The Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation (Misk) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have announced the Challenge for Change, a program aiming to support non-profits and social enterprises across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This follows the success of the Misk Foundation’s Youth Non-profit Organization Building Program launched in 2021, helping launch 41 non-profit organizations and supporting 14 existing ones.
The Challenge for Change, a program led by the Misk Foundation in partnership with the Gates Foundation with up to $2.5 million in grant funding, will incubate Saudi-based non-profit and social initiatives building technological, environmental or health and wellbeing solutions with local and global impact.
Bill Gates Chair – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
“Today, young Saudi entrepreneurs are working on the cutting edge of AI, cloud computing, climate technology, and more. Digital startups are thriving, along with social entrepreneurs working to make the world a better, healthier place. This generation has inherited a remarkable legacy of innovation and I can’t wait to see the new solutions it will pioneer.”
The call for proposals specifically targets researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and non-profit leaders whose solutions can create development advances in their communities with scalable potential across the Middle East region and in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The CEO of the Misk Foundation Dr. Badr Al-Badr said that, “The Challenge for Change Program aligns with Misk’s mission to support nonprofits with a social impact focus. Partnering with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the program aims to promote innovation in the Kingdom and support initiatives addressing both local and global challenges.”
“Announcing the program during the eighth edition of the Misk Global Forum underscores the forum’s purpose as a platform for local and global partnerships that empower youth and prepare them for the future,” Dr. Al-Badr added.
