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Programs / Accelerators (New This Week)
Innovation Challenge: Facilitating the adoption of Humanitarian WASH Innovations
The new Adoption Challenge aims to tackle the complex barriers within the WASH ecosystem that prevent the sustainable adoption of humanitarian WASH innovations
Sectors: WASH
Funding: Yes, 50k to 150k GBP per project
Deadline: 31 December 2020
Habitat for Humanity Challenge
Habitat for Humanity and the Terwilliger Center, the Seeker for this Challenge, recognize the urgent need for efficient and effective construction and demolition (C&D) waste management as it would lead to impactful social, environmental, and economic benefits.
Sectors: Housing
Funding: Yes, up to $5k
Deadline: 25 January 2021
Techtonic - Innovations in Waste Management
Techtonic – Innovations in Waste Management is a joint initiative of Social Alpha and the H&M Foundation, in collaboration with Saamuhika Shakti. It envisions to create an enabling ecosystem stack for innovators and entrepreneurs developing solutions to accelerate waste management and improve the overall quality of life of the informal sector in India.
Sectors: Waste Management
Funding: Yes, upto INR 1 Cr.
Deadline: 31 January 2021
Water Quality Testing Innovation Challenge
DPIIT, in partnership with the National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM), Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, launches an Innovation Challenge to develop ‘portable devices for testing drinking water quality’.
Sectors: WASH
Funding: No, Deployment Opportunities would be made available
Deadline: 18 January 2021
Catalyze - Innovative Blended Finance
“Using Blended Finance to Build Financial Resilience for Women” aims to drive significant amounts of private investment capital to women in developing countries
Sectors: Financial Inclusion; Livelihoods
Funding: Yes, $1M to $3M
Deadline: 4 January 2021
The 5-day Start-Up Innovation Camp forms part a new hybrid event, ‘Moving Forward’ an Innovation Festival by World Tourism Forum Lucerne, an exclusive platform to make valuable connections and showcase your solutions to the world and connect with investors.
Sectors: Livelihoods, Tourism
Funding: Yes, 5000 CHF Innovation Bonus
Deadline: 4 January 2021
This new cycle of 2021 WISE Awards will identify, celebrate, and promote six innovative projects for their positive contribution to education and society. The Awards highlight initiatives found to be most creative and effective in finding solutions to education challenges at any level and in all environments.
Sectors: Education
Funding: Yes, $20k
Deadline: 20 December 2020
riidl TBI is inviting applications from aspiring & budding innovators cum entrepreneurs to Nidhi EIR Program sponsored by DST, Govt of India.
Sectors: All
Funding: Yes, Stipend: INR 30k per month
Deadline: unknown
The Youth Solidarity Fund (YSF) supports youth-led organizations that foster peaceful and inclusive societies. Seed funding is given to projects, for and by young people, that demonstrate innovative and effective approaches to intercultural or interfaith dialogue. UNAOC additionally offers capacity-building support to help youth-led organizations strengthen the implementation of their projects.
Sectors: Livelihoods (Youth)
Funding: Yes, Up to $25000
Deadline: 31 January 2021
Entrepreneurship Bootcamp & Venture Competition
Spread across 8 sectors, this year’s theme calls upon all participants to ideate and innovate solutions that improve people’s lives while addressing areas of national and global importance.
Sectors: All
Funding: Yes, Up to $50,000 CAD
Deadline: 19 December 2020 (1 day to go)
Motion - Open Challenge Program
The objective of Open Challenge Program(OCP) is to identity, recognize & reward aspiring and early-stage tech entrepreneurs and innovators in Automotive domain across Autonomous Connected Electric or Shared Mobility
Sectors: Clean Energy, Automotive
Funding: No, Access to Financial Support
Deadline: 20 December 2020 (2 days to go)
Programs / Accelerators (from previous weeks)
Social Alpha Agritech Innovations Challenge!
The IAIN is an initiative supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Tata Trusts, in partnership with the Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT Kanpur). It envisions to create an enabling ecosystem for innovators and entrepreneurs developing solutions for smallholder farmers in order to help them become more productive, profitable and empowered.
Sectors: Agriculture
Funding: Yes, Grant plus Seed Support
Deadline: 31 December 2020
Climate finance entrepreneurs from all over the world can apply for the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance. The program is looking for innovative finance solutions that can unlock investment to tackle some of the most difficult climate and sustainable development challenges and investment opportunities for a post-COVID, green economic recovery.
Sectors: Clean Energy, FinTech
Funding: Yes, $200k of in-kind support
Deadline: 22 December 2020 (4 days to go)
Third Derivative Accelerator Program
We’re looking for the most-promising, early-stage startups addressing billion-dollar markets in the areas of hard science, hardware, software, and business model innovation. If accepted, you’ll take part in a virtual, 18-month-long program
Sectors: Clean Energy
Funding: Yes, $100k in Convertible Note
Deadline: Unknown, rolling process
Greater Good Grants - Banyan Tree
Grants to individuals or organisations that align with the Banyan Tree Global Foundation (BTGF) global framework within a local context to support measurable impact and progress towards larger regional or global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals to help people and the planet.
Sectors: Education, Clean Energy, Healthcare
Funding: Yes, up to $10k
Deadline: 31 December 2020
In line with the aspirations of its stakeholders and the company’s strategic direction, the Sofina Covid Solidarity Fund wishes to address the adverse consequences of the global Covid-19 pandemic on two key issues related to its focus sectors: specific challenges in healthcare systems and services and the digital gap in education.
Sectors: Education, Healthcare
Funding: Yes, minimum €500k
Deadline: 30 June 2022
UNDP, in partnership with Impact Foundation (Dasra) and IndustreeFoundation, and with support from HSBC India, is implementing project PROSPER for improving the livelihoods of 4,500 beneficiaries and producers of natural fibers in India. The project is being implemented in the Northeast Region (NER) of India.
Sectors: Livelihoods
Funding: No
Deadline: Extended to 20 December 2020 (2 days to go)
ChangeMakers Seed Grant Opportunity 2021
StartupXs has launched “ChangeMakers Seed Grant Opportunity 2021” for startups and social enterprises who want to change their community with their innovative business ideas.
Sectors: All
Funding: Yes, $1000
Deadline: 31 December 2020
Share & Care Foundation Grants
Share and Care Foundation, funds programs in education, healthcare, capacity building, integrated development projects and livelihood. "Youth" and "women" sectors are the primary beneficiaries
Sectors: Education ,Healthcare, Livelihoods
Funding: Yes, amount unknown
Deadline: unknown
Smart Farming Innovations for Small-Scale Producers
Smart Farming Innovations for Small-Scale Producers Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks Smart Farming solutions that leverage digital technology innovations that have the potential to drive positive impact for small-scale producer (SSP) entrepreneurs delivered through bundled farmer services and enabled by scalable digital and data platform
Sectors: Agriculture
Funding: Yes, $250k to $1.5M
Deadline: 25 February 2021
Awarded in partnership with Agropolis Fondation, the Prize recognizes an innovative scientific research project for its potential impact on the availability, accessibility, affordability and adequacy of food, in line with UN SDG#2: End Hunger.
Sectors: Agriculture
Funding: Yes, $75k in grants
Deadline: 11 January 2021
World Vision Challenge: Affordable Rural Single Family Sanitation Solutions
World Vision is seeking to solicit novel ideas, concepts, and technologies to significantly lower the cost of safe, sanitary, and effective toilets
Sectors: Water, Clean Energy, Agriculture
Funding: Yes, up to $15k
Deadline: 12 January 2021
Max Life Insurance is introducing Max Life Innovation Labs, a corporate accelerator program that will provide technology start-ups a chance to work together with one of India’s leading life insurance businesses to build smart Fintech or Insurtech solutions for specific business challenges
Sectors: Fintech
Funding: No
Deadline: 30 December 2020
Vedanta Limited is looking to partner with early-stage, growth stage and venture stage Digital Tech startups working in the following areas to tap into massive innovation and growth opportunities
Sectors: Health, Waste Management
Funding: Yes (if strategic fit for Vedanta)
Deadline: Extended to 20 December 2020 (2 days to go)
Apply for CSR Grant from BHEL Organisation. Thrust areas for CSR activities will be: Inclusive India; Healthy India; Clean India; Educated India; Responsible India; Green India; Heritage India. In the listed thrust areas priority will be given to underprivileged, neglected, and weaker sections of the society. The company shall give preference to the local areas (District in which Unit operates and the districts contiguous thereto) for spending at least 75 % of the amount earmarked for CSR activities.
Sectors: Health, Waste Management, Education, Clean Energy, Tourism
Funding: Yes
Deadline: unknown
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women - NSRCEL
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women is a global initiative that fosters economic growth by providing women entrepreneurs around the world with a business and management education, mentoring and networking, and access to capital.
Sectors: All
Funding: No
Deadline: unknown
Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge
The fifth annual Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge aims to recognize new business ideas that leverage technology for social impact from entrepreneurs around the world
Sectors: All
Funding: Yes, $250k in prize money
Deadline: 29 January 2021
Creating Shared Value Prize - Nestle
Through the Nestlé Creating Shared Value Prize 2020 it aims to seek and support innovations that can address the following challenge “How do we create a waste-free future?”.
Sectors: Waste Management, Circular Economy, Food Tech / Nutrition
Funding: Yes, up to CHF 250k in prize money (~ INR 2 Cr.)
Deadline: Extended to 30 December 2020
Transport Technology Innovation Challenge
Looking for innovative tech-based solutions that can increase trust in public transportation
Sectors: Urban Livability
Funding: Yes, $500k in grant
Deadline: Extended to 8 January 2021
The objective of the Energy Globe Award is to present successful sustainable projects to a global audience and to demonstrate that for most of our environmental problems feasible solutions are already available.
Sectors: Clean Energy
Funding: Yes, € 2k in prize money
Deadline: Extended to 28 January 2021
Startup Energy Transition Award -2021
The Start Up Energy Transition Award is an international competition for start-ups and young companies worldwide who are working on ideas affecting global energy transition and climate change
Sectors: Clean Energy
Funding: Yes, € 10k in prize money
Deadline: 31 January 2021
Global Best Practice Programme, Covid Edition: Dubai Expo 2020
This call for proposals is aimed at highlighting the importance and enhancing visibility of cross-sector integrated solutions, helping people prepare, respond and recover from the effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Sectors: Health, WASH, Education and Skills, Livelihoods, Digitalization
Funding: No
Deadline: 31 December 2020
Circular Textiles Matchmaking: Open call between Netherlands and India
The program intends to help enterprises find Dutch business partners who are looking for recycled content in high quality and volumes. It also intends to bring enterprises in contact with investors looking to scale up circular technologies.
Sectors: Textiles, Circular Economy
Funding: No
Deadline: unknown
The Keeling Curve Prize awards a variety of worldwide projects with proven records of greenhouse gas uptake
Sectors: Clean Energy
Funding: Yes, $25k in grants
Deadline: 10 February 2021
BillionAbles is organizing a global call to find and support innovators and entrepreneurs working on Assistive technology solutions to solve some of the pressing problems the Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) face in this current situation.
Sectors: Assistive Technologies
Funding: Yes (amount unknown); Prizes worth INR 30 L
Deadline: Extended to 31 January 2021
Financial Inclusion Lab (Bharat Inclusion Initiative - CIIE)
The Financial Inclusion Lab aims to improve the financial health of India’s underserved low- and middle-income (LMI) segments by supporting startups in the areas of Fintech, Skilling and Livelihood.
Sectors: Financial Inclusion
Funding: Yes, up to INR 25L
Deadline: unknown