The SDG Impact Finance Initiative is excited to invite submissions for its fourth call for proposals under the Innovation Window, centered around the theme of “Addressing Economic and Social Inequalities through Financial Innovation“. This Call for Proposal is designed to support innovative financial solutions to reduce income disparities, ensure equitable access to economic resources, and protect vulnerable populations, with a dedicated focus on addressing the local currency challenge. Solutions can target any developing country or countries eligible to receive official development assistance (ODA) according to the OECD-DAC List of ODA Recipients. We highly encourage solutions that target low-income and least-developed countries.

In alignment with our defined SDGs, we are looking for innovative proposals that address the urgent and critical needs within:

• SDG 1: No Poverty
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

SIFI places particular emphasis on Financial Innovation addressing the local currency challenge, which includes (a) mitigating exchange rate risks to ensure financial sustainability, (b) encouraging access to long-term financing for local businesses and institutions, (c) aligning funding with local economic conditions to foster stability and growth and (d) supporting local actors in implementing SDG-related projects effectively.

Financial Innovation should aim to (a) reduce income disparities, (b) ensure equal access to economic resources and/or (c) promote policies that protect vulnerable populations.

SIFI will allocate a total of up to CHF 2,000,000 in this CfP, supporting up to five Innovators. Innovators may receive funding of up to CHF 500,000. Candidates must specify both the minimum and maximum funding amounts (in CHF) they require from SIFI to ensure the viability of their project. Please note that grant amounts are not guaranteed, and SIFI reserves the sole discretion to determine the allocation of funding.

SIFI invites registered impact-focused organizations—such as investment managers, NGOs, and similar entities (hereafter referred to as “Candidates”)—to apply for one or more of the following uses of grant funds:

• Feasibility Studies: Provides funding to evaluate the feasibility of a proposed financial mechanism designed to address a clearly defined problem. This includes:
  • Validating private investor interest
  • Assessing the likelihood of achieving the intended impact
  • Developing the financial mechanism’s preliminary design, including its capital structure and financial model.
     
• Expansion Projects: Provides funding to scale an already launched financial mechanism and achieve financial viability. This includes:
  • Fundraising and marketing to meet capital-raising targets
  • Producing key legal documents
  • Conducting due diligence on the initial pipeline and deploying capital
  • Hiring key personnel to support the expansion

Minimum Criteria (to confirm eligibility of Candidate and Financial Innovation)

Minimum Criteria will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis. To qualify, Candidates must meet all Minimum Criteria. Failure to meet any single criterion or to provide clear evidence of compliance in the EoI will result in disqualification. Financial Innovation means an innovative or new impact financial mechanism or investment vehicle that is eligible to receive a Grant from SIFI.

1. EoI Eligibility: The EoI must adhere to the submission requirements.
2. Candidate Eligibility: The Candidate must be a legally registered entity.
3. Financial Innovation Eligibility: The solution proposed must be a financial innovation that advances impact finance (e.g. investment vehicle or financial mechanism)
4. Private Sector Focus: The financial innovation must target private investors.
5. Thematic Focus: The financial innovation must focus on one or more of the relevant SDGs (in this call 1, 8 and 10)
6. Geographical Focus: The financial innovation must exclusively focus on countries on the DAC list of ODA

Submission Requirements

Candidates must prepare and submit their Expression of Interest (EoI) in compliance with the following requirements:

• Cover Sheet:
  • Clearly state: “EoI SIFI-W1-C4”.
  • Include the Candidate’s full legal name, official address, and website.
• Submission Format:
  • EoIs must be submitted as a single PDF document, not exceeding 10 megabytes (MB) in size.
• Page Limits:
  • EoIs must not exceed 5 pages, excluding required Forms 1 to 6.

Optional: Candidates may, in addition to the EoI, submit a pitch deck as a separate PDF document, provided it does not exceed 10 megabytes. Please note that this pitch deck will not be evaluated.

EoIs must be submitted exclusively through the SIFI website's submission portal. Submissions made by any other method, such as email, will be disqualified.

The submission deadline is the 3rd March 2025 at 12:00 (noon), local time in Switzerland (CET). EoIs will only be considered submitted if they are successfully uploaded to the SIFI website at or before the deadline. Submissions uploaded after the deadline will be disqualified.

Clarifications requests regarding this CfP must be submitted in writing to tenders@broadpeak.ch no later than 16 days before the submission deadline.

For any technical issues related to the submission, please contact info@sdgimpactfinance.org.

Materials

Please carefully review the Framework as well as the Stage 1 documentation prior to submitting your Expression of Interest (EoI).

Below documentation also provides contact details and further details on the eligibility and scoring criteria as well as all submission requirements.