Fundraising Tracker Name Type Priority Status Owner Remarks Arinda Family  Recoverable Grant High 1k Contributed Kimbowa Family Recoverable Grant High Offered 1k USD, not yet contributed Tushabe Family Recoverable Grant High 10k USD Contributed on Dec 1st 2024 Added an addition ~1800 USD in October 2025 Mercy Corp Ventures Equity  medium Reviewed the deck in May 2025.  While the team liked the community angle, the key concerns were The scalability of the model and Traction (it's still early) Requested to be added to investor newsletter Aaron Tushabe We are no longer pursuing equity funders because as a co-op, we don't have equity to offer.  Energy Sector Management Assistance Program - ESMAP (World bank) Grant medium Co-organises the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum & Expo with GOGLA (see GOGLA row). Echoing Green Fellowship Recoverable Grant high Submitted on October 7th 2025. Not selected for the 2026 Fellowship. Aaron Tushabe 2026 Fellows were announced Sept 1, 2026. EEP Africa (Nordic Development Fund) Grant high Closed for 2025, planning to apply for 2026. Not sure when it opens again Oct 28th 2026: the 2026 call (grants up to €500k, Uganda eligible, applicant registered 6+ months, co-financing required) closed on March 16th 2026 and we missed it. Watch eepafrica.org for the 2027 call, likely early in the year. Aaron Tushabe Solarise Africa won a €1M EEP Africa grant for Zambia/Uganda on a similar "reliable power where the grid fails" case (USEA briefing, Oct 20th 2026). Africa Climate Change Fund Grant African Green Banks (AFBD) Grant + Debt Alliance for Green Infrastructure (AFDB) Grants + Debt high Send an email to info@africa50.com   on August 23rd.  Aaron Tushabe Beyond the Grid No open applications yet    https://beyondthegrid.africa/funding-rounds/ US Department of Energy Grants Nithio Debt Needs at least 2 years of business to pass loan application Aaron Tushabe Mission 300 (World bank) low Focusing on power for remote and off grid communities so no aligned with our early stage objectives Factor E Equity We are no longer pursuing equity funders because as a co-op, we don't have equity to offer.  Kiva.org Debt Check back on August 15th Digital Africa ? Applied on June 17th 2025. Waiting for Feedback Aaron Tushabe Aquarious Foundation Grant or Debt Applied on June 17th 2025. Waiting feedback Aaron Tushabe Start-coop Grant Applied on June 18th.    We did not qualify because we are not (yet) based in North America Aaron Tushabe Expect $5k to $50k LabStart Grant Submitted application on July 7th.  Not Accepted Aaron Tushabe CataCap Grant / DAF medium Aaron Tushabe  Mission300 Grant?  Aaron Tushabe Energy IoT Open Source Grant Pledged 3k by Arila Barnes (founder and CEO) Aaron Tushabe Received 2.8k in April 2026 Project Spark EU Grant high Submitted on September 15th 2025 with EnAccess and The Gym Rwanda Aaron Tushabe Got feedback on Nov 21st 2025 that we did not meet the eligibility criteria but they didn't elaborate on which criteria AMAP medium Praxis High Submitted on September 20th 2025.  Aaron Tushabe We did not get in. They thought we were among the top applicants and recommended we apply again next year. UGEFA medium Aaron Tushabe / Dansturn Requires 2+ years of operations so we would need to apply via green volta Green Volta Recoverable Grant high Waiting on Budget from NFE to confirm how much they can contribute Dansturn Samuel Tondo Recoverable Grant high Waiting on Budget from NFE to confirm how much they can contribute Digital Energy Challenge Grant high Applied to the Tech Accelerator on June 17th 2026 (application 00298). Also started a Partnership application (00076) on June 12th. Followed up with contact@afddigitalenergychallenge.com on Aug 25th; no reply yet. Still no reply in NFE mail as of Oct 28th 2026. Chase again. Aaron Tushabe Asked for €150k (€112.5k grant + €37.5k expert support). D-Prize Grant high Submitted on October 28th 2025. Not selected. Aaron Tushabe The 2026 competition is open again (reminder email Oct 12, 2026), so consider reapplying. MSISV Grant and Equity  high Email sent on Oct 16th 2025 to find out when applications will be open again Aaron Tushabe Sunbird AI  Fellowship They are offering a research program that could help us develop V1 of our autonomous microgrid Aaron Tushabe  Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) Grant low No links to getting involved Aaron Tushabe Energy IoT Open Source Donations medium EIoT can service as a fiscal sponsor to receive tax deductible US donations on our behalf.  Need to register a US entity for this  Funding Hope Crowd funding medium Aaron Tushabe Develop Ventures Grant matching  medium Uganda not eligible right now Aaron Tushabe  Closes Dec 31 2025 Carbon Credits low Initial meeting with Ashaba told us that this is going to be a long lead time option to explore.. at least 7 years before any credits are verified and bankable Aaron Tushabe DRK Foundation high Focusses on post pilot, pre-scale. I think we are not yet post pilot Aaron Tushabe IEEE Smart Village (ISV) Grant (staged seed funding) high Intro email sent on Oct 20th 2026 to Abdullateef Aliyu (abdullateef@ieee.org), Africa Regional Working Group, cc smartvillagestaff@ieee.org. Asked whether grid-connected urban microgrids are in scope and requested a call. Waiting for reply; follow up early November if no response. Aaron Tushabe First round is usually up to $25k, with follow-on funding up to $200k after results. Intake needs a 2-page concept note, lean canvas and 5-year cash flow forecast; the regional group mentors the proposal, then the Project Development Committee reviews it quarterly (6–8 weeks), then a contract is signed (2–4 weeks). Most spend should go to income-generating assets, and the project must cover electricity, education and enterprise. Paid in tranches against progress reports. Met ISV at PowerAfrica Nairobi, Sept 2026. GOGLA: Global Off-Grid Solar Forum & Expo (Kigali, Oct 27–29th 2026) Event / investor matchmaking high Dansturn is in Kigali for OSEAS (Oct 26–27th). A free-pass request to Laura Bonilla (l.bonilla@gogla.org, Events), cc Megan Taylor (m.taylor@gogla.org), was drafted on Oct 21st but there's no sign it was sent as of Oct 28th. Full pass is $1,650 and the expo-only pass is $50; no budget for either. The local-company investor roundtable is on Oct 29th. Dansturn / Aaron Even if we can't attend: sign up for the GOGLA Virtual Pitchbook (seen by investors before and after the forum), and get the 2026 Off-Grid Solar Market Trends Report launched there. GOGLA members get event discounts. USEA Solar Innovation Challenge & Business Pitch Pitch / event medium Applied on Aug 15th 2026 to pitch the RPM at the USEA National Solar Expo (Aug 26–28th). USEA acknowledged on Aug 20th, but we got no decision despite follow-ups on Aug 20th and 25th. Aaron Tushabe Next Expo is Aug 25–27th 2027; ask to be on the pitch list early. Check whether NFE is a USEA member; every weekly briefing pushes membership. GET.invest Finance Readiness Support Advisory (technical assistance) high Not applied. Runs year-round in rounds; the last round closed on Oct 20th 2026, and feedback comes 6–8 weeks after each round closes. Aaron Tushabe Free support for early-stage, locally owned companies: financial model, pitch deck, investor introductions. Apply at apply.get-invest.eu. EU Delegation to Uganda (Uganda–EU Business Forum) Investor pitch / EU programmes medium The forum ran Oct 20–21st 2026 and we missed the pitch session, which needed a minimum raise of €0.5M. Ministers used it to court EU energy investors. Aaron Tushabe Send an intro to Cristina Banuta (Cristina.BANUTA@eeas.europa.eu) framing Garuga plus scale-up as €0.5M+, and ask about EU programmes for Ugandan energy SMEs. Transforming Energy Access (UK Ayrton Fund) Grant medium No open call found (Oct 2026). The UK extended the Ayrton Fund. Its Beyond-Zero project (locally repairable, expandable storage replacing generators) is led by Acele Africa. Aaron Tushabe Watch for calls; explore partnering with Acele Africa. ASCENT Project Preparation Facility (World Bank / COMESA) Grant (project preparation) + TA low Not eligible yet: needs 3+ years of operations, $150k+ minigrid revenue, an active financing deal and 20% co-financing. The first cycle closed on Aug 31st 2026. Grants of $50k–200k. Revisit in 2027–28. UECCC Solar Loan Program Debt (consumer finance via banks) low Not explored. Household and business solar credit through participating banks. Possible way to finance Garuga household connections later.