The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) is inviting applications for support of commodity development activities in its member countries. This is the twelfth call for interested parties to submit proposals which opened on 1 January 2018 and will close on 15 April 2018. Early submission of proposals is encouraged and is highly appreciated.
CFC supports activities which promote the contribution of the commodity sector to achieving the SDGs in CFC member countries including the following aspects:
(i) Social: Create employment (particularly for youth and women), provide sustained increase in household incomes, reduce poverty, and enhance food security.
(ii) Economic: Enhance production and productivity, achieve higher local value addition; improve competitiveness of producers, producer organisations and small and medium sized industries, support the financial sector development.
(iii) Environmental: Enhance production taking into account the environment and its long term possibilities for the same, or increased use of productive resources while maintaining or reducing the impact on the environment.
The CFC supports implementation of activities along the value chain that: Are innovative, scalable and replicable; Are financially sustainable; Have a potential measurable positive socio-economic and environmental impact on the
stakeholders in commodity value chains as compared to the prevailing baseline situation; Develop stronger connections with existing markets or create new markets along the value chain; Increase financial or other services available for commodity producers and commodity based businesses; Enhance knowledge generation and information dissemination, and Build effective and cost efficient collaboration between producers, industry, governments, civil society organisations and other stakeholders for commodity based development.
All legal public and private entities are eligible to apply under this Call for Proposals, provided they:
– operate in commodity value chains in CFC member countries or provide financial services to micro, small and medium sized businesses operating in these value chains,
– have a proven relevant track record of sound financial operations in their current and /or proposed activities over a period of at least 3 years, which can be documented by means of (audited) financial statements, and
– share CFC’s values, including internationally recognized principles concerning human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption as reflected in the United Nations Global Compact.
The amount of finance requested from CFC should not exceed 50% of the total amount required to execute the project. The balancing amount of co-financing is to be provided by the applicant and/or by other co-financiers. Such co-financing should be relative to the new funding requirement for the (investment) project. Sunk cost are not eligible to be considered as a financial contribution. A thorough assessment of the co-financing available will form part of CFC’s final due diligence verification.
The CFC is an intergovernmental foundation investing in organisations and enterprises pursuing SDG Agenda in commodity value chains in its member countries. Through a range of financial instruments, the CFC seeks to support business activities in the field of commodity development, including agriculture, minerals and metals in Developing Countries. CFC is an impact investor and expects proposals aiming to generate sound financial return, and provide for a measurable social and environmental impact.
