UNICEF Call for Innovative WASH Solutions 2025 (up to $150,000) – YOA

Deadline: April 30, 2025

Applications are invited for the UNICEF Call for Innovative WASH Solutions 2025. The UNICEF Sustainable WASH Innovation Hub sources, accelerates and scales transformative water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) options to drive lasting impression for youngsters and their households.

Solutions throughout the innovation portfolios are chosen based mostly on their potential to speed up outcomes for youngsters throughout a number of international locations, areas, and doubtlessly globally. The portfolios be sure that innovation is strategic and programme-pushed, with a concentrate on proof-constructing and scaling up throughout a number of geographies.

This Call for Applications is meant to develop the WASH innovation portfolio with options that handle systemic issues for WASH. They are searching for a various vary of progressive options, together with however not restricted to programmatic fashions, non-public sector approaches, public sector methods, and different related fashions.

Challenges

The WASH Innovation Hub is searching for confirmed options addressing one or each of the next innovation challenges:

Strengthening supportive environments for WASH SMEs

The Challenge: A scarcity of supportive environments for WASH small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is limiting their capability to develop and flourish, hindering their potential to contribute successfully to WASH governance and providers.

They are wanting for options that can handle a number of points of the problem, reminiscent of:

• Building a stronger ecosystem for WASH SMEs by bettering entry to finance and funding.
• Strengthening partnerships between WASH SMEs, governments, and huge service suppliers.
• Supporting SMEs in leveraging instruments and programs to improve effectivity and observe efficiency.
• Influencing insurance policies that allow SMEs to formalize, scale, and thrive.

Enhancing local weather-delicate knowledge and integration into WASH programming

The Challenge: Insufficient local weather-delicate knowledge and an understanding of integrating local weather change impacts into WASH programming current challenges to WASH practitioners modeling the lengthy-time period sustainability of water assets, impacting the service’s resilience.

They are wanting for options that can handle a number of points of the problem reminiscent of:

• Improving the gathering, evaluation, and accessibility of local weather-delicate knowledge.
• Integrating local weather change concerns into WASH planning and choice-making.
• Enhancing collaboration with governments, native stakeholders, and organizations to handle local weather dangers in WASH providers.
• Strengthening WASH programs to be extra resilient to local weather variability and environmental adjustments.

Benefits

If you’re prepared to scale your WASH innovation with UNICEF, right here’s what they provide:

• Global attain: Access UNICEF’s networks throughout 190+ international locations, collaborate with subject groups, and have interaction with governments to develop your impression.
• Strategic matchmaking: Connect with ecosystem actors, creating pathways for scale impression by means of strategic alliances and neighborhood engagement.
• Expert assist: Gain technical and monetary steerage to align your answer with market wants, regulatory frameworks, and finest practices.
• Catalytic funding: Access to an preliminary grant of roughly $150,000 USD in versatile funds to assist proof era, feasibility research, and market understanding and assessments.

Eligibility

• Be a Registered Entity: Apply with one lead entity as a registered firm, college spin-off, NGO, UN group or Government company.
• Have Financial Viability: Availability of an in depth monetary plan and projections for the following 12 months.
• Address WASH Hub Goals: Solution should clearly sort out not less than one WASH Hub Problem Statement.
• Operates in UNICEF Countries: Has demonstrated the impression of the answer or plans to in not less than UNICEF Programme Countries, with plans to develop.
• Commit to Scaling: Be open to broader adoption of the answer together with potential uptake of the innovation by others (no IP sharing required).
• Adhere to UNICEF Policies: Agree to UNICEF’s General Terms and Conditions of Contract, UNICEF’s Policy Prohibiting and Combatting Fraud and Corruption, UNICEF’s Policy on Conduct Promoting the Protection and Safeguarding of Children, the United Nations Supplier Code of Conduct and UNICEF’s Information Disclosure Policy.

Application

Complete the application kind by 30 April 2025, 11:59 pm CET. Applications have to be submitted in English. Selected candidates will hear from UNICEF in Summer 2025.

Click here to apply

For extra data, go to UNICEF Call for Innovative WASH Solutions.