Deadline: 27 March 2020
Through this Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI), USAID/Mexico seeks partners to research, develop, test and evaluate innovative approaches to increase access to finance and catalyze investments to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in Mexico by improving land management practices and reducing the drivers of land-use change.
Blended finance is the strategic use of development funds, such as those from government aid and philanthropic sources, to mobilize private capital for social and environment results, such as improving infrastructure, education, agriculture, healthcare, and more. Blended finance strategies are designed to encourage members of the private sector, such as companies and investors, to invest in activities and projects that can achieve both financial returns and positive social and environmental outcomes.
Through its sustainable landscapes (SL) programming and this Expression of Interest (EOI), USAID/Mexico aims to cocreate innovative research and development-based solutions that employ a blended finance approach to positively influence the socio-economic development and well-being of rural communities, while simultaneously protecting productive forests and soils rich in organic matter. In particular, USAID seeks to promote new forms of collaboration with the investment and business community to catalyze investment in high-impact areas important to USAID such as sustainable agriculture , forestry and other land uses, and the environment. Among other possible solutions, this could include innovative ways to strengthen value chains that protect rather than degrade natural resources or involve poor labor practices; improve market linkages for deforestation-free products; influence consumer preferences for sustainably produced goods; increase processing capabilities to add value; or promote access to finance.
The innovative solutions USAID seeks should focus on how to catalyze investment in smallholder farmers, small and medium enterprises (SME), community and forestry enterprises (CFE), ejidos, and communities.
In employing a blended finance approach, USAID hopes to achieve the following objectives:
- Mobilize private capital to finance activities that reduce deforestation and improve land management practices.
- Enable smallholder farmers, small and medium enterprises (SME), community and forestry enterprises (CFE), ejidos, and communities to adopt economically-viable and sustainable land use practices.
- Develop systemic approaches that can have a transformational impact on deforestation and sustainable land use in Mexico.
Eligibility Criteria
- EOIs may come from organizations in the natural resources management and financial sectors, including technical assistance providers, civil society and non-governmental organizations, investors, asset managers, intermediaries, businesses buying and selling sustainably-sourced products, community forest and smallholder producer organizations, academia, thought leaders, and other entities that have experience and capabilities in line with the objectives of this solicitation.
- Applicants should be willing to meaningfully discuss challenges and to collectively construct potential market-based solutions to reduce deforestation and promote sustainable landscapes, taking into account challenges and opportunities that include access to finance, market failures or distortions, capacity to implement sustainable agriculture, livestock and forestry practices, policy and regulatory barriers, and consumer demand, among others.
How to Apply
Submissions should:
- Be in English or Spanish;
- Be no more than three (3) pages in length, with text no smaller than 12 point font with 1-inch margins.
- Be submitted electronically via e-mail at the address given on the website.
- Include a cover page (not counted against page limit) with the following information: Respondent Name/Group; Contact Information; and Response Title.
- Include two submission attachments in email, one in .doc and one in .pdf format.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=324896
