What work is eligible for impact grants
What you need to know about grants
Who gives grants
What you (most likely) won’t get grant funding for
What you need before you start applying
What a grantor may require when you apply
What a grantor will ask you for when you win
Is the juice worth the squeeze?

Click here or below.

For new founders or those making grant funding a part of their 2026 impact strategy, that’s a great place to start.

Here we’ll dive in a little deeper:

• Types of Grants

• Where and how to start looking for grants

• Two strategies for getting grant funding: Reactive Vs. Proactive

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*Note… We’ll keep this high level as part of this series and get more into the details in future posts.

Let’s get into it.

Types of Grants

In our last post, we highlighted the types of organizations that give grants. Here are the types of grants they give.

Want to learn more about each type? Click here or below.

Where and how to start looking for grants

Leverage:

1. Your network

• Who do you know that has raised grant funding? (Preferably in your geography/sector). Ask them:

  • How did you get it?

  • Would you be open to connecting me with your contacts?

• What corporates/large multinationals do you work with (or can work with)?

  • Can you get in touch with their CSR / Sustainability Teams?

• If you have a contact at a foundation or have worked alongside one as a partner before, you are far more likely to be considered for funding.

  • Even with formal RFP responses and applications… it really is who you know.

Full email & LinkedIn outreach templates to use for premium subscribers below 👇

2. Local Governments / Organizations / Embassies

• Leverage groups that understand your local context

• Connect with local business support organizations like Incubators/Accelerators, Chambers of Commerce, World Trade Centers, etc

• Find out what national, regional, and local government-run/supported funding programs are available. Research, email, call, and show up in person to get the info (and contacts) you need.

3. NGOs (both local and international) and Academia

• Especially if they work in your sector or your missions overlap

• Establish relationships and find opportunities to partner

• You never know when a non-profit or university might need a private-sector sub-grantee or on-the-ground implementation partner!

4. Your Visibility

• Let funders find you

An entire playbook for premium subscribers below 👇

5. FundraisingDispatch.com

• Get newly published RFPs and grant opportunities direct to your inbox. Leverage curated lists of rolling/recurring opportunities.

• Don’t spend your time:

  • Endlessly scanning platforms where the majority of grants listed are for organizations (usually nonprofits) in the USA, UK, and Europe

  • Following 50+ LinkedIn accounts

  • Registering for databases that almost exclusively highlight fellowships, trophies, pitch competitions, and promises to win cloud credits (i.e. ignore programs with no direct monetary or educational value)

And subscribe to premium to get access to our database:

Grants Searchable, Sortable, and filterable by:

Deadline | Funding Amount | Type of Funding | Geography | Sector | Eligibility

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Reactive vs. Proactive

So based on the summary above we can effectively group ways that for-profit social enterprises can actually get grant funding into two paths/strategies.

Being Reactive

The more straightforward path.

1. A funder publishes an RFP or call for applications

2. You learn about it on FundraisingDispatch.com

3. You carefully assess its eligibility requirements, look through the FAQs, and otherwise read the fine print and determine that you are indeed eligible

4. You decide to apply on your own (leveraging our guides and tips/tricks to writing a winning application) or work with an expert like Grant & Co

5. You wait months for news and cross your fingers

Being Proactive

Requires patience and consistency.

1. You actively post on LinkedIn, write reports/blogs, have a consistent funder update newsletter, and otherwise publish your findings - all to increase your visibility and help funders come to you

2. You meet funders (or potential NGO or other project partners) where they are: their offices, conferences, networking events, pitch competitions, etc

3. You cold email or send LinkedIn requests to make new connections

And you build relationships. You play the long game.

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In either case persistence is key. Knock on many (relevant) doors as you can (both through relationship building and formal applications) in order to land grant funding.

More visibility = More probability

Whether you’re being reactive (responding to an RFP/call for applications) or proactive (leveraging existing connections or making new ones), the more visibility you and your work has, the more likely you are to obtain grant funding.

At the end of the day, a human being is reviewing your application, right?

They will make decisions based on the information you present AS WELL AS any emotional and/or subconscious feeling they have about you, your social enterprise, your brand or your work/impact.

And if someone on the CSR team at a large corporate or their foundation has autonomy to give grant funding outside of an RFP process… who are they going to choose?

The more known you are to grant funders… the more potential you have at getting their funding.

Coming soon!

What’s next in this series!? “Grants 103 - Writing winning grant applications”

What’s below for paid subscribers?

• Template for reaching out to another founder

• Template for reaching out your corporate/multi-national partner/clients

• Template for reaching out to someone from “back in the day” who now works at a foundation, NGO, or another organization that could potentially provide you with grant funding.

• Strategies to increase your and your work’s visibility

• Strategies to nurture relationships

• Templates and Strategies for networking/outreach to DFIs, NGOs, Academia, Research, Community/Advocacy organizations

• Tools to use to find anyone’s email address

Read more

You’re in the right place.

There are thousands of grants programs available for impact-focused organizations in Africa and in emerging markets around the world! Fundraising Dispatch curates opportunities and sends them direct to your inbox every week (here). We also provide guides and resources dedicated to growing your business, training your team, and making fundraising easier (here).

Its a new year and we’ve added a bunch of new subscribers.

So we thought it might help to take a step back and look at grants for social enterprises (for-profits) at a high level.

What even is a grant? Where do you start? How should you approach grant funding? And more.

Here’s what you’ll find here:

But first, let’s make sure you’re on the list to get new grants in your inbox every week and other powerful resources like this one.

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Is your work even eligible for grants?

It starts with your business and your business model

90% of the time…

• You have a legally registered entity in good standing and compliance

• You do something that Western Governments/Donors consider to be a public good

  • Low income healthcare, micro/SME loans, humanitarian aid, renewable energy, job creation, environmental conservation, sustainable agriculture, food security, education, transition lab research to the field, ambulance/fire response, potable water, etc

• Your leadership identifies as (and/or your work predominantly impacts) members of historically marginalized groups

• The public good must be more cost-effective than “state-of-the-art”

• And if you have an “innovation” (technical or not) or need funding for R&D or a pilot.... will your proposed work or innovation ultimately lead to a public benefit?

What you need to know about grants

Grant Funders don’t give money. They buy impact.

90% of the time grants are/have…

• Non-dilutive capital

• Specific alignment criteria

• Project-based and restricted

  • Time-bound and mapped to specific activities, outputs, or outcomes

  • Some opportunities are very specific about what they will and wont fund

• Tied to performance (often, contractually)

• Not quick cash, free-money, or an instant lifeline

  • General rule of thumb is that you need at least a year of runway

  • Most grants require you to kick the project off with your own money and get paid back a reimbursement after you meet a milestone and report on your work.

• And can often be in the form of TA - “technical assistance”

  • You don’t get cash, but you get things paid for (consultants, studies, etc)

A “good” time line you can expect

1. Writing the application

   1. 2-6 weeks

2. Reviewing, Double-Checking Documentation + Submitting

   1. 1-2 weeks

3. Hearing back from the grantor after submitting

   1. 3-6 months

4. Due Diligence

   1. 3-6 months

5. Legal/Signing

   1. 3-6 months

6. Cash in the bank

   1. 3-6 months

   2. Can be longer depending on terms of first milestone, reimbursement, etc

At Grant & Co, where we support the grant process end-to-end for our clients, we are over the moon ecstatic if there’s cash in the bank 6 months after submitting. It usually takes a year. Often more.

See our list of 180+ funding programs actively accepting applications

Who gives grants?

Foundations (e.g. Gates, Skoll) —> To scale innovations that align with their mission

Corporate CSR Arms —> For branding, ecosystem stimulation, or inclusive supply chains

Local Philanthropies —> Supporting African-led innovation and entrepreneurship

Governments —> Supporting local/national targets

Government / Development Agencies (GIZ, Norad, AFD, Local, etc.) —> To drive job creation, economic development, trade and local innovation

Development Agencies/DFIs (Proparco, BII, DFC, etc) —> To achieve global impact SDG-aligned outcomes (e.g. health, climate, agriculture)

Development Banks (Afreximbank, EIB) —> To catalyze market development

Multilaterals (World Bank, UN) —> For market development and systems change

Intermediaries / Challenge Funds —> To de-risk early-stage innovation through competitions or pooled capital; with a specific sector/thematic focus

Family Offices & Individual Donors —> For passion and mission-alignment

See active opportunities on our database

What you (most likely) won’t get grant funding for

• Quick cash needs (see above timeline)

• General operating expenses, core commercial activities, or “Business as Usual“

  • You need grant funding because you have a project you want to carry out that will further social impact

  • Said project is not under your standard operational model because it would sacrifice profit

  • Additionality: Grantors will ask: “Does this company need our charitable dollars to do this project, or would it happen commercially anyway?”

• Things that have residual value or easy to steal

  • Cars, construction (very easy to steal bags of cement, timber, etc), computers, land, large processing equipment

• Overhead (Salaries), CapEx, Debt servicing, etc

• One-Off Projects

  • Even R&D and Pilots have to link to the long term - systemic change

  • Is your business scalable? Is your work catalytic i.e. can your project be replicated in other settings?

  • You project needs to “have a life” beyond the grant

• Anything related to gambling, tobacco, or alcohol

• Complexity: the harder it is to tell your story, the harder it will be to get grant funding

• If your business relies exclusively on grant funding (that’s why NGOs exist)

  • Your best funder will always be your customer

• Are you pre-revenue, pre-evidence, pre-validation, and pre-operational?

  • Good luck :(

What you need before you start applying

• Work, social impact mission, and general alignment with all of the above

• A formally registered operational entity

  • Psst… Premium Subscribers… You’ll find our #1 cheat code for grant funding below 👇

    • (There are ways to structure your work & operations to help you get more grants)

• Alignment with a grant program’s geography, registration, sector and other eligibility requirements

• A specific grant-fundable project

• Data Room

  • Standard investment readiness documents

    • Company Registration Information

    • Business Plan

    • Audited Financial Accounts

    • Budget & Financial Model

    • Pitch Deck

    • Some kind of social impact assessment (w/ baseline data and formal beneficiary tracking)

  • Advanced investment readiness documents

    • Feedback from customers, previous funders, etc

    • Capitalization Table, Shareholder agreement, Org Chart, Board of directors/advisors and LinkedIn/CV’s

    • Policy manuals

  • And many more

For premium subscribers, we have a list of 50+ documents that organizations should have when they fundraise; organized by priority (Must-Haves; Nice-to-Haves; Keep on your Radar).

Subscribe to Premium to Access the List

The last thing you want (we’re speaking from experience) is to submit an application, not hear anything for 3 months, and get an email from the grantor saying:

What a grantor may require when you apply (or win)

• Matching funding

  • Cash (from the organization), In-Kind, or External Investment

• Consortiums

  • NGOs, Academia, Governments, etc

  • Psst… Premium Subscribers… You’ll find our #1 cheat code for grant funding below 👇

    • (There are ways to structure your work & operations to help you get more grants)

• Strict compliance

  • Vendors, proof of origin, invoicing, etc

  • Time-sheets, receipts, etc

• Mile-stone based funding

  • Paid out in tranches

• Third-party audits/evaluations

• Public sharing of learnings

  • Or even the direct IP developed as a result of funding

What a grantor will ask you for when you win

Proof that the money will only be used for the approved purposes and that your organization checks all of the legal boxes

• Sign a grant agreement/contract

• Regular progress reports/calls

  • Often in their strict format

• Financials/record keeping

  • They may even want a completely separate bank account for grant project activities

• Proof of compliance(s) and lots of paperwork

• Evidence of impact (M&E)

If you plan to pursue and leverage grant funding, you have to know that managing a grant can be a full time job in of itself

• Founders should be focusing on day-to-day organic growth of their business

  • Not cumbersome reporting to make a funder happy

• That’s why groups like Grant & Co exist

Want some support in writing your grant applications?

If you’re generating $100k+ in ARR and have the budget to treat grants like a marketing expense in your business (i.e. pre-payment + success fee)…

Message Daniel@thegrant.co

So is the juice worth the squeeze?

Grants aren’t a “crapshoot”. The wrong Grants for you are.

Just like advertising isn’t a “crapshoot”. The wrong advertising for your business is.

If you find yourself retrofitting your mission to meet the requirements of a grant... it’s likely not the right fit for you.

But Grants also aren’t free money.

Just like Sales at your company don’t come free either.

The truth is more subtle.

There are many dimensions of whether any grant is worth pursuing.

• Does your company fit the RFP? Sector? Company Size? Registration Requirements?

• Does your company fit with the funder? Does your company fit with the funder’s funder? Does your project fit the (often unwritten) goals of the funder?

• What are the chances of winning? Is the prize worth the effort? Are there legal fees?

• Once you win, will there be so much bureaucracy and reporting requirements that, at the end of the day, you wish you had never applied and accepted in the first place?

Making a decision on whether or not to apply for a grant is more art than science.

See our full article guide:

Fundraising Dispatch helps provide you the resources you need to make it worth it.

Subscribe now

Where and how to start looking for grants

Leverage:

1. Your network

2. Local Governments, Organizations, Embassies

3. NGOs (both local & international) and Academia

4. Your visibility

5. FundraisingDispatch.com

Rest assured that you’re in the right place!

Free Subscribers

• Grants and investment opportunities from $0 - $50k direct to your inbox every week

• Some public resources (like this one) for fundraising, B2B sales, building with AI

Premium subscribers

• Grants and investment opportunities from $0 - $10m+ direct to your inbox every week

• Access to our filterable/searchable database so you can always have a high-level overview of the grants available for you to apply to

• End-to-end guides, walkthroughs, tips/tricks, cheat-codes, email/LinkedIn templates, messaging strategies, and more, to use alongside your fundraising. Not theory. Actionable recommendations. Step-by-step, plug-and-play, etc-etc-etc.

• Live use cases for integrating AI and automation in your day-to-day

Subscribe now

What’s coming next in Grants 102?

• Types of Grant Funding

• Where and how to start looking for grants

• Two Paths: Reactive vs Proactive

  • And how they intertwine

• Networking (and other) strategies to get on a grantor’s radar

• Email and LinkedIn messaging templates for warm and cold outreach

Followed by full guides and end-to-end walkthroughs with our tips, tricks, and cheat codes for (quickly) assessing your eligibility for any RFP or grant program, catering your application to what a funder wants to hear, writing a winning grant application, and otherwise increasing your probability to secure grant funding.

What’s below for paid subscribers?

50+ documents we recommend you have in your arsenal when you fundraise and more insight into what you will likely need in your arsenal when you apply for a grant or enter due diligence with a grantor.

Our #1 secret (and recommendation) to getting access to grant funding.

Read more

If you’re speaking for more than 7 minutes at any given time. You’re doing it wrong.

A "pitch" to an investor is a misnomer.

It's a two-way street where the entrepreneur needs to vet the investor as much as they need to vet you.

Who are they, personally? What’s the behind the scenes of the “about us” or “our mission” pages on their website? Would the cost of capital of working with them outweigh their investment? Will it otherwise provide value to you?

A great way to vet is to ask questions. directly.

And another reason to ask questions? It’s THE most important sales skill.

If you remember one thing from this post

…everyone has a problem. And they usually are afraid to tell you. If you can figure out what their problem is, you can help them solve it. And if you solve the problems of people who control lots of money they will give some of that money to you.

An investor’s problem could be:

• They got burned by a company that was also in your sector. Now they are wary of the whole sector.

• Their partner complains they always bring b2c deals instead of b2b startups.

The only way to find out what their problem is is to ask questions.

And if you do it strategically. The sales concept of the “Yes Ladder” applies here too.

You ask questions to build trust and rapport.
You ask questions they are likely to agree with (say yes to).
You ask questions to figure out what their problem is.
You ask questions to vet.

And

You ask questions to engage them during your pitch

Questions at the beginning of the meeting

• Show you’re a human

Your goal as soon as you start your call is to build rapport. (Pssst… we talk all about it in our post on preparing for your pitch).

You’ll naturally ask questions to do so. From both a personal and professional perspective catered to the person you’re speaking to. And from both perspectives for their organization/fund as well.

Example rapport building questions for premium subscribers below 👇

• Show you did your research

What do you know about this person? What do you know about the organization? What do you have in common with their existing portfolio? Why should they care about you?

(These are questions you should be asking yourself before you’re ready to ask them questions…. Questions. Questions. Questions. QUESTIONS!)

Example discovery questions for premium subscribers below 👇

• Show you care

Figure out their problem and help your funder care more subconsciously too. Why’d you take this meeting with me? Is a good starting point.

All beginning of the meeting questions for premium subscribers below 👇

Questions during/after pitching

Research indicates that audience attention during presentations, including video calls, begins to wane after approximately 10 minutes.

We’ve found it’s closer to 7. Your pitch should either be 7 minutes long total or you should have specific areas in your pitch where you pause and ask your lead specific questions related to where you are in your deck.

It’s an attention reset.

A list of 20+ tailored questions during your pitch for premium subscribers below 👇

Questions at the end of the meeting

Too important to reserve for just premium subscribers.

1. Can we add you to our investor newsletter so you can stay up to date with our growth and notable achievements? It’s something we send out quarterly and always get feedback that its actually pretty fun and insightful.

This is going to be important for what comes next:

The chasing.
…The nurturing.
……The many emails and phone calls just to get a rejection.

You’ll need a combination of “hard” and “soft” touches.

2. Are you deploying now?

3. What’s the process/next steps from here?

See what their timeline is. See what roller coaster you’re about to get on.

4. Can we schedule another meeting?

5. If I send you [whatever they are asking for] will the same time next week/month/ quarter be enough time for you and your team to review?

Gauge their interest & timeline. Get something on the calendar. If they push back:

6. What if we just throw XXX time on YYY day on the calendar just to have something in place? And I’ll follow up on Monday of that week to confirm the timing or we can adjust. Does that sound ok?

Bonus. Take a risk.

7. Just based on what you've heard, if you were going to invest in us, how much would you invest?

8. How excited do you feel about what we’re building?

9. Do you imagine any initial hesitations before investing in our round?

10. Do you see anything standing in the way of you joining this round?

More for premium subscribers below 👇

General guidelines for talking to investors

1. Be transparent and honest. Investors will not invest if they pick up signals of lack of transparency or honesty. This is part of the risks that they’re trying to reduce. Be careful with games (like “round closes today”) or small exaggerations (like “we have a meeting with a senior partner” at a fund where you’re about to meet with an associate). Don’t be afraid to admit what you don’t know.

2. Show speed and commitment. Return emails fast, provide requested data immediately, be persistent during the fundraising process, and be available to physically meet if possible.

3. Show seriousness and professionalism. Answer questions seriously, and provide the research you conducted when relevant. Make sure everything you deliver leaves a great impression.

4. Be calm. Accept all questions with love. Don’t complain about the process — if you don’t like it, disengage. Don’t tell them what you think about the process. Be nice when you get rejected, because it could matter when you meet them again.

5. Don’t be arrogant. This can happen when things are going well, but it’s important to stay grounded and be nice. Remember that all startups have ups and downs, and you will need the investors tomorrow.

6. Ask questions.

Information in part from NFX and Verdant.

A book that might be very helpful to you on how to ask questions to uncover hidden information is Never Split the Difference, about a technique developed by an FBI hostage negotiator.

A quick note on investment readiness…

Pitch practice (and perfection) is part of our onboarding with new clients at Grant & Co. The funder you’re courting will not always tell you why they won’t be investing in you.

And they’ll (almost) never tell you:

- What could have made your pitch stronger
- A specific red flag they found in your financial model that threw them off
- If the way you presented your team turned them off
- The problems they have with your business model
- What specifically about your pitch they didn’t like

We do

And we bring in an equity investor or someone who’s reviewed applications and made grant funding decisions at groups like USAID and Mastercard Foundation (a third party) to do it too.

Athletes review their game tape with coaches to get better. Why shouldn’t you?

Are you a social impact business founder looking to raise capital? Have $150k or more in annual revenue? Get optimized for investment and let us facilitate new opportunities for you. Get in touch with Daniel@thegrant.co.

👇👇👇 Premium subscribers and Grant & Co clients 👇👇👇

• 70+ more questions and why they are relevant

Read more

Here’s a quick sample:

- GITEX NIGERIA - The Largest Tech & Startup Event in West Africa | Sep 1-4
- Africa Money & DeFi Summit | Accra | Sep 24-25
- The Global Impact Investing Network | Berlin | Oct 7-9
- AFSIC - Investing in Africa | London | Oct 14-15
- Moonshot by TechCabal | Lagos | Oct 15-16
- Africa Early Stage Investor Summit | Cape Town | Nov 27-28
- Africa Startup Festival | Lagos | Nov 28

Want to see more?

What about key information like website, price, sector, vibe, etc?

Subscribe now

(👇👇 Full list for premium subscribers below 👇👇)

Planning to attend one more of these? It might help to catch up on some of our investment conference focused posts.

1. Start here:

2. Then go to:

3. Before wrapping up with:

And it might help to catch up on some of our other posts in our fundraising section to make sure you’re all set to knock your pitch out of the park.

Happy reading!

Read more

So you just do some busy work. Answer some emails, clean your inbox, text some colleagues. Then, when it’s time for your call. Here’s what you find.

You’re speaking to a ghost. Boo. It’s frustrating.

Here is our guide to keep that from happening to you.

The short version:

1. Take Preventative Measures

2. React Quickly

3. Cross Your Fingers

4. Get Back to Chasing

5. Go Above Your Contact’s Head

The full guide:

1. Take preventative measures

• When you schedule meetings, follow all of the steps we outline here:

Also check for the following:

• Does your meeting invite include everyone on the original chain?

  • I.E. if multiple partners, analysts, admins, or assistants are on the thread… are they included in the invite? Sometimes busy people have others helping manage their schedules.

• Does your meeting invite match the time you confirmed over email in your chain?

  • Is/was everyone on the same page re: time zone?

• If someone booked a call on your Calendly (but never responded on the chain to confirm it) did you send them something like this as soon as you got it?

Hi NAME,

I just saw the scheduling notification come in for [Weekday] [Month] the [Day] at [Time] [TimeZone].

Looking forward to speaking with you then

• If someone on your team (or at Grant & Co) helped you book the call… did you send a “Nice to e-meet you, looking forward to speaking with you at [Weekday] [Month] the [Day] at [Time] [TimeZone]”

• If the call was scheduled a while ago (let’s say 72 hours to a week or more in advance), did you send a “Looking forward to speaking with you later today at [Time] [TimeZone]” confirmation email?

  • FYI - we recommend turning off your Calendly or ESP’s (email service providers) auto notifications. Quite frankly, they are annoying and your lead will have their own alerts on their end. You want to be personalized here.

If you’ve done all of the above and you’re still looking at a Ghost…

Read more

Here’s our quick guide:

1. Set up your physical space

   1. 6 key ways to optimize what your lead sees, hears, or otherwise experiences… for premium subscribers below 👇

2. Set up your virtual space

   1. 5 key things on the tech/admin side you need to prepare… for premium subscribers below 👇

3. Set up your head space

   1. Exactly what to look for and research in your inbox, your funder lead’s LinkedIn profile, and their organization/fund’s website… for premium subscribers below 👇

4. Set (yourself) up for success

   1. You get it by now… isn’t it about time you registered as a premium subscriber?

All of this gold in your inbox for less than $17 a month???

• Founders - Insights, strategies, step-by-step guides, and more all dedicated to helping make your fundraising journey easier

• Grant Seekers - The latest and greatest funding opportunities for social impact businesses in Africa in your inbox, twice a month

• HR Managers - Use this content to train your teams! Share with the world. We don’t care!

• Investors - Use this content to train your founders. Share with the world. We don’t care!

Subscribe now

— Wait (investors)… we do care a little bit there. Actually, we care a lot.

We think the majority of ecosystem supporters out there are a lot of talk… a lot of theory… and not so much action. And even then, it’s not so much: “we recommend you do this: exactly (based on your business model)… let’s help you get it organized, tested, and launched.”

You have a budget for TA right? Give the people access to Fundraising Dispatch!

Bring us to provide tailored training to your portfolio companies. Help them scale with more than just your checks! Get in touch with daniel@onesmallworldgroup.com.

Ok… I digress.

Here is our full end-to-end guide to everything you need to do before you click that ZOOM link

Set up your physical space

Here, here, and here, are some good articles… but in general

• Don’t be somewhere busy. It’s best to avoid investor calls from Java House.

• Ensure you’re in a well-lit environment in your home or office

  • Natural light in front of you is best

• Have something fun/personal/scholarly in your background

  • Or make a virtual background with your logo on it; subtle branding can go a long way

• You’re sitting at a table or desk, not lying in bed or slouched on your couch

  • You won’t believe the things we’ve seen

• Wear what makes you feel like a boss

  • A clean shirt, neat hair, maybe even a blazer—whatever boosts your confidence without being over the top; go a level above what your funder’s website suggests in tone

  • Better yet; wear something company branded

  • Remember, you’re making a first impression here!

• Have water/coffee nearby

• Position your camera at eye level

  • Think virtual eye contact

• Your Computer, Keyboard, Mouse, Webcam, Speaker, Mic are all working fine

  • If you haven’t had a virtual call in a couple of days, take a test Meet/ZOOM/Teams call

  • Test your screen sharing too

    • Share the whole screen, please. Just sharing a tab leads to problems (more below)

• You have a good internet connection and a back up (i.e. phone data hotspot).

• You’ve done everything in your power to make sure your call won’t be interrupted

  • No planned deliveries during this timeframe

  • No loud noises around the house/office

  • Your Kids, Pets, Co-Workers, Mother-In-Laws, know not to bug you

Set up your virtual space

Your pitch needs to run as efficiently as possible. Investors value that. You can’t waste time trying to find a certain document on your cluttered desktop or a slide in a previous pitch deck iteration that helps answer their question better than any other slide.

Here are things we’ve found funders typically don’t think about… but can derail a virtual pitch pretty quickly.

Read more

1. “Should you even raise?” and decided, yes, you should?

2. “The different types of funding” and you’ve chosen which to pursue?

3. Outbound sales (or setting meetings at conferences) and learned about how to find the right people to target and how to target them?

4. How to use something like Calendly effectively to make sure your call gets scheduled?

Good. You’re otherwise ready to go. If not…

Subscribe now

Your last job here (before actually pitching) is to make make sure you and your lead actually start chatting by 10:01 AM EAT (or whenever your call is scheduled). Here are our tips to doing just that.

Getting a meeting on the books

Whether you…

• Ran an effective cold outreach sequence on LinkedIn and/or email (see here for more)

• Got a warm introduction from another funder or entrepreneur in your network

• Had a potential funder reach out to you directly

• Met at an in-person event and are now planning a follow up call

… however you got in touch with your new funding lead, once you have their interest and attention its up to you to launch the process in securing their investment.

If your funder lead asks you for a deck before getting on a call with you…

Send it!

This whole idea of asking a lead (of any kind) to sign an NDA in advance to them looking at a deck or having a 30 minute intro call…

• Is often considered the mark of a green entrepreneur

• From our experience, NDA’s have no weight; they’re unenforceable across country borders; and (depending on the stage your company is in) is it really worth your time to assess “damages” and go to court?

• But, more importantly, it’s a bottle neck in your process, and might get you stuck in the back-and-forth prescheduling limbo. Trust us, it’s not where you want to be.

• Our guide to a winning deck for premium subscribers below 👇

If they directly ask if you’re available to meet them at a specific time…

Make every effort to be available then

• They are specifically saying “I want to learn about your business. And the best time I have available to do so is XXX”

• Unless you have another “meeting” at that same time with a different funder, potential customer, partner/significant other, or doctor OR you’re out of the office that particular day, make it happen when your prospective funder wants!

• Internal team meetings, personal engagements, or training, can be rescheduled

• Save them a step; send the Calendar Invite directly

• Pre-written response templates for premium subscribers below 👇

If you’re truly not available at the time they suggested…

• Be transparent

• Offer alternative times

• Add your Calendly link too

• Cross your fingers to not end up in the back-and-forth prescheduling limbo

• Pre-written response templates for premium subscribers below 👇

If they don’t offer up any time they’d be available (but have expressed interest)…

• Suggest a few times

• Add your Calendly link as an alternative

• Follow the “two check ins” rule and timelines

• If all else fails, get creative (More info for premium subscribers below 👇)

Confirming your calls

Depending on whether you’re (founder/CEO) exclusively interacting with your lead or if your PA/Grant & Co engaged originally and is now looping you in… there are a couple of different strategies you should use to make sure your lead gets on the ZOOM/Meet/Teams call with you.

If it’s just you…

Send a “looking forward to speaking with you” email the day before or on the morning of your meeting

If someone on your team (or Grant & Co) first engaged with the lead and helped schedule you…

Send a “nice to e-meet you; looking forward to speaking with you” email the before or on the morning of your meeting

• Short and sweet; Be specific about the date and time

• We recommend turning off your Calendly or ESP’s (email service providers) auto notifications. Quite frankly, they are annoying and your lead will have their own alerts on their end. You want to be personalized here.

• Pre-written response templates for premium subscribers below 👇

If you have to reschedule…

First of all. Don’t. Just don’t. Obviously emergencies happen, but…

We’re trying to do everything in our power to make sure that your scheduled call with your prospective funder goes through smoothly at the originally scheduled time.

If a rescheduling has to happen, there’s a risk that your lead can go cold or fall off completely. Make sure you’re Calendly is optimized based on these recommendations:

If your funding lead has to reschedule last minute…

Sometimes, even after doing everything right, they might still reschedule or cancel at the last minute. Here’s how to handle it:

• Acknowledge and confirm; say no problem

• Repeat the process above

• Pre-written templates to get rescheduled for premium subscribers below 👇

If you’re ever stuck in the “dead-end zone”

The scheduling limbo, Bermuda triangle, sunken place, whatever you want to call it.

Don’t panic. Our guide for premium subscribers below 👇 will help you.

You get on the Google Meet and your funder is not there…

Yikes. You’re getting ghosted.

Don’t panic. We’ve got you. Keep an eye out for a future post entirely dedicated to this.

You get on the Google Meet and your funder is there…

Woohoo! Your work here is done. Our next couple of posts will be dedicated to helping you get set up for your pitch and make the most of it.

👇👇👇 Premium Fundraising Dispatch subscribers and Grant & Co clients 👇👇👇

• Proven Email Templates to use to Schedule and Follow Up

  • For (almost) every possible situation

• Proven Email Templates for Rescheduling or Confirming

• Tracking your TOFU (Top-Funnel) leads in your CRM

  • How to not let anything slip through the cracks

• What to do to get out of the “dead-end zone”

BUT QUICK… SOMETHING SUPER IMPORTANT BEFORE WE DIVE IN

To help you prevent you getting ghosted or getting caught in the dead end zone:

The absolute IMMEDIATE thing you have to do first, right away, before anything else(!!) is to check your funder lead’s email signature for…

Read more

• You’ve read our post on Africa's top investor conferences (and how you can get in for free)

• You’ve caught up on how to best prepare for your next conference: Going to an investment conference in Africa? Read this first

• And now you want a proven strategy and end-to-end guide on setting up as many opportunities as possible for face time with the right investors (or philanthropic grant funders)

Well…

You’re in the right place.

First things first. You’ve:

1. Picked a conference to go to (see our favorites) ✅

2. Purchased your entry ticket (or got in for free) ✅

3. Booked flights, accommodation etc ✅

   1. With an extra day or two tagged on before or after the event

4. Prepped your pitch and company “SWAG” ✅

5. Registered on the conference’s networking app ✅

   1. Or asked conference organizers for a list of attendees if there isn’t an app

6. Optimized your profile page ✅

7. Gotten a “lay of the land” of the conference app ✅

Now you’re ready to get to digital networking 📲

Quick tip…

If you truly want to maximize your conference ROI, and follow our guide below effectively, you’ll want someone relatively tech savvy and well-organized by your side (digitally)

• 3 weeks or more before the conference

• During the entire event

• 1 week or more after the conference concludes

If you don’t have someone on your team with the skills and capacity to work alongside you to prep for your conference and help you schedule 20+ qualified meetings, get in touch with daniel@thegrant.co.

While our focus is on funder leads, the same concepts apply to trade shows, sales conferences, and more.

Now let’s get started. 🚀🚀

The Conference App 📱

You’re going to want to take the entire audience of those at the conference (whether speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, or just regular old attendees) from the app into a spreadsheet.

For premium subscribers, we’ll show you how to easily turn A into B w/ AI 👇

Because manually going through the profiles of 500+ attendees to decide if they are qualified targets for you doesn’t make a lot of sense ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Research the potential investors or other leads that you have identified 🧐

• No use chasing after someone for a meeting if there isn’t (and will never be) a fit via sector, geography, ticket size, or otherwise

• The easiest thing to do is compare contacts/orgs to your CRM

• A list of 2000+ funders in Africa for premium subscribers below 👇

Get to digital networking! Send those meeting requests!📆

• Follow LINCUP

• Message your targets in the APP to request a meeting.

  • Be short and succinct; make sure your ask is clear.

• Is your lead not responding to you in the app? Check in with them in other platforms (not everyone will use the app until the day of the conference).

  • Need help finding email addresses?

  • Plug-and-Play Email, LinkedIn, and Whatsapp templates for premium subscribers below 👇

• Tell social media and your network that you’re attending!

• Use your spreadsheet and/or your CRM to keep track of your outreach

  • Some people will respond and schedule meetings with you within the app, some won’t use the app effectively and will interact with you over LinkedIn or Email; you should speak to someone where they like speaking with you

  • A recommended strategy for this is detailed in full for premium subscribers below 👇

• Plan your day(s) and meetings well

  • You’ll likely have to chase people around and you want to leave some time for spontaneous connections

  • Make sure you can pitch (and ask the right questions) in a 25 minute window

  • Full guide to an in-person pitch for premium subscribers below 👇

• Don’t schedule more than four 30 minute meetings in a row

  • You’ll want the down time to take notes, plan follow ups, reschedule, etc

  • Try to leave official “networking breaks” and “lunch hours” off of your meeting times to encourage spontaneous connections

  • Help reduce the chances of no shows to your meetings by…. (for premium subscribers below 👇)

• Find a place to “camp out” for your meetings

  • But be willing to move around if your lead requests you come to them

  • If you have a booth, invite people to your booth

  • Whether or not there’s a specific area reserved for networking, make sure you pick a location/table next to something noticeable (fish tank, bar, stairwell) so your leads can find you easily

  • Update your leads once you’ve locked in a meeting location

• End your meetings with actionable follow up

  • “I’ll send you XYZ documents next week and we’ll go from there."

  • “Let’s plan a follow up call next week; How’s Thursday at 11?”

  • “So looks like we’re not a good fit, but thanks for your offer to introduce me and my company to XYZ, can I check in with you the week after next as a reminder in case I don’t see your intro email?”

• BONUS✨: Take advantage of being in a new city to find other relevant leads who may not be attending the conference

  • Follow the same approach (below) and leverage our post on outbound sales for ways to find relevant contacts, get valid email addresses, and send intros and follow ups in order to meet with people the day before or after the conference

Register as a premium subscriber (here’s a link for a free trial) to see exactly how to set yourself with 20+ qualified meetings.

It usually takes CEOs 40+ hours to do all the work needed. If you find that you and your team just don’t have the tech, time, or project management skills to do it, feel free to email daniel@thegrant.co to have us set meetings up for you and be your digital conference buddy. 💪

👇 Premium subscribers and Grant & Co clients 👇

• Step-by-step guide with blueprints, timelines, and “cheat codes”

• Getting attendee data in an excel format (with the help of AI)

• Grouping attendees by the org they represent

• Qualifying leads using AI and your CRM

• Creating a SMART outreach strategy

• In-app, email, & LinkedIn templates

• Effectively tracking your outreach

• Booking 20+ qualified meetings

• Preventing No Shows

• Follow up plans
  

Read more

No doubt about it, attending an investment conference can be costly - between entry tickets, flights, and accommodation, expenses can add up quickly. It’s part of why we estimate that it will cost you between $20,000-$200,000 to close a round of funding.

But, like with any business expense/investment you should:

1. Have a clear vision and set specific goals

2. Properly assess the potential ROI that any expense can bring you

3. Take action to maximize the potential impact of your spend

For example, if you spend $1,000 on Social Media Ads with no clear CTA (call to action) and a janky landing page that doesn’t easily enable E-commerce or a way for that lead to get a call scheduled with your sales team (depending on your business)… was that $1,000 expense really a waste of time and money? Or were you just not maximizing its potential?

Here’s our guide to make sure you take full advantage of every second of your time at an investor conference and every dollar spent to get there. But if you haven’t yet, you might want to start here first:

Maximizing your time, money, and energy at a conference

Follow these key strategies:

1. Set clear objectives and plan ahead ✍️

• Figure out exactly what you’re looking for at the conference. ✅

  • Funding, new customers, vendors, other partnerships, media connections, mentorship, etc?

  • Or just industry insights, knowledge, and/or brand exposure?

• Check the different types of entry tickets. ✅

  • What are the different benefits of each tier?

  • Would a sponsorship of the event or an exhibitor booth help you reach your objectives? If so, is the potential ROI worth the investment?

• Review the agenda (or last year’s if the new one is not published). ✅

  • Are there any specific sessions, panel discussions, workshops, or meet-and-greets you want to attend during the conference?

  • We recommend skipping out on any lectures that don’t provide direct access to one-on-one connections. You can get the notes/recorded sessions later. :)

• Prepare your materials, SWAG, and tighten up your pitch deck. ✅

  • Full list of recommendations for premium subscribers below 👇

2. Effectively leverage the conference’s (networking) app 📲

• Get registered on the conference’s app or networking platform as soon as possible

  • If the conference doesn’t have one, ask for the organizers to give you a list of attendees; otherwise use LinkedIn to find out who else might going

  • There will be detailed information on how to leverage the app effectively in our next post: “How we got 20+ investor meetings at Sankalp/AFSIC/SOCAP. And you can too!”

• Create a winning “profile” page to attract people to you and your business

  • Full tips for premium subscribers below 👇

• Get a “lay of the land” of the app

  • Specific things to look for: premium subscribers see below 👇

• Scrub through the list of attendees to find the right people to connect with

  • In our next post, we’ll show you how to easily turn A into B w/ AI 👇

3. Make the most of your investment 🚀

Even if you were able to follow our guide on how you can get into an investment conference for FREE, you’ll still have to take care of flights, accommodation, meals, transportation etc. Here’s how you to make the best bang for your buck:

• Tag on an extra day or two before and after the conference onto your trip if the conference is outside of your home market

  • Tourism! It can’t hurt to unwind and take in some new sites. For a lot of people, this can help motivate you to get even more excited about the event.

  • Take advantage of being in a new city to meet in-person with other leads who may or may not be attending the conference

• Plan your day and meetings well

  • You’ll likely have to chase people around. You don’t want to set to eight 30-minute meetings for yourself in a row and you want to leave some time for spontaneous connections

  • Make sure you can pitch (and ask the right questions) in a 25 minute window

  • The full guide to an in-person pitch for premium subscribers below 👇

• Find a place to “camp out” for your meetings

  • But be willing to move around if your lead requests you come to them

  • Full list of recommendations for premium subscribers below 👇

• Don’t be a “networking-phobe”

  • Others hate it too. Just talk to people; Everyone is there to talk

  • Premium subscribers… see the “best” conversation starters below 👇

  • Perfect your two sentence “Elevator Intro” and “USP” (unique selling proposition) i.e. who you are and what you do

  • Take advantage of lunch hours, networking/coffee breaks, the early morning before the conference starts, side events/cocktail hours, etc.

  • Don’t sit around looking at your phone! It makes you seem unapproachable

• End your meetings with actionable follow up

  • “I’ll send you XYZ documents next week and we’ll go from there.”

  • “Let’s plan a follow up call next week; How’s Thursday at 11AM?”

  • “So looks like we’re not a good fit, but thanks for your offer to introduce me and my company to XYZ, can I check in with you the week after next as a reminder in case I don’t see your intro email?”

And most importantly, have fun. Enjoy your experience.🎉

Summary

Following the outlines above (and the additional strategies below) will help you maximize your ROI at a conference. While our focus is on funder leads (see our post on the best investment conferences in Africa), the same concepts apply to trade shows, sales conferences, and more.

Let’s get into detail on how to best get ready for your conference.

👇👇👇 Premium subscribers and Grant & Co clients 👇👇👇

• Planning your day

• Perfecting your pitch

• Setting up your profile

• Materials to bring with you

• Make it easy for people to find you

• How to spark up a new conversation

• What to look for in the networking APP

Read more

Only if you go to the wrong ones or with the wrong expectations.

For landing ~20 meetings with quality people and having ~50 worthwhile serendipitous conversations, they offer incredible value for money. The value of meeting someone in person (as opposed to a Zoom call) and on neutral turf is pretty clear.

But which conferences are the best for YOU to attend this year? Here’s a list of some of our favorites for entrepreneurs looking to raise capital in Africa:

Sankalp

• Website: https://sankalpforum.com/sankalp-africa-summit/

• Sectors: Africa, Impact

• Typical Timing: February

• Location: Nairobi

• Notes/Special Highlights: Have other summits in other markets; awards/small grants that they offer

• Vibe: Impact, Earlier Stage

• Cost per Ticket: $400

• How to get in for free: Submit a relevant “speaker request”; email event organizers

AFSIC

• Website: https://afsic.net

• Sectors: Africa, Impact, Private Equity, VC, Commercial

• Typical Timing and Location: October (London); May (Lagos)

• Notes/Special Highlights: They offer free listings for SMEs on their dashboard; if you purchase a “Deal Book” package you get an entry ticket as well as distribution w/n deal book in advance to the conference and a “quick fire” speaking slot

• Vibe: 👇 (for premium subscribers)

• Cost per Ticket: 👇 (for premium subscribers)

• How to get in for free: 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Africa FinTech Summit

• Website: https://africafintechsummit.com/

• Sectors: FinTech, Financial Inclusion

• Typical Timing and Location: 👇 (for premium subscribers)

• Notes/Special Highlights: 👇 (for premium subscribers)

• Vibe: 👇 (for premium subscribers)

• Cost per Ticket: 👇 (for premium subscribers)

• How to get in for free: 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Free Subscribers: Click here.
Premium Subscribers: 👇👇👇

How you can get in for free?

Entries to these types of events can range in costs of $20 to $5,000 or more. Sometimes they offer Basic vs. VIP packages. Sometimes certain industry players (ex. LPs and GPs) automatically get in for free. And most of the time, you can save a few bucks by buying your tickets well in advance.

But paying a $2,000 entry to AFSIC (plus the costs of flights, food, and accommodation) can obviously add up quickly and affect your bottom line. It’s part of why we’ve estimated that closing a fundraising round can cost your business anywhere from $20,000 to $200,000.

That’s why we’ve put (digital) pen to (digital) paper to outline some strategies that we and our clients have used to get in to conferences for free.

The Overview

1. See if they offer scholarships or grants for attendees

2. Volunteer for the conference

3. Submit a speaker request

4. Get “in” on a panel of experts

5. Leverage your existing investors

6. Leverage your existing network (other than investors)

7. Find subsidized programs that might help you

8. Ask!

9. Get creative

The Full, Step-by-Step Guide 👇👇👇

Free subscribers… if the information below helps you save $2,000 on your next conference ticket, would our $120 annual premium subscription make sense for you?

Read more

If you haven’t yet turned this…

Into this…

To put it frankly… you’re wasting time, losing out on potential investors, and stuck in the digital equivalent of the stone age.

If you’re an entrepreneur, you know that time is more than money—it’s momentum. Every second you spend juggling schedules with potential investors, partners, or collaborators is a second taken from your mission and growth.

The back-and-forth email chain to lock down a meeting time can be downright exhausting— it's not only inefficient, but it can also cost you potential opportunities.

Your potential funders go through hundreds if not thousands of emails each week. Scheduling your first call with them is likely their first insight into how things run at your organization. If it's not easy and straightforward, why would they bother to hear your pitch, and go through the due diligence process with you?

So, let’s talk about one simple solution that can save you hours and up your chances of actually getting that call on the books: Calendly.

Picture this: You’ve got a warm lead on a potential investor. They’re interested in what you’re doing, excited about your mission, and willing to jump on a call to hear your pitch. But there’s one catch—finding a time that works for both of you.

Studies show that, on average, it takes 8 emails to set up a meeting. That’s right, eight. And if you’re trying to arrange time with someone in a different time zone? It gets even trickier.

When you’re trying to grow your business or your impact, the last thing you want is to miss out on a great partner because of something as simple as scheduling logistics. This is where a tool like Calendly can make a huge difference.

Are there other apps out there? Of course. But we like Calendly. Funders do too.

There’s a paid version with some fancy features… but the free version is all you need to add efficiency for you and your team.

Why Calendly Works: Simple, Efficient, and Focused on Your Time

Calendly allows you to send a single link that shows your availability and allows people to book a time that works for them.

Here are a few reasons why it’s worth integrating into your daily routine:

1. Fewer Emails, More Conversations
   With Calendly, your scheduling process goes from multiple emails to just one. You send a link, they pick a time, and both sides get an automatic calendar invite. You can easily skip the scheduling dance, making you more accessible and responsive to investors’ interest, right when it’s at its peak.

2. Capitalize on the Moment of Interest
   In any business, but especially in social enterprises, timing is everything. Interest can be fleeting, and the last thing you want is for an investor’s initial enthusiasm to cool down. By making it easy to book a time right away, you’re creating a frictionless path from “I’m interested” to “Let’s connect.” Research shows that meetings scheduled within 24 hours of initial contact are up to 4 times more likely to happen than those scheduled after a delay. A tool like Calendly keeps you agile and capitalizes on these moments.

3. Accommodate Different Time Zones
   For many social enterprise leaders in Africa, potential investors might be in Europe, North America, or Asia. Calendly automatically detects and adjusts for time zones, so you don’t have to worry about the mental math (or the missed meetings from accidental time zone misinterpretations). And with reminders built in, both you and your potential investor will get nudges before the meeting to reduce the chance of no-shows.

4. Free Up Time to Focus on Your Mission
   You’re busy running a social enterprise—your time should be spent on high-impact activities, not calendar coordination. By removing the hassle of finding mutually available time slots, tools like Calendly free you up to focus on the mission-critical work that matters most.

5. Control Over Your Availability
   Calendly allows you to pre-set blocks of time that you’re open for meetings, so you can be sure that you’re not interrupted during crucial work times. This way, investors see only the slots that you’ve deemed convenient, allowing you to maintain control over your schedule and avoid burnout from back-to-back calls.

But Wait, There’s More: Customizing Your Scheduling Tool

Calendly and similar tools aren’t just about saving time—they’re about making scheduling work for you. Here are a few customization options the tool allows:

• Set meeting durations to keep calls efficient and focused.

• Add buffer times between meetings so you’re never stuck rushing from one call to the next.

• Send automated reminders to make sure everyone remembers the meeting, increasing your attendance rate.

• Make scheduling part of your brand by offering customizable URLs and landing pages

OK; OK. That’s enough. I think you get the picture. If you’ve yet to use Calendly (or something similar) in your calendar and inbox. Stop everything you’re doing. And set it up.

Ready?

STEP 1: Creating an account
STEP 2: Syncing your inbox/calendar
STEP 3: Setting your (general) availability
STEP 4: Setting your (specific) availability
STEP 5: Customizing your “event”
STEP 6: Bringing your brand into your scheduling
STEP 7: Sharing your Calendly link with the world!

Setting up and effectively using your Calendly: An end-to-end guide

Read more

The best way to build any business is through sales.

Generating revenue the good old fashion way, rather than relying on external funding, gives you control over your growth, helps you build relationships that can lead to external funding anyway, increases your valuation, and makes your business more resilient in the long run.

But you can’t rely on customers to magically come to you.

Unless you can’t handle existing demand from your current customers… if you aren’t actively running an outbound sales strategy… you’re not doing good business. Plain and simple. And the truth is, with the recent flood of AI, digital and SaaS solutions dedicated to helping companies in their search:

It’s never been easier than it is today.

Here’s how it looks visually (mind our design skills).

The following is a tailored guide for Fundraising Dispatch subscribers on launching effective outbound sales campaigns.

Steps to take, tools to use, how to use them, and other strategies on helping make new connections with potential customers at scale.

Did a friend forward this to you or you’re otherwise not subscribed? Don’t miss out.

Quick Notes:

1. Each country has their own laws on emailing marketing. Make sure you review and adhere.

2. Our focus here is on the TOFU (top of the funnel) and going from 0 (zero) to a pipeline of “warm” and “hot” leads ready to explore doing business with you.

3. We’ll follow up with tips on closing “hot” leads later. But you have to start somewhere, right?

Ready to launch outbound sales campaigns?

Step 1: Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

Before you start reaching out to potential customers, you need to be clear about who you’re targeting. Ask yourself:

• Who needs my product or service? What industry are they in? —> Sector

• What countries can I sell in? —> Geography

• What size of companies do I want to target? —> # of Employees | Annual Revenue

• Who are the decision-makers? —> Job Titles

• What are their biggest pain points? —> Your Future Sales Copy

For example, if you’re a fintech company offering affordable credit solutions, your ICP might be small retailers struggling with cash flow and the organizations in the ecosystem that support them. If you’re growing/aggregating potatoes, your ICP might be potato processors and/or larger retailers/distributors.

Defining this upfront ensures that your outreach efforts are focused on the right prospects.

Step 2: Build a High-Quality Lead List

Having a strong lead list is essential for successful outreach. You can source leads:

Naturally

• Research - Use Google and AI

  • Look for companies similar to your existing customers

  • Look for companies similar to your (preidentified) target customers

• Conferences - Leverage attendees / networking apps to target companies and set in-person meetings

• Ask your friends - Get referrals from people who know someone

• Industry Associations - Get lists from government or other publications

With a “Lead Mine” / Database

Read more

Investors give you money today in exchange for owning a share of your upside tomorrow.

No repayments, no interest, and no collateral. But they’re not just giving you money - they’re buying influence, access, and decision-making power.

Some of the best partnerships (and companies) in startup history were built through equity investments. And some of the biggest regrets too.

On top of getting money to fuel your growth… you’re also bringing others into your cap table. So it’s important to think about who you’re bringing into your business, why, and at what cost.

99.9% of Equity investors (other than some revolutionary models like Africa Eats, Kuzana.Co, and Berkshire Hathaway) want exits. That means that they invest hoping that your business will eventually be bought out by a bigger one or you’ll make it to an IPO.

Different Types of Equity

Straight Equity (or just “Equity’)

What it sounds like. An investor gets a piece of the company for a certain amount of $$$. The investor becomes a shareholder and owns a percentage of your business—along with the rights, risks, and (hopefully) future upside that comes with that.

These are usually structured as Pre Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, etc rounds of financing.

• Pre-Seed: You’re still validating the idea. Likely friends, family, angels, or early believers. Small checks, big faith.

• Seed: You’ve got some traction; a prototype, pilot customers, and/or a small team. Raising to prove the model and prepare for scaling.

• Series A: You’re growing. Real revenue. Clear product-market fit. Now you need capital to scale operations, expand markets, or build out your team.

• Series B and beyond: You’re in the big leagues now. Investors are backing your growth engine. But expectations are higher, and the terms get tighter.

Usually, the later rounds have preference over the earlier ones. That is, when the company is sold, the Series B investors are paid before the Series A investors. If the company is sold for a small amount it might be that the Series B investors get their money back but the Series A investors get nothing.

Our favorite equity investors (deploying money now) in Africa below 👇 (for premium subscribers).

Strategic Equity (or Corporate VC)

When a corporate or large company invests in your startup—not just for returns, but because it aligns with their business, expansion strategy, or CSR goals.

This is great for companies that want more than capital — distribution, technical expertise, and/or integration into an existing value/supply chain.

Strategic investors often have longer time horizons but may require exclusivity or other restrictions, so read the fine print.

Some notable examples of Strategic Investments in African Startups

• Uber led Moove’s $100M Series B Round

• Goldman Sachs led Kobo360’s $20M Series A Round

• Google's Africa Investment Fund invested in Leta, MoniePoint, and SafeBoda

A strategic investment is often like a dating phase. The corporate may want to observe how the company performs, understand its team and culture, or monitor the market opportunity before committing to a full acquisition.

Convertible Debt

An investor gives a loan to a startup with the agreement that it will be converted to equity at the next “Priced round”… at the value of the loan plus interest.

This is because an early stage start-up is hard to value so both parties agree to kick the can down the road. If there is not a priced round the startup just needs to repay the investor’s loan (which often never happens since if the startup can’t raise more they are usually dead). Convertible debt is dedicated to very early stage startups, usually, and often by Angel Investors.

Our favorite Angel investors and networks (deploying money now) in Africa below 👇 (for premium subscribers).

SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity)

Developed by Y Combinator, SAFEs allow investors to put in money today in exchange for the right to future equity, without the legal complexity (or pretense) of a loan.

Same as convertible debt but without the charade of the debt. These are increasingly common.

Quasi Equity

Revenue-Based Financing, Mezzanine financing, Convertible debt, Junior debt, debentures are examples of this. We talk about more here in our post on Debt financing.

Revenue-Based Financing

Instead of getting a percentage of equity, the investor gets a percent of revenue. For example, 5% each month, until some multiple of the financing is paid off, usually 2-5x the original financing.

It’s an instrument that blends the best of both worlds: growth-aligned investor returns without permanent dilution. Effectively a loan. Flexible, but quite costly. Fairly rare.

Family Office

Family offices are private wealth management vehicles for high-net-worth individuals or families, often deploying capital with fewer layers of bureaucracy than traditional VCs or funds. Same as above but they want more of a financial return.

See 7 tips for dealing with family offices here.

Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP)

An ESOP allows you to offer your team a stake in your company’s future, without giving away equity today. Instead, they get options—the right to buy shares later, at a fixed price.

This is a powerful incentive in startups where salaries might be below market, but the long-term upside can be significant.

Some countries have an exemption where companies can give their employees stock options which aren’t taxed until they are sold.

Phantom equity

If an employee is awarded shares of a company, that counts as compensation and the government wants to tax it. But this causes a cash-flow problem as the shares are not liquid and cannot be sold for $$$. Ideally, the employer creates an ESOP but these are expensive and not suited to small companies. Also many countries in Africa do not have a provision for ESOPs.

A solution is Phantom equity where the employee gets a percent of profit as if they were a shareholder and gets a check if the company is sold, but doesn’t actually own the stock. This avoids the upfront tax on a stock award.

Recap

Lots of different types of equity funding out there. For more information on grants check our post here (and all over this website) and for debt - here.

Need help finding the right equity funders? 👇

And remember… even with all the different types of funding out there. Your customers and your good old fashioned sales will always be the best type.

Some of our favorite equity providers (by stage) and who’s got money "now

Angels

*Most of these all collective groups of member investors. Email us if you’d like more information on getting in touch with select individual angel (here and outside of this list).

Read more

There’s

• Debt that can help you cover short-term working capital gaps.

• Debt that helps you finance big purchase orders.

• Debt that functions almost like equity or grants —but with less interference.

In short, someone lends money to your company and expects repayment with interest.

The most common types of Debt facilities

Trade Finance

A coffee supplier in Kenya loads a ship with coffee beans bound for the Netherlands. It will take 2 months to arrive. In the meantime, someone has to pay for this. The coffee buyer doesn’t have enough capital so they enlist the help of the bank.

The bank owns the coffee from the time it’s loaded in Mombasa to the time it is unloaded in Rotterdam. If the buyer can’t pay when it gets to Rotterdam the bank can auction it off since it is a commodity product.

• There are impact-focused trade finance funds in Africa now that specialize in agricultural exports and offer better terms than traditional banks

• More below 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Term Debt

I want to buy a factory and repay over 5 years. This is a long time to repay but I can use the factory itself as a sort of collateral.

If I fail to repay, the lender can take over the asset.

• This is the classic “business loan”—used to acquire long-term assets like machinery, land, or infrastructure that generate value over time.

• The lender gets repaid in equal installments (or via a custom repayment schedule) over the loan term with high interest

• Our favorite Term Debt providers below 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Senior Debt vs. Junior Debt (aka subordinated debt or debentures)

Senior is paid first… before junior debt. Imagine there is a bankruptcy or liquidation, the senior debt is at the top of the preference stack, whatever is left is paid to the junior debt and whatever is left after that is paid to the preferred stock… after that, to the common stock (held by the employees and the founders).

• Senior debt is lower risk but also carries a lower interest rate than Junior debt.

• Senior debt often has collateral while junior debt (or debentures) often do not.

Invoice Discounting/Invoice Factoring

I need to pay farmers for their milk today. I’ll deliver to the supermarket tomorrow (and send them an invoice) but they won’t pay that invoice for 90 days. Now I have to wait 90 days to get the money I need to buy more milk. Invoice Discounting means a lender gives me 90% of the value of the invoice today so I can buy more milk and they collect the 100% in 90 days from the supermarket.

Strictly speaking, this isn’t a form of debt. This is the sale of an asset where the asset is the unpaid invoice. No liability appears on the balance sheet of the company.

Great for B2B businesses with large, reputable customers but slow payment cycles.

• Our favorite Invoice Factoring Organizations below 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Working Capital Loan

Used to finance the day-to-day operations of your business—buying raw materials, inventory, covering payroll, smoothing over seasonal cash flow gaps.

• These are short-term, relatively flexible, and often tied to a specific operating cycle.

• The lender expects repayment often as revenue comes in from normal business activities.

• Warning: This isn’t long-term financing. Don’t use a working capital loan to build a new warehouse. That’s a mismatch—and it could sink your cash flow.

• Our favorite Working Capital Facility Providers below 👇 (for premium subscribers)

(Line of Credit would be an example of this…)

Line of Credit

Debt where the borrower can withdraw up to a certain amount, often for buying inventory, and then repay as inventory is sold.

This is a form of revolving debt: You get access to a maximum limit (say $100,000) and can draw down as needed. As you repay, the balance resets, just like a credit card.

• Ideal for inventory-based businesses or companies with uneven revenue cycles

• You pay interest only on what you use—not the full approved amount.

• Allows you to (less abruptly) build a history with your lender—even if you don’t use the full line at first.

• Responsible use leads to bigger limits and better rates.

Mezzanine Finance

A combination of equity and debt that carry an interest rate + a percentage of equity or a percentage of revenue.

• These are often unsecured by collateral. So interest rates can get high

• Mezzanine lenders can help when banks say no but VCs aren’t a good fit either.

• Fairly rare for all intents and purposes

• Our favorite Mezzanine Funds below 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Revenue-Based Financing (RBF)

Instead of fixed repayments, you repay a percentage of your monthly revenue until a pre-agreed multiple is paid (e.g., 1.5x or 2x the original loan).

• No equity dilution, no collateral, and fewer covenants—but it can get expensive over time depending on your growth rate.

Community or Peer Lending Platforms

This form of debt doesn’t come from a bank or institution—it comes from people, often strangers, who believe in your mission.

Facilitated by Platforms, “crowd sourcing”, allows you to raise small amounts of debt capital (typically $1,000–$50,000) with modest interest rates.

Good for when you have a strong community presence, mission-driven work (in underserved communities), and a compelling story.

• Our favorite Peer Lending Platforms below 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Recap

Lots of different types of debt funding out there. Grants are here (and all over this Substack). And types of equity is here.

Need help finding the right debt funders? 👇 (for premium subscribers)

And remember… even with all the different types of funding out there. Your customers and your good old fashioned sales will always be the best type.

Some of our favorite debt providers (by type) and who’s got money now

Read more

Lots of different funders out there swimming in lots of different pools.

Let’s start with Grant funding as that’s everyone’s favorite (or least favorite).

Remember, when you subscribe, you get new grant opportunities in Africa sent straight to your inbox every week. And have access to a database with opportunities actively accepting applications.

Subscribe now

Take a look at some of the recent opportunities we’ve published, here.

Is the juice worth the squeeze?

Grants aren’t a “crapshoot”. The wrong Grants for you are.

Just like advertising isn’t a “crapshoot”. The wrong advertising for your business is.

But Grants also aren’t free money.

Just like Sales at your company don’t come free either.

The truth is more subtle and we don’t think anyone has published work on this before.

There are many dimensions of whether a grant is worthwhile.

Does your company fit the RFP? Sector? Company Size? Registration Requirements?

See more on this here:

Does your company fit with the funder? Does your company fit with the funder’s funder? Does your project fit the (often unwritten) goals of the funder?

What are the chances of winning? Is the prize worth the effort? Are there legal fees? Once you win, will there be so much bureaucracy and reporting requirements that​, at the end of the day, you wish you had never applied and accepted in the first place?

Whether to apply for a grant seems like more art than science. We give you some tips here to help you make your decision on whether you should even look closer at an RFP. Before you even do any other assessment…

Any time you take on a new project or spend money in your business you think about it’s ROI. If you spend $1,000 on ads, how many visitors to your website are you going to get? How many sales are you going to get?

We do the same for grants.

And our partners at Sunlight.Reviews ask entrepreneurs to tell them about their experiences too.

A “yelp” for funders. Leave a review!

Let’s go through the types of Grant funding typically available.

Repayable Grant

A grant which must be repaid according to certain terms and under specific conditions such as:

• before the company is sold/IPO

• before a dividend is paid to shareholders

• or if the company becomes profitable

But no repayment is required at a certain date (and they won’t send out debt collectors).

The “repay only if successful” model reduces pressure compared to traditional debt— but don’t overlook the terms—some can be surprisingly aggressive in clawback scenarios. Watch for: repayment clauses tied to metrics like revenue (not profit) or repayment “triggers” that could get activated earlier than expected.

We often try to work with our entrepreneurs to structure these strategically so that the funder gets their desired ‘repayable’ term, but in such a way that repayment would generally not be necessary.

Some of our favorite Repayable Grant programs 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Results Based Funding (or Subsidy program)

You do the work first, and then you get paid. A set amount (e.g. $10 per product distributed, $100 per smallholder farmer reached) is reimbursed after verified delivery.

• A subsidy of $x is paid based on how many units of solar, for example, are installed, paid after the fact.

• Often requires third-party verification (like audits, surveys, or external validation partners), which can slow down disbursement.

• Cash flow warning: You will need to front the working capital for 6–12 months before you see any of the grant money.

Some of our favorite RBF programs 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Prize

An organization wants to get publicity for themselves and the idea is to generate as much excitement as possible with the idea that this kind of goodwill is cheaper than doing a lot of ads.

• Often very competitive and flashy; high effort; low odds

• Often funded by corporates or foundations

• Claim to be part of “building ecosystems” around a specific theme (e.g. climate, fintech inclusion, women-led businesses)

• Tend to favor well-networked companies, polished brands, or ventures with traction that makes for a good PR story

We typically don’t recommend applying to them, but we’ve got some relevant prizes below 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Challenge Fund

A thematic, donor-backed initiative meant to “unlock” a specific market or solution. These are usually open-call, RFP-style grants with clear criteria and stages.

A donor like EU, USAID or Gates sees an opportunity with small-scale solar or the like and puts together a targeted approach in (often) 1 country focused on a particular type of technology to try to spur scale-up.

• They can be generous ($100k–$500k+), but are usually milestone-based, released in tranches tied to performance or deliverables. So there is often overlap with RBF programs.

• Advantage: If your company squarely fits the theme and geography, your odds are much higher than a global prize.

• Watch out: Bureaucracy can be thick. Reporting requirements can become mini-theses. That’s why we handle grant management for our clients when we help them win opportunities (email daniel@thegrant.co to learn more).

Some of our favorite Challenge Fund programs 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Innovation Grants

Specifically designed to fund new ideas, prototypes, or R&D, rather than existing operations.

• Often funded by Ultra HNWI donors, multilaterals, governments, or UN agencies testing new models for service delivery.

• These grants can be more flexible—but also more speculative.

• Requires that entrepreneurs are honest about their “innovation.”

  • Adding AI to your landing page won’t cut it.

  • Think systems-level change or reaching underserved communities in new ways.

Some of our favorite Innovation Grants 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Technical Assistance (TA) Grants

Non-cash grants or small disbursements meant to pay for expert support, training, and/or software — legal, financial, tech, HR, etc.

• Often paired with investment (from DFIs or impact funds) to ensure the company builds capacity while scaling.

• Can cover things like: investor readiness, governance structure, gender audits, MIS upgrades.

Catalytic or Matching Grants

These require the recipient to “match” part of the funding—either in cash or in-kind resources. All other types of grants we’ve mentioned here can often have matching requirements.

• Example: “We’ll give you $100,000, but only if you’re raising at least $100,000 from other sources. to match.”

• Useful for: signaling traction, improving investor terms, and filling funding gaps in blended finance rounds.

Accelerator/Incubator Grants

Small, often equity-free grants ($10k–$50k) alongside “credits” (AWS, Google Ads, etc) tied to participation in (and successful completion of) a program.

• Will likely be bundled with mentorship, training, and visibility.

  • But will require you to commit your time; either virtually or in person

• Great for early-stage companies that need validation, mentorship, and networking

Some of our favorite Accelerator/Incubator programs that come with funding 👇 (for premium subscribers)

Emergency / Relief Grants

Offered during crises (COVID, conflict, climate shocks) to stabilize social enterprises or ensure continuity of services.

• Often flexible in use but time-sensitive and unpredictable in when they appear.

• Often used for working capital, staff salaries, or protecting core operations.

Research / Proof-of-Concept Grants

More focused on learning than scale.

• They’ll fund feasibility/market studies, pilot projects and otherwise.

Family Office

Though technically not a “grant program,” many family offices give out philanthropic capital with few strings attached—especially when the project resonates with a personal passion (health, education, climate) of a HNWI (high net worth individual).

• The legal requirements for setting up a VC fund are complex and expensive.

  • But if all of the LPs (limited partners) are related then the requirements are minimal. So wealthy families often pool their money to invest in real estate or startups together.

• Their giving (they usually have a side pool of funds for donations) is discretionary and relationship-driven, not application-driven.

  • Family offices often don’t have applications/RFPS or respond to cold emails.

• They work on a referral basis so you must know someone who knows someone.

  • If you don’t, perhaps you can go to a family office conference or introduce yourself through an LOI (letter of interest).

• A grant from a family office might look like a simple wire after a coffee meeting

  • As opposed to a year or more of back-and-forth

Recap

Lots of different types of grant funding out there. Debt and Equity types are coming next. Need help finding the right grants?

• We send grants under $50k out for free

• We send grants from $50,001 - $10m out to our premium subscribers and Grant & Co clients.

But remember… even with all the different types of funding out there. Your customers and your good old fashioned sales will always be the best type.

Our favorite grants (by type) and who’s got money now

Read more

Now…

A friend of yours just forwarded you a new RFP from World Food Programme; You just saw a new prize from Gubliken Foundation in your Fundraising Dispatch newsletter; A LinkedIn influencer you follow just shared a new grant opportunity from Norad.

From the headlines, all of these grants look like good fits for you and your work.

So you decide to dig in.

You click through to each link. The World Food Programme page has 6 different sub links on it containing information. A USAID RFP is/was 70 pages long. And hidden deep within each document are specific requirements on who, where, why, and how they’ll fund. Take it from us (we’ve felt the pain!)... there’s nothing worse than getting your CFO, Sustainability Officer, and Grant Writer all making moves on an application, spending 30 hours on a first draft; and then discovering that the grant is only for nonprofits… 🙁

So… what do you do? Where do you start? Before you EVER put pen to paper, you should confirm your eligibility.

But you don’t have time, right now, to read through 70 pages!

You can always ask Chat GPT to make a summary for you… but we’ve found AI might still miss key things that would make you and your team want to pull your hair out.

Here are the 10 steps that we at Fundraising Dispatch use each and every day to make sure a new RFP is worth our and our entrepreneurs’ attention, saving us 90%+ of our time.

1. Do a Quick Scan of the Grant’s Focus and Funding Amount

2. Check the Applicant “Type” Requirements

3. Check Application Deadlines and Cycles

4. Verify Industry or Sector Limitations

5. Confirm Geographic Eligibility

6. Assess Company Size and Revenue Requirements

7. Look for Targeted Demographic or Ownership Requirements

8. Examine Project-Specific Requirements

9. Deep Dive into the Financial and Organizational Requirements

10. Double Check the FAQs
    

Hint: “CTRL + F” is going to be your new best friend. :)

Ready for the full guide with timesaving tips and tricks to see if any of those grants make sense for you?

Subscribe now

Read more

Whether you're seeking equity investment, debt financing, or grant funding, navigating the fundraising landscape is a challenge in itself. We (and our clients) can tell you from experience:

But with the right approach, you can increase your chances of securing the capital you need to grow. Over the next few weeks, we’ll share some of the key insights we’ve gained after having raised $20M+ in fundraising.

Let’s start with the biggest question you likely haven't asked yourself yet.

Raising capital is (in of it’s itself) an investment—and not all investments are worth making. The default thinking is “might as well try to raise money—what’s the worst that could happen?” But raising money isn’t free.. It will cost you between $20,000-$200,000 to close a round of funding. Prepping your dataroom, optimizing your pitch deck, talking to 40+ investors, conferences, hotels, flights, lawyers, your time, blood, sweat & tears… it all adds up.

When CEOs raise money for the first time, usually, no one has told them the rules for fundraising. They start playing a game without even knowing what out-of-bounds was.

The sad thing is there (kinda) is a rule book… but no one has an incentive to tell you: entrepreneurs are busy doing their own thing, investors don’t want to rule out anyone in the off chance they are the next Facebook, consultants want to make money creating pitch decks.

We want entrepreneurs to have an easier time than we had so here are the rough rules for social enterprises in Africa (there are more, but this covers 80% of the situations).

Subscribe now

Equity

Minimum requirements are going to depend on the phase and focus:

• Pre-revenue up to $100k: You’ll need a strong Why You? and Why Now?

  • non-software businesses

    • up to $50k in funding for first-time entrepreneurs

    • up to $250k for repeat entrepreneurs

  • software business: double the figures above

• Up to $1m Revenue: 200% year-on-year revenue growth

• Up to $10m Revenue: 100% YoY growth

• $10m+ Revenue: 50% YoY growth

All businesses:

• Strong team

  • An example of a weak team is a crew of recent college grads who have never built a biz in Africa before.)

• Strong market

  • An example of a weak market would be selling low-value products like water–to low-income customers.)

For impact investment: Cut these growth targets in half. But keep in mind you’ll need a strong social angle (find a descriptive list under Grants below).

All the measures above assume you're operating within a legal system that works and is understandable to the investor. This removes most of Africa. The country can’t have currency controls and should have a tax-advantaged status from the investor’s perspective. With that in mind, the generally acceptable countries of registration for foreign investors are South Africa, Mauritius, US, Cayman Islands, UK, Singapore, or the investor’s home country (Dutch investors can invest in a country registered in the Netherlands, a Kenyan investor can invest in a company registered in Kenya).

This assumes you are selling equity to grow, not to get an exit for yourself.

And we’ll be honest with you: many times we find that companies wanting to raise equity actually have a problem with sales and cash conversion cycle (CCC). You’ve got to invest in fixing these problems first. Get more sales. Get your customers to pay you earlier and your suppliers to be paid later. This will reduce the need for investment, while simultaneously making your company more investable.

Debt

• Your business assets should be more than double the loan amount (not including intangible assets like software and goodwill).

• Loans should be used to buy a tangible asset that will generate enough net profits to pay the interest; and the tangible asset itself can be used as collateral, except in the case of working capital, where the rest of the assets in the business are the collateral.

• Impact investors have a lower reported interest rate but higher effective interest rate when taking into account delays and onerous impact reporting. They accept more kinds of assets as collateral (for example, not just vehicles and land but also equipment). And they typically accept a longer loan tenor (up to 5 years vs 1-2 years for local banks).

Just as before, the targets above assume a legal system the investor is comfortable with.

Grant

A company is eligible for grants (or impact equity/debt) if they're doing something that Western governments consider to be a public good. This includes:

• Low-income healthcare

• Small business loans/grants

• Humanitarian aid

• Renewable energy subsidies

• Stimulating new sectors that lead to other public goods

• Job creation programs

• Environmental conservation

• Transitioning lab research to the field

• Ambulance/fire response

• Potable water for low-income people

• Business owners identifying as members of historically marginalized groups

Basically, Western taxpayers have to be on board with the idea that they will pay for something in a developing country that their own government would also pay for at home. Other things to think about:

• The public good must be more cost-effective than the state-of-the-art—the current cost of supplying that same public good.

• The grant request can’t be more than the organization's current annual revenue or annual budget.

• Grantors typically won’t pay for things that have residual value or easy to steal: Cars, construction (very easy to steal bags of cement, timber, etc), computers, land, large processing equipment

Most Western governments don't pay for religious organizations so their taxpayers wouldn't understand why they should pay for it in another country.

Take our investment readiness quiz to help you find out:

Click Here

We all know there are exceptions to the rules. The mistake entrepreneurs make is wishful thinking that they are the exception.

Take a hard look at your business and see if you are highly investable. If not, save the $20,000-$200,000 it will cost you to raise money and spend that on something to help you bootstrap–like a sales or operations consultant or better sales team.

☝️☝️☝️ Did you like that rule book? ☝️☝️☝️

Want to keep it on you at all times?

Subscribe now

You may have seen us send it out via our newsletter a few weeks ago. Here’s the quick scoop:

Climate Impact Challenge Fund. Mastercard Foundation.
• Opening Soon
• Supporting SMEs to create jobs for young people.
• Sectors include: ecotourism, agroforestry, conservation, regenerative agriculture, blue economy, renewable energy, e-mobility, circular economy and others.
• Benin, Burundi, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
• Eligible to for-profit small or medium sized enterprises.
• $500k to $2.5m. Matching contribution of at least 30%.
• May 9, 2025.

👇👇👇 But here's what Mastercard won't tell you. 👇👇👇

As part of our partner organization, Grant & Co’s, innovative approach to grant writing (and fundraising in general), we’ve put together some of our *Insider Insights* for this new opportunity.

In the video below, we share priceless information about what applicants need to win:

📈 $ Revenue you need
🔢 # Of jobs created to be eligible
👷🏽‍♀️ % Of the jobs that HAVE TO be women

And you won't find this info anywhere on Mastercard's website.

We’re bringing it to you for FREE as a subscriber to Fundraising Dispatch and as part of our and our partner’s goal to making an entrepreneurs search for funding as easy as booking an Airbnb.

Part of better fundraising is taking time to dissect a new grant opportunity to really understand…

“Does it make sense for my business to apply? Do we have a shot at winning this?”

Keep an eye on your inbox for more grants, as well as (by popular demand from our subscribers) insights, tips, and strategies to help make your capital raising journey easier.

Interested in seeing what your chances of winning the Climate Impact Challenge Fund are?

Get in Touch

What’s your New Year’s Resolution? We’re less than 10 days into the year…. And how many times have you heard that already?

Blah - Blah - Blah. It’s an overused term, no? This resolution.

Doesn’t everyone want to commit to going to the gym more? Doesn’t everyone want to be more attentive to their partner? Call their mother more often? Attain a promotion at work? Be happier? Raise millions of dollars at their company?

As constantly showcased in business (yes, we’re going to use another overused term to make our point here) the key behind making and attaining any GOAL is to make it a “SMART” Goal.

S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Realistic
T - On a timeline

So… what do you think? Are you more likely to achieve your goal if it is:

“I want to work out more”

Or if its:

“I want to commit to going to the gym at least twice a week and lose 10 pounds in two months”

There’s nothing different about raising capital and creating fundraising goals.

What’s Grant & Co’s (Fundraising Dispatch’s partner org) long term goal?

To make an entrepreneur’s search for funding as easy as finding as an Airbnb by 2040

And what’s our New Year’s resolution for 2025?

To provide our network of entrepreneurs 3 pieces of content per month to support their fundraising journeys. How?

• Grants: The latest opportunities and RFPs open to social enterprises in Africa

• Secrets: Exposing the little known information and strategies (that we’ve accumulated after 5 years raising millions of $s)

• Sales: Insights (the actionable kind) dedicated to helping businesses grow… your best funder is a new customer (pretty obvious right?)

• Reviews: The New “Yelp” for Funders - See Sunlight

• Tech: Learning about using AI-powered fundraising and efficiency tools

• Data: Access to the largest and most extensive database of grant, equity, and debt funders on the African continent (coming soon!)

All direct to your inbox. At least 3 times a month. That’s our SMART Goal for 2025.

Is your New Year’s resolution to raise thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of $$$ by the end of the year? Tell us about it. Let’s see where we can help.

Let’s make it easier this year. All new premium content FREE until the end of February! Tell a friend.

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Keep an eye out in your inbox for the latest and greatest new funding opportunities coming next!

P.S. Why?