Deadline: 15 December 2017
Is your company active in Uganda? Or planning to enter the Ugandan market by May 2018? Is your company already working on an innovative business idea that can hit the ground running in June 2018 in Uganda, and start generating new sales by early Q3 2018? Is your company willing to invest its own money to make this project happen but is in need of a co-investor to reduce its risk exposure? If yes, then apply for Renewable Energy Challenge Fund Uganda — Solar Window!
The Renewable Energy Challenge Fund (RECF) is looking to co-invest in commercially driven business ideas that can lead to breakthroughs in the uptake of decentralized solar PV solutions by households, businesses and communities across Uganda.
The RECF: Solar Window aims to accelerate the deployment of decentralized solar energy solutions such as off-grid solar PV and solar mini-grids in Uganda, and help achieve Uganda’s SE4ALL goal of universal access to electricity (>98%) and the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) by 2030.
Funding Information
- Grant Size: US$100,000 up to US$500,000.
- Project duration: 24 months starting in June 2018.
Eligibility Criteria
- Type of entities that are eligible to apply:
- The RECF targets exclusively for-profit private companies, including social enterprises, or consortia led by eligible private companies;
- Other types of entities (e.g. NGOs, CBOs, etc.) can apply as part of a consortium led by an eligible private company (the Lead Applicant);
- For-profit arms of non-for-profit organizations can also apply.
- Legal status and presence in Uganda:
- The lead applicant must be legally registered as a business and operating in Uganda since at least 2 years as of January 2018;
- International companies (with at least 2 years of operation) that wish to expand their business to Uganda are welcome to apply as lead applicants, as long as they are registered as a business and operational in Uganda by May 2018;
- Companies that do not have sufficient experience operating in Uganda should partner with a relevant local company that satisfies the 2 year registration requirement;
- To receive RECF funding, all investees will be required to have a physical presence in Uganda and to hire local staff. The number of local jobs created by a given project will be a key factor in the investment committee’s funding decision.
The Proposed Business Idea
To be eligible for funding, the proposed project must:
- Address gaps or barriers in the decentralized solar PV value chain;
- Lead to a step-change in the adoption of such solutions in Uganda, and potentially to transform the market;
- Increase access to affordable, high-quality and durable off-grid solar PV systems in underserved regions of the country;
- Incorporate an element of consumer awareness;
- Be commercially driven and demonstrate a strong potential for commercial viability, scalability and replicability;
- Have a positive impact on women and youth as consumers but also as active participants in the value chain – Projects are required to provide employment opportunities for Ugandan women and youth;
- Be highly innovative in terms of the proposed product or service, the delivery mechanism, the business model, financing model, and/or market reach;
- Be implementable in June 2018 with new sales/installations being made in Q3 2018.
- Would not take place at the same scale or have the same development impact without support from the RECF;
How to Apply
Applicants can apply via given website.
Eligible Country: Uganda
For more information, please visit Call for Applications.