C3 EmpowerHer Climate 2026 is a six-month programme supporting women-led and women-benefitting climate resilience ventures across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Funded by the Resilient Futures Fund (RFF) and delivered by C3 – Companies Creating Change, the programme combines business support, technical expertise, mentorship, market access and catalytic funding to help early-stage climate resilience ventures strengthen their solutions and become investment-ready.
The programme is particularly relevant to ventures addressing climate adaptation and resilience challenges affecting communities, economies and ecosystems across the MENA region.
Key Highlights
- 30 startups will participate in the programme.
- USD 150,000 in catalytic grant funding will be distributed among the top 10 startups.
- Top 10 ventures can receive up to USD 20,000 each for pilots and impact activities.
- 6 months of hands-on support, including workshops, mentorship and strategic advisory.
- Access to C3's network of investors, DFIs, corporates and impact funds.
- Top 10 ventures will receive additional strategic advisory and pilot support.
- A Demo Day in Egypt will provide an opportunity to showcase selected ventures to investors and ecosystem stakeholders.
Who Can Apply?
The programme is designed specifically for early-stage climate resilience ventures operating in MENA.
Applicants should meet the following requirements:
- Women-centred: The venture must either be women-led or provide a solution where women are primary beneficiaries.
- Climate resilience focused: The core solution should address climate resilience/adaptation, rather than focusing purely on climate mitigation.
- Early-stage with traction: The venture should be at pre-seed to pre-Series A stage, with an MVP and early evidence of traction.
- MENA-based or operating: The venture must be headquartered in or primarily operating within the MENA region.
- Gender and climate impact: Gender and climate outcomes should be intentionally incorporated into the venture's solution and impact model.
- Founder commitment: A core founding team must be able to commit time to the six-month programme, including workshops, mentorship, diagnostics and pilot execution.
Priority Focus Areas
The programme is looking for solutions addressing areas such as:
- Water & sanitation
- Food & agri-climate
- Heat resilience
- Coastal & flood adaptation
- Nature-based solutions
- Climate-resilient infrastructure
- Sustainable livelihoods
- Climate finance access
What Selected Ventures Receive
Support for all 30 startups
- 8–12 expert-led virtual workshops across five core modules.
- Tailored guidance from climate, sector and investment experts.
- Access to C3's investor and ecosystem network.
- Exposure to potential VCs, DFIs, corporates and impact funds.
Additional support for the top 10
- Up to USD 20,000 in catalytic pilot funding per startup.
- Strategic advisory sessions and an individual strategic roadmap.
- Pilot design support and engagement with market enablers.
- Opportunity to participate in an in-person Demo Day in Egypt.
Funding
- Total catalytic grant funding: USD 150,000
- Top 10 startups: Up to USD 20,000 each
- Funding is intended to support pilots and impact activities.
Application Deadline
31 August 2026
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so eligible ventures are encouraged to apply early.
Programme Period
- Programme duration: 6 months
- The main programme information states that support runs from October 2026 to Demo Day in Q2 2027.
- The FAQ provides a different programme period of June 2026 to April 2027.
How to Apply
Applicants should complete the online application and prepare their latest pitch deck for upload.
Application deadline: 31 August 2026
Click HERE to visit the official website.