RECKITT CATALYST GLOBAL ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME

Application Deadline: August 9, 2026.

LOCATION: USA

Are you an entrepreneur improving access to healthcare, water, sanitation, or hygiene in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Mexico, or Brazil? Applications are now open for the 2026 Reckitt Catalyst Global Accelerator. Through Reckitt Catalyst, Reckitt in partnership with Yunus Social Innovation and Health Innovation Exchange, supports women and underrepresented founders with innovative and bold solutions that expand access to health and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene)

ELIGIBILITY:

The program is especially excited about enterprises that:

Are women-led enterprises with either 51% female ownership and/or over 50% of women in leadership positions;

Are led by underrepresented founders, or individuals who come from demographic groups that have historically faced systemic barriers to accessing resources, opportunities, or recognition in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. These groups include, but are not limited to, women, non-binary and LGBTQIA+ individuals, Black, Indigenous, and other people of colour (BIPOC), people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, and individuals from low-income communities

Embed ethical AI into their solutions to improve accuracy, personalisation, or efficiency;

Are pushing the boundaries of science and engineering through deep tech;

Explore B2C models that radically lower the cost of care and improve accessibility for underserved populations, especially when combined with creative go-to-market or financing strategies;

Focus on FemTech to address women’s and girls’ health and hygiene needs across their life stages;

Advance access to medicines and hygiene products, particularly for remote or last-mile populations, leveraging tech to address affordability, traceability, or delivery gaps;

Enable access to health and WASH solutions for the prevention and reduction of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and cholera;

Developed technological, innovative, and/or educational solutions for urgent topics such as germ protection and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Innovators based in the select markets, either for-profit or not-for-profit (“Participant”), may apply, which:

Has a partner and/or founder who is a person, eighteen (18) years or older;

Is a social business or wishes to become one;

Is a Business/Entity in the form of a company limited by shares (public or private), company limited by guarantee (public or private), unlimited company (public or private), limited liability partnership, limited partnership, or an incorporated trustee, that is legally registered in one or more of the select markets;

Has a mission to solve challenges for access to health and/or WASH in one or more of the select markets;

Generates revenue with a business model that underlines long-term financial sustainability;

Has a solution or service that relates, directly or indirectly, to the purpose of the call and addresses the gap in health and WASH access in the countries abovementioned;

Has at least one member or founder dedicated full-time to the business; and

Has at least two (2) persons—one (1) founder/partner and another professional, founder or employee—who undertake to participate in all program sessions described

BENEFIT:

The Acceleration program is specifically designed to meet the scale-up challenges of innovative businesses that seek to address challenges of access to health and WASH.

The program will offer:

Masterclasses & Workshops: Tailored training in key business topics such a impact measurement and management, impact finance, business development and go-to-market strategy delivered by expert partners, including YSI and HIEx.

Mentorship & Coaching: Dedicated support and skills-based mentorship, including access to experienced Reckitt mentors and personalised coaching to help refine your strategy and unlock growth.

Peer Learning & Global Ecosystem Access: Connection to a global community of practice and the global ecosystem of actors in the health and hygiene space. This will also include access to health and/or hygiene experts, and partners for learning, collaboration, and visibility within the broader health and/or hygiene innovation space.

Funding & Investor Network Access: Opportunities to showcase your solution and engage with our investor community and build credibility with funding partners.

Post-Program Implementation Support: Continued guidance and connections to help implement your refined solution and sustain momentum beyond the accelerator.

Flexible financing of up to $30,000 USD per social enterprise at the end of the program: Final amounts will vary based on completion of the full program, demonstrated impact, investment readiness, and alignment with implementation goals. This funding is not guaranteed and is subject to review and approval by the investment committee.

APPLY

THOMSON’S YOUNG JOURNALIST AWARD 2026

Application Deadline: 9 August 2026

LOCATION: United Kingdom

Entries are now open for the Thomson Foundation’s Young Journalist Award 2026, one of the most prestigious opportunities for emerging journalists from across the world.

If you are 30 or under and reporting from a country with a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of USD 20,000 or less, this is your chance to put your best work in front of international judges, editors, and journalists.

ELIGIBILITY:

To be eligible, you must:

Be 30 or under on 30 November 2026

Be from, or reporting in, a country with a GNI per capita of USD 20,000 or less

Submit three pieces of published or broadcast work, produced in the 12 months before 9 August 2026. These can be in print, audio, video or multimedia format

Send a verification letter from your editor, on official letterhead, confirming the work is yours and was published or broadcast. Freelancers can provide a letter from a commissioning editor or a journalism academic familiar with their work

Entries close on 9 August 2026.

BENEFIT:

Three finalists will be invited to London to attend the Foreign Press Association Media Awards on 30 November 2026, where the winner will be announced before an audience of leading figures in global journalism. While in the UK, finalists will also visit major newsrooms and take part in a bespoke training session designed to help them strengthen their reporting skills and professional networks.

What could the award mean for you?

If selected, you get the chance to bring your reporting to a wider international audience.

You get the chance to be recognized for journalism that has exposed wrongdoing, challenged injustice, explained complex issues, or given voice to people whose experiences are too often ignored.

You get the chance to stand alongside other young journalists whose work shows why independent, public interest journalism matters.

Whether your work is investigative, human-centered, visual, audio-led, data-informed, or multimedia, we want to see journalism with originality, courage, and impact.

APPLY

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