The Afri-Plastics Challenge - Up To £1m Euros in Funding

Over 17 million tonnes of waste are generated by Sub-Saharan Africa annually, and only 12% of plastic waste is recycled. The Afri-Plastics Challenge aims to reduce marine plastics in Sub-Saharan African countries by developing and scaling innovative solutions to plastic mismanagement to promote gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.

The Challenge will help communities throughout Sub-Saharan Africa prevent plastic waste from entering the marine environment by finding ways to minimize reliance on plastic and new ways of managing plastic waste.

About the Challenge

The Afri-Plastics Challenge is a prize funded by the Government of Canada; it is an element of the $100-million Marine Litter Mitigation Fund announced by Prime Minister Trudeau at the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Charlevoix in June 2018.

The Challenge aims to reduce marine plastics in Sub-Saharan African countries by developing and scaling innovative solutions to plastic mismanagement. It involves a public competition that will reward the best solutions to addressing marine plastic litter in developing countries to promote gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.

The Challenge will help communities throughout Sub-Saharan Africa prevent plastic waste from entering the marine environment by finding ways to minimize reliance on plastic, new ways of managing plastic waste, and/or new uses for plastic discarded.

What You Can Win

In October 2021, 30 Semi-Finalists will be selected, and each receives a £10,000 grant, and of those, 15 will be selected to move forward to the finalist stage and receive a grant of £100,000 to implement their scaling plans.
At the end of this finalist stage, the 15 finalists will be required to submit a detailed scaling report outlining progress against their scaling plans, together with a pitch video for evaluation by the judges against the criteria.
Three winners will be selected, the first receiving a prize of £1m, a second receiving an award of £750,000, and a third receiving an award of £500,000.

Challenge Timeline

The Afri-Plastics Challenge is divided into three strands:

Strand 1: Accelerating Growth

It is seeking small and medium-sized enterprises that have a proof of concept and the ability to scale nationally or regionally to reach a high target number of people, particularly engaging women and girls.

Strand 2: Creating Solutions (Launching October 2021)

A call for new ideas, particularly those that respond to a particular gap in the innovation landscape in specific Sub-Saharan African countries or with particular population groups.

Strand 3: Promoting Change (Launching December 2021)

A call for large scale campaigns that raise awareness and engage women and girls in the plastics value chain.

Application Process

Following the closing date on Wednesday 15 September 2021 at noon (BST), entries for the will be screened for eligibility and assessed.
A diverse portfolio of entries that best meet the relevant assessment criteria will be long-listed by a group of external assessors, then later shortlisted by a Judging Panel.

Note: Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the Applicant Handbook along with the full Terms and Conditions before entering the Challenge.

Deadline

The application deadline is Wednesday, 15 September 2021, at 12 noon (BST).

How to Apply

To apply, please visit the Afri-Plastics Application page.

Also | 2021 Hershey Heartwarming Project Action Grants - $250 Funding

Disclaimer: Some unscrupulous individuals might try to defraud you by impersonating us. They may send you an email telling you that we guarantee you a scholarship, job, internship, grant or any other opportunity if you pay some money. Please, we do not guarantee anything. And what is more, we do not call, text, or send people emails asking for money, neither do we charge a dime in providing you with these opportunities. Kindly disregard such messages. If you are not sure of something, shoot us an email.