The UNDP SDG Finance Facility and its regional innovation challenges provide catalytic grants and blended finance to African startups, SMEs, and social enterprises developing solutions that accelerate Sustainable Development Goal delivery across health, climate, agriculture, and digital inclusion. Recipients gain funding, UNDP country office partnerships, access to government procurement pathways, and technical assistance. Calls are issued periodically at country and regional level.
Visit the UNDP Africa SDG Finance page and check for active country or regional calls for applications.
Register on the UNDP Accelerator Labs or SDG Finance application platform linked from the active call.
Complete the online application including SDG alignment statement, solution description, and impact projections.
Upload required organisational and financial documents.
Shortlisted applicants are invited to pitch to a UNDP evaluation panel.
Due diligence is conducted on selected organisations including financial and legal review.
Approved applicants sign a Small Grant Agreement with the relevant UNDP country or regional office.
Save and track it and we will email you 14 days, 7 days, 3 days, 24 hours and on the morning of the deadline.
How applications are selected
What reviewers look for
UNDP evaluators look for explicit, numbered SDG linkages — state which SDGs and which specific targets your solution addresses. Partnerships with local government or UNDP country offices prior to applying give a significant edge. Avoid solutions that duplicate existing UNDP-funded programmes in the same country. Financial sustainability is scrutinised; show how the business survives post-grant. Applications that include a credible monitoring and evaluation framework with baseline data score highest.
Guide written from the official programme page. Funders change their rules, so confirm the details on the official page before you apply.
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