The Mastercard Foundation Agribusiness Challenge Fund
(Grants from USD 500,000 – 2,500,000)
Application Window Deadlines: 7 June 2024 | 30 August 2024 | 22 November 2024
OVERVIEW
The Agribusiness Challenge Fund is a rolling call for proposals open from 18 March 2024 to 22 November 2024, with three application harvest periods in between. The challenge will be open to SME applications from any country as long as the projects are being implemented in at least one of the 20 focus countries the Fund is targeting and meet the eligibility criteria.
Support from FRP will include grants ranging from US$ 500,000 to US$ 2,500,000, disbursed over a 3-year period, based on the applicant’s development stage, scalability, and business model, in accordance with agreed periodic milestone targets. Funding structure will be determined on a case-by-case basis after evaluating proposals and organizations. Additional support to successful applicants will include tailored technical assistance in alignment with FRP objectives over the 3 year period.
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CATEGORIES OF INTEREST IN THE AGRIBUSINESS CHALLENGE
- Primary production
- Processing and aggregation
- Trading and market linkages
CATEGORIES OF INTEREST WITHIN THE AGRICULTURE VALUE CHAIN
While broadly interested in any agribusiness opportunity that is capable of work creation opportunities for young women and men, those working in these or other parts of the agriculture value chain are encouraged to apply:
Applicants will be requested to also state and describe if they have integrated climate adaptation, climate mitigation or digital aspects to their projects.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
To be eligible to apply, an SME must:
- Be involved in the sector of focus i.e., agriculture.
- Be an existing for-profit Small or Medium-sized Enterprise.
- Be implementing business in at least one of the 20 focus countries in Africa.
- Be requesting for grant funding ranging from US$ 500,000 to US$ 2,500,000, disbursed over a 3-year period, based on applicants’ development stage, scalability, and business model. Additional tailored technical assistance will be provided to successful applicants.
- Be providing matching contribution of at least 30% of the total project cost.
- Have innovative, practical, and scalable businesses that aim to create work opportunities for young women and men, young people with disabilities or refugee youth.
- Adhere to fundamental human rights, labour standards, and environmental management laws, both nationally and internationally, including seed laws/policy.
- Refrain from any involvement in acts of terrorism or support for terrorist activities.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Applications in the Agribusiness Challenge Fund will be selected based on the following criteria:
IMPORTANT DATES
Below are important dates and deadlines for the Agribusiness Challenge Fund:
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ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES
- 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.
REFERENCES/SUPPORT DOWNLOADS
About the Mastercard Foundation:
The Mastercard Foundation seeks a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn and prosper. The Foundation’s work is guided by its mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion for people living in poverty. One of the largest foundations in the world, it works almost exclusively in Africa. It was created in 2006 by Mastercard International and operates independently under the governance of its own Board of Directors. The Foundation is based in Toronto, Canada.
For more information and to sign up for the Foundation’s newsletter, please visit www.mastercardfdn.org. Follow the Foundation at @MastercardFdn on Twitter.
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