List of Funding and Grants for Youth, Students, Young Entrepreneurs, and Changemakers in Africa (2022 Archive)
This post is shared as an archival reference, reflecting funding and grant opportunities that were active around 2022. Many of these programmes continue to run in different forms today, so always confirm current details on the funder’s official website before applying.
Many young Africans have brilliant ideas but lack the capital needed to bring them to life. Throughout 2022, several grants, fellowships, and funding programmes existed specifically to help students, young entrepreneurs, and changemakers across the continent access the resources they needed to grow. Below is a look back at some of the notable funding opportunities from that period.
Grants and Funding for Young Entrepreneurs
Several programmes in 2022 focused specifically on giving young African entrepreneurs the seed capital and mentorship needed to scale their businesses:
- Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Programme: Offered $5,000 in non-refundable seed funding along with business training and mentorship to young African entrepreneurs, forming part of a ten year commitment to empower 10,000 entrepreneurs across the continent.
- Anzisha Prize: Targeted young entrepreneurs aged 15 to 22 running innovative, scalable ventures, rewarding them with grant funding, mentorship, and recognition as some of the continent’s most promising young business builders.
- African Development Bank Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Trust Fund: Provided grant funding to youth led start-ups and small businesses across sectors such as agriculture, technology, and renewable energy, with a strong focus on closing gender gaps by prioritising women entrepreneurs.
- MEST Africa (Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology): Supported early stage technology entrepreneurs through training, incubation, and seed investment across several African hubs.
Grants for Students and Researchers
For students and young researchers, a number of scholarship linked funding opportunities were available in 2022:
- African Union Commission Scholarships: Supported postgraduate studies at Pan African institutions, covering tuition, accommodation, and living expenses for selected scholars across the continent.
- Mandela Washington Fellowship (Young African Leaders Initiative): Though primarily a leadership fellowship, it included funding for academic and leadership institutes in the United States for young African leaders in business, civic engagement, and public management.
Grants for Changemakers and Social Innovators
For young people working on social impact projects, several funders were active in this space during 2022:
- Ashoka Fellowship: Provided long term support to social entrepreneurs with systems changing ideas, including stipends in some regions to allow fellows to focus fully on their work.
- Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation: Offered funding of up to $300,000 over three years to early stage social entrepreneurs building scalable solutions to pressing social and environmental challenges.
- GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize: Recognised and funded young African agripreneurs building innovative solutions in the agriculture and food systems space, with cash prizes and mentorship for finalists.
- One Young World Scholarships: Offered fully funded opportunities for young changemakers to attend the One Young World Summit, covering travel, accommodation, and meals for selected delegates.
Inclusion-Focused Funding
Some funders in 2022 placed specific emphasis on inclusion, targeting entrepreneurs and changemakers from underrepresented groups:
- Fashionomics Africa (African Development Bank): Focused on supporting entrepreneurs, particularly women and youth, in the fashion and creative industries through grants, training, and market access.
- Impact Hub Accelerator Programmes: Ran across several African cities, supporting social enterprises addressing climate action, inclusion, and sustainable development through localised accelerator cohorts.
