Funding Opportunities For African Businesses

1. Google News Equity Fund

Google has launched a ‘News Equity Fund’, a global commitment to provide financial support and opportunities to news organizations that primarily serve underrepresented communities. The Fund aims to strengthen inclusion, further empower a diverse news ecosystem, and specifically support small and medium sized publishers creating original journalism for underrepresented audiences around the world.

Funding Information

Funds will be disbursed in one installment. Funding amounts will vary depending on the size of the newsroom and number of eligible applications received.

Eligible Geographies

• Asia-Pacific
• Europe
• Middle East and Africa
• North America
• Caribbean
• Latin America

Eligibility Criteria

• Small and medium-sized news organizations producing original news for underrepresented audiences.
• The News Equity Fund is open to independent newsrooms employing between 1 – 50 full time journalists (FTE).
• Eligible applicants may include for-profit or non-profit traditional news organizations, digital natives, newsletters, podcasts, radio and/or TV broadcasters, and trade press associations whose members cover underrepresented groups.
• Eligible applicants should publish journalistic content regularly.
• Eligible applicants need to have a focus on core news provision, i.e., not lifestyle, sports. Eligible applicants must have a verifiable digital presence (such as a website primarily providing journalistic content) and have been in full operation for at least 12 months.
• Incorporated or registered associations or organizations, registered academic or non-profit bodies representing underrepresented journalists and organizations are all eligible to apply as long as you are based in one of the eligible geographies.
• Government-owned entities or entities affiliated/owned by a political party are not eligible to apply.
• Only online applications in English will be considered.

For more information, visit

https://newsinitiative.withgoogle.com/news-equity-fund/#introduction

2. PPI launches Call for Projects Proposals (€35,000 Grants)

The Small Initiatives Program (PPI) has launched a call for project proposals for emerging African CSOs working around major issues of nature conservation and/or the fight against climate change. The Small Initiatives Program (PPI) is a program launched in 2006 by the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM), and managed by the French Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This program also has a component on building the technical, organizational and institutional capacities of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

Components

The PPI is structured in three components:

• Financing of small projects: selection, financing and monitoring-evaluation of the implementation of projects in the field;
• Building the capacities of organizations: building the technical, organizational and institutional capacities of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and support for the coordination of CSO networks;
• Capitalization and communication: recognition and dissemination of the results obtained for the conservation of biodiversity but also for the structuring of organizations.

Funding Information

• The maximum contribution for these small grants is €35,000
• This contribution will cover a maximum of 50% of the total cost of the project in the event that other international donors, international NGOs or international private companies contributions.
• The maximum duration of projects is 20 months.

Eligibility Criteria

• The project leaders are eligible for this call for proposals “New partners” of the PPI.6 are emerging African CSOs that have never benefitted from PPI funding, working around major issues of nature conservation and/or the fight against climate change.
• Structures must have:
• A legal status recognized by the administration which allows them to receive subsidies;
• Proven field experience;
• Experience in project management;
• Proven skills in the chosen area of intervention: biodiversity conservation and/or the fight against climate change through nature-based solutions.

For more information, visit

https://www.programmeppi.org/aap/

3. Her Environment, Her Future: An Empowerment Program for young women in Africa & Europe

 The Africa Matters Initiative in partnership with Africa-Europe Foundation: New Partners Initiative, presents the Her Environment, Her Future: An Empowerment Program for young women in Africa & Europe fighting against Climate Change. This is a virtual program that will be conducted in English with a selection of 20 participants, (10 from Africa & 10 from Europe).

Her Environment, Her Future is a nine-week, non-residential youth leadership and virtual advocacy program for young women from Africa and Europe fighting against climate change. The program is focused on leadership, personal development, climate change. Education, policy engagement, advocacy, green and social entrepreneurship, and effective communication. At the end of the program, participants will be equipped with tools, context, and understanding of how to tangibly change their communities, countries, and regions under three overarching themes:

• Personal Development
• Advocacy and Leadership in the Climate change sector
• Networking and collaboration for impact: Africa-Europe relations

Eligibility Criteria

• For the 2022 cohort, 20 young women and girls ages 15-29. 10 participants from sub-Saharan countries and 10 participants from European countries.
• The non-residential youth leadership and virtual advocacy program will officially start the week of 18 July, 2022 and end the week of 18 September, 2022.

For more information, visit

https://bit.ly/3nhDCTZ

4. Future for Nature Awards 2023: A Chance to Win €50,000

Future for Nature (FFN) calls for application from young adults between the ages of 18 to 35 years old, dedicated nature conservationist who are committed to protecting species of wild animals and plants and who are combine passion with action to create concrete results in nature conservation. Each year FFN awards three young, talented, and ambitious nature conservationists with the FFN Award.

Aims

The Future for Nature aims to:

• Reward and fund individuals for their outstanding efforts in the protection of species of wild animals and plants.
• Stimulate Award winners to sustain their dedicated work.
• Help winners to raise their profile, extend their professional network and strengthen their funding basis.

Award Information

This award provides the winners with international recognition, €50,000 for their nature conservation work, and a warm welcome to the growing FFN Family.

Eligibility Criteria

The following criteria must be met to be eligible to apply for the Future for Nature Awards 2023 and will be used in the selection procedure for the Award winners. The candidate:

• Must be born on or after the 31^st May, 1988 and before the 31^st of May, 2005.
• Has achieved substantial and long-term benefits to the conservation status of one or more animal or plant species.
• Has demonstrated commitment, determination, and passion for conservation work.
• Has demonstrated leadership, entrepreneurship, and a clear view of conservation work.
• Has been creative and innovative in his/her work.
• Has demonstrated to be honourable in the conservation work performed.
• Must be determined to continue his/her conservation work, as the Award aims to stimulate the winner’s future work. It is not an “end of career” prize.
• Is able to explain his/her conservation work in proficient English (written and spoken).
• This award should be used for a conservation initiative of the winner’s own choice and implemented by him/her.
• The award should be used for the conservation of animal or plant species. The conservation initiative can involve a component of (fundamental) research, but this should not be the main focus. The relevance of the proposed activities to species conservation and the practical impact should be made clear.

For more information, visit

https://futurefornature.org/apply/

5. INNO Disruptive Challenge

 Applications are now open for the INNO Disruptive Challenge. A program by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) taking aim at conventional wisdom to inspire and cultivate the seeds of disruptive innovation from all walks of life with support of up to 3,000,000 JPY for up to one year. In this new-normal era, a significant increase in the need for innovation within the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) field has arisen. In response, they call upon those who boldly take on new challenges without the fear of failure to take part in the Disruptive Challenge. They aim to support the further development of these technologies by looking for proposals that can boldly take on these challenges and tackle with the potential of changing society and global industries without fear of failure.

Eligibility Criteria

• Open Worldwide, All Nationalities, All Ages, All Backgrounds.
• Those who can propose a path and a vision towards their goal as well as being unafraid of making mistakes in their attempt.
• All ages, Those on Earth with a contact address (citizenship or residency will not be taken into account).
• In the case of self-application: Individuals or groups.
• In the case of referrals: Individuals or groups in your vicinity.
• In addition, coordinate alongside the executing agency and follow decided activities in the event you are selected, your name (or nickname), residing location, and proposal name will be announced on the official website.
• You must abide by Japanese law.
• Those without Japanese residency or citizenship will not be bound by the Industrial Technology Enhancement Act Article 17(the Japanese equivalent of the Bayd-Dole Act).

For more information, visit

https://www.inno.go.jp/en/hakai/2022/

6. 2022 Children’s Prize: A Chance to win $150,000 for your Project

 The Children’s Prize is an open online competition with a mission to advance child health and survival by insisting on impact and data-driven interventions. The Children’s Prize is awarded to scientifically-minded individuals with a passion for global child health and a strong commitment to verify the impact of their work. Between 2013 and 2021, the Prize has awarded over $2,000,000.00 to such individuals and organizations across the globe.

Prize Details

• The winner will have the opportunity to enter into a $150,000 grant agreement.
• The Prize does not require a specific timeline, but the intention is to directly spend the money to save children’s lives as immediately as possible. A year or two seems reasonable to achieve this goal in most cases.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Children’s Prize is available to anyone. Proposals will be accepted from non-profits (charities), for profits (companies), government programs, academic institutions, and individuals aged 18 years or older. However, the prize funds may only be used for charitable purposes, as specified in the contest goals.
• They encourage research and academic professionals to partner with a practitioner – someone directly conducting a life-saving intervention – to develop an application for the Prize.
• The Children’s Prize contest is open to all individuals, worldwide. The prize funds may only be used for charitable purposes, subject to expenditure responsibility.

For more information, visit

https://www.childrensprize.org/

7. 2^nd Cohort iHatch Incubation Program in Nigeria

The Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI) in partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is said to launch iHatch, a startup incubation programme. The incubation programme will provide an excellent opportunity for startups who have innovative business plans with a prototype service/product. iHatch is a 5-month free intensive incubation program designed to help Nigerian entrepreneurs refine their business ideas through a series of coaching, lectures, and boot camps to generate scalable business models. Participating startups will receive free offline and online interactive training from experienced coaches and mentors from all over the world. Other benefits include free co-working space and investment opportunities for the duration of the program.

Benefits

• Free Offline/Online Interactive Trainings
• Free Coworking Space At NCAIR, Abuja.
• Mentorship Sessions With Tech Specialists
• Networking Opportunities
• Funding Opportunities

Eligibility Criteria

• Individuals/Groups with an Innovative Business Plan with a product or prototype that would aid in Developing the Nigerian Economy
• Individuals/Groups Willing to Establish a Legal Company and Begin Business Operations in Nigeria
• Participants Must be at least 18 Years Old
• Sector: All Sectors (Education Technology (EdTech))
• Agricultural Technology (Agritech)
• Health Technology (Healthtech)
• Financial Technology (Fintech)
• Logistics
• Security
• Government Technology (Govtech)

For more information, visit

https://ondi.nitda.gov.ng/ihatch-2nd-cohort/

8. Wise Guys SaaS Africa Startup Accelerator Program

 Applications are now open for the Wise Guys SaaS Africa, a 5-month long acceleration program combining online modules with local and international experts and mentors.

Who is this program for?

This program is mainly for English-speaking East and West African early-stage digital B2B SaaS startups with initial traction, a solid team, and a focus on one of these areas:

• FinTech
• AgriTech
• EdTech
• CleanTech
• HealthTech
• RetailTech

Benefits

• Get Funding: Up to €65K investment for up to 12% equity (48K cash + 17K program) with a follow-on possibility
• Learn from the best: Benefit from meeting top-notch industry experts: 250+ mentors, 200+ investors, and 600+ alumni
• Be challenged: Join their intensive 5-month startup accelerator program power-packed with cutting-edge industry knowledge and expertise
• Continue to Grow: Accelerate your growth after the program with 1:1 support to boost sales, new market entry, and partnerships

Eligibility Criteria

• Their programs are meant for B2B startups. They do sometimes work with B2B2C companies, but they do not work with B2C startups.
• The program is focused on early-stage B2B startups from Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Ghana.
• To be eligible for the full-time accelerator program you need to have:
• At least a working MVP;
• At least 2 co-founders/team members;
• Initial customer traction, MRR or revenues;
• Scaling potential across the African continent.

For more information, visit

https://startupwiseguys.com/saas-africa/

9. Gener8tor Reno-Tahoe Accelerator Program 2022

The gener8tor Reno-Tahoe Accelerator Program 2022 is now open for applications. They are nationally ranked accelerator that invests in only five companies per program. Accepted startups receive $100K and 12 weeks of mentorship-driven programming. This is an industry-agnostic and business model-agnostic program. They accept ALL types of startups across ALL industries ALL business models and ALL geographies. The focus all of their, energy, and network on you through a concierge-level experience. Gener8tor supports your growth through their network of experienced mentors, technologists, corporate partners, angel investors and venture capitalists.

Benefits

• Investments: $100K of guaranteed funding. $20K in exchange for 6% common stock equity plus $80K of guaranteed follow-on capital into your current round (if raising) or via uncapped convertible bridge note to be converted into your next round (if not currently raising)
• Strategic Network: They make highly relevant and impactful connections to corporate partners, investors and experienced mentors to help you scale. They help you build relationships within the cohort of five companies and the community of gener8tor alumni.
• Focused Support: They only invest in five companies per program, not 10 or 100. We focus all of their time, energy, and network on you to bring you a concierge-level experience with the attention that is needed to grow.
• Mentorship, Coaching & One-on-One Meetings: 12 weeks of individualized coaching and mentorship from the gener8tor team during bi-weekly, one-on-one meetings. Weekly cohort programming featuring topics that include understanding market size, scaling your revenue model and how to pitch investors. Introductions to 80+ mentors including serial entrepreneurs, industry experts and investors.
• Deals and Perks: $1M+ in deals and perks from vendors like IBM Cloud, Rackspace, Amazon, Paypal, Zendesk, Hubspot, and Microsoft.

For more information, visit

https://www.gener8tor.com/investment-accelerators/reno-tahoe

10. Vine Fund 2022 for Ambitious Changemakers in Ghana and Nigeria

The Foundervine is inviting applications for the Vine Fund for ambitious changemakers in Ghana and Nigeria. In 2020, the world experienced the devastating impact of COVID-19, which led to nationwide lockdowns and government restrictions. In Ghana and Nigeria, small charities and social enterprises were hit very hard. That is why Vine Fund 1 supporting organizations that help communities in these countries.

Funding information

The Fund is offering grants of between $500 – $1,000 to social impact organizations in Ghana and Nigeria.

How does the fund support you?

• Funding: Organizations will be awarded grants ranging from $500 – $1,000 to support their businesses.
• Capacity Building Support: Organization will receive non-financial capacity building support through masterclasses, trainings, coaching or mentoring in order to scale up their businesses.
• Community Support: Organizations will be added to the Vine Community where they can tap into the resources of the Community for growth.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• The operations of the organization must impact communities in Ghana and Nigeria.
• The organization must be legally registered as a social enterprise/charitable organization.
• The organization must have been in operation for at least 12 months at the time of application.
• The organization must normally rely on income form trading activity (selling goods or services).

For more information, visit

https://www.foundervine.com/vinefund