The Fertilizer for Food Innovation Challenge is designed to accelerate and build the pipeline of 6-10nnovative fertilizer-oriented Ethiopian enterprises through a combination of milestone-based grants, technical assistance, networking support, and community building. Types of support provided to successful innovators include:

1. Milestone-Based Grants. This RFA is intentionally designed with the understanding that the financial and non-financial needs of applicants vary greatly. CATALYZE MS4G plans to issue 6-10 fixed amount, milestone-based award (FAA) grants, each between USD $20,000 and $200,000, paid in Ethiopian Birr. Each FAA will be funded based on milestones and an implementation plan that are mutually agreed upon at the time of the award. CATALYZE MS4G will work with successful applicants to ensure that agreed upon funding amounts are appropriate to the size, scale, scope, and potential impact of proposed solutions. Grant agreements will be structured around a 12-month period, starting on the date of award. All awards are subject to the availability of funding.
2. Tailored Technical Assistance. CATALYZE MS4G will offer tailored technical assistance for Fertilizer for Food Challenge finalists. Successful applicants will take part in a rapid needs assessment to prioritize their business needs for long-term growth and work with the Challenge Team to co-create a SOW and select a vendor (or consultant) to help each enterprise address their respective identified needs. This includes (but is not limited to) services in the following areas:
• Business Operations: business mentorship, business modeling, supply chain development, product development, refinement, and diversification.
• Market Intelligence and Information: holistic environmental assessment, market research and market analysis (including BoP), missing markets, partner identification and partnerships.
• Operations: human resources management, inventory management/record keeping and financial management, legal services, organizational capacity building, marketing and sales.
• Marketing and Communication: graphic design, branding, and website development; media training and presentation coaching; policy and advocacy; marketing and advertising targeting end market consumers.
• As-Needed Technical Expertise: materials science, gender, or third-party technology efficacy testing.
3. Fertilizer for Food Innovator Community. Each quarter, the Fertilizer for Food Challenge team will organize innovator exchanges on focused topics, such as overcoming end-user ability to pay, last mile marketing, or ways to reduce transportation costs. This community will be open to all finalists.
4. Fertilizer for Food Investor and Funder Briefings. CATALYZE MS4G, at the permission of each awardee/innovator, will update and promote its finalists through quarterly briefings with a group of aligned investors and funders.
5. Partnering to Scale support. As appropriate to the innovation context, CATALYZE MS4G will use its convening power and networks to connect awardees/innovators to potential commercial, government, or NGO partners positioned to help scale the commercialization and adoption of their innovation amongst target customer segments in Ethiopia.

Co-Investment. Awardee/innovations will be expected to commit to co-invest in the CATALYZE MS4G-funded innovation support. Applicants’ contribution may be financial or in-kind but must involve resources mobilized for the specific purpose of pursuing the innovation objective outlined in the applicant’s proposal. CATALYZE MS4G and the awardees will jointly determine the appropriate amount and nature of an awardee’s co-investment appropriate to an innovation’s and innovator’s specific context, acceleration needs and potential impact.