Deadline: 16 April 2017
Applications are currently open for Mobile for Development (M4D) Utilities Innovation Fund, supported by the UK Government that aims to test and scale the use of mobile to improve or increase access to energy, water and sanitation services.
To date, M4D Utilities estimates the trials have impacted over 2.3 million direct beneficiaries in underserved populations around the world. The grants awarded since 2013 have led to an additional USD 174 million raised by grantees from the private sector, showcasing the proof of concept for mobile-enabled utility services.
Objectives
The objective of the Innovation Fund is to extract insights from the trial and scaling of these innovative models to inform three key questions for growing the sector:
- How can mobile support utility services?
- For a mobile-enabled solution to be adopted at scale, what building blocks are needed?
- What are the social and commercial impacts of delivering community services to underserved mobile subscribers?
Types of Grants
- Seed Grant to support innovative business models that trial the use of mobile as a significant element of an energy, water or sanitation service to underserved communities.
Up to GBP 150,000 in funding, with a minimum match equal to one-third of the grant amount - Market Validation Grant to increase or improve access to utility services in underserved communities at scale through partnerships with mobile network operators OR urban or peri-urban utility service providers
Up to GBP 300,000 in funding, with a minimum match equal to the grant amount
Eligibility Criteria
The Innovation Fund is open to:
- Mobile operators
- Technology solutions providers
- Energy, water, or sanitation services providers, including:
- Decentralised service providers
- Urban and peri-urban utilities, and
- NGOs trialling business model approaches
How to Apply
Interested applicants must apply online via given website.
Eligible Countries
- Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Cote d’Ivorie, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
- Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen.
For more information, please visit M4D Utilities Innovation Fund.