Stockholm (NordSIP) – The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) IMPACT Programme has launched a first call for concept notes. A few weeks ago at the Global Impact Investor Network conference in Amsterdam, NordSIP met Emma Davies (pictured), Knowledge and Communications Manager at the Palladium Group, who told us more about the program.
“The IMPACT Programme (“the Programme”) is a four-year programme funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) managed by Palladium in partnership with Enclude Capital Advisory and The Good Economy,” says Emma Davies. “It was set up in 2012 with the primary aim to reduce the constraints in the impact investing value chain and make the practice of impact investing as effective, as efficient and as attractive as possible to investors, intermediaries and enterprises.”
This latest call for grant applications follows a first phase, during which “the Programme provided a number of grants to support initiatives including ‘Acumen’s Lean Data’,” according to Davies. “This initiative used low-cost tech to gather high-quality data to enable enterprises to access better data on their social performance, customer feedback and behaviour,” she explains.
How Much and For What?
“The Programme will award grants between £250,000 and £1 million,” Davies explains. “The target projects will focus on the design and testing of innovative investment products, tools, and services to increase the flow and distribution of capital from large institutional investors to projects aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.”
The DFID IMPACT Programme is looking for ideas that reduce market-level barriers in the impact investing ecosystem and demonstrate the potential to be replicated and applicable to the wider Impact Investing ecosystem.
Who Should Apply?
The Programme does not invest in individual businesses or impact investing funds. “The ideal application will clearly demonstrate how the idea aligns with the objectives of the Programme and the focus of this particular call (products, tools and services). It will demonstrate how the initiative will become embedded in the impact investing ecosystem and will be scalable and how it will create a systemic impact in Sub-Saharan Africa and/or South Asia in the long term,” Davies concludes.
The IMPACT Programme funds a range of non-state actors, including but not limited to: private sector companies, civil society organisations (CSOs), nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) research organisations, policy institutes/think tanks; and trade and industry associations. Applicants who demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and wider ecosystem engagement will be considered particularly favourably, NordSIP learned.
When?
The deadline for submitting a concept note is Wednesday 20th November 2019, 12 pm BST/ 2 pm EAT/ 4.30 pm IST. Grant applicants can submit their application to [email protected] before the deadline. After submitting the concept note, those organisations moving on to the next stage will be invited to submit a full proposal.
Find out more about how to apply here.
Picture © NordSIP
