Following the success of its first call for proposals under the Product Window in 2023/24,  the SDG Impact Finance  Initiative (SIFI) is excited to announce its second call for proposals in 2024 targeting a new set of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDG Impact Finance Initiative’s Product Window provides first-loss equity support to impact fund managers seeking to scale up their innovative impact ideas and build on proven investment fund concepts. It is SIFI´s  goal is to unlock up to CHF 1 billion in capital towards the SDGs by 2030.

SIFI invites all interested Candidates to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) for its second call for proposals under the Product Window, centered around the theme of “Building Resilient Societies and Developing Human Capital”. This CfP Process is designed to enhance community resilience and human potential through targeted support in key areas of health, education, industrial innovation, and sustainable consumption and production.

Solutions shall target any country eligible to receive official development assistance (ODA) according to the most recent OECD-DAC List of ODA Recipients (see list here). Solutions that target low-income and least-developed (LDC) countries are highly encouraged. They shall address at least one of the following SDGs, but not necessarily all of them:

• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): Promoting comprehensive healthcare access and well-being across all demographics.
   
• SDG 4 (Quality Education): Advancing inclusive, equitable quality education and fostering lifelong learning opportunities for everyone.
   
• SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): Fostering Innovation, catalyzing sustainable industrialization and facilitating resilient infrastructure to support inclusive economic development and human well-being.
   
• SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): Encouraging efficient resource use and sustainable practices to minimize our ecological footprint. Specifically, we seek proposals targeting efficient chemical and plastic waste reduction, and sustainable management across industries and communities.

Solutions that not only address these specific SDGs but also embody the essence of inclusivity and accessibility, ensuring that the benefits of innovation and sustainable development reach all segments of society which are most left behind are encouraged. Solutions that integrate and leverage cross-sectoral synergies to amplify their impact on developing human capital and societal resilience, are also encouraged.

SIFI will invest a total of up to five million Swiss Francs (CHF 5,000,000). SIFI may allocate the full amount within this CfP Process to one Candidate or split it among up to three Candidates. Candidates are free to propose how they would like to receive SIFI funding (e.g. whether SIFI amount will be invested at contracting or over the fund life). Candidates are also free to propose a fund structure as far as the structure aligns with the Minimum Criteria specified in this Stage-1 document. In addition, they can propose a concept for an existing fund or a new fund.

SIFI is supported by a Tender Agent, Broadpeak GmbH, to conduct this APR2024 CfP Process.

Process and Deadline

Before you apply, please carefully review the application documents provided in below "Materials" section

To register, please email Tenders@Broadpeak.ch to receive login details for the application platform. Questions should also be directed to the above email. All questions will be collated, and answers distributed to all registered candidates.

The submission deadline for Expressions of Interest is June 5th, 2024 at 12:00 (noon), local time in Bern (CET). Late submissions will not be accepted. Only shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal.

Background

The SDG Impact Finance Initiative (SIFI) is a Swiss non-profit association established in 2021 by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the UBS Optimus Foundation, and the Credit Suisse Foundation. In 2024, the Government of Luxembourg joined the association as a member and the UBS Optimus Foundation and Credit Suisse Foundation merged. For further information, please visit the website.

The Product Window offers support to impact fund managers seeking to scale up their innovative impact ideas and build on proven investment fund concepts. Through this window, the Initiative provides funding in the form of first-loss equity to impact funds in order to (a) contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in developing markets, (b) address social themes, and (c) mobilize capital from the private sector.