Our Social Innovation Ecosystem Fund 

Accelerating Scalable Social Innovation for Health and Food Security

The Social Innovation Ecosystem Fund (SIEF) is Bayer Foundation's flagship funding mechanism for scaling proven social innovations in low- and middle-income countries across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East.

We support high-impact organizations, social enterprises, ecosystem builders, and innovative financing models that address some of the world's most pressing challenges in health, food security, nutrition, and climate resilience. Our goal is to help accelerate solutions that create lasting systems change and contribute to a world with Health for All and Hunger for None.

Rather than funding early-stage ideas, SIEF invests in mature organizations and partnerships with demonstrated impact, strong leadership, sustainable business or operating models, and the potential to reach millions of people.

Our Grant Priorities

We invest in solutions that:

• Scale proven innovations that improve the lives of smallholder farmers, healthcare workers, women, and underserved communities.
• Strengthen local ecosystems by fostering collaboration between civil society, governments, academia, philanthropy, and the private sector.
• Create measurable and sustainable social impact at scale.
• Leverage Bayer Foundation funding to unlock additional funding, partnerships, and long-term sustainability.
• Deliver outcomes through multi-year, outcome-based grants and catalytic funding approaches.

What We Look For

• Strong alignment with Bayer Foundation's mission of Health for All and Hunger for None  
• Proven, scalable solutions addressing health, food security, nutrition, climate resilience, or women's empowerment  
• Focus on underserved communities in low- and middle-income countries  
• Innovation potential through technology, entrepreneurship, or new delivery models  
• Potential to reach millions of beneficiaries directly or indirectly  
• Strong partnerships and ecosystem-building capabilities  
• Clear path to long-term sustainability beyond grant funding  
• Ability to unlock additional funding and create leverage  
• Robust impact measurement and management systems with measurable outcomes

Funding Process

Projects are identified through Bayer Foundation's active sourcing and partner network. We do not operate an open application process.

Funding recommendations are reviewed annually by the Bayer Foundation Board of Trustees, typically during its October meeting. Approved grants are generally disbursed at year-end, with multi-year support linked to agreed milestones and reporting requirements.