Small Projects Fund on Decentralised Renewable Energy

Deadline: 3-Nov-21

The Grüne Bürgerenergie für Afrika’s (Green People’s Energy) Small Projects Fund (SPF) is offering financial support to initiatives led by non-profit organisations in the field of decentralised renewable energy.

The SPF is part of the initiative “Grüne Bürgerenergie für Afrika” (Green People’s Energy) which is administered by the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. GIZ is implementing technical cooperation projects on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ).

The Fund is looking for concrete solutions based on an identified local need. The expected impact and likely success of the proposed solutions to overcome social, ecological and / or economic challenges in the energy sector will be analyzed by an assessment committee.

A specific focus is sustainability meaning benefits pursued in the framework of the project’s timeframe shall continue beyond implementation. Additional thematic priorities are on training, productive uses of energy, electrification of social infrastructure and partnerships.

Funding Information

Contributions from the Small Projects Fund can cover up to 80% of the total project costs and must not exceed EUR 200,000. In-kind contributions by the applicants are accepted as contributions.

Target Region

The project’s target region must be in sub-Saharan Africa. Projects will be supported primarily in the initiate‘s focus countries (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia).
In addition to the focus countries, projects can also be funded in countries with a GIZ country office and energy program in place. This includes: Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mala wi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Togo.

Eligibility Criteria

The applicant must have a fixed location (registered office) in the target country and have been active there in projects with a similar context for at least three years.
The applicant must be a legal entity with legal capacity as an organization or institution and act for the public benefit.
The intended use of funds by the project must qualify as achieving a tax-privileged purpose (eg for the public benefit).
If the applicant plans to manage funds independently, an appropriate accounting system with qualified personnel must be in place. If the organization does not have an appropriate accounting system, book-keeping may be carried out via a partnership with another appropriate organization.
There must be no allegations of corruption or investigations against the applicant’s executives or management. The applicants and activities involved must not breach the United Nations’ or European Union’s sanctions regime.
Only complete applications will be considered.

For more information, visit https://gruene-buergerenergie.org/en/get-involved/small-projects-fund/