African Cities Innovation Fund
How to Apply

Applicants for the African Cities Innovation Fund should work collaboratively on their submissions. The process will unfold across three stages, involving a short form, virtual pitch and detailed project proposal. More details on each stage can be found below.

 

Stage 1: Expression of Interest

The expression of interest must be completed collaboratively by applicants. As a first step, applicants are required to submit a short form requesting the following details: 

  • Points of contact from each organization applying

  • Project title

  • Project objective

  • Project concept submission in written, pitch deck, audio or video format

At this stage, we are not looking for a full project proposal.

We are looking for collaboration ideas that clearly explain:

  • The urban challenge you want to address

  • The organisations involved and why this partnership makes sense

  • What you want to test together

  • How the collaboration could enable greater scale or impact than working alone

Strong collaboration proposals typically demonstrate:

  • Complementary strengths between partners

  • A clear pathway to scale through collaboration

  • A compelling urban challenge that aligns with one of the collaboration grant's thematic areas

  • A realistic idea that can be tested within the scope of the grant

The deadline for the Expression of Interest stage is Friday April 10th at 11PM BST

Apply here

  • We encourage creativity and invite applicants to submit their project concept in a format of their choice (video, audio, slide deck, written) according to the guidelines below.

    Written Word Document - Document must be no more than 5 pages in PDF/ MS Word / Google Doc format

    Slide Deck - No more than 10 slides in MS Powerpoint / Google Slides / PDF format

    Video/Audio - No more than 10 mins in length in MP4 / .MOV format

  • We invite applicants to be creative and submit their project concept in a format of their choice (video, audio, slide deck or written concept note). We encourage you to be succinct when communicating your ideas.

    Submissions should aim to address the following questions:

    1. Urban Challenge: What problem is the urban challenge you are trying to solve, and who does it affect? (Please include evidence of the defined problem)

    2. The Collaboration: Who are partners and why are you collaborating? What might you achieve together through your collobaration that you wouldn't achieve individually?

    3. What You Want to Test: What specifically will this collaboration test or explore. Describe the model that you aim to test and how it would advance equitable, inclusive, resilient and joyful urban futures. What key learning questions do you aim to explore as part of the 10-month pilot phase? How might you test them in a practical way?

    4. Innovation: How is your collaborative project concept innovative?

    5. Pathway to Scale: If this collaboration works, how could it lead to greater scale or systems impact? How do you envisage it scaling in the long term?

    6. What Success Would Look Like After the Grant: By the end of the collaboration grant, what do you hope to have learned, tested or achieved?

Stage 2: Virtual Pitch Event

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a virtual pitch in late April, where they will get the chance to present their proposed project to a panel of expert reviewers from the Million Lives Collective, Judith Neilson Foundation and other partners.

The pitch will be followed by a Q&A session with the panel. This will provide applicants with an opportunity to capture further feedback and refine their ideas to inform the detailed proposal in the final stage of the application process.

Stage 3: Detailed Proposal

Following the pitch stage, shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a detailed written proposal, following a template provided by the MLC Secretariat. During this stage, applicants will be expected to provide updated information on: 

  • The overall objective of the proposed project, including a high level Theory of Change detailing activities, outputs, outcomes and impact

  • Specific roles and activities of each collaborator

  • Learning question(s) that the collaboration seeks to explore

  • A high-level project timeframe 

  • Due diligence information for each partner