WFP Innovation Acceleration

The WFP Innovation Accelerator supports high-impact innovations that enable WFP and its partners to strengthen humanitarian response and empower vulnerable communities to build lasting resilience.

Our team has over a decade of results in scaling innovations, rooting them into WFP operations and building global insight into innovative solutions for the biggest humanitarian challenges.

In addition to our open programmes, which accept applications periodically based on identified needs and funding availability, we accept rolling applications from innovators who have solutions relevant to WFP's global operations.

These applications are then reviewed and considered for intake into our innovation portfolio when relevant funding or programming becomes available.

We encourage innovators with inspiring solutions to apply to our rolling applicant pool to be considered when new funding and support opportunities arise.

Start-ups and organizations

Are you building an impactful innovation? We want to support you.

Apply

WFP colleagues

Are you an innovator at WFP? Let's work together to design bold solutions.

Apply

What we offer

Innovation Consulting
WFP Access
Funding
Mentor support
Visibility

Tailored innovation support

Our dedicated innovation consultants will help manage your sprint project and enable scale.

Access to WFP's global operations

We strategically connect innovations with WFP field operations, HQ units and country offices to test and scale within and beyond WFP.

Resources to scale your solution

We provide access to equity-free funding to support your innovation on its scaling journey.

Advice from ecosystem experts

Our vast ecosystem of talented mentors provide need-specific guidance, including humanitarian agencies and partners such as John Deere, Netlight and Google.

Awareness for your solution

We help your innovation tell its story, providing visibility on WFP Innovation Accelerator platforms such as social media.

Niger. WFP organization of a training of trainers on Community Based Participatory Planning and FFA Technologies adapted to Arid and Semi-arid contexts in Dosso

Eligibility criteria

If you are a startup

Your organization must be an established legal entity. It can be for profit or not-for-profit.
Your innovation must at least be at the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage. Proof-of-concept and initial traction is preferred.
Your organization should have a presence or willingness to build a presence in one of the 120+ countries and territories that WFP operates in.
Your proposal must show how working with WFP will serve your long-term strategy.
Your innovation should have a potential plan to implement during the sprint period with the available funding and a clear pathway to scale.

For more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions.

If you are a WFP employee

Your team must have evidence of Country Office support and management buy-in.
You are encouraged to apply, regardless of your contract type or function.

For more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions.

We reserve the right to adjust eligibility criteria based on the changing context as new information becomes available.

Please note that unfortunately, due to the volume of applications we receive, we are unable to contact each applicant individually on their eligibility or the status of their application.

How we evaluate innovations

Impact

The solution has the potential to impact millions of WFP beneficiaries and can be scaled. It is strategically relevant to WFP's current operations.

Traction

The solution has been tested and proved, and gained some users or received fundings.

Business model

The innovation team has a robust plan to ensure scale and sustainable revenue generation beyond the WFP funding period.

Innovation

The solution is a new technology, or a novel application or approach of an existing technology, process or business model. It address a specific challenge.

Team strength

Team members have relevant experience and are committed to developing and scaling the solution.

Priority innovation areas

Emergency preparedness and response

For the past 60 years, WFP has provided emergency food assistance to the world's most vulnerable people, who are living through conflict, post-conflict or disaster situations. Effective humanitarian relief entails effectively assessing and addressing immediate needs like food, water, shelter and medical assistance in challenging environments. We are seeking innovations that elevate WFP’s emergency preparedness and response operations, while enabling the ecosystem of coordination and support through the cluster approach.

Example: AF-PULSE

Supply chain and delivery

At any given time, the WFP is on the frontlines in the fight against hunger, delivering food assistance in highly remote and complex settings, Thousands of dedicated staff channel their expertise and use all means at their disposal – trucks, planes, ships, helicopters and even amphibious vehicles – to ensure that vast quantities of food and other essential items reach those who need them most. We are seeking innovations that foster improved upstream and downstream planning, emergency response logistics, track & trace, sustainable supply chains and food safety & quality.

Example: SCOUT

Food systems and smallholder farmers

Smallholder farmers are the backbone of the agricultural sector in most countries WFP operates in. We are seeking innovations that support smallholder farmers and value chain actors to increase capacity to produce and aggregate marketable surplus, reduce post-harvest losses, and access markets.

Example: Toothpick

School meals

A nutritious school meal is a vital lifeline for millions of children who go to school hungry, especially for those in conflict-affected areas. School meal programmes are a proven, cost-effective investment that boost education, improve health and nutrition and support emergency response. We are supporting solutions that help WFP and local governments establish and sustain national school meal programmes.

Example: School Connect

Resilience and sustainable livelihoods

We are looking for innovations that build the ability in people, households, and communities to mitigate, adapt to and recover from climate shocks and stresses in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and protects their livelihoods.

Example: Partners with Sun

Nutrition

To end hunger and all forms of malnutrition, we need food systems that bring affordable, nutritious and safe food products to all, especially the most vulnerable. We are looking for transformational solutions at scale to address the double burden of malnutrition.

Example: Sanku