Deadline: 30 March 2018
As part of a new partnership, Comic Relief and Jersey Overseas Aid, are seeking proposals for a program entitled “Branching Out: Financial Inclusion at the Margins” aimed at bringing about genuine financial inclusion for those at the margins in Rwanda, Zambia, and Sierra Leone.
Financial inclusion changes people lives. Evidence shows that when people have access to useful and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs – including transactions, payments, savings, credit and insurance – everyone benefits. People save more; spend more on health care and education; invest in their businesses and enterprises which in turn have more opportunity to thrive.
Outcomes
- This initiative are looking for solutions addressing systemic change which influence, motivate, and inspire actors working within national financial inclusion frameworks to reach those that have been left behind.
- Proposals must work towards the overall outcome of reaching those that have been left behind and financially excluded. In addition, proposals must work towards at least two of the following:
- Improved access to financial services (formal or informal)
- Increased understanding and awareness of financial services
- Changed regulatory frameworks that systemically improve financial services for those at the margins
- Game-changing uses of digitized products and technology to strengthen delivery of financial services
- Strengthened and more efficient relationships between government regulators/institutions and other actors in the financial inclusion space
- Developing a learning culture through technical support for governments and regulators
Funding Information
- This is an £8 million initiative where Comic Relief are matching Jersey Overseas Aid’s contribution pound-for-pound to deliver transformational work in Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Zambia. Applications are welcome for a minimum of £600,000 over a period of between 36 and 48 months.
- The initiative is looking for proposals that include and integrate the following:
- Financial inclusion programming
- Technical Assistance and advocacy to strengthen systems
- FinTech Incubation
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications for this funding initiative will be by invitation-only and requires organisations to be based in-country delivering work.
- Applicant proposals should reference work that is built into their board-approved long-term strategy. Further to that, they are specifically interested in funding work that is aimed at the marginalised, not broader financial inclusion work that is less-targeted.
- There is no minimum / maximum turnover for applicant organisations.
How to Apply
Interested applicants must apply online via given website.
For more information, please visit Branching Out: Financial Inclusion at the Margins.