Request for Proposals: Program Implementation Partner, Clean Cooking Alliance Venture Accelerator

Deadline: 24-May-23

The United Nations Foundation’s Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) is accepting proposals for a Program Implementation Partner to assist with the delivery of a Venture Accelerator program that will commence in Q3 2023.

The program implementation partner will work closely with the CCA team with the scope of work to include but not be limited to the following key areas of delivery for cohort 1: co-design of the final program structure and content; enterprise recruitment and due diligence; liaising with technical assistance (TA) and content delivery experts; day-to-day management of the program including online and in-person components; monitoring and evaluation of program objectives and reporting of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); providing ongoing support to enterprises post-cohort in line with a structured mentorship structure.

CCA Venture Accelerator Concept – Cohort 1: West Africa Carbon Finance

• The Problem: Clean cooking enterprises are not yet getting their share of carbon capital.
  • Less than 5% of carbon credits generated in the VCM to date are from clean cooking. Less than ten project developers dominate the flow of clean cooking credits. This is especially true in Africa, a critical and large geographic area for the clean cooking sector.
• Addressing the Problem through the CCA Venture Accelerator
  • To tackle enterprise level challenges related to accessing carbon finance and to complement national and ecosystem level efforts, CCA will launch a venture accelerator to support small and growing clean cooking companies access to carbon finance. The program will build the operational and strategic capacity of these companies to develop high quality projects that are better integrated in the country-level planning for clean cooking and carbon finance and, where applicable, the international carbon markets.
  • The Accelerator intends to:
    • Identify and select high-potential clean cooking enterprises with promising technology and the ambition to structure carbon projects.
    • Provide technical assistance and capacity building support to selected enterprises in several areas:
      • Diagnosing venture-level gaps that impede them from developing bankable carbon projects
      • Developing strategies for the enterprises to access global carbon markets and buyers, and national-level programs where applicable (for example, connecting smaller companies with intermediaries, medium-sized with brokers, larger companies with direct buyers, and exploring aggregation facilities where applicable)
      • Providing access to technical expertise to assist companies with the process of structuring and registering carbon programs
      • Addressing other venture level gaps in targeted ways
    • Provide structured coaching and expert support to the selected enterprises to ensure their projects are successfully implemented and generate revenue streams.
• Venture Accelerator Purpose and Intended Outcomes
  • The primary goal of the accelerator program is to drive carbon finance into clean cooking companies in support of country-level climate and carbon finance goals by diagnosing strategic and operational gaps in companies, making connections to the carbon finance value chain, and building enterprises’ capacity to reliably deliver on carbon contracts. The Accelerator intends to widen the opportunities for small and medium sized clean cooking companies to attract carbon financing commitments and reduce risks for pre-financiers and carbon buyers related to the timeliness and reliability of enterprise execution in terms of the flow and quality of carbon credits.

Call for Proposals: Accelerator Program Implementation Partner

• CCA seeks to partner with a suitably qualified and experienced firm with an established track record and verifiable expertise in venture acceleration and enterprise support programming in West Africa.
• Scope of Work and Deliverables
  • The scope of work for the awardee will be to develop and execute the program’s work as follows:
    • Program Initiation (8 weeks):
      • Lead program structuring workshop(s) (co-design with CCA team)
      • Support accelerator program launch and marketing activities
      • Lead enterprise recruitment and due-diligence exercise
      • Support development of program monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) plan
      • Support key stakeholder management in-region, including aligning with CCA’s ongoing initiatives in West Africa
    • Program Delivery (16 weeks):
      • Lead the planning, management, and delivery of Accelerator boot camp (in-person program initiation, training workshops, networking, market immersion activities etc.)
      • Conduct project management of enterprise carbon diagnostics – in co-ordination with technical partner
      • Conduct general business diagnostic assessment for cohort enterprises
      • Conduct project management of online learning curriculum
      • Support identification, recruitment and contracting of third-party technical assistance (TA) providers
      • Conduct project management of enterprise TA projects – in coordination with technical partner and/or third-party TA providers and enterprises
      • Lead monitoring and evaluation of enterprises against individual TA plans
      • Support management of third-party TA provider contracts
      • Lead day-to-day liaison and relationship management with enterprises
    • Support identification and recruitment of enterprise mentors
    • Enterprise Support & Evaluation (12 weeks):
      • Lead planning and establishment of structured mentorship relationships with enterprises
      • Support post-program relationship management, evaluation and monitoring of enterprises
      • Coordinate and execute data gathering for program MEL reporting

Funding Information

• A detailed budget not exceeding $100,000 (one hundred thousand) in US Dollars must be submitted with the respondents’ proposal.

Requirements

Respondents should demonstrate the following capabilities:

• An excellent track-record in designing and managing enterprise accelerator programs for small and growing businesses in West Africa, ideally in the energy access sector.
• Experience in managing and delivering technical assistance programs to small and growing businesses ideally in the energy access sector.
• Understanding of the energy access and/or clean cooking sector in West Africa, including knowledge of market trends, consumer preferences, and regulatory frameworks, and national level policy priorities.
• Existing relationships with stakeholders, including enterprises, investors, corporates, and foundations engaged or interested in the energy access/clean cooking sector in West Africa
• Experience in program monitoring and evaluation.
• Capacity and skills to manage program finances to a high standard, including budgeting, financial reporting, and grant management.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a proven track record of working with underrepresented enterprise founders.
• Experience or knowledge of carbon finance markets, or climate action program delivery would be advantageous.

For more information, visit Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA).