C3 EmpowerHer Program 2026 for Women-Centered Climate Enterprises (Up To US$150,000 Catalytic Grants)

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Applications are open for C3 EmpowerHer Program 2026. A 6-month program supporting women-led and women-benefitting climate resilience enterprises across MENA, helping them strengthen solutions to the region’s most urgent climate challenges, from water and food security to heat resilience and coastal adaptation.

Funded by the Resilient Futures Fund (RFF) and delivered by C3 – Companies Creating Change, C3 EmpowerHer equips founders with expert-led workshops, 1:1 mentorship, strategic advisory sessions and catalytic grant funding, helping ventures unlock market access and become investment-ready.

C3 EmpowerHer Program Focus Areas

Water & sanitation
Food & agri-climate
Heat resilience
Coastal & flood adaptation
Nature-based solutions
Climate-resilient infrastructure
Sustainable livelihoods
Climate finance access

Benefits

All selected startups will receive:

Expert-led training through 8–12 virtual workshops
Tailored guidance from climate, sector, and investment experts
Mentorship and strategic support
Access to C3’s network of VCs, development finance institutions, corporates, and impact funds
Support to strengthen their business and climate-impact strategies.

Additional Benefits for the Top 10

The top 10 startups will receive:

Up to US$20,000 each in catalytic pilot funding
10 expert advisory board sessions
A tailored strategic roadmap
Pilot design support with market enablers
An opportunity to showcase their venture to investors at an in-person Demo Day in Egypt in Q2 2027.

The total catalytic grant funding available across the top 10 startups is US$150,000.

Eligibility Criteria for C3 EmpowerHer Program

This program is built for early-stage climate resilience ventures across MENA. These are solutions that help communities, economies, and ecosystems withstand, recover from, and thrive despite the impacts of climate change.

To be eligible, your venture should be:

Women-centered and climate-focused: Either women-led or women-benefitting solution. Your core mission is in climate resilience rather than pure mitigation
Early-stage with traction: Pre-seed to pre-Series A, with an MVP and early evidence of traction
MENA-based or MENA-operating: Headquartered in or primarily operating within MENA
Driving gender and climate impact: Impact is intentionally built into your solution, with clear intentionality behind how it addresses gender and climate outcomes
Ready to commit: A core founding team able to commit time to a 6-month program that includes workshops, mentorship, diagnostics, and pilot execution