The application to join Klarna’s AI for Climate Resilience Program is now closed

Klarna’s AI for Climate Resilience Program aims to catalyze practical, locally-led AI initiatives that strengthen climate adaptation capacities in underserved, climate-vulnerable regions. We’re inviting proposals from organizations working to reduce vulnerability of local communities to climate-related risks in low- and middle-income countries. Whether you’re using AI to support smallholder farmers, build early warning systems, or translate complex risk data into community action plans—we want to hear from you.

Projects must demonstrate a clear use case for AI, a pathway to local ownership, and a commitment to responsible, collaborative innovation. Early-stage ideas are welcome too, especially from teams needing support to refine technical details or implementation plans.

We aim to support projects that deliver on one or several of the following types of outcomes:

• Harness and elevate local knowledge. Discern, organize, and analyze community insights to generate concise, actionable information accessible both to large-scale actors (e.g. governments, NGOs) and the very communities that contributed it.

• Develop and demonstrate novel AI applications in real-world settings—such as smartphone-based AI advisers for smallholder farmers to enhance resilience, or AI-powered climate-risk assessments for low-lying islands to inform infrastructure planning and relocation strategies.

• Improve and enhance adoption, cost-effectiveness or sustainability of existing AI solutions for climate adaptation and resilience, including advancing ecosystem-wide knowledge by contributing open datasets, benchmarks, or best-practice insights that benefit the broader AI-for-adaptation community.

What we don’t fund:

• Short-term relief or emergency aid.

• Pure research or proof-of-concept projects without a concrete plan for  field deployment or community adoption.

• Projects focused solely on GHG emission reductions.

• Service providers (e.g. platform hosts, MRV-tools) whose offerings do not directly improve community adaptation outcomes.

• Projects lacking robust AI risk governance, i.e. without clear plans to anticipate and manage AI bias, errors, model drift, opacity, and trust issues.

Who can apply?

We welcome applications from organizations working to strengthen climate resilience in underserved, climate-vulnerable regions in low- and middle-income countries. Eligible applicants is very wide and includes:

• Non-profit organizations

• Academic or research institutions (with a field implementation partner

• Local community-based organizations

• For-profit entities, provided they demonstrate a clear public-benefit purpose and equitable outcomes for local communities

• Public bodies (local agencies, ministries), provided that the money flow is directed to local community organisations or co-operatives and not directly into the central public budget. Partnerships with privates or non-profits are advised and the money must be used specifically for the project in question (not other government services).

Projects must have strong local ownership, community involvement, and a clear public-benefit purpose.

Are there word limits (on the google form submission)?

The google form (used to submit your proposal for this fund) has roughly an overall limit of 30,000 characters. Therefore, as a rule of thumb, about 3,000 characters per question. However, please note that some questions have stipulated word limits and obviously where you provide more streamlined answers for one question (<3000 characters), you will have more space in other questions.

Can we include indirect costs (overheads) in the budget?

Yes. Indirect costs are eligible but must be reasonable and well-justified and should be capped at 10% (with some minimal flexibility). We expect applicants to keep overheads modest to ensure that the majority of funds directly support project implementation and community outcomes.

What are the reporting, compliance requirements or terms and conditions to consider?

Selected grantees will sign a grant agreement with WRLD Foundation, a US-based 501(c)(3) non-profit. Grantees must:

• Provide regular progress and financial reports (bi-yearly)

• Participate in onboarding, mentoring (optional/needs based) and mandatory responsible AI seminars.

• Undergo standard due diligence checks (financial, legal, and governance) before contracting and linking payments directly to the scope of the proposal submitted.

• The specific terms and conditions of the project (e.g. Intellectual Property) will be concluded through a contract, presented only to those organisations or consortiums who are chosen after the selection process has been completed (Mid October, 2025). 

Who manages the funding?

Funding is contracted and disbursed by WRLD Foundation, a US-registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Milkywire manages the programme in partnership with Klarna.

Can projects generate revenue?

Yes, as long as the primary purpose is public benefit and the project delivers equitable outcomes for local communities. For-profit entities must show how revenues will not undermine the community adaptation goals.

Where can I find more information or ask questions?

Further guidance is available in the application portal. If you have specific questions about eligibility or the application process, you may contact the program team at impact@milkywire.com