VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Arusha, Tanzania-based solar energy provider Off Grip Electric scored $7 million in a funding round led by Vulcan Capital, SolarCity, and Omidyar Network to power homes with prepaid electricity.

The US Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) awarded $17 million to clean energy businesses across 13 states to tackle the big problem of energy consumption.

Mayor Michael Nutter announced the five startups in Philadelphia that will each receive a $25,000 grant from the Commerce Department's Startup PHL Call for Ideas to promote entrepreneurship in the city.

Councillors of the city of Kitchener in Ontario, Canada have agreed to shell out $1 million for the next five years to help owners of underused spaces turn their properties into a new landing pad fro startups just out from incubators.

A $10.8 million product development grant was awarded to Houston-based DNAtrix Inc by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas or CPRIT to fund its glioblastoma clinical stage program.

Jeffrey Epstein and the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation has substantially backed a Harvard study looking at the effects of music on reducing the stress of premature infants.

Winner of Downtown Sacramento Foundation's "Calling All Dreamers" business plan contest stands to receive $145,000 business startup package, which includes cash and a rent-free storefront for one year.

Columbus, US-based natural gas compression startup Simple-Fill received an undisclosed amount of technology grant from the Technology Concept Fund, an investment fund backed by Ohio State University.

US tech giant Microsoft selected five African tech startups to receive innovation grants, technical support, and mentorship from Microsoft under its venture arm extension, the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative.

San Diego-based venture capital fund Origo Ventures secured a grant worth $1 million from the investment arm of the Chilean government called CORFO. Proceeds will be used to invest in promising startups in Chile.

The Center for Health Program Management and its funding partners which include Sierra Health Foundation, The California Endowment and The California Wellness Foundation gave a grant of $1.6 million to four counties to support the Positive Youth Justice Initiative.

The government of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott will not be giving fruit processor SPC Ardmona Ltd a $25 million grant because its parent company Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd can restructure the firm on its own, Bloomberg reported.

Venture capitalist Jamie McCourt gave a $25,000 grant to UNICEF to support this year's UNICEF Ball fund campaign. McCourt, who owns Jamie Enterprises, gave the grant late last month.

The Old Ghost Road cycle trail, which is developed by Mokihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust, received $800,000 from the Department of Conservation of New Zealand to complete the project.

Singapore's National Research Foundation has poured in $500,000 in funding in health care startup Ring.MD to give Asian residents easier access to healthcare services online.