IBM Sustainability Accelerator

IBM Sustainability Accelerator is sponsored by IBM. The IBM Sustainability Accelerator is a social impact program that applies IBM technology and expertise to scale non-profit and government initiatives addressing environmental challenges.

The current Request for Proposals (RFP) focuses on solutions for advancing city resiliency, particularly projects leveraging AI foundation models, geospatial analytics, and weather/climate forecasting to help predict impacts on natural and built infrastructure.

Sustainability Accelerator RFP | IBM IBM Sustainability Accelerator RFP window is now closed. The program team will reach out to finalists later this summer. This new cohort will aim to create sustainable consumption and production solutions, supporting United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 9 or 12 to accelerate sustainable economic development, boost supply chain efficiency and expand AI deployment and capacity.

Nonprofit and government organizations are encouraged to submit a proposal for tech-driven products that benefit from the IBM offerings below. IBM Sustainability solutions Data science tools and solutions IBM supply chain solutions The IBM Sustainability Accelerator seeks proposals focused on sustainable consumption and production, including the following themes.

Fostering sustainable supply chain innovation Efficient use of natural resources Mitigating food loss and waste Resilient logistics and transportation systems The IBM Sustainability Accelerator is designed to support communities vulnerable to environmental challenges with a new topic and cohort of organizations each year.

Global scale, local impact Two-year program duration Frequently asked questions Why did IBM launch the IBM Sustainability Accelerator? IBM believes that science, technology and innovation can help tackle environmental stress while helping communities to address societal needs.

According to the World Bank , climate-related disasters and natural hazards push 26 million people into poverty each year, putting these populations in need of technical, financial and institutional resources that enable communities to respond to climate change, support climate adaptation and build resiliency. By uniting experts and technology, IBM wanted to find a way to scale and speed up solutions that support communities.

On what topics is the IBM Sustainability Accelerator focused? The IBM Sustainability Accelerator has had 20 engagements, each with a different nonprofit or government organization, divided into four cohorts: sustainable agriculture , clean energy , water management and resilient cities . How does IBM select participating organizations?

IBM selects five organizations each year—forming a cohort—to focus on addressing a specific social innovation issue area in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The selection process includes a public RFP open to any nonprofit or government organization. Proposals are reviewed and evaluated for feasibility and impact, and vetted through standard IBM compliance processes.

The selection process will include input from IBM experts across disciplines such as IBM Consulting, Research, Software, Chief Sustainability Office and Corporate Social Responsibility. The selection criteria will consider applicants' level of support to communities, the feasibility and sustainability of proposed technology solutions, and applicants' transparency on measurement and reporting, among other considerations.

What support will the selected organizations receive? IBM collaborates with organizations to design, develop and deploy a technical solution directly benefiting communities. Throughout the experience, IBM provides access to platforms such as IBM watsonx and Granite AI models, IBM Cloud, IBM Environmental Intelligence and Red Hat open source technologies as well as technical mentorship to build long-term capacity.

Organizations selected to participate must enter into an IBM grant agreement governing access to IBM technology, services and resources. In addition to support from IBM, the selected organizations will also receive support from EY and ServiceNow. EY teams will provide general capacity building workshops and coaching to the cohort, supporting these innovative organizations on their mission.

ServiceNow will provide participating organizations with the opportunity to be considered for ServiceNow Platform solutions such as IT Service Management (ITSM) and Customer Service Management (CSM) and implementation grants in addition to advisory support for business digital transformation efforts. What organizations are eligible for the IBM Sustainability Accelerator?

The IBM Sustainability Accelerator is open to nonprofit and government organizations globally. What is the timeline and milestones associated with the program? IBM is accepting proposals for the next IBM Sustainability Accelerator cohort now through 30 April 2025.

The Accelerator will support each selected organization for up to two years. Is IBM selecting more partners next year? IBM plans to select five organizations for this program each year.

Proposals submitted via the IBM Proposal Submission Portal are currently being reviewed. The IBM Sustainability Accelerator team will follow up with finalists later this summer.