UNICEF Venture Fund 2026 for Tech Solutions in Children Climate & Health (Up to $100,000 in Equity-Free Funding for Startups)

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Applications are open for UNICEF Venture Fund 2026 for Tech Solutions in Children Climate & Health. UNICEF Venture Fund calls on startups developing frontier tech solutions for children at the intersection of climate and health to join its Climate Ventures cohort.

The UNICEF Venture Fund invests in open-source frontier technology solutions from emerging markets. For this call for applications, we are seeking proposals from climate-focused startups developing open-source frontier technology solutions that have the potential to create radical change for children.

The Challenge

Climate shocks are intensifying existing vulnerabilities. Despite being among the most affected, children remain underrepresented in the design of climate technologies intended to address these challenges.

The Need

By prioritizing innovations that are locally adaptable, data-driven and child-centred, Climate Ventures will help shift climate technology toward equitable impact for this and coming generations. At its core is a commitment to strengthen the resilience of systems that safeguard children’s wellbeing.

UNICEF Venture Fund Benefits

The UNICEF Venture Fund is offering up to US$100,000 in equity-free funding for early-stage and ready-to-deploy technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and blockchain.

Requirements

The Venture Fund champions diversity, inclusion and frontier tech innovation by backing early- and growth-stage startups leveraging AI, machine learning, blockchain and other frontier technologies, especially those that are ready to deploy in low-resource or emergency settings.

Area 1: Strategic planning
Area 2: Early warning, early action
Area 3: Healthcare readiness
Area 4: Point-of-care support

Eligibility criteria for UNICEF Venture Fund

UNICEF is looking to provide investment-style funding to early-stage technology startups. Only entities that fulfill these mandatory requirements will be considered eligible:

Registered as a private company at the time of the Innovation Fund award (projected: 3 months from submission of EOI)
A private company registered in a UNICEF programme country
Working on open source technology solutions (or willing to be open source) under the following licenses or their equivalent:
(i) for software, a GNU General Public license, MIT or BSD,
(ii) for hardware, a CERN, MIT or TAPR open license and
(iii) for design or content, a CC-BY license
An existing prototype of the open source solution with promising results from initial pilots
Solution has the potential to positively impact the lives of the most vulnerable children
Generating publicly exposed real-time data that is measurable
UNICEF’s Innovation Principles