Call for Proposals: Apply for the Mercy Corps Ventures Innovative Tech for Water Security (equity-free funding up to $50,000)

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Closing Date: 2 May 2025

Call for Proposals: Apply for the Mercy Corps Ventures Innovative Tech for Water Security (equity-free funding up to $50,000)

Overview

This is the third call for proposals from Mercy Corps Venture’s Climate Venture Lab, through which Mercy Corps is committing up to $1M to test first-of-a-kind solutions aimed at enhancing climate resilience for vulnerable communities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The previous two calls were the Climate Tech Facility and AI for Climate Resilience, which together received over 700 applications and yielded solutions such as automated ice reservoirs, IoT-powered irrigation services, and AI-based recommendations for sugarcane farmers. This call for Innovative Tech for Water Security is focused on water security and the funding of innovative, tech-based solutions that improve water efficiency, access, conservation, and safety.

The world is facing a water crisis. Four billion people experience severe water scarcity for at least one month each year, while over two billion people live in countries with inadequate water supply. By 2030, an estimated 700 million people could be displaced by intense water scarcity. Emerging markets in regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America are particularly vulnerable due to less resilient infrastructure and growing populations.

Climate change is severely disrupting freshwater availability and water flows, intensifying droughts, floods, and extreme rainfall events. Rising global temperatures accelerate evaporation, drying out soils and reducing groundwater recharge, while unpredictable weather patterns make water management more difficult. Many regions are seeing worsening water stress, which is threatening livelihoods and health, ecosystems, and food security.

Despite these challenges, technology presents an opportunity to improve how water is monitored, managed, and conserved. This call for proposals seeks first-of-a-kind (FOAK) water innovations that can be piloted and scaled in emerging markets in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Mercy Corps is looking for solutions that improve water efficiency, access, conservation, and safety — helping build climate resilience, protect natural resources, and ensure sustainable livelihoods.

Innovative Tech for Water Security Programme Outline

Mercy Corps is seeking partners to test potential solutions to enhance water security in emerging markets. Mercy Corps is looking for solutions that benefit low-income and underserved populations.

Mercy Corps will select groundbreaking solutions that address one or more of the following areas:

Increasing water supply. For example, solutions around rainwater harvesting, desalination, recycling / wastewater, water reuse, or boreholes.
Optimizing water usage / demand. For example, smart irrigation, nature-based water conservation systems, or water efficiency tools.
Strengthening infrastructure. For example, storage, treatment, or reducing losses in the network.

Mercy Corps will select pilots based on the following criteria:

Impact. Who is the pilot serving and what impact will be achieved? Mercy Corps expect proposals to include actionable plans to demonstrate impact on one or more of MCV’s target populations, including smallholder farmers, refugees and migrants, underserved women, marginalized communities, and those living in climate-vulnerable contexts.
Innovation. How transformative is the solution? Is it first-of-a-kind?
Traction and team. How likely is this team to execute the solution as it’s designed? Does the team have the capacity to successfully deliver the pilot? This can be evidenced through current track record, team credentials, and technological maturity of the product or service.
Scalability. How likely is this product or service to scale or replicate broadly? How do the unit economics work?

Benefits

Mercy Corps will support applications from Africa, Asia, and Latin America and selected partners will receive equity-free grants of up to $50,000 each. Alongside capital, MCV will also provide mentorship, impact measurement advisory, access to partnership opportunities, knowledge exchange, and brand exposure. Mercy Corps encourages applications from early-stage technology startups with innovative, scalable solutions.