- What
- Grants up to AED 50,000 plus incubation for idea-stage impact founders.
- Who
- UAE-based aspiring entrepreneurs with a social, environmental or humanitarian mission.
- From abroad
- A company in the UAE is required — UAE-based aspiring entrepreneurs; Idea stage, social, environmental or humanitarian mission All programmes open to founders from abroad →
Checked · October 2026 · ecdf.ae · How we check ↗
See Expo City Dubai Foundation — Changemakers Academy on the map next to the other 96 programmes in the UAE — and filter the whole Gulf by type, deadline and equity.
Open the map →In detail
Expo City Dubai Foundation — Changemakers Academy is a grant + incubation programme in the UAE. Foundation at Expo City Dubai whose Changemakers Academy — an innovation and entrepreneurship incubator building on Expo 2020 Dubai's University Innovation Programme — gives UAE-based, idea-stage founders with a social, environmental or humanitarian mission training, mentorship, licensing and grants of up to AED 50,000. Its Global Innovators Programme combines grants, innovation challenges and knowledge-sharing.
- Amount
- Grants of up to AED 50,000 per selected project
- Eligibility
- UAE-based aspiring entrepreneurs at idea stage with a social, environmental or humanitarian mission
- Benefits
- Training
- mentorship
- licensing
- Status
- Closed — the last call closed on 13 March; next call not announced (checked October 2026)
Is this for you?
Where is your company?
Are you open to giving equity?
We match them against what Expo City Dubai Foundation — Changemakers Academy publishes.
A guide to the published criteria, not a decision — the programme selects.
What the source says
“UAE based aspiring entrepreneurs”
“The Changemakers Academy is an innovation and entrepreneurship incubator that builds on the success of Expo 2020 Dubai’s University Innovation Programme (UIP). Providing training, mentorship, licensing and grants of up to AED 50,000, this intensive programme empowers graduates and aspiring entrepren”
“the final selected projects receiving grants of up to [Dirham sign] 50,000, mentorship, investor introductions and help with business setup, including licence, visa and a workspace at Expo City Dubai”
“The Changemakers Academy is an innovation and entrepreneurship incubator”
“The Changemakers Academy is suitable for: UAE based aspiring entrepreneurs Idea stage Innovative solutions with a social, environmental, or humanitarian mission”
“Providing training, mentorship, licensing and grants of up to AED 50,000”
Closing soon on the map
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Compare grants & prizes in the UAE
| Cost | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Expo City Dubai Foundation — Changemakers AcademyGrants up to AED 50,000 plus incubation for idea-stage impact founders. | up to AED 50,000 | Grant | Closed |
| Zayed Sustainability PrizeNon-dilutive prize: US$1M per category winner, US$100K per finalist. | US$1M | No equity | Closed |
| MBZUAI Incubation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC)AI startup incubator at MBZUAI with a grant for early-stage development. | not published | Grant | Active |
| TiE Women MENAPitch competition with US$50,000 in equity-free cash prizes. | US$50,000 | No equity | Active |
Highest amount in each programme’s own “What” line. Other currencies converted for sorting only (Gulf pegs; KWD, EUR, GBP approximate).
Questions founders ask
What does Expo City Dubai Foundation — Changemakers Academy offer?
Grants up to AED 50,000 plus incubation for idea-stage impact founders.
Does Expo City Dubai Foundation — Changemakers Academy take equity?
Grant.
Can founders from abroad apply?
A company in the UAE is required — UAE-based aspiring entrepreneurs; Idea stage, social, environmental or humanitarian mission.
Is it open now?
No — it is currently closed. The status on this page follows the programme’s own site.
How do I apply?
Through its own application form — the Apply button on this page goes straight there.
Sources
Primary source · ecdf.ae · LinkedIn · linkedin.com/company/expo-live-impact-fund · Checked October 2026