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Apply for funding

The UNICEF Venture Fund makes up to $100K equity-free investments (in fiat and/or cryptocurrency) to provide early stage (seed) financing and mentoring to for-profit technology startups that have the potential to benefit humanity. Eligibile startups can apply for consideration.
call_for_applications
Open call for applications

Strengthening Systems for Health, Nutrition and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

Applications due on October 20, 2023
Call details
Call details

Closed Calls

Investees Announced Call Title Amount invested Recipients
04 Aug 2023 Frontier Tech Cohort 2018: XR

1272629 USD

1 BTC

972.8999 ETH

13 Companies
31 Jan 2023 Blockchain for Digital Inclusion 2022

202335.52 USD

194.2328 ETH

4 Companies
30 Apr 2022 AI and ML for Health and Education 2022

611225.2 USD

2.5675 BTC

64.6704 ETH

9 Companies

Test your eligibility

Enter your company details to quickly check your eligibility status for the call for applications.

Our application process

eligibility check

Eligibility check

Month 0 Companies interested in applying to the Venture Fund need to check the eligibility criteria.
click to open accordion What kind of ideas / companies will the Venture Fund support?
click to open accordion Who can submit an Expression of Interest to the UNICEF Venture Fund?
click to open accordion If I am a non-profit organization or NGO can I submit an Expression Of Interest for the fund?
click to open accordion If I am a student, can I submit an Expression Of Interest for funding for a school/university project?
click to open accordion Do I have to have a degree or a university qualification to qualify?
click to open accordion If my company is located in an industrialized country and if my solution is to be used in an emerging economy, can the company submit an expression of interest?
click to open accordion Is it possible for NGOs to apply in collaboration with companies?
click to open accordion What does it mean to be under a "working prototype"? Should the whole solution be ready at the moment of application?
click to open accordion Why do the applicant companies need to provide real-time data about the project?
click to open accordion My project is currently not Open Source but I’m willing to Open Source it. What do I need to do to be able to be considered for funding?
click to open accordion Do all components of the technology used or proposed to be developed need to be Open Source? Can projects that use a combination of technology products - some Open Source and some closed licenses - qualify to receive funds from the Venture Fund?
Interest

expression of interest

Month 1 Companies interested should complete an online application via the Venture Fund website. The application form must include all required information and supporting documents as indicated.
click to open accordion Once a company is selected, what information are we required to share?
click to open accordion What return does the Fund look for from the investments it has made?
Short listing

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Month 2-3 The Venture Fund carefully assesses all applications. Shortlisted companies will then be notified and invited to submit a comprehensive proposal called the Request for Proposal (RFP).
click to open accordion Once a company is selected, what information are we required to share?
click to open accordion What return does the fund look for from the investments it has made?
Request for proposals

DEMO INTERVIEW

Month 4-5 Following a careful evaluation of the RFP, companies selected will be invited to an online demo interview. This 30-minute interview offers the opportunity to interact with the Venture Fund team and experts from our frontier technology teams.
Investees announced

ANNOUNCEMENT OF INVESTEES

Month 6 Upon evaluating the application, RFP, and demo interview, the Venture Fund finalizes the investment decision and notifies selected companies. Onboarding begins, and an official announcement is made on public channels.
click to open accordion Once a company is selected, what information are we required to share?
click to open accordion What return does the fund look for from the investments it has made?
click to open accordion How will I know if I have been accepted for funding?
click to open accordion If the company receives funding, does UNICEF own the product or idea?
click to open accordion If my company gets selected for funding, what is the company’s legal status vis-a-vis UNICEF?