As part of efforts aimed at strengthening the nation’s social enterprise and development ecosystem, the Luminary Project has announced up to ₦6 million in impact funding support for selected social innovators.

The announcement was made in Lagos recently at the third edition of the Luminary Awards. Ten changemakers were recognised for their contributions across education, healthcare, sustainability, youth empowerment, community development, and social innovation.

The funding initiative is designed to move beyond recognition by providing tangible support to grassroots innovators tackling critical social challenges.

In her speech, Executive Director of The Luminary Project, Napa Onwusah identified inadequate funding as a challenge confronting organisations across the country.

To her, “the Luminary Project exists because Nigeria’s most credible changemakers are rarely the most visible ones.’

Speaking further, she disclosed that the organisation currently operates three funding streams targeted at different categories of social impact organisations.

Onwusah noted that the first impact fund is dedicated to top-performing changemakers within the Luminary Awards cohort, while the second supports alumni beneficiaries through periodic funding rounds.

A third fund, she disclosed, is designed to support non-governmental organisations beyond the Luminary network.

She added, “What we need is funding to be able to deploy more resources to our changemakers. We also need visibility to ensure people understand what we are doing and can hold us accountable. Beyond that, we need experienced professionals in the impact space to support and mentor emerging Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO).

The event drew participation from representatives of major organisations including MTN, Amazon Web Services, and the 3 Million Technical Talent initiative, reflecting growing collaboration between the private sector and social impact organisations.

Beyond the awards, the event reinforced the importance of visibility, collaboration, and support for changemakers building solutions across the country.

The organisers also called on individuals, organisations, institutions, and development partners to actively support the work of grassroots changemax̌kers across the country through funding, collaboration, mentorship, visibility, and strategic partnerships capable of driving long-term social transformation.