Resilience Innovation through Scaling Entrepreneurship (RISE) Urban Challenge ($50k Grants)

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) is launching the Resilience Innovation through Scaling Entrepreneurship (RISE) Urban Challenge to convert innovative urban ideas that are meeting resilience needs in informality contexts and scale them to sustainable ideas. The RISE Urban Challenge provides customised support to maximise each initiative’s potential for impact and aligns potential funders to these initiatives and drive attention to the urgent need for urban systems transformation.

Eligiblity Criteria

RISE is open to urban entrepreneurs, innovators, organisations or consortiums of organisations across the private sector (start-ups, SMEs), and civil society and grassroots organisations based in low- and middle-income countries. We encourage and welcome proposals from youth-led and women-led organisations.

Prize for Winners

Selected projects will receive a tailored leadership and mentoring programme,  communications support, and be connected to investors. Subject matter experts will facilitate a leadership academy for the selected entrants. They will also be connected to potential investors and partners from GRP networks. Winners can be awarded prizes up to US$50,000, which will support their scaling and implementation over 12 months up to December 2026.

Apply Now: Latest opportunities for Startups in Africa

What are we looking for? 

We are looking for innovative solutions addressing urban resilience challenges in informality contexts  – a few examples include but aren’t limited to climate risk, resilience retrofit, water security, urban migration and displacement. For this round of the RISE Urban Challenge, we encourage and welcome  solutions that prioritise the resilience of women and youth. 

Application details

Complete guidelines are available here. Read these before applying.

Apply by 11 April on this online form.

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