• Organizations must be registered as a non-for-profit organization such as a non-governmental organization, charitable organization, research and educational institution, labor union, indigenous group, faith-based organization, professional association, foundation and local or municipal branches of government.
• Applying organizations must have been operational for a minimum of 2 years before March 2026; with funding base and project implementation (i.e. the organization must show registration as non-profit in their country of operation by March 2024 or earlier).
• Applying organizations must be managing a project focused on promoting intercultural dialogue and fostering diverse and inclusive societies. who are willing to expand their range of action. Examples include projects in the fields of promoting gender equality, preventing xenophobia, violent extremism, and hate speech, promoting the use of sport, art and culture as tools to drive social change and foster social inclusion, supporting the LGBTQI+ community and championing gender diversity, advocating for disability inclusion, and using AI and new technologies at the service of humanity. The Intercultural Innovation Hub welcomes projects focused on any of these priorities. IIH does not support one-time events (e.g., festivals, events, conferences. etc.). The funding cannot be used for salaries.
• The applying organization must have the willingness to expand the range of action with UNAOC, the BMW Group and Accenture.
• Organizations that have previously received any UNAOC support are not eligible to apply to the Intercultural Innovation Hub.
• Organizations that have previously received a BMW Group award for Intercultural Learning/Commitment are not eligible to apply to the Intercultural Innovation Hub.
• Projects that have been submitted to previous editions of the Intercultural Innovation Hub (including the Intercultural Innovation Award) and were not selected are eligible and encouraged to apply again.

THE ORGANIZATION

• Organizational structure: is capable of achieving the goals set in the project.
• Intercultural Commitment: has proven interest and commitment in fostering diverse and inclusive societies (e.g. past reports, reference letters, etc.).
• Work plan and budget: has set a realistic budget to replicate or expand the project.
• Transparency: has made genuine and demonstrated efforts to adopt a policy of transparency.
• Equality: has adopted equality and diversity policies, as well as safeguarding policies, as reflected in staff members, membership and activities.

THE PROJECT

• Relevance: is appropriate for the targeted audience and in the local context where implemented, taking into account the necessity of the project, and which SDG it is tackling.
• Quality: undertakes an in-depth analysis of problems/issues and sets a consistent intervention strategy.
• Clarity: sets clear objectives and draws a logical connection between activities, outputs and outcomes.
• Innovation: pushes beyond typical approaches and excels in the use of original and novel methods (social media, arts, pedagogical approach, innovative training, etc.).
• Measurability: impact of the project is measurable (i.e. number of beneficiaries, polls on attitude change, assessment of behavioral changes, clear policy changes, etc.)
• Sustainability: demonstrates ability to be sustainable in the mid-long term.
• Replicability: has the capacity to be replicated and scaled-up in different settings. This is a key evaluation criterion.

THE APPLICATION

• Clarity – shows an effective communication of ideas and provides relevant examples.
• Conciseness – provides clear and concise responses to questions.
• Persuasiveness – includes insightful arguments and engaging narrative.