Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator by United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP) & Government of Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg (Funding & Mentorship Opportunity)
DR. RABIU RABIU 
The Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator, a collaboration between the UN WFP Innovation Accelerator and Government of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, is seeking innovative solutions to tackle urgent emergency and humanitarian challenges faced by vulnerable populations and humanitarian actors.
HIA aims to support technology-powered solutions addressing pressing challenges faced by vulnerable populations and humanitarian actors. The platform supports selected ventures and solution providers with financial, technical, and methodological support from the WFP Innovation Accelerator and its partner ecosystem.
If you’re working on a project or solution designed to address these critical issues, this is your opportunity to become part of a transformative program that provides support and resources to turn groundbreaking ideas into impactful realities.
Key Focus Areas of the Program:
The program prioritizes solutions in four major areas:
- Bridging gaps in available information to improve decision-making and response planning.
- Promoting financial inclusion and ensuring access to essential financial services.
- Strengthening critical infrastructure to enhance the resilience and functionality of affected communities.
- Advancing humanitarian response through the use of cutting-edge data and technology.
What the Program Offers:
Participants will have the chance to access:
- Funding: Apply for equity-free funding of up to USD $150,000 to implement your proposed scaling plan over a 12-month sprint.
- Mentorship & Global Access: Participants who receive funding will receive up to 12 months of acceleration support from the WFP Innovation Accelerator and relevant partners through the duration of the sprint.
- Hands-On Support: Access to a co-creation learning experience designed to refine your solution and activate your path to scale.
- Visibility: A chance to showcase your solution on a global stage to pitch and network with technical experts, industry leaders and investors at the Luxembourg Humanitarian Days.
Geographies of Interest
We strongly encourage applications from organizations implementing solutions in the following regions:
Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Libya,, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar Niger, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen
* Applications outside these regions will still be considered if they demonstrate alignment with the call for applications and eligibility criteria.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Your organization must be an established legal entity (for-profit, non for profit, social business, NGO, INGO) for at least 2 years.
- Your organization should already have a presence in the country of implementation, has built partnerships or has evidence of interest from potential partners and stakeholders, specifically with relevant humanitarian actors.
- Your innovation should have a clear pathway to scale and a potential plan to implement during the 12-month Sprint with the available funding.
- Solutions must be beyond the prototype/pilot phase, with demonstrated evidence of user adoption, operational feasibility, and readiness to scale impact.
- Applicants are expected to build connections with the innovation ecosystem of Luxembourg
* Key Considerations:
- We prioritize organizations that focus on empowering women, either through their beneficiaries, job creation, or by having a high representation of women in leadership positions.
- The organization pays attention to environmental protection, as well as social inclusion and cohesion.
Learn about the evaluation criteria and more details here.
Evaluation Criteria:
In accordance with the above, applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Impact & Scalability: Applicants should have a defined vision, an identified target group, and be able to demonstrate the potential to solve the posed challenge(s).
- Team: Applicants should be able to demonstrate they have a diverse, non-discriminatory, gender-balanced organization with demonstrated leadership and entrepreneurial mindset.
- Novelty: Applicants should be able to show how their solution is innovative and competitive while being technically suitable, and viable.
- Traction: Applicants should be able to present evidence of feasibility and adoption by the target group and strong engagement with relevant stakeholders.
- Business Model: Applicants should demonstrate the viability of their business model, how they intend to achieve a sustainable business, pricing, and financial model.
How to Apply:
- To submit your application, please fill in the Application Form before April 20, 11:59 pm (CEST)
- Or, if you know a relevant venture or solution for us to consider for this programme, please let us know by filling out this Referral Submission Form.
- We will review and select successful applications to invite to HIA. While we value all applications, we are only able to contact shortlisted applicants.
- For more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions.
Deadline to Apply:
The deadline for submitting applications is April 20, 2025 11:59 pm (CEST)
Why Join the Program?
Humanitarian crises continue to challenge vulnerable populations and global support systems. Contributing with an innovative idea allows you to make a tangible difference in how the world responds to these challenges. The program offers not only funding but also a supportive platform to help your initiative thrive and achieve maximum impact.
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