RFP: Global Alliance announces $2M in Spark grants

We’re happy to re-post this announcement:

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is pleased to announce the request for proposals (RFP) for the second round of the Spark Fund investment.

The Spark Fund, launched in 2012, aims to invest a total of $2 million in grant capital annually in enterprises with scalable approaches that have the potential to transform the clean cooking sector through their success. Spark grants of up to $500K per enterprise target the specific capital and capacity development needs of enterprises across the value chain that have passed the proof of concept phase.

In this round of Spark, the Alliance is prioritizing support of enterprises that demonstrate their commitment to cleaner and more efficient technologies that improve health and environmental outcomes, such the reduction of emissions of black carbon and short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs).

In order to reach more Alliance partners and to generate a pipeline of investable enterprises the Spark Fund has been split into two windows, allowing enterprises in both the venture and growth stages to apply for funding. The Spark Venture window will fund enterprises that have passed the proof of concept phase and are ready to ramp up sales or enterprises who have been in operation for some time but have yet to reach commercial viability.

The Spark Growth window will fund enterprises in the clean cooking sector that already have robust sales and are on track to break even. The support for each window will target growth and capacity needs at the organization’s specific stage of development.

Applications will be accepted until October 18, 2013. To apply for Spark II please visit investment.cleancookstoves.org