The Social Startup 2025 is a grant program organized by the Social Development Fund of Nazarbayev University. Its goal is to support projects that solve social problems through entrepreneurial approaches and technologies that meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The program is focused on creating sustainable social change and includes a mandatory training program (incubation/acceleration) for participants.

Individuals (over 18 years old), initiative groups, individual entrepreneurs (IE), limited liability partnerships (LLP) or non-profit organizations can participate in the program. Prerequisite: the team should have a student or graduate of Nazarbayev University who holds one of the key roles at all stages of the startup. The team shall consist of at least two people.

Projects at the minimum viable product (MVP) stage or higher, with a prototype, pilot, first tests or sales, confirmation of the needs of the target audience and understanding of the business model are allowed to participate. Projects should address social challenges in areas such as inclusion, education, healthcare, ecology, art and technology, support for local communities, and use technology to scale solutions.

Projects should use technology as a tool to scale and increase the availability of solutions. Examples of technologies include artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), robotics, digital platforms, mobile applications, immersive technologies (VR/AR), the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain. It is not necessary to develop technologies from scratch, but their use should be conscious and aimed at solving a social problem.

Applications shall be submitted online through the portal sdf-portal.kz until 14:00 Astana time on July 10, 2025. The application is signed by an electronic digital signature (EDS) of the team leader. It is necessary to make sure in advance that the EDS is valid, as well as prepare all the required documents according to the application form, which you can find on the portal. sdf-portal.kz.

Participation is free of charge. All expenses related to the training program (6-8 weeks) are covered by the organizer.

The maximum grant amount is 10 000 000 tenge. The project implementation period should not exceed 2 years.

The program consists of the following stages:

May–July 2025: Publication of the announcement and acceptance of applications.
July 2025: Technical selection of applications (verification of compliance with the terms).
August–October 2025: Training program (incubation/acceleration) with mentoring and instruction.
October 2025: Finalizing applications, pitching, evaluating, and making decisions on grants.
November-December 2025: Conclusion of agreements and provision of grants.

The training program (6-8 weeks) is aimed at project development and includes mentoring from experts, individual work on the project, and training on sustainability, scalability, social impact measurement and financial model. Participants can share their experiences, test innovative approaches and strengthen their projects. All expenses are covered by the organizers.

Projects are evaluated according to a 10-point system based on four criteria:

– Social impact, relevance and compliance with the SDGs.
– Quality of the business model.
– Composition and competencies of the team.
– Startup sustainability.

Evaluation is carried out by experts of the Selection Committee, and the final decision is made by the Fund’s management.

The grant funds can be used for: 

– Remuneration for specialists (including taxes). 
– Purchase of goods, works and services for the project.
– Organization of events (seminars, trainings, forums).
– Information and educational activities.
– Travel expenses, rent of premises and equipment.
– Software development.
– Administrative expenses (no more than 20% of the budget).

It is not allowed to direct funds to construction, repairs, acquisition of land, purchase of vehicles, religious activities, research, political activities or actions, as well as activities that directly or indirectly violate the principles of equality.

You need to fill out the application form (see Annex to the Bylaws), including:

– Social task
– Problem solving
– Project viability
– Mission, vision and SDG compliance 
– Geography of sales, beneficiaries, indicators
– Description of the team, including the role of a student/graduate of Nazarbayev University

Before the deadline for submitting applications (July 10, 2025, 14:00 Astana time), you can save it as a draft for later editing. 

The agreement is concluded with a legal entity or IE and includes: 

– Terms for the provision of programmatic and financial statements (at least 2 times: interim and final).
– The obligation to cover the progress of the project, mentioning the support of the Fund.
– Participation in the Fund’s events by invitation.
– Assignment of rights under the agreement is not allowed.

The copyrights to the projects are reserved for the participants. The organizers may use the materials for non-commercial purposes (mass media, printed collections, the Internet) for 2 years after the program implementation to promote the results. The participants agree to publish the materials, but the organizers can make editorial changes. Works with false information or copyright infringement are excluded from the program.

The results will be announced in November 2025 after evaluating the final applications and pitching. The information is published on the website sdf-portal.kz and/or via email notifications to participants.

Participants who have completed the training program receive feedback from experts and mentors. After the final evaluation, you can request comments from the organizers by contacting via email (sdfgrants@nu.edu.kz).

If you have any questions, please contact the organizers:

Contact person: Nazira Jakipbayeva, General Manager of the Department of Social Projects and Programs.
Telephone: +7 (7172) 70 62 52, +7 771 055 7941.
Email: sdfgrants@nu.edu.kz.

The detailed terms of the program are described in the Guide. Additional information is available on the portal https://sdf-portal.kz /.

Yes, the organizer will conduct online and offline seminars explain the conditions for participating in the Social Startup 2025 and how to complete the application. The schedule of the seminars will be published on the website. fund.nu.edu.kz, on the Fund’s social networks and/or via email notifications.