Invitation for Projects delivering Climate Resilience benefits in Low- and Middle-income Countries

Deadlines:

• Southern Africa: 11 November 2019
• Eastern Europe & Central Asia: 30 November 2019
• West Africa: 2 December 2019
• South & Southeast Asia: 17 December 2019
• Pacific Islands: 17 December 2019
• Caribbean & Central America: 15 December 2019
• Eastern Africa: 25 November 2019

The Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN) has launched a special Call for proposals for projects that deliver adaptation-related and climate resilience benefits in low- and middle-income countries.

As clean energy technologies improve and their costs continue to fall, people are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that it is possible to develop commercially viable projects that contribute to climate change mitigation.

In contrast to this, much less emphasis has been placed on developing and sourcing investment for commercially viable projects and businesses that contribute to climate adaptation and resilience. PFAN will address this gap, by seeking businesses in various sectors—from agriculture, infrastructure and water all the way to micro-finance, insurance and tourism—which offer opportunities for commercially viable projects to deliver climate adaptation benefits, by reducing climate vulnerability or increasing the resilience of populations to the effects of climate change.

Investment Amount

• For ALL Projects, the investment ask should lie between US$1 million and US$50 million. This may be disbursed in smaller tranches as requested;
• Only for Energy Access and Rural Electrification Projects (clean cook stoves, solar home systems, mini grids) an exception is made, and the investment ask can lie between US$500 thousand and US$50 million. This too may be disbursed in smaller tranches as requested.

Focus Areas

The following sectors have been identified and targeted for PFAN intervention in the area of Climate Change Adaptation:

• Agriculture (upstream and downstream, including agribusiness and processing);
• Ecosystem Services;
• Forestry;
• Urban Development;
• Health;
• Energy & Access to Energy;
• Water;
• Waste;
• Microfinance/-Insurance;
• Tourism;
• Adaptation products and services.

Benefits

• Free one-to-one coaching by climate and clean energy financing experts in country or region: their experts know what investors look for and will help structure and refine business plan, and create a pitch that will get investors interested;
• Free investment-readiness assessments: together with coach, they dedicated Investment Facilitation Team will periodically review project to see whether it is ready for commercial investment;
• Personalised investor matchmaking services: once project is investment-ready, the Investment Facilitation Team will provide introductions to investors;
• The opportunity to participate in PFAN Investment Forums: the most promising projects will be invited to pitch directly to investors at a PFAN Investment Forum. These Forums also offer great opportunities to network with investors, other entrepreneurs and international experts. The best pitch at each Forum receives a PFAN Climate & Clean Energy Investment Forum Award;
• Technical assistance and deal-making facilitation: once an investor has shown serious interest in  project, technical assistance can be provided if deemed necessary to move a deal forward. coach and the Investment Facilitation Team will support them throughout the deal-making process, to ensure they get the best investment deal for their project.

Eligibility Criteria

• PFAN strongly encourages women-led projects to apply for support;
• PFAN accepts applications for projects in low- and middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Central America and Caribbean Islands;
• To be eligible for PFAN support, project or business must provide climate change adaptation benefits, or offer or use clean energy technologies, products or services,
• PFAN is technology neutral, which means they do not prefer any technology over any other;
• Proposals should demonstrate that the project is commercially and technically viable, and requires no or only minimal grant funding;
• If project currently receives grant funding or has done so in the past, that does not affect eligibility.

Evaluation Criteria

After submitting proposal, applicants will receive a confirmation from the Climate Invest system. After they submit, the PFAN team will perform a quick eligibility review of their application. If their project is found to be eligible, it will progress to the full evaluation. If it is not eligible, they will receive an email with an explanation and tips on how to improve the application. Evaluations of project proposals take place every quarter.

How to Apply

Interested applicants can apply online via given website.

Eligible Countries:

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde,Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bisseau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe,  Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Beliz, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador,Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.

For more information, visit https://pfan.net/submit-a-proposal/