Through the GSMA Foundation, the GMSA develop partnerships to deliver innovations in mobile technology that impact the lives of the underserved. GSMA Innovation Fund for Humanitarian Challenge, in conjunction with the GSMA Foundation, is providing funding between R2.5million and R6 million to qualifying organisations.
Objectives of the GMSA grant fund
The funding is targeted to startups, SMEs and social entrepreneurs that develop solutions to address humanitarian challenges using GSM and digital technologies. Examples include, amongst others, solutions that minimise the impact of drought, food insecurity, forced migration, etc. and solutions that increase access to digital solutions for people impacted by humanitarian challenges. The objective of the fund is to test new innovative use cases, new ecosystems and new business models as well as to pilot and scale digital mobile solutions.
Matched grant fund
GSMA Innovation Fund for Humanitarian Challenge is a matched grant. For total funding requirement of up to R2.5 million, startups must provide proof that they have up to 25% from other sources. For over R2.5 million funding, startups will need to provide proof they have up to 50% of funding from other sources. To put differently, to get the R2.5 million in funding, you need to have raised about R625 000 from other sources. It is envisaged that projects will run for 15 to 18 months and during that time, entrepreneurs will be provided with non-financial technical support too.
Eligibility
To apply for the GSMA Innovation Fund, the following criteria will apply:
- Entrepreneurs can come from Any African country except Chad and Central African Republic
- Projects must be implemented where the company is registered.
- The solution must use digital mobile technology and the company must be post-revenue in products or other services provided by the company.
- Women-led and organisations with strong local partnerships to support projects will be an advantage.
- The company must employ a maximum of 250 people.
Apply for funding, here before the closing date on Monday, 12 February 2024.
Selected African startups in the GMSA grant fund portfolio
To give an idea of the kind of startups that are good fit, GMSA lists the following African startups in their large portfolio:
- Koltiva, an Agritech in Indonesia
- Lumkani, a SecurityTech in South Africa
- Agrocenta, an AgriTech in Ghana
- Giftedmom, a healthTech in Cameroon
- Prepclass, an Edutech in Nigeria
Further information
One of our objectives is to empower small businesses and startups by curating funding opportunities that we come across. Refer to this page for other opportunities.
While formal company registration is not always a prerequisite for accessing funding, it is crucial for formalised entities to maintain compliance. Lack of proper governance will completely hinder any prospects of funding. For guides and articles on governance, please refer to this section of our site.
