GSMA mWomen launches a 4th round of Innovation Fund Grants

Posted by Opportunity Desk On September 19, 2013 0 Comment

Deadline: November 1, 2013

The GSMA mWomen team is pleased to launch of the fourth round of Innovation Fund grants. These are intended to provide seed funding for the design and launch of economically sustainable products/services, distribution models or marketing campaigns (“offerings”) which increase women’s access to and use of mobile phones and value-added services.

In this round, there will be two concurrent streams of grants:

1. Mobile Network Operators (“MNOs”)

Two to three grants will be awarded in this round
Eligible geographies are: Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Middle East, South and Southeast Asia
Projects should be ~ six months long, with a launch of the offering by the end of the grant-funded period
Each grant is $70,000 with a requirement to be matched by the operator, in cash or in kind
Partnerships with organisations in the development community such as NGOs are encouraged, where relevant, but are not mandatory

2. Non-Governmental Organisations (“NGOs”)

Three to four grants will be awarded in this round
Eligible geographies are: Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Middle East, South and Southeast Asia
Projects should be ~ six months long, with a launch of the offering by the end of the grant-funded period
Each grant is $140,000 with no matching requirement
NGO applicants must work in partnership with a mobile operator. The concept note should outline who the MNO partner is, the role it would play and its economic incentive for doing so. By application stage, the operator partnership must be formalised and we will require written evidence of the commitment of the proposed MNO partner to the project.

They will be hosting two webinars on Friday, 27th September for those who’d like to learn more about the Innovation Fund and the types of projects we are looking for.

Please register using the links below: