Over 828 million people – more than one in ten of the world’s population – still go to bed hungry each night. The number of people facing acute food insecurity has reached a record high of 345 million, up from 135 million in 2019. Meanwhile, the cost of delivering food assistance has reached unprecedented levels due to soaring prices of food and fuel. The combination of increased expenses for food and transportation, worsened by the economic consequences of the pandemic, climate change, and the conflict in Ukraine, has made food inaccessible for millions of people, placing significant strain on WFP’s operations.
This edition of the WFP Innovation Challenge seeks to identify and support disruptive social innovations that address key challenges in the fight against hunger. We are particularly interested in solutions for humanitarian assistance and supply chain resilience as we aim to ensure that every donor dollar goes further in addressing hunger while reducing the need for ration cuts.
- Preparedness and Prevention: Innovations that improve our risk assessment, contingency planning, and proactive strategies to facilitate prompt response to safeguard lives and resources during crises.
- Effective Relief Assistance: Innovations that enable efficient coordination, targeted assistance, and respect for the dignity and rights of affected communities.
- Supply Chain Resilience: Innovations that strengthen our supply chains’ ability to withstand and recover from disruptions, ensuring continuous functionality.
Benefits:
- Funding:Apply to receive up to USD 100,000 in equity-free funding, with further funding dependent upon progress and measurable achievement of key targets
- Access to WFP Operations: Successful teams will work with WFP’s global network of partners and field operations across more than 120 countries and territories; Teams may also qualify for further funding and support if they are scaling innovations that have proven their concepts and value for social impact.
Eligibility:
- Your start-up must be incorporated at the time of application. It can be for profit or not-for-profit.
- Your innovation must at least be at the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage. Proof-of-concept and initial traction is preferred.
- Your solution should be financially viable.
- Your proposal must show how working with WFP will serve your long-term strategy.
- Your team must have evidence of Country Office support and management buy-in.
- You are encouraged to apply, regardless of your contract type or function.
- We accept applications from WFP employees who are collaborating with NGOs, government or private sectors.
Application:
- To submit your application, please fill in the Application Form before 19 July
- Or, if you know a relevant social innovation that you would recommend for this innovation challenge, please let us know by completing this Referral Submission Form.
- We will review and match successful applications with one of our WFP Innovation Bootcamps in the next six months. The next WFP Innovation Bootcamp will be held in November 2023. While we value all applications, we are only able to contact shortlisted applicants.
