​Education

The F. M. Kirby Prize for Scaling Impact is an annual global award of USD $150,000 in unrestricted funding designed to accelerate enterprises addressing urgent social or environmental challenges. Open to nonprofit, for-profit, hybrid, or other legal forms, the prize highlights organizations making measurable progress and expanding their reach, with a focus on bold leadership, community-centered strategies, and scalable impact. The award supports exceptional leaders and organizations ready to amplify their proven models and drive systemic change.

Applicants should demonstrate:

The FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund is a major philanthropic initiative supporting grassroots organizations advancing access to quality K–12 education and sports for children in underserved communities worldwide. Grants of $50,000–$250,000 USD are available to legally registered non-profit organizations directly implementing educational or sports-focused projects for 500–10,000 individuals in disadvantaged regions. The Fund supports two kinds of applications: general operating support or program/project-specific support.

The 100x Impact Accelerator offers an intensive 12-week programme designed for bold, high-impact social ventures whether non-profit or for-profit, that are tackling the world’s most pressing challenges, including climate and environment, healthcare, inequality, migration, education, democracy, happiness and wellbeing, equitable economies, new frontiers, and refugees/cohesion.

The Global Sustainability Challenge is a prestigious annual competition open to university students worldwide including those from South Africa inviting bold, tangible solutions to sustainability challenges. Backed by Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, SEforALL, and a network of global partners, the challenge empowers student teams to address pressing issues under two transformative pillars: Sustainable Energy and Adaptation & Resilience.

Participants move through three high-impact phases:

The FemFocus - Encouraging Women’s Entrepreneurship programme, funded by the Government of the Netherlands and administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is designed to accelerate women’s economic empowerment in selected African countries. Targeting civil society organizations (CSOs), FemFocus supports sustainable business growth through substantial financial grants and comprehensive capacity-building initiatives. The programme focuses on two strategic tracks:

Overview of the Opportunity

This initiative is a High-Level Capacity Development Programme developed under the African Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (ASTII) Framework. It is formally known as the ASTII Phase 4 Capacity Building Programme.

• Organised by: The programme is delivered in partnership with Lund University (Sweden), the African Union Development Agency – NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

Overview of the Opportunity

This initiative, developed and maintained by the Innovation for Policy Foundation (i4Policy) (a global not-for-profit organisation with African roots), is a learning series designed to transform entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Fund The People is calling for applications for the Tender Solution Platform Built for SMEs. Fund The People provides quick, accessible funding solutions that empower South African SMMEs to take on tenders, deliver large orders, and scale confidently without taking on risky loans or giving up equity. They assist with purchase orders starting from R150,000.