The NNPC Limited/FIRST Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited Joint Venture has launched a new multi-year grant program, Impact FIRST: Heritage, to provide sustained funding and long-term partnership support to high-impact Nigerian non-governmental organizations.
The programme was unveiled at the inaugural Impact FIRST: Heritage Grant Presentation Ceremony held recently in Ikoyi, Lagos, with representatives of the Joint Venture, beneficiary organisations, development stakeholders and members of the media in attendance.
Impact FIRST: Heritage builds on the flagship Impact FIRST grant programme launched in 2024 to support innovative Nigerian NGOs addressing critical social challenges.
Since its launch, Impact FIRST has supported 15 organisations whose interventions have reached more than 20,000 beneficiaries across Nigeria.
Unlike the annual Impact FIRST programme, which provides one-off grants to a wider pool of eligible organisations, Impact FIRST: Heritage adopts a long-term partnership approach.
The new programme provides multi-year funding to previous Impact FIRST beneficiaries that have demonstrated strong institutional governance, measurable social impact, sustainable programme delivery and the capacity to responsibly scale their interventions.
Following a rigorous assessment process, five organisations were selected as the inaugural beneficiaries of the Heritage programme.
They include The IREDE Foundation, which provides prosthetic limbs and support services for child amputees; Asido Foundation, which supports the rehabilitation and reintegration of people living with severe mental health conditions; and Cerebral Palsy Centre, which provides long-term care and support for people living with cerebral palsy.
Also selected are the Health and Development Support Programme, which delivers eye-care interventions and sight-restoring surgeries for underserved communities, and Health Emergency Initiative (HEI), which expands access to emergency healthcare services and supports first-responder capacity development.
Speaking at the ceremony, Executive Director, Corporate Services, FIRST E&P, Emmanuel Etomi, described Impact FIRST: Heritage as an important evolution in the Joint Venture’s social investment strategy.
He said the programme would enable the selected organisations to scale their interventions, strengthen their institutional capacity and create greater value for vulnerable and underserved communities.
“Today, we celebrate five exceptional organisations whose work continues to improve lives, strengthen communities, and create opportunities for some of Nigeria’s most vulnerable and underserved populations,” Etomi said.
He added that providing long-term support to organisations with proven performance and measurable results would help them expand their impact and deliver greater value to the communities they serve.
Representing the Chief Upstream Investment Officer, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services, Olanrewaju Igandan, at the event, Advisor, Community Relations, NUIMS, Usman Mohammed-Bello, said the shift from annual corporate giving to a multi-year grant framework reflects a more strategic approach to social investment.
According to him, the model aligns with the broader imperatives of sustainable development and creates an opportunity for stronger long-term social impact.
He also commended FIRST E&P for the initiative and reaffirmed NUIMS’ commitment to supporting collaborative efforts that promote social value creation and national development priorities.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiary organisations, Executive Director of Health Emergency Initiative, Pascal Achunine, expressed appreciation to the NNPC Limited/FIRST E&P JV for selecting the five organisations for the programme.
Achunine said the support represented more than financial assistance, describing it as a vote of confidence in the work being carried out by organisations within Nigeria’s social sector.
He said the beneficiaries would use the opportunity to deepen their interventions and extend their reach to more people in need.
The launch of Impact FIRST: Heritage signals a shift towards longer-term corporate social investment partnerships, with the NNPC Limited/FIRST E&P JV seeking to strengthen proven interventions rather than providing only short-term funding.
Through the program, the Joint Venture aims to expand access to critical services and support sustainable development outcomes across areas including healthcare, education, economic empowerment and community development.
The initiative also highlights the growing role of strategic partnerships and sustained funding in enabling Nigerian NGOs to strengthen their operations, scale proven solutions and deliver lasting impact in underserved communities.