Funding Opportunities - September 29, 2025

For Grant Seekers and Fundraising Dispatch Subscribers

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See below for the newest social impact funding opportunities in Africa and around the world.

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Uganda PachiPanda Challenge. MTN.
• Designed to provide young people and youth-led SMEs (with early or idea stage solutions) the opportunity to develop innovative, long-term solutions and ideas to pressing environmental challenges and promote sustainability.
• Participants should be between 16 and 35. Participate as an individual or form a team of a maximum of three members.
• Uganda.
• Up to $4,305 prize. (UGX 15m).
• September 30, 2025.

IEEE Entrepreneurship Impact Award. IEEE Entrepreneurship.
• Recognizes an individual who has had a significant impact on the engineering-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• All countries.
• $10k prize.
• September 30, 2025.

Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge. MTN.
• Designed to provide young people and youth-led SMEs (with early or idea stage solutions) the opportunity to develop innovative, long-term solutions and ideas to pressing environmental challenges and promote sustainability.
• Participants should be between 18 and 35. Participate as an individual or form a team of a maximum of three members.
• Nigeria.
• Up to ~2,017 prize. (₦ 3m).
• October 3, 2025.

Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton program. W Initiative.
• Empowering women entrepreneurs. A woman (between the ages 18 to 55) in Business with a minimum of 50% ownership.
• Applicant’s Business must have been operating for over 1yr.
• Access Bank account holders (Individual or Business accounts). Businesses registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
• Nigeria.
• Up to ~$3,350 prize. (N5 million naira).
• October 3, 2025.

InnovateNaija Challenge. Naseni Innovation Hub.
• Individuals engaged in science, technology, engineering and providing solutions to real world challenges.
• Prototype or Fully Developed products.
• Youths of ages 15-40.
• Open to individuals or teams. Must be emerging talents and grassroots inventors, not fully-funded startups.
• Nigeria.
• ~$66,165 prize. (₦100m).
• October 4, 2025.

Jasiri4Africa Growth Accelerator Cohort 5. Jasiri.
• Startups trying to solve difficult problems and providing goods or services that were previously not accessible or affordable to a large number of people in the market.
• Market-Creating Innovation Potential to address non-consumption.
• Consistent growth in revenue or user acquisition.
• Kenya and Rwanda.
• $75k total investment alongside mentorship and coaching.
• October 5, 2025.

Zambia PachiPanda Challenge. MTN.
• Designed to provide young people and youth-led SMEs (with early or idea stage solutions) the opportunity to develop innovative, long-term solutions and ideas to pressing environmental challenges and promote sustainability.
• Participants should be between 18 and 35. Participate as an individual or form a team of a maximum of three members.
• Zambia.
• Up to $5k prize.
• October 10, 2025.

GET Accelerated Program 2025 (Grooming Endowment Trust). GET Grant Programs.
• Startup with a scalable solution and a clear vision.
• A 3 day physical boot camp in Lagos state, followed by a twelve-week virtual accelerator, and concludes with a Demo Day & Mixer event, where startups will pitch.
• Must be at the pre-seed or seed stages.
• Nigeria.
• Up to ~$1,342 in grants. (2 million Naira).
• October 12, 2025.

South Africa PachiPanda Challenge. MTN.
• Inspire young people and youth-led SMEs (with early or idea stage solutions) to create technology-driven solutions that tackle urgent environmental issues, while supporting South Africa’s Just Transition goals.
• Participants should be between 18 and 35. Participate as an individual or form a team of a maximum of three members.
• South Africa.
• Up to ~$5,018. (R 87,000).
• October 17, 2025.

Global Biodiversity Information Facility 2025 Call for Proposals. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
• Address critical gaps in biodiversity data by mobilizing data, promoting its application in research and policymaking, and building sustainable networks and communities of practice committed to sharing open data on biodiversity.
• Two types of grants: 1) Institutional-level biodiversity data mobilization grants of up to €30k and 2) Multi-institutional biodiversity data mobilization grants of up to €60k.
• Not for profit, research institutions, universities, museums, non-governmental organizations or government agencies.
• Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Up to €60k funding.
• November 3, 2025.

Submissions open for Beyond Future Art Prize. Beyond Future Art Prize.
• Submissions that: 1) Reflect on AI’s role in our relationship with nature, 2) Question the ethics of automation, 3) Envision inclusive, sustainable futures and 4) Reimagine creativity in a digitized world.
• Aged 15 or above, working primarily in traditional media (painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, mixed media) who are beginning to integrate AI into their creative process.
• All countries.
• ~$1,280 prize. (HK$10,000).
• November 15, 2025.

Small Research Grants on Education Program. The Spencer Foundation.
• Supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education.
• Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Small Research Grant on Education must have an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or professional field.
• Non-profit or public colleges, universities, school districts, and research facilities.
• All countries.
• Up to $50k grants.
• December 15, 2025.

Funding opportunities above $100k

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