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Impact-Linked Fund for Eastern & Southern Africa

Impact-Linked Fund for Eastern and Southern Africa (ILF ESA)

 

ILF ESA focuses on high-impact organizations in Eastern and Southern Africa preparing to raise investment. The Fund supports them with two different impact-linked funding mechanisms: Social Impact Incentives – SIINC (time-limited financial rewards for achieving positive social outcomes), and Impact-Linked Loans (repayable loans whose financial cost is lowered by achieving pre-determined positive social outcomes).

The overall objective of the Impact-Linked Fund for Eastern and Southern Africa (ILF ESA) is to enable impact enterprises to scale in both economic and impact terms. From an impact perspective, the aim is to help these enterprises strengthen their focus on impact, particularly in terms of serving vulnerable, low-income populations. The Fund is targeting enterprises operating in Eastern and Southern Africa, with a preference for one or more of the following: Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The target sectors are Health (including nutrition and basic services), WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), sustainable agriculture and food security, and income and employment. From a business perspective, the Impact-Linked Finance mechanisms provided through the Fund will allow enterprises to scale their business models and ensure that they continue to be or become economically viable and profitable over time.

iGravity and Roots of Impact are the managers of ILF ESA, responsible for pre-selecting enterprises and structuring terms. This initiative is sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Medicor Foundation. With the second close of ILF ESA, SwissRe Foundation, FourFold Foundation and Aqua for All have joined the sponsor group.

General criteria:

Scope

The enterprises must be operational for at least three years in Eastern and Southern Africa, with a preference for one or more of the following: Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The target sectors are Health (including nutrition and basic services), WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), sustainable agriculture and food security, and income and employment. In order to be eligible for SIINC, enterprises must be seeking a repayable investment (debt, equity, etc.) that is at minimum double of the SIINC amount (2:1 financial leverage). There are no leverage requirements for the Impact-Linked Loans.

Business model

Although there are no specific constraints regarding the legal form, the enterprises need to have a business model and generate revenues out of their activities.

Financial sustainability

The objective of the ILFF ESA program is to support enterprises which will continue to generate positive impact long after the SIINC payments or the Impact-Linked Loan have ended. Thus, the enterprises must have either already achieved financial sustainability, or must have a clear plan for achieving breakeven in the short to medium term.

Impact measurement

The support provided to the enterprises in this fund takes the form of time-bound outcomes-based payments, granted to incentivize positive social impact. In order to design a realistic payment schedule, it is necessary to have baseline data related to the impact generated by the enterprise. There should be a track record of systematically tracked and reported indicators that can act as a basis for structuring the SIINC payments or the Impact-Linked Loan.

Impact focus

Enterprises that target vulnerable populations will be of particular interest. Enterprises that do not have a specific impact focus are also eligible if they prove to be willing and able to deliver positive social outcomes.


Portfolio companies:

The ILF ESA has provided Impact-Linked Finance to several high-impact organizations in Eastern and Southern Africa to date:


Application and contact details:

The application period for this Impact-Linked Fund has ended. To stay up to date on future programs, please sign up for our newsletter. If you have questions about ILF ESA, please check out the Frequently Asked Questions document. For other questions, please contact us at impact.ventures@igravity.net.

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