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apply to the accelerator’s
young changemakers cohort
Applications for 2022 are now closed.
Learn more about we were looking for below!
Only Accepted Applications From WASH Social Enterprises operating in EAST ASIA & the PACIFIC
(Applicable countries are: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, DPR Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pacific Islands, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, VietNam)
SDG 6: Clean Water, SANITATION, & HYGIENE FOR ALL

Ready to scale your innovation or enterprise? We are looking for social entrepreneurs tackling the most challenging problems facing children globally. Our third cohort will be made up of social enterprises working specifically on issues related to SDG 6 in East Asia and the Pacific (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, DPR Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pacific Islands, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, VietNam)
We are particularly looking for innovations that make WASH adaptive, safe, and resilient with a focus on engaging youth. Innovations that contribute to futureproofing WASH, climate resilience or adaptation, or the circular economy are particularly encouraged to apply.
Solutions in Water, Sanitation,
and Hygiene
Water, sanitation, and health are at the core of sustainable development, and the range of services they provide underpin poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental sustainability. However, in recent decades overexploitation, pollution, and climate change have led to severe water stress in locales across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose additional obstacles, impairing access for billions of people to safely managed drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services – services desperately needed to prevent the virus from spreading.
Now more than ever the world needs to transform the way it manages its water resources and delivers water and sanitation services for billions of people. Urgent action is needed to overcome this global WASH crisis, as it is affecting all countries around the world, socially, economically and environmentally.


Duke-UNICEF Design Principles
UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships, and technologies that support realizing children’s rights are critical to improving their lives. For us, innovation is about taking emerging approaches and tools, and testing how they can be applied across contexts. If successful, we scale them to positively impact children and young people around the world. For the purpose of this Accelerator, Duke and UNICEF have adapted the Principles for Digital Development, as developed by UNICEF and others. Eligible social enterprises must adhere to these principles to qualify.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Our Support
Over the course of the 15-month Accelerator, selected enterprises will receive:
- $25,000 unrestricted, one-time grant
- Personalized coaching from social enterprise experts at Duke University and field experts from UNICEF
- Bespoke mentoring
- Customized capacity building and scale curriculum
- Duke University student and faculty support
- Access to our broad networks
Accelerator Awardees should anticipate the following as part of their participation:
- Participate in online communities and monthly webinars
- Participate in monthly calls for coaching, mentoring, and peer learning
- Participate in the week-long Duke-UNICEF Virtual Forum on Social Innovation, held twice yearly
- Develop a capacity-building plan for scaling their impact, with support from the Accelerator team
- Implement and track progress of a customized capacity-building plan, with support from the accelerator team and other mentors
- Report relevant program performance and financial data on a semi-annual basis
- Share insights, promising practices, lessons learned, and other expertise with all social enterprises participating in the Accelerator
Eligibility Requirements
The Duke-UNICEF Innovation Accelerator is open to any impact enterprises, working in or across East Asia and the Pacific (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, DPR Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pacific Islands, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, VietNam) that meet the following criteria:
- Is a nonprofit, hybrid, or for-profit social enterprise
- Has one to two founders/executives/senior leaders or program managers that can represent the enterprise over the course of the 15-month Accelerator and are comfortable and proficient in working in English
- Organization representatives are under the age of 35, strong preference will be given to participants under 30
- Has strong evidence of impact over at least 1-2 years and has a plan for how to use the Duke-UNICEF award to scale that impact in the next 3-5 years
- Deploys a promising WASH product and/or service, innovative supply chain model, business model, or other approach that has potential for widespread, sustainable impact
- Enterprise or enterprise innovation adheres to UNICEF Innovation Principles
- Active in any country, or multiple countries, in East Asia and the Pacific
- Preference for a diverse, gender-equitable team; female entrepreneurs are encouraged to apply
- Current student teams are not eligible
Join Us
Applications for 2022 are now closed.