Deadline: 15-Dec-22
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) invites interested women-led SMEs and NGO led Social Enterprises (SEs) from Kurigram, Manikganj, Jashore, Thakurgaon, and Cox’s Bazar Districts who are working on real economic empowerment of women’s and girls.
Interested women SMEs and NGO-led SEs are requested to submit their gender-responsive business (manufacturing and service sector preferred) proposal application for funding under the WING program. The application is for receiving technical assistance and financial support such as development grants, credit enhancements, and guarantees that advance gender-responsive investment for women’s and girls’ economic empowerment. The WING program plans to target women-led SMEs or SEs that have graduated from its “Start-up” phase into the Scale-up phase.
With this Call for Investment Proposals (CfPs), UNCDF is inviting calls for investment project proposals in the following:
Focus areas for women-led SMEs (As per Bangladesh Bank SMESMD CMSME circular, small and medium enterprise):
- Fully operational for the past 3 years with viable business/investment project expansion plans
- Constrained by lack of adequate capital or collateral for business/investment project expansion
- Majority of women employees (greater than 60% of total employee count)
- At least 30% of the project cost to be financed by the owner’s equity
- Feasible business plan with cash flow projections to replay any loan obligations
- Clean and favorable CIB report (As and when required)
- Proven track record of doing business and a primary focus on women’s empowerment,
- To have the initial legal documentation such as trade licenses, SME’s registrations, bank accounts, and other institutional and formal establishments to graduate and grow their business, market, products, human resources, policies, and technologies towards industrialization and institutionalization
Focus areas for NGO led Social Enterprises (SEs)
- Successful track record of running social businesses
- SEs fully operational for the past 3 years with viable business expansion plans
- Constrained by lack of adequate capital or collateral for expansion
- Majority of women employees (greater than 60% of total employee count)
- At least 30% of the project cost to be financed by the owner’s equity
- Feasible social business plan with cash flow projections to replay any loan obligations
- Clean and favorable CIB report (As and when required)
- Proven track record of doing business and a primary focus on women’s empowerment,
- To have the initial legal documentation such as trade licenses, SE’s registrations, bank accounts, and other institutional and formal establishments to graduate and grow their business, market, products, human resources, policies, and technologies towards industrialization and institutionalization
- Engaging the majority of women to expand their skills and market and employment in the local economy.
- A thorough assessment of SEs audit reports (for funding requirements)
- SEs experience of the management team and governance structure
- Legal assessment of their official Memorandum of Articles and Charters.
What UNCDF offers to women led SMEs and NGO led SEs
- Grant financing up to 15-25% of the total expansion business/investment project cost
- Guarantee/credit enhancement to financing institutions against the project up to 50% of total loan size
- Project development and preparatory support
- Link to financial institutions and investors
- Gender-responsive investment project support services
- Support management regarding gender equality benefits.
Eligibility Criteria
- Gender-responsive business/investment project proposals must meet all of the following eligibility criteria(s):
- Institutional profile: Significant number of women-engagement in organizational structure and workforce which includes women representation amongst the Board of Directors, Management team and full-time staff, The business has an explicit commitment to gender equality in employment, The business makes explicit spending and program commitments that increase gender equality and support women’s advancement (i.e. conducted gender-related training will be considered as added value.
- Commercial viability: Proposals that show the ability to generate revenue and make profits will be given priority
- Business/investment Project status: Scale-up business that has passed a pre-feasibility stage beyond a concept note.
- SME/SE size & Project size: Women-led SMEs or NGO-led SEs.
- Supply chain procurement: The business provides price equality to male and female suppliers
- Located districts: Kurigram, Manikganj,Jashore, Thakurgaon, and Cox’s Bazar districts
- Development impact: Project that will generate positive economic benefits e.g. job creation, income generation, empowerment of women and girls including trade and market access.
- Qualified management: The proposal must show evidence that the proposed management team has the necessary technical and managerial skills to run the project
- Compliance: Compliance with Bangladesh laws and regulations and UNDCF/UNDP Environmental & Social Performance Standards including industrial laws, human (labor & women) rights is a must. The social and environmental screening (SES) template is attached
- A scoring of WEE Index (Women Economic Empowerment Index) tools, where eligible score is 0.50<
- The WEE Index template is attached with this CfPs for getting understanding about WEE Index tool of WING program.
Selection Process
- Gender-responsive investment platform (GRIP) will act as an investment screening authority which will be comprised of UNCDF representatives and related representatives from strategic partner agencies. Based on the preliminary proposal information and initial field visit information, the Gender-responsive investment platform (GRIP) will score the submitted proposals against the eligibility criteria mentioned.
For more information, visit https://www.uncdf.org/article/8014/gender-responsive-investment-projects-the-womens-empowerment-for-inclusive-growth-wing-program-in-bangladesh