The Business Partnership Facility (BPF) grants financial support to companies contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in developing countries.
Business Partnership Facility
The BPF is initiated and financed by the Belgian Directorate-General for Development Cooperation (DGD) to stimulate private sector involvement in achieving the SDGs in developing countries.
The operational management of the BPF is entrusted to the King Baudouin Foundation.
The BPF supports viable, entrepreneurial business initiatives with a strong social impact.
Regulations
Who can apply?
Each applicant is preferably in a partnership that brings together actors from the private sector, civil society, academia and/or the public sector. The partnership must include minimum one business partner. The proposed project must be part of the ‘core business’ of at least one of the business partners involved.
Grant amount
Projects are selected by an independent jury and receive non-refundable funding between 50,000 and 200,000 euros. The grant can represent maximum 50% of the total investment.
In total, there is a budget of €12mio available to support projects and to manage the calls during 5 years (2019-2023). For every selection round there is €1mio available for grants.
Conditions
BPF-funded projects must demonstrate their social impact and economic viability:
Social impact, contributing to the SDGs. For example:
- Creation and maintenance of decent jobs,
- Improvement in average income for low income families,
- Accessibility of affordable goods and services,
- Inclusion and economic development of women and young people,
- Positive impact on the environment through saving resources, reducing emissions and/or preserving biodiversity,
- …
Economic viability
Applicants must clearly demonstrate that the submitted projects/initiatives are:
- Able to become self-sustainable,
- Scalable,
- Replicable.
The last 2 selection rounds are open to projects in different sectors. Projects can only be submitted around three themes:
- Climate, environment and biodiversity
- Gender and female entrepreneurship
- Decent work and social protection
Geographic scope
Partners can be Belgian, European or international legal entities.
Projects must take place in one of the following countries:
Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zambia.
Advisory support
In addition to the grant, the BPF can also provide advisory support. Grantees can call upon consultants in the two following domains:
- Results-based management
- Up-scaling the activities
A maximum of 7 days of consulting services can be granted per year of implementation of the project. The BPF will finance the consultants’ fees, while all operational costs (transport, accommodation, food, etc.) will be borne by the grantees.
The service of these consultants can be integrated in the project proposal, but can also be requested when the project is already ongoing, in function of the needs arising during implementation.
Apply online
Applicants can only apply online via the website of the King Baudouin Foundation when a call for projects is open. There are two selection rounds every year between 2019 and 2023.
