Open Funding Calls

Active and accepting applications. Last updated: March 18, 2026.

3 Urgent

Closing Soon — Act Now

TWAS Seed Grant 2026

Grant

TWAS / UNESCO

Amount: Up to $15,000

Deadline: March 31, 2026

Sector: Science, Engineering, Tech Research

Eligibility: Early-career researchers at African institutions

Apply Now →

AFRISE Challenge 2026

Grant

Hindsight Ventures

Amount: $25K + $600K tech credits

Deadline: March 27, 2026

Sector: AgriTech, HealthTech, Fintech

Eligibility: Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire

Apply Now →

IBM Impact Accelerator 2026

Credits

IBM

Amount: Tech resources + support

Deadline: March 25, 2026

Sector: AI, sustainability

Eligibility: Orgs developing AI solutions

Closing This Month

Africa's Business Heroes 2026

Grant

Jack Ma Foundation

Amount: $1.5M prize pool (Winner: $300K)

Deadline: April 28, 2026

Sector: General

Eligibility: All African countries

Apply →

Katapult Africa Accelerator 2026

Equity

Katapult / Tony Blair Institute / Norrsken

Amount: $150K-$500K

Deadline: April 25, 2026

Sector: AgriTech, ClimateTech

Eligibility: African-based startups

Apply →

GSMA Innovation Fund 2026

Grant

GSMA

Amount: £100K-£200K grants

Deadline: April 6, 2026

Sector: Clean energy, climate, digital inclusion

Eligibility: For-profit, ≤250 employees

Apply →

Rolling & Open Applications

Program	Funder	Amount	Model	Deadline	Sector	Apply
LEAP-RE EU-AU Joint Research	EU-AU Partnership	Up to €1.5M per consortium	Grant	Open	Renewable Energy, Green Hydrogen	Apply
SIPRA Challenge Fund	MetaMeta	$100K-$500K	Grant	Rolling	AgriTech, climate-resilient food	—
Scalar Botswana (SBIP)	BIF + Scalar International	Access to $150M fund	Equity	Open	Climate tech, digital technology	—
Catalyst Fund	BFA Global / JPMorgan / Gates	$100K-$500K grants	Grant	Open	Financial inclusion fintech	Apply
AECF Challenge Funds	AECF	$100K-$1.5M grants	Grant	Rolling	AgriTech, renewable energy	Apply
Microsoft for Startups	Microsoft	Up to $150K Azure credits	Credits	Rolling	Cloud, AI, Enterprise	Apply
AWS Activate	Amazon (AWS)	Up to $100K AWS credits	Credits	Rolling	Generalist	Apply
ShEquity TA Facility	ShEquity	Pre-seed + catalytic support	Grant	Rolling	Gender-lens, climate, SME	Apply
Mastercard Foundation	Mastercard Foundation	Varies	Grant	Open	Youth, EdTech, fintech	Apply
GIZ Make-IT Africa	German Government	Grants	Grant	Rolling	Social enterprise	Apply

Need help with your application?

CFO Innovation Partners can review your application, coach your pitch, and maximize your acceptance rate.

Get Application Support