GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation 2.0
Closed: the fund invited applications by 26 May 2023 for solutions that use digital technology, especially mobile, to improve resilience and adaptation to climate change.
This opportunity closed on 16 May 2023.
Overview
The fund will provide 15 to 18 month grants to for-profit small and growing enterprises [footnote 1], including start-ups, that leverage mobile and digital technology to pilot or scale solutions that help communities in LMICs to build resilience [footnote 2] towards the impact of climate change. The fund will also strive to support solutions that contribute to climate resilience through activities strengthening biodiversity.
The objective of the fund is to test innovative use-cases, partner-ships and business models in selected geographies (see section 5 of terms and condition) to improve the sustainability and scalability of digital enabled solutions that make a positive impact on low-income populations and those who are most vulnerable to current or future climate risks [footnote 3]. The fund also aims to generate and share insights and evidence from these innovations to benefit digital and mobile industry stakeholders.
The fund is interested in solutions that use digital technology, especially mobile, to improve resilience and adaptation to climate change, with a higher priority given to applications focusing on 1 or more of the following:
- digital solutions improving climate resilience and adaptation and focusing on vulnerable populations and ecosystems based in coastal areas, small islands, or urban settings
- digital solutions tackling challenges posed by increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as extreme drought, flooding, high winds, wildfire and higher risks of land slips and erosion etc. (with the exclusion of early warning systems)
- digital solutions focused on:
- nature-based solutions [footnote 4]
- regenerative agriculture [footnote 5]
- sustainable forests, coastal areas and wetlands that strengthen biodiversity
- sustainable consumption and production
- reduced food loss and waste
- sustainable fisheries that strengthen biodiversity
- air pollution management
- nature-based solutions [footnote 4]
While some resilience and adaptation solutions will have climate change mitigation [footnote 6] benefits, projects with a sole and specific focus on climate change mitigation (reducing and avoiding emissions) are not eligible for the fund.
What the fund will achieve
The fund will support the following:
- projects that demonstrate how innovative digital technology (especially mobile), can increase the capacity of low-income and vulnerable communities – in particular women – to adapt to, anticipate and/or absorb climate-related shocks or stresses
- projects that can clearly articulate and measure positive impacts on environment or biodiversity
- projects that demonstrate that their solution actively reaches female users
- projects that demonstrate what business or partnership models are required for innovative digital solutions to be adopted sustainably and at scale
- projects that demonstrate what additional socio-economic, commercial, environmental and climate impact can be achieved by using digital solutions to build climate resilience and adaptation
- projects that demonstrate the value proposition of these business models for mobile operators and other technology companies and how a partnership with these companies in the short or long run could help scale these business models
To be eligible to apply, organisations must meet all of the following criteria:
- leverage digital technology, especially mobile, to deliver solutions described in sections 1 and 2 of the terms and conditions
- be a small and growing enterprise [footnote 7] or start-up to deliver climate resilience and adaptation solutions to low-income and vulnerable populations in countries that are eligible to receive official development assistance (see section 5 of terms and conditions)
- have active users and commercial revenue (users and revenue from any products or services offered by the organisation) in at least 1 eligible country (see section 5 of terms and conditions)
- be an existing entity registered and operating in the country of project implementation at the time of application (whether domestic or foreign-owned or a joint venture). In cases where responsibility for service delivery lies with a down-stream partner, rather than the applicant, for example service delivery by a local government, it may be acceptable for the applicant to be registered in a country other than that of project implementation (see geographic specific restrictions in section 5 of terms and conditions)
- be fully compliant with relevant business licensing, taxation, employee and other regulations in all applicable countries of grant project operation
- be registered and have a bank account in the country where they will receive the grant money (if not the same as the project implementation country). This account must be capable of receiving GBP payments as all disbursements will be in GBP
- be an eligible entity (as described in this section) and demonstrate that a majority of their income is derived from commercial activities. Early-stage companies that have not reached this threshold will need to demonstrate a reliable path to sustainability via commercial activities that generate revenue to be considered
- commit to providing 25% or 50% matching funding depending on the total grant amount requested (see section 9 of terms and conditions)
- only one organisation can apply for funding and become a grantee
The following organisations are not eligible to apply to the Fund. However, eligible applicants are encouraged to have partnerships with such organisations when it strengthens the value proposition of their application:
- governments, government-owned agencies (or appointed government agencies)
- non-profit organisations
- UN Agencies
- mobile network operators
- university or academic organisation
- start-up accelerators and incubators
For more information on eligibility, see the terms and conditions (PDF, 758 KB) and frequently asked questions.
How to apply
To apply for the fund, complete and submit the online application form by 16 May 2023 at 11:59pm UTC+1 (UK time).
If you know a suitable start-up, small and medium enterprises or social enterprise that should apply for the Innovation Fund? Tell us about them by filling in our short nomination form.
Background information on the fund
The Fund is open to applicants whose projects are implemented in countries that are eligible to receive Official Development Assistance (see OECD Development Assistance Committee (PDF, 661 KB)) in the following regions:
- Africa
- South and South East Asia
- Pacific Islands
- The Caribbean
- Bolivia, Colombia and Guatemala
- Albania and Moldova
However, some exceptions apply.
Projects in the following countries are not eligible for funding:
- Afghanistan
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Cuba
- Equatorial Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Iran
- Iraq
- Libya
- Myanmar
- Nicaragua
- North Korea
- Syria
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- Venezuela
- Yemen
Additional due diligence checks and eligibility screenings may be required in certain markets including:
- Algeria
- Angola
- Bangladesh
- Belize
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Egypt, Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Haiti
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mozambique
- Nigeria
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Republic of Congo
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia (Somaliland)
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Uganda
- Zimbabwe
For these markets, applicants must be registered and operating in the country of project implementation. Please note, as a U.S 501(c)(3) organisation, the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation Inc. is obliged to comply with the sanctions, laws and regulations of the United States and other sanctions regimes as may be applicable. These sanctions and laws and other legal or regulatory regimes may restrict the GSMA from distributing grant funding to certain entities or regions.
All applications to the Fund must be submitted in English.
This Fund is funded by UK aid from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and is supported by the GSMA and its members.
Contacts
The Fund is managed and run by the GSMA. An independent Fund Manager, Palladium International Ltd, plays a managerial, compliance and advisory role, executing decisions on behalf of the Fund.
For any further questions related to the Fund, see the gsma website or write to us at GSMAIF@gsma.com
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Small and growing enterprises refers to commercially viable start-ups, small to medium enterprises and social enterprises with up to 250 employees that have significant potential, and ambition, for growth. To be eligible, applicants will need to demonstrate that a majority of their income is derived from commercial activities. Early-stage companies who have not reached this threshold will need to demonstrate a reliable path to sustainability via commercial activities that generate revenue to be considered. ↩
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Climate resilience solutions are defined as those that help build individual, community or institutional capacities to anticipate, adapt to and/or absorb climate shocks and stresses. Refer to the 3As: Tracking resilience across BRACED: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281411203_The_3As_Tracking_Resilience_Across_BRACED ↩
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As per the IPCC (2014), the populations who are most vulnerable to climate change are those who are socially, economically, culturally, politically, institutionally or otherwise marginalised and are therefore most likely to be susceptible to harm and to lack the capacity to cope and adapt. ↩
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Nature Based Solutions for Climate Change, WWF, July 2020 ↩
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Regenerative agriculture includes agricultural practices which help to rebuild and restore ecosystem conditions such as soil and water quality ↩
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Reducing GHG emissions and transitioning to a low-carbon economy to slow down the rate of climate change is referred to as mitigation. Examples include generating electricity from renewable sources, shifting away from internal combustion engine vehicles and reducing agricultural emissions ↩
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Small and growing enterprises refers to commercially viable start-ups, small to medium enterprises and social enterprises with up to 250 employees that have significant potential, and ambition, for growth. To be eligible, applicants will need to demonstrate that a majority of their income is derived from commercial activities. Early-stage companies who have not reached this threshold will need to demonstrate a reliable path to sustainability via commercial activities that generate revenue to be considered. ↩
Updates to this page
Last updated 16 March 2023 + show all updates
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Countries eligible to apply have been changed.
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First published.