World Bank Development Marketplace Grants [India]

Funding for innovative Indian social enterprises working on projects with high potential for development impact by the World Bank

The Development Marketplace (DM) is a competitive grant program that identifies and funds innovative social enterprises working on projects with high potential for development impact.

Administered by the World Bank and funded by various partners, the primary objective of the DM is to identify and support cutting-edge solutions to the most pressing social and economic problems. DM projects offer solutions that deliver results and have the potential to be replicated and/or scaled-up in a financially sustainable manner.

Criteria :
The proposals will be evaluated according to the following broad criteria:

• Social Impact – providing low income communities with greater access to goods/services, and/or income generation opportunities.
• Sustainability – enterprises need to have been operational for at least two years and demonstrate they are on a pathway to organizational and financial self- sufficiency.
• Growth Potential – proposals should exhibit potential for being replicable/ scalable and be of potential interest to social investors and/or mainstream venture investors and financial institutions.
• Innovation – the extent to which the organization and project have innovative and inclusive approaches to lowering costs and enhancing affordability

Selection Criteria:

The proposals will be evaluated according to the following broad criteria:

• Social Impact – providing low income communities with greater access to goods/services, and/or income generation opportunities.
• Sustainability – enterprises need to have been operational for at least two years and demonstrate they are on a pathway to organizational and financial self- sufficiency.
• Growth Potential – proposals should exhibit potential for being replicable/ scalable and be of potential interest to social investors and/or mainstream venture investors and financial institutions.
• Innovation – the extent to which the organization and project have innovative and inclusive approaches to lowering costs and enhancing affordability.

Registered not-for-profit and for-profit organizations implementing an inclusive business model are eligible. Women run organizations are strongly encouraged to apply.
Models should be operational for at least 2 years in Bihar, Rajasthan or Orissa and be able to demonstrate a track record of successful project implementation.
Models operational for 2 years in any other State – and proposing to replicate or scale it in Bihar, Rajasthan or Orissa are also invited to apply. These organizations must also demonstrate a track record of successful project implementation.
Individuals are not eligible to apply for this competition.
Projects with the primary output of research or knowledge, such as publications or conference, formal education or scholarships are not eligible for this competition.

Call for Proposals
An open call for proposals will be launched on December 10, 2010. All applications must be submitted via the Online Application System by 11.30pm on 23^rd January 2011.
Assessment and Short listing
All submissions will undergo a thorough assessment by experts from the IFC and the World Bank Group, the social and mainstream investors and the greater development community. This assessment will be completed by February 2011. From this process, 30 proposals will be shortlisted.  Details on the Assessment Criteria are available in the FAQs section.
Shortlisted organizations will be notified of their selection via email in March 2011. A final list of shortlisted organizations will also be available on the DM website at the same time.
Implementation period
The winners will use the grants to invest in all activities/assets necessary to establish the viability of the business model; such as testing, quality assurance, certification, balancing plant and machinery, consulting services, and test marketing services. Over a period of 24 months, the grant funds will allow them to further develop their business plan and build a sustainable financial model through product and service development, expansion strategies, operational improvements and putting in place the human and technical resources required to manage the social enterprise.
The objective of the grant is to enable selected social enterprises to refine and build their models, to prove their long-term viability, and if necessary, be in a position to present solid funding proposals to potential investors at the end of the 24-month period.

Scholarship Deadline: 23 January 2011