Every dollar has a named job.
$500,000 across 100 beneficiaries. Awards are sized to the barrier in front of the person, and the whole allocation is published before the first cheque moves.
Direct beneficiary funding
$350,000
70% of the round
Training and mentorship
$50,000
10% of the round
Opportunity access
$30,000
6% of the round
Verification and monitoring
$25,000
5% of the round
Impact documentation
$15,000
3% of the round
Administration and payments
$30,000
6% of the round
Total
$500,000
86% reaches beneficiaries.
The other 14% is the part most funds hide — verification, safeguarding, monitoring, payment costs and audit. We would rather show it than pretend a fund runs on nothing.
Published targets for Round 001, not audited figures. Actual spend per line is reported quarterly to partners and annually in public.
Direct beneficiary funding
Non-repayable grants. Equipment, travel, studio time, registration, tuition, working capital.
$350,000
70%
Training and mentorship
Coaching, legal and financial literacy, discipline-specific mentors.
$50,000
10%
Opportunity access
Trials, showcases, market introductions, portfolio and press assets.
$30,000
6%
Verification and monitoring
Identity checks, safeguarding, disbursement controls, quarterly verification.
$25,000
5%
Impact documentation
The photo, film and written record behind every reported number.
$15,000
3%
Administration and payments
Payment processing, FX, audit and reporting, staff time.
$30,000
6%
A package, not a cheque.
Non-repayable cash
Paid in tranches against milestones. No equity, repayment or revenue share.
Equipment and materials
Paid supplier-direct — kit, instruments, hardware, fabric, cameras, laptops.
Training and mentorship
Coaching, a discipline mentor, and brand and finance training.
Opportunity access
Trials, showcases, introductions, competition entry, travel and visas.
$1,000 – $2,500
~40 of 100One blocking cost removed: equipment, registration, an entry fee, a first production run.
$2,500 – $5,000
~40 of 100A funded block of work: a season, a release, a collection, a term of tuition — with a mentor alongside.
$5,000 – $10,000
~20 of 100A step-change where the evidence is strongest and the opportunity is time-bound.
Bands are planning assumptions, not entitlements. The final distribution follows the costed needs of the selected cohort.
From open call to first disbursement.
Open call and nomination
Open applications plus nominations from partners, federations, academies and the community. Free at every stage.
Eligibility screening
Screened against published criteria. Everyone not progressed gets a reason.
Verification and safeguarding
Identity, record and references verified. Sanctions screening on every award above $2,500.
Panel review and scoring
Scored against a published rubric. Conflicts declared, recusals recorded.
Award design
A package built around the specific barrier, tied to the costed need. Not identical cheques.
Disbursement and tracking
Tranches against milestones. Progress verified quarterly, published in aggregate.
Windows describe the intended timetable for Round 001. Where a stage takes longer we publish the revised timetable rather than lower the standard to hit a date.
Published before applications open.
Every candidate is scored out of 100 against the same five criteria. Panel members score independently before discussing, and completed rubrics are retained for audit.
Evidence of ability
30 ptsWhat they have already produced, verified rather than asserted.
Clarity of the barrier
20 pts"I need funding" scores nothing. "$1,800 for the licence, kit and entry fee" scores well.
Likely change from the award
25 ptsDoes this move them from stuck to moving inside twelve months?
Durability of the outcome
15 ptsDoes the change survive after the money is spent?
Reach and representation
10 ptsDoes it extend the fund where structured funding rarely reaches?
Total
100 pts
Six criteria. All of them, not most.
African nationality or heritage
Continent and diaspora both. Heritage matters more than postcode.
Demonstrable track record
Results, releases, shipped product, customers. Proven potential, not untested ideas.
A specific, costed barrier
What is blocking progress, and exactly what it costs to remove.
A change the grant can make
Decisive within twelve months, not a contribution to an open-ended plan.
Willing to be verified
Quarterly progress reporting, and being counted in the public numbers.
Aged 16 or over
Under 18 requires guardian consent and additional safeguarding.
Not eligible
- Debt repayment or refinancing
- Costs already incurred before the award
- Political campaigning
- Anything the beneficiary cannot legally receive
- BoxOutAfrica staff, panel members and their families
25%
Country cap
No single market takes more than a quarter of places.
30%
Outside the big three
Reserved for markets structured funding rarely reaches.
40%
Places for women
A floor, not a target. Published either way.
7
Disciplines guaranteed
At least one place each.
The percentages hold. The cohort flexes.
- Below target, the cohort shrinks — roughly one beneficiary per $5,000. The revised number is published.
- Above target, the excess extends the round or opens Round 002 early. Partners are told which first.
- Restricted contributions are agreed in writing and reported separately.
- No contribution is quietly redirected. Ever.
Applications open once the fund is established.
Until then, build the evidence the rubric asks for. A campaign or a free Talent Passport gives the panel something verified to look at when the call opens.
See where your money lands.
Partners receive the full pack before committing: the draft grant agreement, the selection rubric, the disbursement controls and the reporting template.