April is a month full of high-impact opportunities for African changemakers, entrepreneurs, and innovators. This curated list highlights funding, fellowships, scholarships, and programmes designed to empower individuals and organisations across the continent. Each opportunity below includes details on eligibility, benefits, and application deadlines so you can plan and apply with confidence.
FINCA Ventures Prize Competition 2026 [Deadline: April 10]
The FINCA Ventures Prize Competition is designed to support early-stage African startups in fintech, agriculture, and inclusive financial services. The prize aims to accelerate business growth, enhance financial inclusion, and foster innovative solutions with measurable social impact.
Who Can Apply:
- Startups registered and operating in Africa
- Founders of businesses with a minimum viable product (MVP)
- Teams solving real-world challenges in financial services or agriculture
Benefits:
- Up to $100,000 in grant funding
- Mentorship and guidance from seasoned investors and sector experts
- Visibility and networking opportunities with regional and international partners
Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award 2026 [Deadline: April 13]
The Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award is a global accelerator programme supporting women founders building scalable solutions in health and food security. Designed for ventures beyond the idea stage, the programme focuses on strengthening business fundamentals and preparing founders for investment readiness through a structured six-month journey.
Selected participants receive tailored advisory support, global exposure, and access to international networks to help position their ventures for long-term growth and sustainability.
Who Can Apply:
- Women founders, co-founders, or senior leaders with decision-making authority
- Founders leading revenue-generating ventures beyond the idea stage
- Businesses operating in health or food security sectors
- Ventures with demonstrated traction (annual revenue up to USD 1,000,000)
- Social enterprises, hybrid organisations, or nonprofits transitioning to for-profit models
- Organisations incorporated on or before January 1, 2025
Benefits:
- €25,000 in non-dilutive funding
- Six-month tailored accelerator programme
- One-on-one mentorship and expert advisory
- Sponsored trip to Amsterdam for the award ceremony and networking
- Global visibility through media and storytelling platforms
- Access to Bayer Foundation alumni and Impact Hub global network
Africa International Finance Initiative IFI Grant 2026 [Deadline: April 13]
The Africa International Finance Initiative (Africa IFI) Grant supports community-based organisations improving education outcomes for children and youth up to 25 years. Each selected organisation can receive up to £1,500 to implement practical, locally relevant educational projects.
Who Can Apply:
- NGOs, grassroots initiatives, and educational nonprofits operating in any African country
- Organisations operational for at least 12 months
- Projects targeting children and young adults, including tutoring, mentorship, digital learning, or skills development
Benefits:
- Up to £1,500 per project
- Recognition for community impact
- Experience in project management, reporting, and scaling initiatives
Learn Africa Scholarship Programme 2026 [Deadline: April 19]
The Learn Africa Programme provides scholarships to African women to pursue higher education and research opportunities in key sectors such as health, technology, and leadership. Both online and in-person learning programmes are supported.
Who Can Apply:
- Women citizens of African countries
- Candidates interested in higher education or research programmes
- Students committed to applying their knowledge to community development
Benefits:
- Financial support to cover tuition and related costs
- Access to mentorship and academic resources
- Opportunities to develop leadership and technical skills
Changemaker Fellowship 2026 [Deadline: April 22]
The Changemaker Fellowship 2026, delivered in partnership with Microsoft Elevate, is a 10-week programme helping nonprofits, charities, and intergovernmental organisations integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their operations, strategy, and service delivery.
Who Can Apply:
- Professionals in nonprofits, charities, or intergovernmental organisations
- Teams seeking to adopt AI for workflow automation, decision-making, or impact measurement
Benefits:
- Hands-on AI training and coaching
- Support in automating workflows and scaling organisational impact
- Tailored technical assistance and strategic guidance
Gender & AI Innovation Collective (GAIC) Cohort 2 [Deadline: April 25]
The Gender & AI Innovation Collective supports women-led organisations across sub-Saharan Africa in building technology solutions—especially AI-based—that address gender inequality and social challenges. Participants receive mentorship, seed funding, and technical support to develop, test, and scale solutions.
Who Can Apply:
- Women-led civil society organisations or activist groups
- Teams addressing gender-based violence, economic inequality, healthcare access, or education
- Organisations committed to community engagement and participatory design
Benefits:
- Seed funding of CAD 3,000–15,000 for prototype development or pilot testing
- Mentorship from AI experts and gender specialists
- 8-week online learning modules on Feminist AI, data, and impact assessment
Pan‑African Incubation Programme for AgriTech Startups (UNDP timbuktoo) [Deadline: April 27]
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pan‑African Incubation Programme for AgriTech Startups invites early‑stage agricultural technology ventures to join the timbuktoo AgriTech Hub in Ghana. Hosted within UNDP’s pan‑African innovation platform, this programme supports founders tackling agricultural productivity, food systems, and climate‑resilient solutions through structured incubation and ecosystem support.
Who Can Apply:
- AgriTech startups based in Africa or focused on African markets
- Teams with a working prototype or MVP and scalable solution
Benefits:
- Structured incubation and mentorship via accredited partners
- Access to a pan‑African network of founders, incubators, and investors
- Investment readiness support, pitch development, and demo‑day exposure
Open Society Justice Initiative Democracy Anchor Grants 2026 [Deadline: April 27]
The Open Society Justice Initiative Democracy Anchor Grants support organisations using strategic litigation to defend democratic space, uphold the rule of law, and drive systemic change.
In a context where democratic institutions face increasing pressure, this initiative funds organisations working at the intersection of law, rights, and governance to address critical threats such as electoral interference, executive overreach, and attacks on judicial independence.
Who Can Apply:
- Nonprofit or charitable organisations (or equivalent)
- Organisations with a proven track record in strategic litigation
- Teams that have actively litigated cases within the past four years
- Organisations with at least two legal staff and strong institutional capacity
- Entities with annual budgets below $5 million
Focus Areas:
- Electoral integrity and democratic participation
- Protection of judicial actors and legal institutions
- Addressing executive overreach and suppression of civic space
Benefits:
- Grants of up to $500,000 over a period of up to three years
- Support for litigation, advocacy, and systemic legal reform
- Opportunities to strengthen legal ecosystems and collaboration
- Engagement in global networks advancing democracy and human rights
Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition 2026 [Deadline: April 28]
The Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition is one of the continent’s most prestigious entrepreneurship initiatives, designed to identify, support, and amplify outstanding African entrepreneurs building impactful and scalable businesses.
An initiative of the Jack Ma Foundation, ABH goes beyond funding to provide long-term visibility, mentorship, and access to a powerful pan-African business network. Each year, ten finalists are selected to pitch at the Grand Finale for a share of a $1.5 million prize pool.
Who Can Apply:
- Entrepreneurs from any African country, sector, or age group
- Businesses that are formally registered and headquartered in Africa
- Ventures with at least three years of operational track record
- Founders able to apply in English or French
Benefits:
- Grants ranging from $100,000 to $300,000, with $300,000 awarded to the overall winner
- Extensive media exposure and storytelling opportunities
- Access to a lifelong community of entrepreneurs, investors, and mentors
- Tailored training in financial management, marketing, and investment readiness
- One-on-one mentorship from global business leaders
- Participation in global immersion and networking programmes
O’Shaughnessy Fellowships & Grants 2026 [Deadline: April 30]
O’Shaughnessy Fellowships & Grants support individuals worldwide with visionary, high-impact ideas in science, technology, and the arts. The programme funds people rather than institutions, allowing creators to pursue bold work with full ownership.
Who Can Apply:
- Adults globally from any background
- Individuals demonstrating initiative, problem-solving, and resourcefulness
- Creators, researchers, and innovators across disciplines
Benefits:
- Fellowships: $100,000 equity-free funding for 12 months
- Grants: At least $10,000 to accelerate early-stage ideas
- Access to OSV’s global network of founders, investors, and experts
- Fully remote, no equity required, full ownership retained
African Union Innovating Education in Africa (IEA) 2026 [Deadline: April 30]
The African Union’s Innovating Education in Africa (IEA) 2026 call seeks transformative education innovations that tackle persistent challenges in access, relevance, skills alignment, and digital transformation across African learning systems. Successful innovators receive grants and support for scaling their solutions with public systems integration.
Who Can Apply:
- Organisations registered in AU Member States implementing education innovations
- Solutions addressing basic education, higher learning, TVET, AI in education, or green skills
Benefits:
- Grants up to $50,000
- Promotion to AU Member States, RECs, and partners
- Capacity building and policy engagement opportunities
- Inclusion in expos and innovation catalogues
Youth4Climate Call for Solutions 2026 [Deadline: April 30]
The Youth4Climate Call for Solutions is a global innovation challenge supporting youth-led climate action projects across 158 UNDP-covered countries. Now in its fourth edition, the initiative provides funding and capacity-building support to young innovators working on scalable solutions addressing climate challenges.
The programme supports both new and existing projects that are ready for implementation or expansion, with a strong focus on practical, community-driven impact.
Who Can Apply:
- Individuals aged 18 to 29
- Youth-led organisations, NGOs, CBOs, or companies led by individuals aged 18–29
- Applicants proposing projects to be implemented in eligible countries
- Projects aligned with climate action and sustainability
Focus Areas:
- Sustainable Energy
- Food and Agriculture
- Climate, Peace and Security
- Oceans and Blue Economy
- Sustainable Fashion and Textiles
- Architecture for Adaptation
Benefits:
- Up to USD 30,000 in seed funding
- Mentorship and capacity-building support
- Access to global networks and learning opportunities
- Opportunity to implement projects over a period of up to 24 months
