USADF/MCA Niger: Request for Applications for Climate Resilient Agriculture Grants Facility

Deadline: 10 March 2019

United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)-Niger are seeking applications for grant financing and local support from qualified cooperatives, producer groups, and enterprises with innovative solutions to increase investment in capital assets and adoption of environmentally sustainable agricultural practices that extend their own capabilities to support sustainable growth of agricultural enterprises and increase incomes of smallholder agricultural populations, focusing on vulnerable populations.

The Climate-Resilient Communities Project (CRC Project) includes a Climate Resilient Agriculture Activity (CRA Activity) that aims to support sustainable increases in productivity and farm incomes in eighteen targeted communes by strengthening the resiliency of farmers and agro-pastoralists to the impacts of climate. The CRA Grants Facility, in turn, is a sub-activity under the CRA Activity designed to support productive assets and investment needs, integrated with provision of business development services (BDS), to target beneficiaries in Niger.

The projects will be selected on a competitive basis and further developed with the support from USADF and its Partner in Niger.  Grantees will be expected to make co-financing contributions as described in greater detail below.  The CRA Grants Facility will provide grants and accompanying business development services to eligible Applicants from the eighteen CRA eligible communes: Tessa, Mokko, TomboKoirey I, TomboKoirey II, KarguiBangou, Dan Goulbi, Sabon Machi, Chadakori, GuidanRoumdji, Konni, Tsernaoua,  Malbaza, Doguérawa, Malbaza, Kouré, Liboré, N’Dounga, Tanda, and Gaya.

Grant Information

• Maximum individual grant award size is USD 250,000, and total possible grant duration is three years.
• Grants will be awarded in CFA Francs.

Categories

The three categories of eligible Applicants include the following.

• Cooperatives and Producer/Processor Groups – These include cooperatives and groups registered with the Government of Niger or an official local/regional body that is engaged in some form of productive or value-addition activity in the agricultural sector. Groups who are not yet registered need to be registered before signing of Grant Agreements and must provide verification of prior commercial activity as a group for at least one year.
• Women’s Groups and Youth Groups – These include groups of women and/or youth engaged in some form of productive or value-addition activity in the agricultural sector. Eligible groups include women’s savings groups formed as part of MCC’s Irrigation and Market Access Project and existing savings groups with a record of operation. Groups need to fulfill one of the following criteria in order to receive grant funds: (1) be registered with the Government of Niger or other official body as a women’s group or a youth group; (2) obtain a recommendation from a reputable NGO or MFI as a women’s group, savings group, credit group, or youth group (youth groups may also obtain recommendation from a reputable educational institution); or (3) if not yet registered or do not have NGO/MFI recommendation at the time of application, need to register during application process and meet USADF assessment of commitment to the project (which may include demonstration of prior commercial activity as a group). Women’s groups must have 100% women’s control and participation of the leadership and a minimum of 95% women membership. Youth groups must have 100% control and participation of the leadership and a minimum of 95% youth membership. Youth is defined as being between the ages of 15 and 35. Groups who are not yet registered need to be registered before signing of Grant Agreements and must provide verification of prior commercial activity as a group for at least one year.
• Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) – These include MSMEs in the agricultural sector that can provide documentation or verification of prior engagement in commercial activity. Established farms registered as MSMEs and operating on a commercial basis for a least two years are eligible. Enterprises determined to be opportunistically formed solely for the purpose of accessing grant funds will not be eligible. MSMEs must provide verification of operations as a business for at least 2 years and completion of registration before signing of Grant Agreement.

NOTE:  Individuals not registered as a business are not eligible for funding under the CRA Grants Facility. A registered business with an individual proprietor is eligible.

Activities and Eligible Projects 

• Activities and projects proposed for grant funding must:
  • augment productivity (or reduce productivity losses);
  • support resilience through income diversification; and/or
  • mitigate environmental or climate risk impact.
• Projects should meet at least one of these three criteria to be eligible for funding under the CRA Grants Facility.
  • Rain-Fed crop production
  • Small-Scale Irrigation
  • Livestock Integration
  • Purchase and/or construction of animal enclosure units
  • Agro-Processing
  • Input Delivery

How to Apply

Applicants can download the application form via given website.

For more information, please visit https://www.usadf.gov/opportunities/