H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award 2026 (€200,000 grant) – Opportunities For Africans

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Application Deadline: 6 October 2025, 8.00 am CET. 

Applications are actually open for the 2026 H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award. The Global Change Award is a world innovation problem launched by the H&M Foundation in 2015 to speed up the transition to a round and planet-positive trend business.

GCA is searching for changemakers who fall into one in every of 4 overarching areas:

Wildcards – surprising impactful concepts we haven’t even considered but, or that amplify transformation inside a number of areas.

Sustainable supplies and processes – akin to low power supplies and new and recycled fibers, sustainable power practices, various moist processes, remedies and finishes, new development strategies and extra.

Responsible manufacturing – akin to power effectivity, renewable power, prediction modelling, on-demand, waste administration, zero-waste options and extra.

Mindful consumption – akin to reshaping demand, garment care, extending garment life cycles, recycling options, round enterprise fashions and extra.

Every 12 months, 10 winners might be awarded. Winning this prestigious award grants entry to a few key parts:

1. A yearlong Changemaker Programme

As a winner you get entry to the Changemaker Programme, designed along with GCA’s strategic companions Accenture and KTH Royal Institute of Technology and contributing accomplice The Mills Fabrica. It contains three immersive in-person weeks, skilled periods, and an intensive peer community.

2. €200,000 grant and international recognition

Each winner receives a €200,000 grant, with no strings connected. You are free to collaborate with whoever you need – GCA exists to drive transformation for the whole business. You’ll be celebrated on the iconic Stockholm City Hall, home of the Nobel Prize banquet, and launched to the textile business on a world stage.

3. Access to the business and the GCA group

You’ll acquire entry to GCA’s ever-growing, vibrant group of changemakers, researchers, manufacturers, suppliers, buyers and extra. We actively facilitate connections throughout the worth chain that will help you take a look at, develop and scale your resolution.

TIMELINE 2025/2026:

1. Proposal interval: The platform is open for submitting your proposal till 6 October 2025, 8.00 am CET. You might be knowledgeable by GCA in case your thought has been nominated by The Mills Fabrica by the tip of October 2025.
2. Screening: The screening interval stretches from December 2025 to March 2026. The screening is performed in collaboration with a broad community of business consultants, companions, and skilled panel. The winners might be notified in April 2026.
3. Announcement: The winners are introduced publicly in May 2026.
4. Changemaker Program: The yearlong GCA Changemaker Program commences in May 2026.
5. Award ceremony: The winners are topped and celebrated on the Global Change Award ceremony in City Hall, Stockholm, Sweden in October 2026.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award