Agribusiness Challenge Fund from Mastercard Foundation Fund for Sub-Sahara Africa

About The Mastercard Foundation:

The Mastercard Foundation is a leading global foundation focused on advancing education and financial inclusion for young people in Africa and Indigenous youth in Canada. Established in 2006, the Foundation works with visionary organizations to create a future where all individuals have access to dignified and fulfilling work opportunities.

The Mastercard Foundation Fund for Resilience and Prosperity has announced the launch of the Agribusiness Challenge Fund, inviting proposals from SMEs in the agricultural sector across Sub-Saharan Africa. The fund aims to create dignified and sustainable work opportunities for young people, with a special focus on young women.

For more information about the Mastercard Foundation Fund for Resilience and Prosperity’s Agribusiness Challenge Fund, contact Francis Muriuki at francismuriuki@valorem.co.ke, copying info@frp.org.

Thematic Sectors

The Fund has a focus on SMEs that are implementing their solutions in three key sectors;

• agriculture,
• climate adaptation
• and digital economy.

Each of these will have calls for proposals that SMEs can apply to for a chance to be selected as Fund participants.

 

Benefits:

• The Fund will provide grants ranging from US$ 500,000 to US$ 2,500,000 to selected SMEs over a 3-year period.
• SMEs will receive tailored technical assistance to help scale their businesses and generate employment for the youth.

Eligibility:

• The Fund is targeting SMEs in 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa:Kenya, Benin, Burundi, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
• with a particular emphasis on creating opportunities for young women, young persons with disabilities, and refugee youth.

Deadline:

• The call for proposals will close on November 22, 2024: apply through the Fund website.
• The Challenge will be open to SME applications as long as they meet the eligibility criteria and their projects are being implemented in at least one of the 20 focus countries the Fund is targeting. Unsuccessful applicants will have the opportunity to refine and resubmit their applications for subsequent collections.