FAQs – GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion

Frequently Asked Questions

*Eligible Countries Clarification*

It has come to the Fund’s attention that the geographical eligibility criteria in the T&Cs may not be as clear as we would have liked.

So that applicants have no doubt about their eligibility, we thought it best to clarify that this Funding Round is only open to proposals for projects in Sub-Saharan African and Asian countries that are classified by the OECD DAC as Least Developed, Other Low Income, and Lower Middle Income.

It is not open to projects in Sub-Saharan African or Asian countries classified as Upper Middle Income or above. For example, this means that projects in that Botswana, China, Gabon, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Namibia, the Seychelles, South Africa, and Thailand are ineligible.

Additionally it is worth noting that, in order to be eligible, the Lead Applicant must have existing users and revenue in at least one eligible Sub-Saharan African or Asian country classified by the OECD DAC as Least Developed, Other Low Income, and Lower Middle Income. As above, Botswana, China, Gabon, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Namibia, the Seychelles, South Africa, and Thailand are not considered to be eligible countries.

Please refer to the revised T&Cs for full details. Additional geographical FAQs can also be found below.

Who can and can’t apply for funding?

The Terms of Conditions (T&Cs) for this Funding Round set out the objectives of the Fund, the type of organisations the Fund is looking to support, and the eligibility criteria for applying for funding. They are available here.

Can start-ups working on digital inclusion through ussd/phone/sms and not per say internet also apply?

The Fund aims to increase mobile internet adoption and usage among those who have access to mobile internet services but are not using it. In order to be eligible to apply for funding, a Lead Applicant must use or be planning to use mobile technology strategically to contribute to this objective.

Are enablers like incubators and accelerators eligible to apply?

The Fund is open to post-revenue start-ups and small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Incubators and accelerators are not eligible to apply for funding, but they should however recommend to eligible start-ups in their current or past cohorts that they apply directly.

Can social enterprises, charitable or non-profit organisations apply to the Fund?

Social enterprises that are registered and operating as private sector companies in the country of grant implementation will be considered for funding as long as they meet the rest of the eligibility criteria set out in the T&Cs.

Charitable organisations, non-profit organisations, and any other organisations that are not registered and operating as private sector companies will not be eligible to apply for funding as the Lead Applicant, however applications from eligible start-ups or SMEs with these organisations as project partners are welcomed.

Can mobile network operators apply to the Fund?

The Fund aims to support innovative start-up and SME private sector companies that are willing and able to work with mobile network operators, rather than providing support directly to mobile network operators. As such, applications from eligible organisations with mobile network operators as existing project partners are welcomed.

Can we apply if we don't have a registered company yet but are eligible to register in the country of project implementation?

To be eligible to apply for funding a Lead Applicant must ALREADY be registered and operating in the country of project implementation, have active users and revenue in at least one eligible country, and (if different) be registered in the country in which the grant funding will be received.

Is there a requirement for how long a start-up should have been registered as a legal entity prior to applying?

While there is no requirement for how long a Lead Applicant needs to have been registered as a legal entity, for an organisation to be considered eligible to apply for funding, they must be registered and operating in the country of project implementation AND have active users and revenue in either the country of project implementation or another eligible country.

The eligibility criteria says the solution must have active users and revenue. If a solution is new to market, has existing users but no revenues as yet, would this be eligible?

To be eligible to apply for funding a Lead Applicant must already have active users AND revenue in at least one eligible country, must be registered and operating in the country of project implementation, and (if different) be registered in the country in which the grant funding will be received.

Do we need to already have mobile operators as partners in order to apply for the fund?

Lead Applicants do not need an existing partnership with a mobile operator partner in order to be eligible to apply for funding. However, the Lead Applicants must demonstrate having the potential and appetite to form strategic partnerships with mobile operators.

Can projects based in any country apply?

While proposals will be considered for projects in ANY Sub-Saharan African or Asian country classified by the OECD DAC as Least Developed, Other Low Income, and Lower Middle Income, preference will be given to projects in:

Sub-Saharan Africa – Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Asia – Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

Must the grant funding be used for a project targeting just one country or can it be used for a project across the entire Africa region?

For a Lead Applicant to be eligible, they must apply for funding for a project in at least one of the eligible countries set out in the T&Cs. Lead Applicants can apply to implement the project in multiple eligible countries, but grant funding cannot ever be spent in non-eligible countries.

Additionally, if the intention is to implement the project in multiple eligible countries, the Lead Applicant must be able to demonstrate they have the capacity to roll out/scale their innovation in more than one eligible country within the grant period.

Further, the Lead Applicant must already be registered and operating in the country (or countries) of project implementation, and already have active users and revenue in at least one eligible country.

How many slots are available for this grant and is there a specific number of slots for regions (eg. Africa)?

There is no pre-defined number of applications we want from a specific region.

This said, while proposals will be considered for projects in ANY Sub-Saharan Africa or Asian country classified by the OECD DAC as Least Developed, Other Low Income, and Lower Middle Income, preference will be given to projects in:

Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

If we operate in many countries, do we need to have an entity in all of the countries?

To be eligible to apply for funding, a Lead Applicant must be registered and operating in the country of project implementation and, if different, be registered in the country in which the grant funding will be received. They must also have active users and revenue in at least one eligible country.

If you have been awarded a grant by GSMA previously are you still eligible for this grant?

Previous or current recipients of GSMA grants are eligible to apply for funding. However, the Fund operates according to the principle of additionality. This means that the provision of grants must not substitute or replace an organisation’s core funding (or other existing funding), or crowd out or under-cut other funding sources. If a project progresses to the Proposal stage, both the Technical and Financial Proposal will be scrutinised by the Fund to ensure the applicant needs the amount of grant funding requested.

If we apply for £150k at the Pitch stage, is this the amount that we will receive from the Fund if our application is approved or could the amount we receive be lower?

The Fund operates according to the principle of additionality. This means that the provision of grants must not substitute or replace an organisation’s core funding (or other existing funding), or crowd out or under-cut other funding sources. If a project progresses to the Proposal stage, both the Technical and Financial Proposal will be scrutinised by the Fund to ensure the applicant truly needs the amount of grant funding requested.

Is matched funding mandatory and what counts as a match funding contribution?

To be considered eligible to apply for funding the Lead Applicant must commit to providing a matching contribution of at least 50% of the amount requested from the Fund. For instance, if an applicant is requesting £200,000 from the Fund, a match funding contribution of at least £100,000 is required.

Match funding contributions can be made ‘in cash’ and/or ‘in kind’ and can be provided by the Lead Applicant themselves or a third-party. For more details and examples of what constitutes ‘in cash’ or ‘in kind’, please refer to the T&Cs.

Does the specific partner that will be contributing to the match funding have to be decided and secured before pitch submission? Or can that be confirmed at some point between the pitch and proposal submission stage?

Match funding does not have to be secured prior to the Pitch submission, however the Lead Applicant should explain in the relevant section of the application questionnaire how certain/confident they are of securing the contribution and any related conditions or dependencies.

If a project proceeds to the Proposal stage, the Lead Applicant will be required to provide evidence that the match funding has been secured or will be secured prior to contracting. Failure to provide this evidence will mean the Proposal is rejected. Please refer to the T&Cs for examples of evidence.

With regards to meeting the SDGs in your proposal, does that mean any SDG PLUS internet connectivity, or only the ones related to internet connectivity?

The Fund is looking for start-ups or SMEs willing and able to work with mobile operators on projects which advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to be eligible to apply for funding, a Lead Applicant needs to demonstrate how their project will advance the SDGs. This can mean just those related to mobile internet connectivity (e.g. SDG 9), however it is expected that projects which contribute to multiple SDGs will be able to demonstrate achieving the greatest socio-economic impact.

Can I edit my application once it has been submitted?

Applications cannot be edited once they have been submitted. Additionally, multiple submissions for the same project are not permitted. In cases where this occurs, the first submission will be reviewed if it is eligible but all duplicate submissions will be deemed ineligible and not reviewed.