UNICEF India launches fund to boost child protection innovations

UNICEF India has launched the country’s first-ever Child Protection Innovation Fund (CPIF), a major step to encourage new technology-based solutions to safeguard children.

The fund will focus on improving child safety in four areas: strengthening child protection workers, increasing access to social protection schemes, supporting adolescent girls, and promoting online safety.

The fund was announced in May 2025, inviting ideas from UNICEF intervention states. From the many entries received, three projects stood out, SponsorSmart, BalMitrabot, and SurakshyaNet.

After review, SponsorSmart was chosen as the winner by a panel of experts, securing a USD 50,000 grant to scale its solution.

The platform will be designed as an open-source Digital Public Good so it can



be adapted for use across India and even internationally. It could also be expanded to cover other social protection schemes, widening its impact.

The CPIF operates on three principles, Convene, Catalyse, and Converge. It brings together government, the private sector, and civil society to grow successful ideas and turn them into long-term change.

“This is just the beginning,” said Dennis Christian Larsen, Chief, Social and Behaviour Change, UNICEF India. “We’re building models that can grow into nationwide reforms, combining technology and governance to protect every child.”

With CPIF’s launch and SponsorSmart’s pilot, UNICEF India has set a strong example of how innovation and collaboration can directly improve children’s lives and strengthen national protection systems.