The Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA) is a programme of the Adaptation Fund, implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator in Munich. It identifies, supports and scales locally rooted climate-adaptation solutions that protect food systems and livelihoods in communities hit by droughts, floods, storms and rising temperatures.
AFCIA runs four regional cohorts from 2024 to 2029. Each year focuses on a different region. The first cohort (2024) supported ventures implementing in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. The Asia-Pacific sprint (2026) includes ventures in Nepal, Pakistan and the Philippines. The third cohort targets Latin America and the Caribbean, with a live call for solutions tailored to climate-adaptation challenges in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Peru.
The programme contributes to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). It seeks both low- and high-tech innovations from established legal entities (for-profit, nonprofit, social business, NGO or INGO) that already have a presence in the country of implementation and are at least seed stage. Selected teams join a bootcamp, then can enter a nine-month Sprint with WFP support and equity-free funding. Applications for the LAC cohort close 13 September 2026, 23:59 UTC; only English submissions are accepted.
AFCIA is looking for high-impact, scalable climate-adaptation solutions that can be implemented with WFP country offices and local ecosystems—not idea-stage research. Eligibility requires a legal entity, in-country presence (office, subsidiary, long-term operations or partnerships), a pathway to scale during a nine-month Sprint, and a plan to work with humanitarian stakeholders.
Country priorities for the current LAC cohort include, in the Dominican Republic: climate-responsive support and delivery, localized climate information, hazard monitoring and early warning, and anticipatory financing. In El Salvador: disaster risk management, climate-smart agricultural advisory, climate and market intelligence, and post-harvest loss. In Peru: market and climate information, climate-risk financing, scalable early-warning channels, and water management.
Evaluation covers innovativeness, contextual relevance, financial sustainability and scalability, team capability, climate-adaptation outcomes, evidence of impact, Adaptation Fund environmental and social principles, and gender and inclusion. About 10–12 applicants are expected to be shortlisted in November 2026 for a January 2027 bootcamp; Sprint funding follows that process. Prior public WFP communications on earlier AFCIA cohorts described equity-free grants of up to about US$200,000 depending on venture maturity.
Equity-free sprint after a competitive bootcamp
Shortlisted teams are invited to a WFP Innovation Accelerator bootcamp; those that enter the Sprint receive tailored implementation support and grant funding without taking equity.
Tied to WFP country operations
Ventures are expected to work with WFP country offices and humanitarian stakeholders so solutions are tested in real food-security and climate-risk contexts, not only as standalone pilots.
Regional, locally rooted cohorts
Four cohorts from 2024–2029 rotate geography (MENA, Asia-Pacific, LAC and a further region) so support follows locally defined adaptation challenges rather than a single global theme.
Open LAC application window
The third cohort is accepting applications through 13 September 2026 for seed-or-later innovations with a presence in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador or Peru.
Focus areas
