The Million Lives Collective (MLC) has partnered with the Judith Neilson Foundation to launch a new grant initiative aimed at accelerating collaborative innovations for smart, healthy and resilient cities across Africa. The African Cities Innovation Fund (ACIF), unveiled on December 3, 2025 during the International Development Innovation Alliance’s (IDIA) Global Summit in Nairobi, will open for applications in Spring 2026.
The Fund will provide flexible grants of up to $75,000 to pairs of African innovators working together to design and test new solutions to emerging urban challenges. In addition to financial support, selected awardees will receive tailored technical assistance, coaching, partnership support and exposure to global development leaders through IDIA’s Collaboration Lab, Collaborative Scaling for Exponential Impact.
Announcing the initiative, Abi Taylor, Innovation Lead at the Judith Neilson Foundation, said African cities are expanding at a dramatic pace, generating both immense opportunities and complex challenges. “Ensuring that cities are places where people can thrive calls for imagination, ambition, innovation and collaboration. We’re delighted to partner with the Million Lives Collective to help innovators test new partnerships and generate impact where it is most needed,” she said.
The MLC is currently building a pipeline of scale-ready urban innovations ahead of a new membership call in January 2026. According to Jite Phido, Senior Program Manager at MLC and Results for Development, innovators across the continent are already advancing solutions in mobility, access to services, local economies, public spaces, and climate resilience. The Fund aims to amplify these efforts while unlocking new pathways for exponential impact.
Since 2019, the MLC has worked to identify and strengthen impactful solutions to sustainable development challenges, and since 2022 has explored collaboration grants as a catalyst for development. ACIF builds on this research, particularly lessons from sectors such as health and women’s economic empowerment.
Edwin Muroki of 4Life Solutions Kenya, a past participant in MLC’s collaboration grants program, welcomed the initiative, noting that effective urban impact depends on strong partnerships with trusted local institutions. He said collaborative models accelerate community trust, behaviour change and scale.
The Fund encourages African actors working in circular production, climate-resilient infrastructure, youth mobility, digital equity and community wellbeing to register their interest through the MLC website.
