Climate Gender Equity Fund Request for Proposals

The Climate Gender Equity Fund Request for Proposals (CGEF, or the Fund) is a public-private collaboration established by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Amazon to scale climate finance that promotes gender equitable climate action.

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The management of CGEF grants will be entrusted to 2X Global, a major international non-profit organisation that works at the intersection of climate and gender finance.

In global emerging markets where USAID operates, the CGEF strives to improve access to finance for investment vehicles, companies, and community-based organisations creating and growing women-led and women-beneficial climate solutions.

In order to mobilise investment for long-term and systemic change at the intersection of gender and climate finance across developing markets, this request for proposals (RFP) formally introduces the inaugural CGEF funding round. It targets climate- and gender-smart fund managers and entrepreneur networks. The following are eligible applicants for the grant round:

  • Emerging impact investing funds (and investment vehicles) that are gender- and climate-smart, with a significant preference for funds/vehicles led by women: Grants are intended to support investment funds and vehicles that advance gender equality and climate solutions by creating, growing, and funding enterprises and solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation.

  • Networking groups and middlemen that aid female entrepreneurs engaged in climate action, with a bias for companies based in Africa: Grants are intended to support intermediaries (such as women entrepreneur networks, incubators, accelerators, business service providers, and field building associations) who help women entrepreneurs working on the front lines of climate action obtain funding or other types of support.

Categories for Grants

Your organisation must be one of the following in order to qualify for funding in this initial round:

  • A new fund manager (including investment vehicles) that prioritises gender equality and/or women’s leadership and invests in climate-smart solutions in nations where USAID operates;

  • A network or middleman helping female entrepreneurs leading climate change initiatives in the nations USAID works in organisations may propose to use grant funding for a variety of goals, such as increasing their own capacity to provide gender-smart and gender transformative climate finance, maintaining their own organisation through essential working capital, making investments in portfolio companies or pipeline companies, providing pre- or post-investment technical assistance (TA), and, in the case of network organisations, providing grants to women entrepreneurs. The ideas that use money to invest in or extend grants to women-led companies pioneering climate solutions will be given preference. Additionally, proposals that emphasise how money will be used in a catalytic way—particularly for raising more private funding for women-led climate solutions—will be given preference.

Financial Details

  • Depending on the anticipated level of impact, CGEF will consider grants up to US$500,000, but it aims to offer grants between US$100,000 and US$300,000.

Eligibility

  • Geographic Scope: Applicants for fund manager grants must intend to use the money for projects or investments in nations where USAID has operations. In emerging markets, local fund managers will be given preference.

  • To use grant money to support female entrepreneurs in the nations where USAID works, network and intermediate organisation candidates must submit an application. Organisations with headquarters and operations in Africa will be given preference.

  • Organisational Requirements:

  • Organisations in categories 1 and 2 must fulfil the following requirements in order to be eligible for financing from CGEF:

  • Be officially constituted, registered, acknowledged by, in good standing with, and in compliance with all applicable civil and fiscal laws.

  • Show that your administrative and financial processes are sufficient to meet the criteria for accountability and reporting.

  • Possess the necessary financial resources (suitable for the stage of their business) or the ability to acquire them, as well as the capacity to satisfy the award terms, taking into account all current and future obligations of the applicant.

  • Be qualified and eligible to receive a grant under applicable rules and regulations and have a sufficient track record of performance, integrity, and business ethics.

  • The following groups are not permitted to submit grant funding applications:

  • Any organisation that has previously been found to have misappropriated USAID funds, including parastatals, quasi-governmental organisations, universities, and any office, organisation, or body at any level of the public administration system (ministry, department, agency, service, district, or municipality).

  • International public organisations

  • Political parties, organisations, or groups, or their parent companies and affiliates

  • Organisations that support or promote unlawful or anti-democratic practises

  • Faith-based organisations whose major goal for the donation is of a religious nature and whose objectives are for discriminatory and religious purposes

  • Any organisation included in any additional information about restricted people or entities that USAID may give

  • An organisation that declines to sign all of the CGEF-required assurances and certifications

  • Any company has a dubious history when it comes to gender equality.

To learn more, go to 2X Global.