Deadline: 20-Jan-2025
Do you represent a CSO with an innovative project aimed at enhancing food security? If so, you are being invited to join the Tadamon Accelerator for Food Security and further develop your innovative solutions to create a more secure and resilient future with sustainable food access.
Food security is crucial to human well-being, directly impacting the health and stability of individuals and communities. However, many regions face growing food insecurity due to climate change, conflict, and crises. The Tadamon Accelerator for Food Security, funded by IsDB and ISFD and implemented by UNDP, invites Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)—with a focus on community-based organizations, tech-driven CSOs, and social enterprises—to address these challenges through innovative and impactful solutions that contribute to a more secure future.
Thematic Focus
- Your project proposals should align with one of the following two thematic tracks:
- Track 1: Climate smart agriculture
- Track 2: Tech for food, energy, and water access and utilization
- Your project should focus on innovative solutions, with an emphasis on tech-driven approaches where applicable, including:
- Track 1: Climate smart agriculture
- Combining traditional methods like planting trees, community gardens, and market gardening with technologies such as precision farming and smart irrigation to sustainably manage natural resources.
- Empowering youth and women through community initiatives and digital tools that foster their participation in the green economy and climate-smart agriculture.
- Supporting climate adaptation, including reforestation and desertification control, with technology (e.g., blockchain) to enhance transparency and efficiency for local communities and CSOs.
- Incorporating biodiversity conservation into community projects by balancing traditional land-use practices with relevant tech innovations.
- Improving food production and distribution for vulnerable populations, including refugees, through traditional campaigns and tech tools.
- Developing early warning systems and predictive analytics for faster, more effective disaster risk management and food security solutions.
- Track 2: Tech for food, energy, and water access and utilization
- Facilitating access to energy, water, and food in underserved communities by integrating technologies such as solar power, IoT-enabled water systems, and blockchain for transparent resource distribution.
- Implementing digital and tech solutions to optimize energy, water, and food systems from production to distribution.
- Promoting natural resource management and climate change mitigation by employing tech innovation.
- Track 1: Climate smart agriculture
What they offer?
- An 11-week intensive online training program
- 1 – 1 mentorship
- Tailored, engaging modules and sessions on Business Model Development, Impact, Project Development and Management, Finance and Fundraising, and a Thematic Focus on Food Security
- Access to world-class experts and a vibrant community of changemakers
- Funding – grants (up to $40,000), a total amount of 850,000 USD provided to the best-performing CSOs.
Tadamon Accelerator Modules
- Module 1: Business Model development
- This module equips participants with the tools to design sustainable business models, focusing on customer segments, problem, solution, value proposition, and revenue streams. Participants will learn how to apply social lean canvas and innovation strategies to build effective business models that align with their project goals.
- Module 2: Impact
- This module helps participants define their project’s impact by developing an impact hypothesis and theory of change. It includes setting clear, measurable impact targets and defining contribution to the SDGs. Participants will learn to track and measure their impact through KPIs.
- Module 3: Project development and management
- Participants will gain practical skills in project design, planning, and implementation, including budgeting, resource management, and project sustainability. The module will also cover monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks, ensuring that projects are scalable and have a long-term impact.
- Module 4: Finance and fundraising
- This module covers the essentials of financial management and fundraising strategies. Participants will learn how to create effective crowdfunding campaigns, build donor partnerships, and develop a compelling pitch deck. The module also explores communication strategies for attracting funding and managing finances efficiently.
- Thematic module: Food Security
- Throughout the program, participants will deepen their understanding of food security issues and explore innovative solutions related to climate-smart agriculture and technology-driven access to food, energy, and water. This module includes expert-led talks and mentorship sessions on how to apply these innovations to improve food security in vulnerable communities.
Accelerator Format
- The Accelerator will consist of two phases:
- Phase 1
- 100 CSOs will be selected to participate and will gain access to Module 1: Business Model Development.
- Phase 2
- 55 CSOs will be selected based on the Selection Committee’s assessment of their video pitches.
- These CSOs will gain access to four additional modules on: Impact, Project Development and Management, Finance and Fundraising, Thematic module on Food Security.
- At the end of Phase 2, 50 CSOs will be selected to receive grants of up to $40,000, based on the Jury’s evaluation of their final pitches.
- Phase 1
Eligibility Criteria
- Type: You are an NGO, association, social enterprise, INGO, foundation, cooperative, community-based organization, or civil society network.
- Registration: You are a registered CSO in one of the following 12 countries and planning to implement your project in these countries: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Libya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, the State of Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, or Yemen.
- Tadamon membership: You are a member of the Tadamon Community.
- Language: You must clearly demonstrate proficiency in both written and spoken English, as the program will be conducted in English.
- Relevance: Your proposal must align with one of the Accelerator’s thematic areas and contribute to the program’s goal of enhancing food security in 12 conflict-affected countries. The focus should be on improving food access and sustainability for vulnerable communities while promoting innovation.
Selection Criteria
- Project feasibility: Your innovative solution is feasible—it can be easily developed, tested, and implemented within 6 months of graduating from the Tadamon Accelerator.
- Innovation novelty: You leverage cutting-edge technologies, digital tools, or introduce new ideas, approaches, products, or services to a target group or market. Projects that effectively integrate technologies such as AI, blockchain, IoT, or data-driven solutions to enhance food security, resource management, or community resilience will be prioritized.
- Established partnerships: You show a willingness and readiness to engage with local or other partners during implementation. Collaboration with INGOs is strongly encouraged.
- Scalability: Your organization demonstrates a need for the proposed solution/innovation and potential to reach new target groups and markets.
- Potential for impact: Your innovative solution has a high potential for impact, which you can demonstrate through a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
- Management: You have a dedicated team consisting of at least 2 members with relevant backgrounds and expertise.
- Co-financing: You demonstrate a willingness and potential to provide a minimum of 1:2 of the project’s total budget, either as an in-kind contribution or as co-financing from external sources.
- In addition to the above selection criterias, the following criterias will also be taken in to account when selecting final participants:
- Gender: You promote gender representation, and to ensure gender balance, submitted solutions should be gender-responsive and/or contribute to gender equality. At least 35% of the selected organizations will need to be women-led CSOs.
- Conflict areas and vulnerable groups: You operate in conflict-prone areas and support vulnerable groups.
For more information, visit Tadamon.