The Mastercard Foundation Fund for Resilience and Prosperity represents the second phase of a program initiated by the Mastercard Foundation. Building upon the success of the Mastercard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity, this new phase aims to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) across agriculture, climate adaptation, and the digital economy sectors in 20 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Overview

• Objective: To unlock enterprise growth and catalyze the creation of dignified work opportunities for young women and men.
• Duration: Seven years
• Funding: US$ 126 million
• Establishment: 2023

Eligibility Requirements

• SMEs must be innovative, commercially viable, and focused on creating dignified work opportunities for young women and men, youth with disabilities, or refugee youth.
• Each challenge fund sector has specific criteria outlined on the challenge page.
• Selection will be based on meeting the Fund’s selection criteria threshold.

Interventions

1. Challenge Fund: Direct financial support to address barriers faced by SMEs in scaling up and creating sustainable employment opportunities.
2. Connect Fund: Investor readiness support and partnership negotiation with potential financiers.
3. Technical Assistance (TA): Capacity building and technical assistance to address human capital and market access barriers.
4. Convening and Influencing: Bringing together stakeholders to encourage an enabling business environment and drive systematic change.

Countries of Focus

• SMEs in 20 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa will be supported. This will ensure a distribution of SME-based solutions that can sustainably create dignified and fulfilling work for young men and women, young people with disabilities and refugee youth even after the end of the program.
• The countries include: Benin, Burundi, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia

Application Deadline: November 22nd, 2024

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Mastercard Foundation Fund for Resilience and Prosperity Agribusiness Challenge Fund.