African Diaspora Innovation Fund

Despite Africa’s immense potential, entrepreneurs across the continent and in the diaspora continue to face high unemployment, limited access to capital, and systemic barriers to scaling their solutions.

The African Diaspora Innovation Fund (AfDIF) is a bold initiative by the African Diaspora Network (ADN) in partnership with Myriad USA. Together, we aim to mobilize philanthropic capital to support African and African-descendant social entrepreneurs with grants of up to $25,000.

AfDIF bridges the gap between remittances and long-term investment, transforming diaspora generosity into scalable, sustainable impact across Africa and its global diaspora.

Who Benefits from AfDIF

AfDIF is developed to enable high impact social entrepreneurs and changemakers by providing early-stage catalytic funding.

Primary Beneficiaries
The initial pipeline will be selected from ADN's flagship programs. However, our longterm goal is to  broaden the pipeline to select visionary African social entrepreneurs within Myriad USA networks as well. 

Entrepreneurs selected through ADN’s flagship programs include those participating in:

• Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) – Africa-based innovators solving development challenges.
• Accelerating Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship (ABLE) – U.S.-based entrepreneurs of African descent creating social and economic impact.

Sectors of Impact

• Education
• Healthcare
• Youth empowerment
• Climate resilience

Where the Funds Go

AfDIF is built on a high-impact, transparent funding model:

• 90% of contributions go directly to entrepreneurs in the form of unrestricted grants.
• 10% supports administration—ensuring effective program delivery, transparency, and impact tracking.

Donor Participation

AfDIF democratizes giving by making it easy and meaningful for individuals to contribute.

Anyone can give—every contribution counts.

Donors giving $500 or more receive:

• An invitation to participate in a donor voting process to help select the annual grantees.
• An opportunity to shape community-driven funding decisions that not only support entrepreneurs with capital but also connect them to mentorship and additional resources for growth.

Why AfDIF Matters

With over 170 million people in the African diaspora and more than $100 billion in annual remittances, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to go beyond basic needs and invest in sustainable, generational impact.

For more information, please contact us at: Afdif@africandiaporanetwork.org