Supporting DGGF investment clients
DGGF investment clients can apply for non-financial support under the SCBD facility. SC&BD offers the following services for DGGF clients:
Technical Assistance (TA):
Support to the DGGF Clients to strengthen their operations, develop their skills and capacity and to enhance their service offering for SMEs. The primary beneficiary of support is the DGGF Client.
Examples of TA include training loan officers in SME credit risk analysis, supporting fund managers with their gender lens strategy, SME product development, and more.
- Pe-investment TA to Alitheia to strengthen their Gender Lens Investing fund proposition: Case Study Gender Lens Investing.
- Supporting Novastar Ventures with the launch of Mella, an entrepreneurship programme for young entrepreneurs in Ethiopia.
- Supporting our portfolio to deal with ESG matters during the COVID-19 crisis.
Business Development Services (BDS):
Support to DGGF Clients to provide non-financial services to (potential) portfolio SMEs or to support the broader entrepreneurial SME ecosystem that the client operates in. The primary beneficiaries of support are the SMEs and local entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Examples of BDS include the support to funds’ TA facilities for SMEs, launching angel networks, opening local SME support centres and more.
- IPAE2 – Providing comprehensive support to high-potential SMEs
- Grofin – Pioneering Gender Lens Investing
- Genesis - Establishing Small Business Development Centres across Guatemala
- Aavishkaar - Supporting angel investment networks in Bangladesh and Indonesia
- Gazelle – Bringing the mezzanine financing model to the Caucasus and Central Asia
TAX/ESG/Result measurement
If needed, investment clients will be supported in bringing their TAX/ESG/Result measurement practices in line with DGGF standards.
Who can apply?
The following conditions exist to apply for TA and BDS support:
- DGGF investee - The Financial Institution or fund is a DGGF investee, i.e. there is (a commitment to) an investment relation.
- Hurdle - The project support is needed to overcome a hurdle, to improve or expand the services to the SME market.
- Commitment - The DGGF investee is fully committed to the project and leadership ensures sufficient commitment and resources at a strategic and operational level to facilitate positive results.
Terms and Conditions of Support
The SC&BD can provide support in the form of grants, convertible grants, and concessional loans. The selected instrument, height of support and counterpart contribution from the client or other donors is determined on a case-by-case basis to ensure commitment and alignment among all parties.
Eligible project costs must be one-off (i.e. no running costs) and are limited to external costs (i.e. only costs incurred by parties external to the investee).
Application & selection process
DGGF Clients are encouraged to connect with the SC&BD team to discuss their TA/BDS ideas and the eligibility of their project. Clients may subsequently be requested to develop and submit a project proposal for approval.
TA/BDS applications are subject to an independent SC&BD Committee for approval.
Clients may apply at any time, so long as they are (in the process of becoming) DGGF Investment Clients. Clients may also apply for multiple projects consecutively or simultaneously.