Request for Proposals: Climate Gender Equity Fund

Deadline: 6-Oct-23

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with the support of Amazon, has launched the Climate Gender Equity Fund (CGEF, or the Fund) – a public-private partnership to leverage funding to scale climate finance that advances gender equitable climate action.

CGEF’s grantmaking will be managed by 2X Global, an international non-profit membership organization and the leading global industry body working at the nexus of climate and gender finance.

CGEF aims to increase access to finance for the investment vehicles, businesses, and community-based organizations developing and scaling women-led and women benefiting climate solutions in global emerging markets where USAID operates.

This request for proposals (RFP) formally launches the first CGEF funding round and seeks to reach climate- and gender-smart fund managers and entrepreneur networks aiming to unlock capital for long-term and systemic change at the nexus of gender and climate finance across developing markets. The funding round seeks applications from the following:

• Climate- and gender-smart emerging impact investment funds (and investment vehicles), with strong preference for women-led funds/vehicles: Grants seek to support investment funds and vehicles aligned with the 2X Criteria and that advance climate solutions and increase gender equality by developing, scaling, and investing in climate mitigation and adaptation businesses and solutions.
• Network organizations and intermediaries supporting women entrepreneurs working in climate action, with preference for entities operating in Africa: Grants seek to support intermediaries that facilitate financing or provide other forms of support to women entrepreneurs working at the frontlines of climate action (such as women entrepreneur networks, incubators, accelerators, business service providers, and field building associations).

Grant Categories

To be eligible for funding in this first round, your organization must be either:

• A gender-smart and/or women-led emerging fund manager (incl. investment vehicles) investing in climate-smart solutions in countries where USAID works; or
• A network organization or intermediary supporting women entrepreneurs at the forefront of climate action in countries where USAID works

Organizations may propose to use grant funding for a variety of purposes including building their own capacity to provide gender-smart and gender transformative climate finance, sustaining their own organization through vital working capital, making track record deals and/or portfolio investments, providing pre- or post-investment technical assistance (TA) to pipeline or portfolio companies and/or, in the case of network organizations, making grants to women entrepreneurs advancing climate-smart products or services. Preference will be given to proposals that include the use of funds to invest in or extend grant funding to women-led businesses leading climate solutions. Preference will also be given to proposals that emphasize how use of funds will be catalytic in nature, particularly for mobilizing additional private capital for women-led climate solutions.

Funding Information

CGEF is targeting grant awards of US$100,000 to US$300,000, but will consider grants up to US$500,000 depending on the proposed level of impact.

Eligibility Criteria

• Geographic Scope:
  • Fund manager grant applicants must apply to use the grant funding for work and/or investments made in countries where USAID works. Preference will be given to local fund managers in emerging markets.
  • Network and intermediary organization applicants must apply to use grant funding to support women entrepreneurs in countries where USAID works. Preference will be given to organizations based and operating in Africa.
• Organizational Qualifications:
  • To be eligible to receive grants from CGEF, organizations under both category 1 and 2 must meet the following criteria:
    • Be registered, formally constituted, recognized by and in good standing with the appropriate authorities, and compliant with all applicable civil and fiscal regulations.
    • Demonstrate adequate administrative and financial systems to comply with accountability and reporting requirements.
    • Have adequate financial resources (appropriate for the stage of their business) or the ability to obtain them, as well as the ability to comply with the award conditions, taking into account all existing and prospective commitments of the applicant.
    • Have a satisfactory record of performance, and;
    • Have a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics and be otherwise qualified and eligible to receive a grant under applicable laws and regulations.
• The following organizations are not eligible to apply for grant funding:
  • Any organization that has been found to have misused USAID funds in the past
  • Partner government implementing entities including an office, organization, or body at any level of a public administration system (ministry, department, agency, service, district, or municipality) including parastatals and quasi-governmental entities, and universities
  • Public international organizations
  • Political parties, groupings, or institutions or their subsidiaries and affiliates
  • Organizations that advocate or promote anti-democratic policies or illegal activities
  • Faith-based organizations whose objectives are for discriminatory and religious purposes, and whose main objective for the grant is of a religious nature
  • Any organization included in any supplementary information concerning prohibited individuals or entities that may be provided by USAID
  • An organization that refuses to sign all required certifications and assurances required by CGEF
  • Any organization with a questionable reputation around gender equality.

For more information, visit 2X Global.