UNICEF Venture Fund
UNICEF Office of Innovation
UNICEF's Venture Fund runs a rolling series of themed open calls offering equity-free funding to early-stage startups building open-source AI/ML solutions for children. Each themed call opens and closes independently.
Who it's really for. Early-stage, for-profit startups registered in a UNICEF programme country that build open-source AI or machine learning products with a plausible benefit for children. The open-source requirement is a real filter: UNICEF expects the code and, where relevant, the data to be published under permissive licenses. Nonprofits and research groups are generally not the target here; this fund invests in companies.
What you get. Up to $100,000 in equity-free funding, plus a year of product and technical mentorship from UNICEF's Office of Innovation and access to UNICEF country offices as potential deployment partners. For a startup in a low- or middle-income country, that introduction can matter more than the cheque.
How to apply and what to watch. The Venture Fund runs a rolling series of themed calls (recent themes have spanned frontier tech, data science and AI), each with its own window. Check which theme is open before applying and read the country eligibility list carefully. If your organization is a nonprofit or an established company, the WFP Innovation Challenge and Climate Collective accept a wider range of applicants.
- Deadline: Rolling — themed calls open and close independently
- Amount / value: Up to $100K, equity-free
- Geography: Global
- Focus: Health, Climate, Humanitarian, Cross-cutting
- Eligibility: Startups in a UNICEF programme country
- Last verified: Aug 22, 2026
Always confirm details and deadlines at the official source before applying. Hand-verified by ImpactOpen.