Call For Proposals Challenge Fund For Innovation In Agricultural Tvet (Activate)

Call For Proposals 

Donor: Mastercard Foundation
Implementer: World University Service of Canada
Location: Ghana
Target: Agricultural Technical Vocational Education Training Institutions
Duration: 6 - 24 Months
Grant Envelope: USD 675,000 (Minimum Amount per grant USD 10,000
Maximum Amount per grant USD 75,000)
Call Open Date: 1ST October 2025
Application Deadline: December 30th, 2025, 12:00 midnight
Expected Start Date: February 20th, 2026 

BACKGROUND
The World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a Canadian non-profit international development organization committed to building a more equitable and sustainable world. WUSC works with a diverse network of students, volunteers, institutions, governments, and businesses to improve youth education, economic opportunities, and empowerment worldwide.

In Ghana, WUSC is implementing the Accelerating Change Through Innovation in Agricultural TVET (ACTIVATE) program in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. This five-year initiative (2023–2028) aims to strengthen an industry-led, demand-driven Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) system that improves the well-being and resilience of young women and men.

The program addresses key challenges facing the agricultural and adjacent sectors (e.g., ICT, logistics), including:
Low quality of ATVET instruction, curricula, and infrastructure.
Weak alignment of policies across ministries.
Limited engagement between ATVET institutions and industry.
Insufficient entrepreneurship support and business skills for youth.
Inadequate institutional management capacity.
The program also integrates strong lenses on gender equality, disability inclusion, refugee participation, and climate resilience.

INTRODUCTION TO THE FUND
WUSC, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, is pleased to announce the 2025 Call for Proposals for the ACTIVATE Challenge Fund.

The Fund supports ATVET institutions and their partners to pilot and scale innovative models that:
Enhance the quality and relevance of ATVET instruction.
Create sustainable youth employment and enterprise opportunities.
Advance gender equality, disability inclusion, and refugee participation.
Promote climate-smart and green solutions.

Proposals should demonstrate market relevance, inclusivity, and clear pathways from training to employment or self-employment.

OBJECTIVES
The Challenge Fund aims to:
Encourage innovative solutions that directly support youth employment and enterprise creation in agriculture and allied sectors.
Enhance the quality and relevance of ATVET instruction and infrastructure, including the integration of digital tools and climate-smart technologies.
Promote gender equality, disability inclusion, and refugee participation by addressing barriers and ensuring safe, inclusive, and accessible training-to-work pathways.
Foster sustainable institutional and business models that strengthen ATVET systems, build resilience, and align training with labor market demands.

PROJECT TYPES
Youth Enterprise Incubation and Revenue-Generating Ventures
Projects that establish or strengthen incubation hubs, youth start-ups, and institutional ventures that generate income while creating jobs. These may include agribusiness commercialization, service enterprises, or innovative financing models that support both youth employment and institutional sustainability.

Skills Infrastructure and Training Upgrades
Projects that enhance the delivery of practical, job-ready skills by upgrading training spaces, workshops, and equipment. This includes modern, climate-conscious infrastructure improvements and accessible facilities to ensure inclusive participation by women, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups.

Gender, Disability, and Refugee Inclusion Initiatives
Projects that address barriers to participation for young women, persons with disabilities, and refugees or displaced persons. Interventions may include tailored training programs, safeguarding measures, assistive technologies, and targeted career transition support.

Climate-Smart and Green Innovations
Projects that embed sustainable practices in training and enterprise creation, such as renewable energy use, eco-friendly technologies, efficient resource management, or climate-resilient production systems. These initiatives should demonstrate clear employment and livelihood outcomes for youth while promoting environmental stewardship.

Digital Transformation and Technology Integration
Initiatives that apply digital solutions to expand access, quality, and efficiency in training-to-work pathways. This may include e-learning platforms, virtual classrooms, digital job-matching tools, ICT-enabled agribusiness models, or innovative service delivery systems led by youth.

OUTCOMES

Improved Quality and Relevance of Training
ATVET institutions deliver practical, market-driven, and climate-smart training through upgraded infrastructure, modern equipment, and skilled instructors.

Youth Employment and Enterprise Creation
Increased enrollment and successful transition of young people, especially women, persons with disabilities, and refugees and displaced persons, into meaningful jobs and self-employment through incubation hubs, apprenticeships, and industry linkages.

Stronger Institutional and Industry Partnerships
ATVET institutions work closely with private sector actors, SMEs, and government agencies to co-design programs, expand job placements, and align training with labor market demands.

Inclusive Participation and Safeguarding
Gender equality, disability inclusion, and safeguarding measures are mainstreamed to remove barriers and ensure safe, dignified participation for all youth.

Sustainability and Climate Resilience
Institutions adopt revenue-generating models, green innovations, and environmentally responsible practices that strengthen long-term resilience and reduce climate risks.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA 

Eligible Institutions: Agricultural Colleges, Farm Institutes, Technical Universities, accredited TVET institutions, and other recognized training providers working in agriculture and allied sectors. (see Table 1: Eligible Institutions)

Organizational Capacity: Applicants must demonstrate the ability to design and implement projects effectively, including proven financial stability, operational systems, qualified staff, and relevant program experience.
Alignment with Fund Objectives: Proposals must clearly contribute to youth employment and enterprise creation, demonstrate innovation, integrate gender and social inclusion, and embed climate-smart and sustainable practices.

Geographic Focus: Projects must be implemented in Ghana, with priority given to rural and peri-urban areas where youth employment opportunities are most limited.

Project Scope: Eligible projects include youth enterprise incubation, industry-led workforce pipelines, village-based agripreneurship, green and digital innovations, skills infrastructure upgrades, and inclusive training initiatives.

Partnerships and Consortia: Applicants may apply individually or in partnership with private sector actors, SMEs, NGOs, or community-based organizations. In the case of consortia, roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined.

Employment Outcome Commitment: Applicants must demonstrate how their proposed project will deliver measurable youth employment outcomes (new, improved, or sustained jobs) and commit to tracking and reporting these results.

Safeguarding and Inclusion Readiness: Applicants must have, or commit to adopting, policies and systems on gender equality, disability inclusion, safeguarding, and child protection to ensure safe and equitable participation. 
Environmental Responsibility: Proposals must integrate climate-smart practices and demonstrate how they will minimize adverse environmental impacts while promoting sustainability and resilience.

Financial Compliance: Applicants must have transparent financial management systems and be able to comply with all donor reporting, monitoring, and auditing requirements.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Applicants are required to submit a Technical Proposal and a Financial Proposal. Both documents should be submitted as separate files.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Innovation and Scalability

Introduction of bold, practical solutions, technologies, or methodologies that transform ATVET delivery and directly link training to youth employment and enterprise creation. Projects must demonstrate potential for replication and scale.

Youth Employment Outcomes

Clear and measurable plans to create new jobs, improve existing ones, or sustain livelihoods, with particular focus on young women, persons with disabilities, and refugees.

Sustainability and Institutional Resilience

Strong strategies for sustaining project outcomes beyond the grant period, including adoption of revenue-generating models, partnerships, and long-term institutional capacity strengthening.

Market Relevance and Industry Linkages

Evidence of alignment with labor market needs through collaboration with industries, SMEs, and value chain actors, ensuring training leads to employability, entrepreneurship, and income opportunities.

Gender Equality, Social Inclusion, and Safeguarding

Integration of inclusive approaches that address barriers faced by marginalized groups, backed by safeguarding measures, clear monitoring mechanisms, and disaggregated data tracking.

Environmental and Climate-Smart Practices

Commitment to environmentally responsible solutions that promote climate resilience, sustainable resource use, and green youth enterprises.

SUBMISSION METHOD

Submit the Technical and Financial proposals via our application portal

CONTACT FOR QUESTIONS

Direct any questions regarding the proposal submission to [email protected].

Access the Full Package

To access the complete documentation including the Request for Proposal, proposal templates, and application guidelines can be accessed here. 

Submission Deadline

December 30th, 2025, 12:00 midnight (Ghana time)