The USAID Powering Agriculture Grand Challenge: Up to $ 2M Grants for Clean Energy Solutions

Deadline: 12 February 2015

 

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in cooperation with the Government of Sweden, Duke Energy Corporation, the Government of Germany, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) invite US and non-US organizations and institutions to submit Concept Note for Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development (PAEGC) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). The call seeks to identify and support new and sustainable approaches to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy solutions for increasing agriculture productivity and/or value in developing countries.

The PAEGC is seeking innovative approaches to effectively integrate new CESs within the agriculture sectors of developing countries and emerging markets. Solutions should be within the clean energy-agriculture nexus that

• Can achieve scale
• Are adoptable within the context of emerging markets
• Are sustainable, and can ultimately progress without outside assistance
• Utilize modern, evidence-based science and technology approaches.

Funding Windows

1. Clean Energy Solution Design: Grants up to $500,000. Cost share – 15%
2. Clean Energy Solution Scale-up/Commercial Growth: Grants up to $2,000,000. Cost share – 35%

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants can be US and non-US educational, industrial, and not-forprofit and for-profit organizations, faith-based, foundations, academic institutions, civic groups, regional organizations, vendors, start-ups, and project developers.
• Government entities and individuals are not eligible to apply for funding. Publicly-funded universities or universities with government affiliations are not considered government entities here.
• Applicants must have a presence in the country(ies) in which they propose to work or at least one local partner in the country(ies).
• Applicants can submit multiple applications to this call on behalf of the organization(s) that they represent.
• Window 1 Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate a Cost-Share contribution of at least 15% of the total award value; Window 2 Applicants shall demonstrate a minimum Cost-Share contribution of 35% of the total award value.
• In the proposals, applicants must
  • Be able to describe how their solutions will have an impact on both increasing use of clean energy/increasing energy efficiency & on increasing agriculture production and/or value.
  • Describe the specific developing country agricultural market they are targeting, and articulate how their solutions meet an existing market demand on the ground.
  • Describe how small-scale farmers and small to medium scale enterprises (SMEs)/operators along the agricultural value chain benefit from the proposed measures.
  • Describe how the solution/innovation supports low emissions economic growth and development amongst target end user groups.
  • Describe how the CES will support for gender equality.

Application Procedure

1. Submit a 600-word concept note responding to two questions that relate to – innovation; and relevance to clean energy/agriculture nexus. Window 1 applicants should respond to third question that relates to market potential & window 2 applicants should respond to a third question that relates to potential to scale.
2. Semi-finalists will be invited to submit full proposal (10 page) and supporting documents.
3. Finalists will be invited to present their CES to an innovator evaluation board. This will either be in-person or via video teleconferencing.
4. Selection of grantee.

Note: Application can be made from 8 December 2014. Applications must be submitted via online platform.

For more information, please visit grants.gov and search for funding opportunity number AID-SOL-OAA-00005.