SDG Impact Finance Initiative opens its tenth Call for Proposals, dedicated to resilient agriculture, forests and land use

The SDG Impact Finance Initiative (SIFI) today launches its tenth Call for Proposals and its fifth under the Investment Window, centred on the theme “Scaling Investable Solutions for Resilient Agriculture, Forests and Land Use”. The Call for Proposals invites impact fund managers to submit proposals for commercially viable, market-driven solutions that strengthen the resilience of agricultural, forest and land-use systems in emerging and developing economies.

SIFI will invest up to CHF 10 million, allocated to one or two candidates. SIFI’s contribution takes the form of first-loss equity in impact funds, designed to mobilise private capital at scale.

“Private capital will not reach the places where it is needed most unless the first risk is shared thoughtfully. With this Call for Proposals, we at SIFI are increasing our ticket size to back the funds that can bring finance to the farmers, forests and landscapes on which resilience depends.”

Tenke Zoltáni, Chief Executive Officer, SDG Impact Finance Initiative

Scope of the Call for Proposals

Proposals should address one or more of the following thematic areas:

– agroforestry and sustainable forest management

– land restoration, conservation and biodiversity-positive land use

– climate-smart and regenerative agriculture

– climate-resilient agricultural value chains, including financing for smallholders and agri-SMEs

Proposed solutions are expected to restore degraded land and ecosystems, protect biodiversity, improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and rural communities, or reduce vulnerability to climate risks, contributing to SDG 13 (Climate Action) and/or SDG 15 (Life on Land). Preference will be given to solutions that integrate gender equality (SDG 5), in particular women’s access to finance, inputs, land, technology and markets.

Timeline

– 2 November 2026: launch of the Call for Proposals

– 16 November 2026, 12:00 (CET): deadline for clarification requests

– 30 November 2026, 18:00 (CET): deadline for submission of proposals

Proposals must be submitted exclusively through the submission portal on the SIFI website. The Framework and the Stage-1 Request for Proposals are available at https://www.sdgimpactfinance.org/open-calls