KCDF Awards KES 31.5 Million to Seven Youth-Led Climate Innovations as Partnership with I&M Foundation Expands Challenge
PHOTO: Finalists of the KCDF Young Environmentalist Innovation Challenge 2025 pose during the award ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 1 – The Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) has awarded KES 31.5 million to seven youth-led enterprises and community organizations driving innovative solutions to Kenya’s most pressing environmental challenges.
The funding marks the culmination of the third edition of the Young Environmentalist Innovation Challenge (YEIC), a flagship initiative established by KCDF in 2023 to identify, nurture, and scale youth-led climate, conservation and circular economy projects across the country.
The seven winning enterprises were chosen after a rigorous evaluation process from a pool of more than 700 applications nationwide, assessed on innovation, impact potential, sustainability and scalability.
Since its launch, YEIC has emerged as one of Kenya’s premier platforms for youth-driven climate action, directly supporting 24 transformative projects focused on environmental conservation, climate resilience, sustainable resource management, and renewable energy.
“The solutions we need for waste, for clean energy, for the trees we have lost, for the soils our farmers depend on will only come from people willing to sit at the same table, share resources, share risk, and share credit,” said Grace Maingi, KCDF Executive Director.
“Today we pause to celebrate and honour Kenya’s young innovators whose ingenuity and grit have turned bold ideas into real enterprises tackling waste, energy, agriculture, and conservation across this country.”
This year’s winners are demonstrating how local innovation can deliver practical and scalablesolutions to environmental challenges while creating economic opportunities and livelihoods.
The seven finalists represent a diverse mix of circular economy, sustainable agriculture, and clean technology ventures spanning seven counties:
Twende Green Ecocycle (Mombasa County) – transforming marine plastic waste intodurable and affordable school furniture.
Fibertext Green Paper Ltd (Bungoma County) – converting discarded banana stems andfibres into biodegradable paper packaging.
Queening Afrika (Nairobi County) – transforming discarded synthetic hair into handbags, home décor products and other eco-friendly items.
Bio Regen (Murang’a County) – producing organic ACT probiotic fertiliser to promotesustainable agriculture.
Ecobora (Kajiado County) – developing solar cooking technologies to reduce dependenceon conventional fuels.
Ecobuild (Siaya County) – converting hazardous mining waste into eco-bricks for affordable.housing.
Majik Water Technologies (Murang’a County) – harnessing atmospheric moisture toproduce clean and safe drinking water.
The innovations address critical environmental concerns, including waste management,sustainable agriculture, water scarcity, access to clean energy, affordable housing, and the transition to a circular economy.
Additionally, KCDF and the I&M Foundation officially announced the evolution of the initiative under a new name: the Young Innovators Challenge (YIC).
The rebrand signals a broadened strategic vision. Moving beyond strictly environmental conservation, YIC will now back youth enterprises tackling a wider spectrum of Kenya’s socio-economic and development hurdles, including economic empowerment and community resilience.
Further, YIC aims to strengthen Kenya’s innovation ecosystem by connecting emerging innovators with funding, mentorship, networks, and opportunities to scale their ideas into sustainable ventures capable of delivering measurable community impact.
Through a matching grant arrangement, the I&M Foundation will match KCDF’s financial contribution shilling-for-shilling, significantly expanding the capital pool accessible to emerging Kenyan entrepreneurs.
“At I&M Bank and through the Foundation, we believe a financial institution’s responsibility extends beyond financing transactions,” noted Kihara Maina, Interim CEO of I&M Bank.
“We must help build the conditions in which people, businesses, and communities can thrive over the long term. By pairing financial grants with capacity strengthening and connections to expertise and markets, we want to help promising solutions become stronger, more measurable, and more sustainable.”
Reinforcing the collaborative model, Gordon Odundo, KCDF Board Vice Chair said, “When a financial institution and a community foundation combine resources, technical expertise, and shared values, the results multiply.”
“Through this matching grant arrangement, we are significantly expanding the pool of resources available to young innovators to turn bold ideas into sustainable, high-impact ventures.”
Applications for the Young Innovators Challenge are now open and can be submitted through the KCDF website: www.kcdf.or.ke
