Contact Us
The Continent Grows When Its Founders Grow.
A Grant Built for the Businesses That Are Already Doing the Work
The Charles Chima Grant is a structured, non-repayable funding programme for growth-stage entrepreneurs across Nigeria and Africa. We run three cohorts every year and each funded business receives between 1,500,000 and 2,000,000 naira, and each one contributes to funding the next.
The Charles Chima Grant exists for one reason. There are too many capable founders with real businesses, real customers, and real potential who cannot grow simply because no one has believed in them enough to invest.
1.5M +
Awarded to each selected business
3
Grant cohorts running every year
4
Stages in the selection process
7
Focus sectors backed by the grant
What Makes the Charles Chima Grant Different
The Funding Is Non-Repayable
Selected businesses receive their grant in full with no repayment obligation attached to it. The grant is not structured as a loan, an advance, or a conditional payment.
Once disbursed, the capital belongs to the business to deploy toward the growth it was awarded for. The only commitment that comes with receiving the grant is the 5% equity giveback, which is explained in full further down this page.
The Programme Is Designed for Businesses in Motion
The Charles Chima Grant has a deliberate focus on businesses that are already operational and generating revenue. This is a considered decision, not an arbitrary restriction.
Growth-stage businesses have already validated their idea in the market, already built the early relationships and systems that keep a business alive, and already demonstrated the commitment that turns a concept into something real. The grant is designed to accelerate that momentum, not to test whether it exists.
Three Cohorts Run Every Year
Many funding programmes open their application window once a year, which means a missed deadline can set a founder back by twelve months. The Charles Chima Grant runs three cohorts annually, with each cohort following the same four-stage process from application through to disbursement.
This structure means that founders who are not ready for one cohort have a genuine opportunity to prepare for the next, and that the Foundation is constantly in the business of identifying and backing new businesses rather than doing so once and waiting.
The Process Is Designed to Be Thorough
The four-stage selection process exists to ensure that the businesses receiving funding are genuinely ready to use it well. The assessment in Stage 2 looks at how founders think about their business, their finances, their team, and their own mindset as leaders.
The pitch in Stage 3 gives the panel a direct view of how a founder presents their vision and responds under pressure. The due diligence in Stage 3 verifies the information submitted in Stage 1. Each stage builds a fuller picture of the business and the person behind it.
Our Focus Sectors
The seven sectors below were chosen because they sit at the intersection of African need and African opportunity.
They are industries where growth-stage businesses are already making a meaningful difference, and where targeted capital at the right moment can multiply that impact significantly.
How the Selection Process Works
Here is what the process looks like from application to disbursement.
Application and Business Details
Stage 1
The application is completed through the Charles Chima Grant secure online portal. Applicants create an account, fill in their personal biodata, and submit detailed information about their business.
This includes the company's CAC registration documents, the number of people on the workforce, the founder's personal financial investment in the business, monthly revenue and expenses, payroll figures, gross margin, customer acquisition cost, business address, and Tax Identification Number.
The Stage 1 submission is the Foundation's first full picture of the business. Completeness and accuracy at this stage matter significantly. Applications with missing or inconsistent information are less likely to progress to Stage 2.
Assessment
Stage 2
Applicants shortlisted from Stage 1 are invited to complete a timed online assessment. The assessment is divided into four sections: business acumen, financial knowledge, personality and entrepreneurial mindset, and administrative capability. Each section is scored independently and the results are reviewed by the Foundation's evaluation team.
The assessment is completed in a single sitting and cannot be paused once it has begun. Applicants are given clear instructions and a time allocation for each section before the assessment starts. Study materials are made available to all shortlisted applicants in advance.
Pitch and Verification
Stage 3
Businesses that perform strongly in the Stage 2 assessment are shortlisted for the pitch phase. Each shortlisted business presents to a panel of evaluators in a structured session. The pitch is an opportunity for the founder to speak directly about their business, their vision, and their specific plan for how the grant capital will be deployed.
Running alongside the pitch phase is a due diligence and verification process, during which the Foundation reviews and independently verifies the documents and financial information submitted in Stage 1. Discrepancies identified during this process will be raised with the applicant directly.
Foundation Conference and Disbursement
Stage 4
Selected businesses are formally announced at the Charles Chima Foundation Conference on 1st October 2026.
The Conference brings together the funded founders, the Foundation team, partners, and the wider business community to mark the launch of the first cohort. Grant funds are disbursed electronically to the registered business bank account of each selected business on the day of the Conference.
The Conference is not a formality. It is the beginning of the cohort community, a network of funded founders who share a commitment to growing their businesses and to contributing to the fund that will support the cohort that follows them.
Every business we fund commits 5% equity back to the Foundation
The 5% equity giveback is a condition of receiving the Charles Chima Grant. Every selected business formalises this commitment before the grant is disbursed, and the terms are set out clearly in the grant agreement that each funded business receives ahead of the Foundation Conference.
This stake is held as a silent, non-operational interest. The Foundation does not participate in the management of the business, does not hold a board seat, does not influence hiring or pricing decisions, and does not have approval rights over any aspect of how the business is run day to day. The founder retains full operational control.
The Charles Chima Grant is designed to outlast any single cohort or any single year of funding.
The equity stakes held across funded businesses contribute to the Foundation's long-term asset base, which in turn funds future cohorts of the grant.
In practical terms, the businesses funded in Cohort 1 are directly contributing to the fund that will support the entrepreneurs in Cohort 2, and so on. This is the cycle that makes the programme self-sustaining over time.
