Funding Opportunities for African Businesses

This article is replete with funding opportunities for African business from Global call for Research Concept Notes, Epidemic Science Leadership and Innovation Networks Initiative (Africa) amongst others.

1. Global call for Research Concept Notes: Climate-Smart Livestock Systems (Africa)

Deadline: 25-Jan-24

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) are investing an initial CAD13.5 million to lead, through IDRC, a fund for climate-smart livestock systems (CSLS) in Africa.

The focus of the fund will be to develop new climate-smart livestock technologies and business models to improve animal productivity, promote climate adaptation and lower emission intensity for smallholder livestock farmers in climatic hotspots in Africa.

The CSLS programming will have two streams of research:

• climate-smart innovations in livestock systems
• delivery models to commercialize and scale mature climate-smart innovations

Thematic Focus Areas

• Concept notes will need to be based on addressing one or two of these four themes. Each of the four themes presents examples of subthemes that applicants may address in their project.

• • Water, pastures and feed management
    • Enhancing water resource reliability and drought resilience: This priority focuses on increasing the reliability of water resources for livestock and improving resilience to drought conditions. This may involve implementing water management strategies such as water storage, efficient irrigation and water conservation practices.
    • Efficient utilization of bio-resources: The aim is to optimize the use of available bio-resources, particularly water resources, to ensure sustainable livestock production. This involves employing practices that minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency.
    • Climate-smart forage production: The initiative involves the development and widespread adoption of climate-smart livestock technologies and innovations. These technologies should enable the production of high-quality forage that is adapted to local agroecological conditions, ensuring the availability of nutritious feed for livestock, even in changing climate scenarios.
    • Pasture corridors: Implementation and improvement of pasture corridors are essential. This includes enhancing the connectivity of grazing areas, improving livestock movement patterns and using transhumance practices to optimize pasture utilization.
    • Involvement of women and youth: A key target is to engage at least 30 percent of women and young people in forage production activities. This promotes gender and generational diversity in the livestock sector while fostering inclusivity and empowerment.
    • Effective rangeland management: Implementing sound rangeland management practices is crucial for maintaining healthy grazing areas. These practices help prevent overgrazing, land degradation and desertification, ensuring the long-term sustainability of livestock farming.
    • Post-harvest management and processing: This initiative emphasizes effective post-harvest management and processing of fodder and animal products. It includes strategies to conserve and store fodder and animal-derived products, reduce waste and ensure a stable food supply in the face of climate challenges.
  • Indigenous knowledge systems, climate data and management
    • Documenting climate-smart practices: This initiative involves documenting existing climate-smart innovations and practices that have been tested across different contexts. This knowledge will serve as a valuable resource for adapting livestock management to changing climate conditions.
    • Validation and dissemination of traditional approaches: The collection, validation and dissemination of traditional knowledge and approaches aim to enhance livestock resilience and productivity. This includes recognizing and promoting Indigenous practices that have proven effective in livestock management.
    • Greenhouse gas emissions data: Gathering and sharing data on GHG emissions from various livestock systems is a key aspect of the work. Research focuses on understanding the links between feeding practices, genetics and emissions, as well as assessing the impact of different management practices on emissions.
    • Translation of local knowledge: The translation of local and Indigenous knowledge into practical innovations and indicators is essential for transforming livestock production systems and value chains. This process ensures that traditional wisdom is integrated into modern practices. It includes any Indigenous early warning systems that were used for events like droughts, floods and rainfall patterns.
    • Decision-support tools:  Development of decision-support tools such as databases, applications, maps, policy briefs, technical briefs and extension sheets. These tools assist stakeholders in making informed decisions related to climate-smart livestock management.
    • Dissemination of information: The initiative includes the dissemination of climate-smart information, livestock and fodder insurance schemes and other information relevant to women, youth and male farmers. The focus is on using existing knowledge while building upon it to enhance skills, technologies and access to information.
  • Integration of renewable energy: circular economies
    • Integration with farming systems: The initiative focuses on integrating livestock systems with other ecosystems, including agroforestry and silvo-pastoral systems (regenerative agriculture). Regenerative agriculture benefits include improvement of pasture quality, lessening erosion and increasing water retention. This approach promotes sustainable land use by combining livestock grazing with tree cultivation, enhancing ecosystem services and biodiversity.
    • Integration with crop farming: Collaboration with crop farming involves using crop residue as fodder for livestock (circular feed production) and utilizing livestock manure as fertilizer for crop production (circular livestock farming). This circular approach reduces waste, enhances nutrient cycling and improves overall farm productivity.
    • Bioenergy and emissions reduction: Implementation of bioenergy solutions and innovative fertilizers plays a crucial role in reducing GHG emissions from livestock systems. By utilizing on-farm renewable energy sources (for example, manure can be used to generate biogas through anaerobic digestion) and optimizing nutrient management, emissions are minimized, contributing to climate-smart practices.
    • Carbon sequestration technologies: The program actively promotes the application of established carbon sequestration technologies on the ground. These technologies help capture and store carbon in soils and vegetation, contributing to climate change mitigation efforts while enhancing soil health and resilience.
  • Animal health
    • Productivity: Livestock health issues like GI parasites in ruminants have an impact on rumination patterns and GHG emissions. Reducing livestock diseases, especially among smallholders and pastoralists, will both reduce emissions and improve livestock productivity. Research should also consider cost-effective ruminant disease control, especially community-based animal health delivery systems.
    • Technologies for disease monitoring: Precision livestock farming involves the use of advanced technologies such as sensors, data analytics and automation to monitor and manage livestock production. These technologies enable real-time monitoring of animal health, behavior and productivity, allowing farmers to make informed decisions regarding feed management, disease prevention and reproduction.
    • Vaccines: It is critical to make vaccines available and accessible, and to conduct research on increasing the uptake of livestock vaccines in Africa. Address gender-specific challenges in accessing animal health services by offering low-cost and rapid delivery of animal vaccines, while also challenging gender norms.

Funding Information

• They intend to provide grant funding for up to six research projects of up to a maximum of CAD 1,500,000 each for 36 months.

Eligibility Criteria

• Only concept notes that meet the following eligibility criteria will be considered.

• • The lead applicant organization should be an African institution (public or private). It will be the administering institution.
  • The project shows a gender-balanced consortia without compromising the expertise needed to accomplish the objectives of each concept note.
  • The consortia preferably comprise researchers, farmer organizations, extension services, financial services and women’s groups.
  • Applicants from academia, and private and public sector organisations with strong research focus are eligible for this global call.
  • Applicants from United Nations (UN) systems are not eligible to apply to this call as lead or co-applicant organizations. UN organizations may participate as third-party organizations.
  • Applicants from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Centres are not eligible as lead organization but are eligible as co-applicants or third-party organizations.
  • At most, one person can apply as the principal investigator, only for one project.
  • Multi-country applications are encouraged.

Ineligible

• Concept notes that will not be considered are those that:

• • do not clearly articulate gender considerations
  • comprise consortia (research teams from diverse funded institutions involved in each project) without an LMIC partner
  • focus on policy development
  • are harmful to the environment
  • focus on wildlife conservation
  • focus on infrastructural development or support (e.g. drilling boreholes)
  • are based on grants or subsidies to farmers
  • do not include a private sector partner

For more information, visit International Development Research Centre.

 Also Read: Funding Opportunities for African Businesses

2. Epidemic Science Leadership and Innovation Networks Initiative (Africa)

 Deadline: Deadline: 31-Jan-24

The Science for Africa Foundation invites applications for innovative research initiatives in epidemic and pandemic research, preparedness and response.

They emphasise that they are looking for visionary consortia which will develop their own programmes of relevant research work. The proposed activities can be along the continuum of basic-translational-clinical applied-implementation-operational research and policy engagement.

Key Areas

• Vaccinology/early-stage vaccine research for epidemic- and pandemic-prone infections

• • Increasing African independent capability in vaccine research and development is a critical priority given the limited development of vaccines for neglected diseases and populations, and the failure of equity in global access to vaccines. This research theme in academic vaccinology could complement other emerging initiatives in vaccine development and production within Africa by undertaking early-stage R&D on vaccine candidates for African population needs and building the academic workforce.
• Virology – genotype to phenotype
  • Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many initiatives to increase and scale genomic pathogen surveillance and identify new ‘variants’ as they emerge, it remains challenging to understand how a particular genetic code translates into the behaviour (the phenotype) of a virus. In many countries, research capabilities to ‘phenotype’ viruses are limited. A programme of research in this area could seek to provide new insights into genetic determinants of viral behaviour and catalyse development of viral phenotyping capabilities on the African continent.
• Clinical research and clinical trials on epidemic and pandemic prone infections
  • High-quality clinical trials are the cornerstone of evidence-based medicine. However, most trials are led by and conducted in high-income countries. Many clinical trials are poorly designed and fail to generate actionable evidence. Innovations during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that streamlined ‘point-of-care’ trials can produce reliable results that change practice at lower costs. This research theme could seek to answer an important question about clinical care for an infectious disease whilst simultaneously strengthening the ecosystem for the design and conduct of high-quality, streamlined, and regulatorily compliant Africa-led clinical trials.
• Epidemic and pandemic public health policy research
  • Vaccines only became available around one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, and in some areas were never accessible at scale. In future epidemics and pandemics, vaccines may be more difficult (or even impossible) to develop. Although certain public health measures – such as test, trace and isolate, social distancing, and lockdowns – were instrumental during the pandemic, their implementation was informed by a weak evidence base. These interventions may have had a profound and long-lasting negative social and economic impact across Africa. This research theme could, for example, assess the effectiveness, acceptability and affordability of public health measures for epidemic or pandemic control on the African continent, evaluate policy making processes, or explore more ‘intelligent’ application of layered public health interventions that strengthen systems for readiness, recovery and resilience.
• Climate change, biodiversity and pandemic prevention
  • Seventy five percent of all emerging infectious diseases that affect humans originate from animals. It is widely accepted – and evidence shows – that the rate of infectious disease emergence is increasing because of the intersection of significant changes in multiple drivers such as human population density and connectivity, ecological disruption, habitat encroachment, and climate change. This thematic area may draw upon ‘One Health’ and/or climate science approaches to provide new insights into an existing or emergent zoonotic threat to human health and its mitigation, whilst simultaneously strengthening relevant African research capabilities.
• Advanced data assembly and analytics for threat assessment and mitigation
  • Understanding and reducing uncertainty, a defining characteristic of the early stages of all epidemics and pandemics, is key to guiding critical policy decisions. There are numerous data and information domains where data capture, processing and analytics, data integration, and data presentation can be improved. Evolving tools such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and advanced statistical and mathematical modelling offer opportunities to significantly improve signal detection, situational awareness, and epidemic dynamic analysis to provide improved intelligence for decision-making. This research theme could seek to develop, evaluate, and apply cutting-edge data methods and tools to increase the quality and speed of epidemic threat assessments and the provision of evidence for mitigation, whilst increasing African capabilities in this rapidly evolving field.
• Social and behavioural sciences
  • Epidemics and pandemics start and finish in communities. The COVID-19 pandemic was, and continues to be, a ‘case study’ in the vital importance of understanding and addressing different perspectives and of involving communities in co-developing solutions. Social and behavioural sciences have, however, been a relatively neglected area of research to date. This research theme could, for example, advance understanding of the social and behavioural dynamics affecting, and affected by, epidemics and pandemics, aiming to define best practices and collective actions for engaging with and involving the public and communities in preparedness and response.

About EPSILON initiatives

• The primary location of proposed EPSILON initiatives must be in Africa, and preliminary applications are invited from universities and research institutions based across the continent. Institutions outside Africa are invited to collaborate on applications led by an African institution. Applications are particularly encouraged from consortia whose component institutions:

• • Strongly support and commit to safeguarding.
  • Foster diverse workplaces and environments.
  • Balance scientific excellence with equity (disciplines, sectors, regions, institutional capacity) when selecting partner and collaborating institutions and in their recruitment of staff and students.
  • Demonstrate policies to achieve value for money, manage risk, and build strong research cultures and environments.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicants can lead only one application but may be co-applicants in several applications. Lead applicants must be based at an eligible organisation and must fulfill the following conditions:

• • Hold an academic or research post;
  • Have a salary, or
  • the guarantee of a salary, for the duration of the award period, or
  • be required by their contract of employment to have a salary;

For more information, visit Science for Africa Foundation.

3. Applications open for Julia Taft Refugee Fund – Nigeria

Deadline: 18 dec 2023

The U.S. Mission to Nigeria in collaboration with the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) of the U.S. Department of State has announced an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program thorough the Julia Taft Refugee Fund that will support one-time, low-cost interventions that address important gaps in protection and assistance for refugees and stateless persons.

Program Objectives

• The program is intended to meet gaps in assistance through quick impact projects to meet critical needs not addressed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Organization for Migration (IOM), or other international organizations (IOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
• The Taft Fund is intended for projects that include a target beneficiary base of at least 50 percent refugees or returned refugees. Please note that this program can not cover activities aimed at internally displaced or stateless persons in Nigeria. Additionally, the program may fund projects that support equal access to protection, assistance, and other solutions for LGBTQI+ refugees and stateless persons.
• The proposed projects should be one-time interventions, not sustained programs.

Funding Information

• Estimated Total Program Funding: $ 25,000
• Award Ceiling: $25,000
• Award Floor: $10,000

Participants and Audiences

• Communities of at least 50 percent refugees or returned refugees.

Eligibility Criteria

• Not-for-profit organizations (NPOs,) including civil society/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) registered on the federal or state level in Nigeria.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.

4. Open call for Micro Grants to empower African and Caribbean Women

 Deadline: 15-Dec-23

About Her Culture is offering micro grants to empower African and Caribbean women around the world for social and economic development.

Funding Information

• Micro grants are $500 each.

Eligibility Criteria

• The micro grants are open to women of Caribbean and African descent, who are entrepreneurs, creatives and non-profit founders, based in their home countries or anywhere around the world. Applicants must demonstrate that their projects are positively impacting culture and community.
• They will be giving three women micro grants between October-December 2023.
• Micro grant funds will be sent via bank or wire transfer, depending on the country the recipient is based in.

For more information, visit About Her Culture.

5. CFPs: Implementation Plan for the Deployment of CNG/Electric Powered Buses in Nigeria

Deadline: 7-Jan-24

The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is seeking proposals to develop a national policy on soot-free buses and a national strategy and implementation plan for the deployment of compressed natural gas (CNG)/electric powered buses.

This project will also support Nigeria’s shift to low-sulfur fuels and the implementation of EURO IV vehicle standard adopted by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2020.

Reducing short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) emissions from transportation is a priority for Nigeria. The country is currently planning its CNG/electric programme and has the opportunity to adopt a strategy for deploying CNG/electric buses given the removal of the state fuel subsidy by the President in May 2023. CNG is recognized as an important transition fuel that will also provide substantial public health and climate change benefits.

This project will support implementation of the mitigation measures endorsed in Nigeria’s National Action Plan to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants. The plan aims to reduce 75 per cent of PM2.5 emissions by 2030. The 22 priority mitigation measures identified include the regulation and enforcement of vehicle emission standards and targeted adoption of CNG buses. The plan also endorses recommendations for the conversion of 25 per cent of all buses to CNG by 2030.

The strategy and implementation plan this project will develop should build on lessons learned from the city of Lagos where two electric buses have been piloted.

This work should also support harmonization with ECOWAS vehicle standards to regulate cleaner fuels and vehicles, ongoing CCAC projects on soot-free bus technologies in the region, and proposed solutions that align with targets in Nigeria’s National SLCP Action Plan and NDC.

Funding Information

• Estimated project cost: US$ 240,000 – US$ 300,000.

Expected Results

• Applicants are encouraged to propose additional outputs as needed to ensure the expected project outcomes are achieved. Applicants can determine the scope of outputs if not specified. The project is expected to deliver at a minimum:

• • The Government of Nigeria endorses a national policy on soot-free bus technologies and EURO IV vehicle emissions standards by the end of the project or soon after.
    • Indicator: Number of laws, regulations, or other policy mechanisms with SLCP targets or mitigation measures formally adopted, endorsed, and/or implemented.
    • Output 1.1: Impact assessment on transition to soot free bus technologies and standards, including CNG and electric buses.
    • Output 1.2: Policy assessment including options for bus standards, infrastructural challenges, existing institutional frameworks, potential fiscal incentives, and financing models to encourage wide adoption of soot-free buses including CNG and electric buses.
    • Output 1.3: Draft policy on soot free buses with measures that can be included in national and local development plans as well as in city planning and reporting.
  • The Federal Government integrates priority SLCP mitigation measures, targets, and/or co-benefits assessments related to the transport sector in the revised NDC and implementation plan by 2025.
    • Indicator: Number of NDCs targeting SLCPs.
    • Output 2.1: Recommendations for the inclusion of SLCP reduction priorities, targets, and co-benefits in Nigeria’s 2025 NDC.
  • The Federal Government of Nigeria endorses/adopts regulations aligned with the ECOWAS directive for EURO IV vehicle standards by the end of the project or soon after.
    • Indicator: Number of laws, regulations, or other policy mechanisms with SLCP targets or mitigation measures formally adopted, endorsed, and/or implemented.
    • Output 3.1: Recommended regulatory options for the introduction of cleaner fuels and vehicles adopted by the ECOWAS Commission
  • The Federal Government endorses a national strategy and implementation plan for deploying CNG/electric buses by the end of the project or soon after.
    • Indicator: Number of action plans, roadmaps, strategies, or other future plans with SLCP targets or mitigation measures formally adopted, endorsed and/or implemented.
    • Output 4.1: Strategy for introduction of CNG and electric buses nation-wide including:
      • Data collection and analysis from the e-bus pilots in Lagos, and from other cities to be defined in consultation with the government to inform policy design and implementation
      • Recommendations for nation-wide expansion including financing options
      • Analysis of available bus standards, the adequacy of infrastructure, energy production and sourcing, technology availability and transfer, flexible financing options, operational and regulatory considerations, institutional frameworks, fiscal incentives and financing model, existing policies, strategies, and programmes that would support a nation-wide CNG/electric programme
    • Output 4.1: An implementation plan for implementing the strategy
    • Output 4.2: National level dissemination and endorsement of the strategy and implementation plan

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for consideration, project proposals must meet the following requirements:

• • Complete and submitted before the deadline
  • Submitted by a non-governmental organization (NGO), intergovernmental organization (IGO), or other not-for-profit entity. Governments are not eligible to apply directly for funding in this call.
  • Requested funding is within the estimated budget amount, or includes a clear justification for additional expenses
  • Project duration is less than 24 months
  • Budget criteria are met and spending caps on expenses are respected.
• For-profit entities may only participate in the project as stakeholders, co-funders, or end users. Applicants are encouraged to include for-profit entities in the development of the project proposal and/or during project implementation if their ownership of the proposed solution is key to the project’s success.

For more information, visit Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

Also Read: Funding Opportunities For African Businesses

6. FREE STEM Fund to empower Girls, Women, Transgender and Non-Binary People

Deadline: 15-Dec-23

Optiver Foundation has launched the FREE STEM Fund to create equal opportunity through greater access to STEM education.

The FREE STEM Fund aims to narrow the gender gap in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

The FREE STEM Fund will invest in initiatives that use intersectional approaches to empower girls, women, transgender and non-binary people as changemakers in the STEM sector.

Thematic Areas

• FREE STEM will fund proposals to ensure girls, women, transgender and non-binary people are widely represented in, and empowered to thrive in and advance the STEM sector. In particular, it is envisioned that FREE STEM will support proposals that take into account the following:

• • Advocacy & Awareness
    • Advocate for equal opportunity in STEM fields while raising awareness about the diverse opportunities and benefits for girls, women, transgender and non-binary people in STEM fields at both an individual and community level.
  • Safety
    • Improve girls’, women’s, transgender and non-binary people’s access to safety by addressing gender-based violence, freedom of movement and digital security in STEM fields and in the community.
    • This includes emotional, psychological and physical violence
  • Confidence & Leadership
    • Expand girls’, women’s, transgender and non-binary people’s soft skills, representation, voice, and decision-making within STEM.
  • Health & Wellbeing
    • Increase access to mental and physical wellbeing services such as sexual and reproductive health and rights, proper nutrition, family planning, mental health, social wellbeing and providing access to key (health-related) services for girls, women, transgender and non-binary people within the STEM field.
  • Role Models & Networks
    • Create STEM role models and provide girls, women, transgender and non-binary people with a support network, including through mentorship programmes.
  • Careers
    • Develop STEM skills that will allow girls, women, and non-binary people to become an integral part in the STEM career market in academia, industry and entrepreneurship.
  • Education & Training
    • Increase girls’, women’s, transgender and non-binary people’s access to and support in STEM subjects and training, such as digital literacy and STEM subject tutoring.
  • Financial Inclusion
    • Ensure girls, women, transgender and non-binary people can access financial information, products and services that enable them to create a future in STEM
  • Time & Accessibility
    • Ensuring girls, women, transgender and non-binary people have the logistical and infrastructural means to pursue opportunities in STEM.
    • The disproportionate burden of unpaid work on women and girls leads to significant time poverty. This makes it difficult to attend school or other training opportunities, take part in paid work and participate in social and community-building activities and access parental related rights and benefits.

What will be funded by FREE STEM?

• FREE STEM will invest in organisations and groups that are directly supporting and targeting the following participants:

• • All girls and women, particularly those from underrepresented groups & minority communities, and transgender and non-binary people including but not limited to; black, indigenous, people of colour, LGBTIQ+, people with disabilities, sex workers, refugees, rural and marginalised urban communities, migrants or those who are stateless, people who face caste-based oppression.
  • They anticipate a high number of applications to FREE STEM Fund, therefore they may decide to prioritise applications for funding. Therefore, priority will be given to underrepresented and traditionally excluded groups.
  • Registered and unregistered initiatives, groups, collectives, and organisations with a focus on the rights of girls, women, transgender and non-binary people can apply for the following models:
    • Atom
      • Up to 10,000 EUR

• • • • • New groups/organisations
        • Aimed at new or smaller initiatives to address gender equity in STEM
        • Does not require registration nor a fiscal sponsor
    • Molecule
      • Up to 30,000 EUR
      • Either:

• • • • • Minimum 1-year demonstrable experience implementing STEM x gender equity projects OR
        • Minimum 3 years of demonstrable experience in one of the Thematic Areas (see above)
      • If a group/organisation is unregistered and applies for more than 10,000 EUR, they will need a fiscal sponsor.
    • Cell
      • Up to 50,000 EUR

• • • • • Aimed at sustaining or expanding existing STEM x gender equity projects
        • Minimum 2 years demonstrable experience implementing STEM gender equity projects.
        • If a group/organisation is unregistered and applies for more than 10,000 EUR, they will need a fiscal sponsor.
    • Please note that if you are applying for funds larger than €10,000 and you are unregistered, you would need to name a registered organisation who can act as your fiscal sponsor.

Geographic Focus

• FREE STEM will fund work in the following regions: Africa, Asia, Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Caribbean.

Who Can Apply?

• FREE STEM Fund aims to provide direct grants to:

• • Registered and unregistered initiatives, groups, collectives, and organisations focused on the rights on girls, women, transgender and non-binary people.

​Eligibility Criteria

• They will be opening up to applications from groups situated in the Global South.
• If your organisation meets all of the following criteria, you can apply for FREE STEM:

• • Your organisation, collective, or group must consist of a minimum of 3 people.
  • Your organisation or group must align with the mission and vision of FREE STEM.
  • Your project proposal must focus on the target group, and include and align with at least one of the Thematic Parameters of FREE STEM.
  • Your organisation or group must have at least 60% of women, transgender and/or non-binary people in leadership positions. Priority will be given to women-led, transgender-led and non-binary-led organisations.
  • Your annual organisational income for 2022 must be a maximum of €150,000. Priority will be given to grassroots organisations.

Ineligible

• For-profit organisations
• Large scale/capital intensive infrastructure
• Initiatives/collectives/groups/organisations founded by or dependent on political parties or government agencies/institutions
• Initiatives/collectives/groups/organisations who discriminate based on political or religious views
• Applications from individuals
• Academic scholarships
• Initiatives/collectives/groups/organisations based in the Global North

For more information, visit Optiver Foundation.

7. U.S. Mission to Nigeria: Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation

Deadline: 10-Jan-24

The U.S Mission to Nigeria is accepting proposals from eligible organizations seeking project funding through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).

AFCP Program Objectives

• AFCP supports the preservation of major ancient archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, and major museum collections that have an historical or cultural significance to the cultural heritage of Nigeria.

Funding Priorities

• The most successful AFCP projects have been designed as part of a greater PD programming arc promoting specific U.S. policy goals and host-country or community goals. Accordingly, in Fiscal Year 2024, ECA will prioritize projects that do one or more of the following:

• • Directly support U.S. treaty or bilateral agreement obligations.
  • Directly support U.S. policies, strategies, and objectives as stated in the National Security Strategy, Integrated Country Strategy, or other U.S. government planning documents.
  • Support risk reduction and resilience for cultural heritage in disaster-prone or politically and economically unstable areas, or post-disaster cultural heritage recovery.
  • Complement other ECA or public diplomacy programs.
  • Are conducted in an eligible country that has not previously received an AFCP award.

Funding Information

• Awards Amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $10,000 to maximum of $500,000
• Anticipated program start date: Depending on availability of funds
• Length of performance period: up to sixty (60) months

Project Activities

• Appropriate project activities may include:

• • Anastylosis (reassembling a site from its original parts);
  • Conservation (addressing damage or deterioration to an object or site);
  • Consolidation (connecting or reconnecting elements of an object or site);
  • Documentation (recording in analog or digital format the condition and salient features of an object, site, or tradition);
  • Inventory (listing of objects, sites, or traditions by location, feature, age, or other unifying characteristic or state);
  • Preventive Conservation (addressing conditions that threaten or damage a site, object, collection, or tradition);
  • Restoration (replacing missing elements to recreate the original appearance of an object or site, usually appropriate only with fine arts, decorative arts, and historic buildings);
  • Stabilization (reducing the physical disturbance of an object or site).

Eligibility Criteria

• The U.S Mission to Nigeria defines eligible project applicants as reputable and accountable non-commercial entities that are able to demonstrate they have the requisite capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage. These may include non-governmental organizations, museums, educational institutions, ministries of culture, or similar institutions and organizations, including U.S.-based educational institutions and organizations subject to Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code.
• The AFCP will not award grants to individuals, commercial entities, or past award recipients that have not fulfilled the objectives or reporting requirements of previous awards.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.

Also Read: Funding Opportunities For African Businesses

8. Climate Finance Accelerator South Africa: Call for Proposals

   Deadline: 15-Dec -23

The Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA) is a global technical assistance programme funded by the UK government to support climate smart projects to access finance. The CFA operates in ten countries (Nigeria, Colombia, South Africa, Egypt, Uganda, Türkiye, Mexico, Peru, Pakistan and Viet Nam) with the aim of encouraging the flows of finance required to deliver on countries’ ambition to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

In South Africa, the CFA brings together the key actors in the climate finance investment chain: project proponents and developers, finance providers, and policymakers. Our aim is to facilitate a collaborative approach to unlocking finance for climate projects at scale and creating a pipeline of ‘investment ready’ low carbon projects. The CFA also seeks to deliver several co-benefits, such as supporting a just transition through green economy efforts that include inclusive approaches to sustainable development, improved social transformation, and building resilience to climate impacts.

The CFA supports low carbon projects that are seeking finance. Candidate projects should:

• Be designed to achieve measurable climate outcomes in terms of direct or facilitated greenhouse gas emission reductions.
• Have a minimum total financing need of US$4M.
• Be (at least) at the technical pre-feasibility stage of development.​​​​​​
• Have a business model that will generate commercially attractive and sustainable returns in the long-term (although some element of concessional financing may be required initially).
• We strongly encourage projects that can demonstrate positive social impacts and how they contribute to furthering gender equality and social inclusion (including financial inclusion for marginalised social groups).
• Sound governance, leadership and management of the project, including systems to monitor and measure progress against stated targets and goals.

Benefits

The CFA offers a range of capacity building support to assist climate mitigation projects in accessing finance. By engaging with the CFA programme, project developers can benefit from:

Access to investors: The CFA provides project developers greater opportunities to access finance by working with potential investors to understand their needs. Through the CFA’s reach, project proponents have the opportunity to engage with commercial and concessional investors, operating both nationally and internationally. It is important to note that the CFA Programme does NOT provide direct financial/monetary support to projects but rather capacity building and access to financiers. In the past, access to financiers through the CFA Programme in South Africa has resulted in deals, but this is not guaranteed.

Coaching, capacity building and best practice insights: The CFA provides access to expert insight, awareness training, coaching and mentorship. Through knowledge sharing sessions on what matters most to financiers when making the decision to invest, project developers will gain valuable insights and develop capabilities in making projects attractive and investment ready. For example, the CFA will advise on the development of key materials such as pitch decks for investors and marketing presentations. Another example is providing Gender Equity and Social Inclusion capacity building, so that investors may appreciate the societal impact of the project.

Networking opportunities: Project developers will have the opportunity to expand their network with investors and other key stakeholders in the climate finance landscape. These include government representatives at national and local level, national and international development banks and agencies, and a cohort of projects looking to improve their bankability. The network will provide project developers with long-lasting benefits to current and future low carbon opportunities.

Increased visibility: Participation in the CFA and CFA events can raise the profile of a project amongst a range of stakeholders from regional and national policy makers, through to local and international finance providers.

Achieving low ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) project objectives: The CFA supports projects to realise and communicate their positive impacts, which are important to investors alongside commercial objectives. The CFA has access to climate, sectoral and social impact specialists and can assist projects to support local and national climate ambitions, as well as helping to unlock co-benefits such as poverty reduction, improved gender equality and social inclusion, and tackling biodiversity loss.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Climate Finance Accelerator South Africa

9. Tutator Forward Grants for Nonprofit Organizations and Social Enterprises

   Deadline: 15-Dec-23

Ready to elevate your organization’s impact with groundbreaking software? Join Tutator Forward! The ultimate grant program that fulfills your goals. It is an in-kind grant program for organizations that are working to make a positive impact on society or the environment.

Tutator Forward is an in-kind grant, meaning they do not give financial support. Instead, they will work with grantees to develop a custom software solution for their social or environmental projects. The development of the software will be done at no cost for the grantees.

They work with the grantee organizations to understand their needs and requirements, and they develop a custom software solution that can help them to achieve their goals.

What will you get?

• Tell them what type of tool you need to manage and accelerate your impact. They’ll create the perfect software solution for you. With a dedicated project team, training, and support for 6 months, they’ve got you covered!

Who can apply for a grant?

• Nonprofit organizations and for-profit social enterprises that have impactful programs addressing social or environmental issues anywhere in the world are eligible to apply.

For more information, visit Tutator.