Who is Eligible for the Land Accelerator?

Before applying to the Land Accelerator, please check your organization’s eligibility by carefully reviewing the criteria in this article.

Compare your business to the 5 criteria listed below to check your company's fit in the program. Small and medium-sized restoration enterprises with successful traction that are in need of growth capital are invited to apply. We especially encourage companies led by women and youth, who typically face greater hurdles in scaling, to apply. 

Additional requirements apply to the Land Accelerator Landscapes opportunity. All applicants eligible for the Landscapes opportunity will automatically be considered for both the continental and landscape program, no separate application is needed. 

If you are not sure that your company qualifies as a restoration enterprise, we strongly recommend that you apply. Many enterprises restore land without realizing it.

Learn more about the selection process and see tips for submitting a great application. Please submit questions on eligibility to [e-mail].

If you are an alumni entrepreneur of the Land Accelerator Africa, your company is not eligible to join the cohort again. Learn about offerings for alumni here.

Companies applying to the Land Accelerator should meet these 5 criteria:

Use the dropdown arrows to view criteria details

Operates in an AFR100 initiative country

Check your country’s eligibility for the Land Accelerator Africa here. 

Check your operating location eligibility for the Land Accelerator Landscapes here.

Is locally-led

WRI's RestoreLocal initiative focuses on supporting locally led organizations. 

• Locally led restoration engages local communities as stakeholders in the process from design to decision making and implementation. Local staff are included in the organization’s leadership.  
• Companies with a model that ensure smallholders can participate in the value chain, employ people locally, and can show concrete benefits for local communities are prioritized.
• Companies that specifically employ and empower women and youth are especially welcome to apply.

Is market-based, receiving money for providing goods or services

• Most participants in the Land Accelerator are for-profit, registered businesses
• Farmer cooperatives and forestry associations that sell products and/or services are eligible
• Non-profits that sell products or services to clients are eligible. See more about NGO eligibility here. 
• Organizations that rely solely on grants or philanthropy are not eligible 
• Consortium projects or joint projects are not eligible. This is an opportunity for sole entities to develop their leadership and strategy
• Universities, research organizations, government agencies and intergovernmental organizations are not eligible

Is operational and is looking to scale

• Companies that are already operational, selling products or services with experience restoring land are eligible and prioritized
• Companies that are looking to expand or diversify operations to include land restoration products or services may be eligible
• Companies that are at an idea or pre-revenue stage are generally not eligible, but especially novel, promising ideas have been accepted. This program focuses on scaling and investment readiness, which is applicable to growing, operational companies.

Has a business model that contributes to land restoration

• Restoration with practices that fall within sustainable agriculture, reforestation and agroforestry are eligible. Learn more about what types of companies have participated in past accelerators here.
• Any businesses with activities that convert, destroy, or further degrade natural ecosystems are not eligible

Examples of land restoration business models

The Land Accelerator considers applications from a very broad array of companies that are supporting land restoration in various ways. This list is not exhaustive and we encourage any eligible company contributing to land restoration to apply. There are countless unique, innovative ways that entrepreneurs are improving land. 

A partial list of restoration business models

• Producing crops with agro-forestry, silvopasture, assisted natural regeneration, or interplanting/diversified cropping with added trees on farms
• Organic soil amendments and agricultural inputs
• Non-timber forest products
• Sustainably-produced forest products
• Tree planting – native species, interspersing commercial trees and native trees, tree planting to prevent desertification
• Tree and native species nurseries
• Urban forestry
• Beekeeping
• Technology for improved agriculture and agro-forestry systems
• Livelihoods through forest conservation or products
• Conservation agriculture techniques and consulting
• Avoided deforestation through alternative cook fuels, animal feeds, building materials, packaging, etc.

 

If eligible, apply to the Land Accelerator by March 20, 2024. The deadline to submit started applications is March 27.