Deadline: 15th March 2024
The SDG Impact Finance Initiative (“the Initiative”) has announced a third call for proposals targeting a new set of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDG Impact Finance Initiative’s Innovation Window awards grants for innovative impact finance solutions that will mobilize private capital for sustainable development in emerging and frontier markets. The Initiative is funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Swiss Development Cooperation Agency (SDC), the UBS Optimus Foundation, and the Grandy Duchy of Luxembourg.
It aims to achieve three key objectives:
- Support the design and development of innovative impact finance solutions;
- Scale impact investing solutions by mobilizing private capital at scale; and
- Strengthen the impact investing ecosystem, improve overall frameworks, and promote quality impact management practices to enhance impact investment flows.
Under this third call for proposals, with support from Convergence, the Initiative will award grant funding for feasibility studies, proof of concept activities and expansion of existing solutions. Proposed solutions should target one or more of SDG 3 (Good Health & Well-Being), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). Convergence supports the Initiative in the pre-selection of applications and the engagement with the applicants during the selection process.
Thematic focus:
This third call for proposals is seeking solutions targeting any one of the below SDGs. No preference will be given to solutions that target multiple SDGs.
- SDG 3 (Good Health & Well Being): Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
- Solutions can target any areas aligned with SDG 3, including but not limited to:
- Maternal and Child Health Support;
- Accessible healthcare services including medicines, vaccines and health coverage;
- Mental health and well-being;
- Improvement in Health infrastructure.
- Solutions can target any areas aligned with SDG 3, including but not limited to:
- SDG 13 (Climate Action): Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
- Solutions can target any areas aligned with SDG 13, including but not limited to:
- Strengthen climate resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters;
- Supporting climate change mitigation, adaptation and impact reduction with a focus on marginalized groups;
- Fostering inclusive climate action.
- Solutions can target any areas aligned with SDG 13, including but not limited to:
- SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
- Solutions can target any areas aligned with SDG 16, including but not limited to:
- Fostering global peace by prioritizing efforts to reduce violence and protect vulnerable populations;
- Advance justice and the rule of law;
- Enhance global governance by strengthening relevant national and international institutions.
- Solutions can target any areas aligned with SDG 16, including but not limited to:
- Geographical focus: Solutions can target any developing country or countries eligible to receive official development assistance (ODA) according to the OECD-DAC List of ODA Recipients. We highly encourage solutions that target low-income and least-developed countries.
- Demonstrated potential to benefit predominantly children: We highly encourage applications that can demonstrate direct benefits to children and adolescents.
- Developing country applicants and partnerships: We highly encourage applications that fall into any of these categories:
- Applications from local organizations based in developing countries
- Applications from a consortium of organizations from both developing and developed countries
- Applications that strongly focus on building long-term partnerships with developing country actors
Grant
Pre-launch
- Feasibility Study
- Grants up to USD 200,000.
- Funding to explore the feasibility of a new solution and validate:
- Its ability to attract private investors through market testing
- Its likelihood of delivering the anticipated development impact
- Its initial design, capital structure and financial model
- Early stakeholder engagement and an initial design of the capital structure should have already been completed before applying.
- Proof of Concept
- Grants and conditionally repayable grants up to USD 500,000.
- If feasibility stage (or equivalent) has been achieved, funding to complete all design and structuring activities required to launch the solution. For example:
- Finalizing the capital structure and financial model
- Produce key legal and marketing documents
- Fundraising activities to secure potential anchor investor(s)
- Develop an investment pipeline
Post-launch (operational)
- Expansion
- Grants and conditionally repayable grants up to USD 300,000.
- If a solution has already launched but requires operational funding support to scale and reach a financially viable size. For example:
- Fundraising/marketing to reach capital raising targets
- Produce key legal documents
- Due diligence on initial pipeline and capital deployment
- Hiring of key personnel
Geographical Focus
- Solutions can target any developing country or countries eligible to receive official development assistance (ODA) according to the OECD-DAC List of ODA Recipients. They highly encourage solutions that target low-income and least-developed countries.
Eligibility
- Developing countries
- Solutions must target activities that benefit ODA-eligible countries as defined by the OECD Development Assistance Committee.
- Solutions must target activities that benefit ODA-eligible countries as defined by the OECD Development Assistance Committee.
- The Initiative will not fund solutions targeting any countries subject to financial sanctions.
For more information and application.
