Frequently Asked Questions

No. The core eligibility criteria such as company age and minimum revenue thresholds are baseline requirements for the relevant track and are not negotiable.

Yes, but only if the NGO has a clearly identifiable revenue-generating activity or for-profit arm that meets the call criteria. NGOs that depend solely on donor funding are not eligible. The entity must be legally registered, financially sustainable, and meet the minimum eligibility criteria of the relevant track.

For WE4F 2.0, it is not only about the registration date; the key consideration is the company’s operational track record, maturity, and proven traction under the relevant track.

Matching Funds are Funds invested by your organization, toward the Innovation you are applying with, that supplement the grant. This could be monetary (excluding funds from WE4F 2.0 Founders/donors) or in-kind contributions (e.g., land, equipment, warehouses, salaries of your staff allocated to the proposed Innovation). In-kind contributions could be given a monetary value in the budget. To help ensure the sustainability of your Innovation, Regional call for SMEs (Track 1) awardees are required to have at least one-to-one (1-1) matching funds (cash/cash equivalent) to satisfy the matching requirements. Matching (whether in-kind or cash/cash equivalent) is based on funding provided by WE4F 2.0, not the total project budget. For example, applicants who request 100,000 US Dollars (initially) for an Innovation would need to provide a minimum of 100,000 US Dollars of in-kind contributions or matching funds, making the total project budget 200,000 US Dollars. The funds must pay for activities that further the growth, development, or commercialization of the organization’s technology (e.g., manufacturing, distribution, marketing).

The grant amount is assessed on a case-by-case basis. The grant amounts of USD 50,000 and USD 100,000 are indicative averages, while the final amount requested should be well justified in line with the company’s needs, growth plan, and budget, and should be proportionate to the scale and impact the innovation is expected to deliver.

The grant does not cover equipment and machinery, the grant covers only operation and production costs such as salaries, consultancy fees, raw materials, packaging, utilities, marketing campaigns, transportation, etc. but the cost of irrigation and solar systems can be considered as matching funds.

You may apply to both Track 1 and Track 2 if you meet the eligibility criteria of both tracks. However, if shortlisted, WE4F will only select one application / one track for award. Applicants are encouraged to apply to the track that best fits their current maturity and growth profile.

At this stage, applicants are required to submit the EOI only, using the official online form. This EOI is the initial short application / concept-note stage. The full proposal will come later, in a second stage, only for shortlisted applicants.

In the EOI you are requested to add the last three years for Track 1 and for Track 2 to add what’s applicable (minimum of 2 years). Applications can be submitted in English, French, or Arabic.

Innovations focused on research and development for a product without a clearly defined market or potential for commercialization or growth to a minimum of hundreds of thousands of Customers/End-Users within a five-year timeframe. Innovations without potential or intent for commercialization do not fit within the scope of this challenge.

Innovations supported by Water and Energy for Food 2.0 could include, but are NOT limited to, the themes mentioned below:

THEME 1: Innovations in food production to reduce water usage
THEME 2: Efficient use of water resources for food production
THEME 3: Sustainable use of energy and water on farm
THEME 4: Energy innovations for food processing & logistics
THEME 5: Food production with efficient energy use
THEME 6: Leveraging food/agriculture waste for energy
THEME 7: Land restoration and prevention of farmland loss
THEME 8: Innovations in efficient logistics, food processors aiming at integrating, warehousing, digital access to markets, farm to fork applications
THEME 9: Innovations in increasing circularity and decreasing waste such as sustainable packaging solutions, recycling of food waste or post consumers’ waste
THEME 10: Innovations in organic farming
THEME 11: Wastewater treatment and reuse, water loss reduction, and desalination (innovations outside the agriculture sector is included)

WE4F 2.0 supports energy solutions only when they are clearly linked to the agri-food value chain / WEF nexus. If the solution is mainly for the cement sector, then it would generally not be eligible under the current call.