This is EXTREMELY NICHE — only for organisations where aviation IS the humanitarian delivery mechanism
  — Your nonprofit must have been registered for AT LEAST 2 YEARS — new organisations are not eligible
  — Must demonstrate MEASURABLE IMPACT — the Foundation wants to see clear outcomes from aviation-based aid
  — OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY is evaluated — show that you can deliver effectively via aviation
  — The 2025 awardee list shows GLOBAL reach — projects in Africa, South America, Europe, Oceania, and Global
  — Nepal is NOT yet represented in recent awardees — being the first Nepal-focused project could be compelling
  — The Foundation is backed by the AVIATION INDUSTRY (ISTAT) — 4,000+ members in commercial aviation
  — The grant amount is NOT published — but the diversity of 2025 awardees (14 organisations) suggests meaningful but not enormous grants
  — If your organisation does NOT use aviation for humanitarian work, this grant is NOT for you — look at other opportunities instead
  — Religious organisations CAN apply but must be INCLUSIVE of all religions
  — Aviation includes fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and airfreight — not limited to one type

• PROGRAMME PAGE: https://foundation.istat.org/Programs/Grants/Humanitarian-Grants

• OTHER ISTAT FOUNDATION PROGRAMMES: https://foundation.istat.org/Programs (scholarships, internships also available)

• SOURCE: https://foundation.istat.org/Programs/Grants/Humanitarian-Grants