Call summary :

Scope of the Window

The Gender-Responsive Climate Finance Window, made possible with support from the Government of Canada, will award early-stage grant funding for the design and launch of innovative blended finance vehicles focused on the intersection of climate change and gender equality in emerging markets globally.

There has been a growing awareness of the climate-gender nexus over the past decade, but the field remains nascent. This Window aims to build the field by supporting a pipeline of climate-gender blended finance vehicles to reach bankability. Blended finance vehicles supported by the Window will be anchored by three key objectives:

1. The mobilization of private sector capital at scale to finance gender-responsive climate change mitigation and/or adaptation in emerging markets;

AND

2. The integration of gender equality into the design, implementation, and operations of vehicles, rather than as a “bolt-on feature” or “nice-to-have”;

AND

3. Strong alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) at the minimum.



Types of Funding Available

Applicants can apply for feasibility study or proof-of-concept funding.

Feasibility study : Grants range between USD 40,000 to USD 190,000.

Proof-of-concept ; Grants range between USD 190,000 to USD 500,000.



Submission Deadlines

2023:

• Spring Round (Cycle 3): Closed

• Fall Round (Cycle 4): The Window is NOW accepting concept notes. Application submission deadline date to be announced.

2024:

• Winter Round (Cycle 5): date to be announced



Theme

• The proposal must be for the design and launch of a blended finance vehicle.

o See our grant portfolio for examples of vehicles supported by Convergence under past Design Funding windows.



• Vehicles MUST target either climate change mitigation and/or adaptation, AND integrate a strong gender equality focus.

Geography Any emerging market(s), eligible to receive official development assistance (ODA) according to the OECD-DAC List of ODA Recipients.

Sector Any sector(s) and sub-sector(s) aligned with climate change mitigation, adaptation and gender equality. For example, potential sectors and sub-sectors could include the following:



• Climate Change Mitigation:

o Low-carbon transportation

o Renewable energy generation (on-grid and off-grid)

o Energy efficiency

o Agriculture, forestry and land use

o Natural resource management

o Energy transmission, storage, and distribution



• Climate Change Adaptation:

o Sustainable/climate smart agriculture or aquaculture

o Climate-related insurance and disaster resilience

o Nature-based infrastructure

o Ecosystem-based adaptation

o Waste and wastewater management



Proposals are only accepted from organizations or consortiums of organizations.

• For example, eligible organizations could include asset owners, asset managers, advisory firms, foundations, not-for-profit organizations, and corporations.

• The lead organization must be able to provide 1) proof of incorporation, and 2) financial statements for the previous fiscal year.

Applicants are awarded funding in disbursements based on milestones, and are expected to meet reporting requirements, such as reporting on key challenges, learnings, and results on a regular basis. Learnings from the design stage will be synthesized into a public case study or learning brief and published to support market-wide learning.