Applications close at 11:59pm UTC+1 (UK time) on 2 July 2021.
Overview
The Fund will provide 15 to 18 month grants to test digital innovations that improve essential urban services delivery across energy, water, sanitation, plastics and waste management. Applications close at 11:59pm UTC+1 (UK time) on 2 July 2021.
What the fund will achieve
The Fund will support grant projects that demonstrate:
- how innovative digital technology, including mobile, can support delivery of urban services to underserved populations
- what business models and partnerships are required for innovative digital solutions to be adopted at scale
- what are the social, commercial and environmental/climate impacts delivering urban services to underserved populations
- what role mobile operators and other technology companies can play in these business models, and how they can make their role commercially sustainable
To be eligible to apply, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- have active users and commercial revenue (revenue generated from any products or services offered by the organisation) in at least one eligible low- or middle-income market
- commit to providing 25% to 50% matching funding
- ensure the proposed grant project is implemented in an urban area as defined by the World Bank
- be an entity registered and operating in the country of project implementation (whether domestic or foreign owned or a joint venture). In cases where responsibility for service delivery lies with a downstream partner, rather than the applicant, for example service delivery by a local government, it may be acceptable for the applicant to be registered in a country other than that of project implementation
- be fully compliant with relevant business licensing, taxation, employee and other regulations in all applicable countries of grant project operation
- be registered and have a bank account in the country where they will receive the grant money (if not the same as the project implementation country)
- to be eligible, applicants will need to demonstrate that a majority of their income is derived from commercial activities. Early stage companies who have not reached this threshold will need to demonstrate a reliable path to sustainability via commercial activities that generate revenue to be considered
- only one organisation can apply for funding and become a grantee. An applicant can have downstream partners who have a role in the project as per the GSMA’s Downstream Partner Guidelines. In case government entities are grant project partners, they cannot be a sub-recipient of the grant
Note – Grants will not be awarded to the following organisations, although partnerships with these entities as part of the application are strongly encouraged
- governments, government-owned agencies (or appointed government agencies)
- mobile Network Operators
- university or academic organisations
- start-up accelerators and incubators
For more information on eligibility, see the Terms and Conditions and FAQs
How to apply
Please complete the online application form by 11:59PM UTC+1 (UK time) on 2 July 2021.
Background information
The Fund is open to applicants whose projects are implemented in countries that are eligible
to receive official development assistance (see OECD DAC) in the following regions:
- Africa
- South or South East Asia
However, some exceptions apply, projects in the following countries are not eligible
for funding: Afghanistan, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea,
Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Somalia and South Sudan.
Additional due diligence checks and eligibility screenings may be required in certain
markets. For these markets, applicants must be registered and operating in the country
of project implementation.
Please note, as a U.S 501(c)(3) organisation, the GSMA Mobile for Development
Foundation Inc. is obliged to comply with the sanctions, laws and regulations of the United
States and other sanctions regimes as may be applicable. These sanctions and laws and
other legal or regulatory regimes may restrict the GSMA from distributing grant funding to
certain entities or regions.
This initiative has been funded by UK aid from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office (FCDO), and is supported by the GSMA and its members. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.
The Fund is managed and run by the GSMA. An independent Fund Manager, Palladium International Ltd, plays a managerial, compliance and advisory role, executing decisions on behalf of the Fund.
For any further questions related to the Fund, please see the website: www.gsma.com/digitalurbanservices or write to us at GSMAIF@gsma.com
