The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has opened applications for its Innovation Accelerator, offering up to $500,000 in blended support and direct access to the world’s largest humanitarian food relief network for startups and ventures developing breakthrough solutions in food systems, nutrition, logistics and climate resilience.
The call targets innovators working at the intersection of food security, humanitarian logistics, climate adaptation and frontier technologies, at a time when global hunger, climate shocks and fragile supply chains are placing unprecedented strain on food systems worldwide.
Beyond funding, the programme provides pilot deployments with WFP field operations, technical mentorship from global food systems experts and strategic visibility across governments, multilaterals and private-sector partners a combination designed to move innovations from concept to scale in real-world conditions.
“Together, we can work towards achieving our goal of zero hunger and transform the lives of those who need our help the most,” WFP says. “We are particularly interested in solutions for humanitarian assistance and supply chain resilience as we aim to ensure that every donor dollar goes further in addressing hunger while reducing the need for ration cuts.”
Successful applicants can receive up to $500,000 through a mix of grants and catalytic funding, alongside hands-on support to refine products, navigate humanitarian operating environments and prepare for follow-on investment.
Selected ventures gain entry into a global humanitarian and impact-investor ecosystem, leveraging WFP’s footprint across more than 120 countries and territories. For early-stage companies, this offers rare access to large-scale pilots in some of the most complex operating contexts in the world.
The Innovation Accelerator is seeking solutions across a broad set of priority areas, including:
- Food security and nutrition technologies
- Humanitarian logistics and supply chain innovation
- Climate-adapted agriculture and early warning systems
- Digital tools, AI, data and blockchain for food systems
- Last-mile delivery and energy solutions in fragile settings
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with periodic selection cycles announced throughout the year.
Launched in 2015, the WFP Innovation Accelerator was created to source new ideas, rapidly pilot them and scale high-impact solutions that can disrupt hunger. Operating from its base in Munich, Germany, the programme has grown into one of the world’s leading social impact startup accelerators.
Working alongside WFP’s regional innovation hubs and country office teams, the Accelerator ran 18 programmes in 2024 alone, addressing a wide range of sustainability and humanitarian challenges. That same year, WFP-supported innovations positively impacted 61 million people across 90 countries and territories, according to programme data.
The Accelerator’s approach reflects a broader shift in humanitarian and development finance, moving beyond traditional aid models toward partnerships with entrepreneurs, technologists and mission-driven businesses capable of delivering scalable solutions.
The programme’s track record has earned global recognition. The WFP Innovation Accelerator has been named among Fast Company’s ‘Best Workplaces for Innovators’ in 2020, 2021 and 2024, as well as Most Innovative Companies in 2017 and 2021. It also received ‘Innovation Team of the Year’ honours in 2020.
Bernhard Kowatsch, Head of the WFP Innovation Accelerator, was named a Fast Company Innovative Leader of the Year finalist in 2023, reflecting the programme’s growing influence at the intersection of innovation, humanitarian action and systems change.
The call builds on WFP’s wider global mission. In 2020, the organisation was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent.
Learn more and apply here: https://innovation.wfp.org/relief-and-resilience
