A non-governmental organisation, The Luminary Project, has announced up to N6m in impact funding support for selected social innovators, underscoring growing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s social enterprise and development ecosystem.
The announcement was made at the third edition of the Luminary Awards held in Lagos, where 10 changemakers were recognised for their contributions across education, healthcare, sustainability, youth empowerment, community development, and social innovation, according to a statement on Sunday.
The organisation stated that the funding initiative is designed to move beyond recognition by providing tangible support to grassroots innovators tackling critical social challenges.
Speaking at the event, Executive Director of The Luminary Project, Napa Onwusah, said inadequate funding remains one of the biggest challenges facing social impact organisations across the country, despite their growing contributions to community development.
“The Luminary Project exists because Nigeria’s most credible changemakers are rarely the most visible ones,” Onwusah said.
According to her, the organisation currently operates three funding streams targeted at different categories of social impact organisations.
“Our major challenge has been funding. There are so many great projects across different sectors. We have people working in health interventions, climate action, and community development,” she said.
Onwusah explained that the first impact fund is dedicated to top-performing changemakers within the Luminary Awards cohort, while the second supports alumni beneficiaries through periodic funding rounds.
A third fund is designed to support non-governmental organisations beyond the Luminary network.
“What we need is funding to be able to deploy more resources to our changemakers. We also need visibility to ensure people understand what we are doing and can hold us accountable. Beyond that, we need experienced professionals in the impact space to support and mentor emerging NGOs,” Onwusah added.
The event drew participation from representatives of major organisations, including MTN, Amazon Web Services, and the 3 Million Technical Talent initiative, reflecting growing collaboration between the private sector and social impact organisations.
The Luminary Project is a non-governmental organisation focused on identifying, empowering, and promoting changemakers driving sustainable social impact and community development across Nigeria.
