Impact Funding Resources
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.
Welthungerhilfe and the Seeding The Future Foundation are calling on all scientists, engineers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and multidisciplinary teams from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), non-profits, social enterprises, universities, research institutions and small/emerging for-profit enterprise to submit game-changing innovations that will help transform food systems.
Welthungerhilfe and the Seeding The Future Foundation are calling on all scientists, engineers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and multidisciplinary teams from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), non-profits, social enterprises, universities, research institutions and small/emerging for-profit enterprise to submit game-changing innovations that will help transform food systems.
Start Date15 Oct 2025 End Date15 Dec 2025 Funding AmountUSD 25k to 250k Funding Resource TypeGrant
Funding ProviderWelthungerhilfe (WHH),Seeding The Future Foundation (STF)
Grant
Welthungerhilfe (WHH),Seeding The Future Foundation (STF)
Welthungerhilfe and the Seeding The Future Foundation are calling on all scientists, engineers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and multidisciplinary teams from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), non-profits, social enterprises, universities, research institutions and small/emerging for-profit enterprise to submit game-changing innovations that will help transform food systems.
View the Selection Criteria.
https://www.welthungerhilfe.org/fileadmin/pictures/publications/en/project_and_professional_papers/2025-GFSC-WHH-Seeding-the-Future-Award-Selection-Criteria.pdf
The Challenge aims to inspire impactful and transforming innovations that reside at the INNOVATION FOCUS AREA in which three domains intersect:
1. Innovations leading to safe and nutritious food for a healthy diet
2. Innovations leading to sustainable or regenerative practices that enable food systems to stay within planetary boundaries, including food waste and food loss reduction
3. Innovations leading to equitable access to food that is affordable, appealing and trusted
Who can apply?
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.
Grant Types
• Seed Grants ($25,000 each) will be awarded to applicants that are planning and nurturing high-potential, innovative ideas and have developed a prototype and/or initial proof of concept demonstrating feasibility.
• Growth Grants ($100,000 each) will be awarded to applicants that have demonstrated their initiative is doable and have projected both economic feasibility at scale and high impact potential to transform the food system.
• Seeding The Future Grand Prizes ($250,000 each) will be awarded to applicants with a scalable, economically feasible innovation that is compelling to consumers and have demonstrated major impact potential to transform the food system.
