World Food Programme Innovation Challenge for the fight against hunger ($100,000 equity-free funding)

Over 828 million people, or more than one-tenth of the global population, go to bed hungry every night. The number of people experiencing acute food insecurity has risen to a record 345 million, up from 135 million in 2019. Meanwhile, the expense of providing food aid has reached historic levels due to rising food and gasoline prices. The combination of rising food and transportation costs, exacerbated by the economic repercussions of the epidemic, climate change, and the Ukrainian conflict, has rendered food inaccessible to millions of people, putting substantial strain on WFP’s operations.

The World Food Programme Innovation Challenge for the fight against hunger intends to uncover and promote disruptive social innovations that solve important obstacles in the battle against hunger in this edition. We are especially interested in humanitarian assistance and supply chain resilience solutions because we want to ensure that every donor dollar goes further in tackling hunger while reducing the need for ration reduction.

Requirements for Eligibility for the World Food Programme Innovation Challenge for the fight against hunger. If you are a new business…
At the time of application, your startup must be incorporated. It might be for or against profit.
Your idea must be at the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage at the very least. It is preferable to have proof-of-concept and early traction.
Your solution must be financially feasible.
Your proposal must demonstrate how collaborating with WFP will benefit your long-term strategy.
Benefits

Funding -Apply for up to $100,000 in equity-free funding, with additional funding contingent on development and quantifiable attainment of key milestones.

WFP Operations Access -Successful teams will collaborate with the World Food Programme’s worldwide network of partners and field operations in over 120 countries and territories. Teams may also be eligible for further funding and support if they are scaling innovations that have proven their principles and value for social impact.

Personal Assistance -You will get the opportunity to work with technical and industry mentors who will guide you and accelerate your advancement. Selected social innovations will take part in a three to five-day World Food Programme Innovation Challenge for the fight against hunger Bootcamp and Pitch Event.

Networking – To accelerate implementation, teams will be able to tap into and leverage our extensive network of public, corporate, and government partners.

Timeline

Application Deadline	19 July 2023
Innovation Bootcamp	November 2023
Pitch Event	TBD

The Application Procedure

To submit your application, please complete the Application Form by July 19th.
Alternatively, if you are aware of a relevant social innovation that you would recommend for this innovation challenge, please let us know by filling out our Referral Submission Form.
In the next six months, we will assess applications and match them with one of our WFP Innovation Bootcamps. The next World Food Programme Innovation Challenge for the fight against hunger Bootcamp will take place in November 2023. While we appreciate all applications, we can only contact those who have been shortlisted.
For more information, please visit:

Visit the World Food Programme Innovation Challenge for the fight against hunger 2023 Official Website.