Deadline: 15TH December 2025
Hosted by Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and funded by the Seeding The Future Foundation (STF), the Challenge is intended to recognize and support breakthrough innovations that can spark transformations of our food systems, with a particular focus on addressing critical challenges in the Global South.
The Challenge aims to inspire impactful and transforming innovations that reside at the INNOVATION FOCUS AREA in which three domains intersect:
- Innovations leading to safe and nutritious food for a healthy diet
- Innovations leading to sustainable or regenerative practices that enable food systems to stay within planetary boundaries, including food waste and food loss reduction
- Innovations leading to equitable access to food that is affordable, appealing and trusted
Benefits
The Challenge provides three levels of awards to incentivize transformative food systems innovations at different stages of their development.
- Seed Grants ($25,000 each)
Up to eight Seed Grants will be awarded to organizations that are planning and nurturing high-potential, innovative ideas and have developed a prototype and/or initial proof of concept demonstrating feasibility. Innovation must benefit at least one, Ideally two domains of the Innovation Focus Area without negatively impacting the others.
- Growth Grants ($100,000 each)
Up to three Growth Grants will be awarded to organizations that have demonstrated that their innovation is doable and have projected both economic feasibility at scale and high- Impact potential to transform the food system. The innovation must benefit at least two, Ideally three domains with no negative impact on the others.
- Seeding The Future Grand Prizes ($250,000 each)
Up to two Seeding The Future Grand Prizes will be awarded to organizations that have created innovations that are scalable, economically feasible at scale, trusted, and compelling to consumers, and have demonstrated major Impact potential to transform food systems. The innovation must benefit at least two, Ideally three domains with no negative impact on the others.
Eligibility
The following organizations are eligible to compete in the Challenge:
- Non-profits or non-governmental organizations located in any country
- Academic or research institutions located in any country
- Early-stage or emerging for-profit companies or social enterprises located in any country*
*Excluded are countries or territories against which the U.S. and/or Germany maintains comprehensive sanctions (currently, Afghanistan, Belarus, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Sevastopol, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, the Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, & Zaporizhzhia Regions of Ukraine, and Venezuela).
Individuals are not eligible to apply. Please note, however, that teams of students or researchers may participate as part of an organization’s submission. Organizations are encouraged to form teams to compete in the Challenge. If two or more organizations form a team to compete, they should choose one of the organizations to serve as the applicant.
For more information and application.