Financing
EEP Innovation
Early-stage grant financing for projects in active development through competitive, open calls for proposals. There have been 16 calls since 2010.
Who Can Apply
During an open call, EEP Africa invites applications from early stage off-grid and on-grid clean energy projects in active development phase in one or more of the target countries. Projects are evaluated in terms of Concept Innovation, Development Impact, and Business Model & Financial Sustainability. Additional evaluation criteria are applied in themed calls. In recent calls, grants and repayable grants between EUR 200,000 and EUR 1 million have been awarded, with a minimum co-financing requirement of 30%.
Applicants for funding must meet the eligibility criteria defined in the Application Guidelines for that particular call. All proposed projects should be aligned with national development planning, including the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), of the country of operations. Applications should also be aligned with EEP Africa’s cross-cutting objectives: climate change, poverty reduction, development effectiveness, inclusive development, gender equality and human rights.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: Companies (including start-ups), Non-profit Organisations, Social Enterprises
TECHNOLOGIES: Biofuel (liquid), Biogas, Biomass (solid), Cookstoves, Energy Efficiency, Geothermal, Hydropower, Solar PV, Solar Thermal, Wind Power, other RE/EE technology or combination of technologies
Countries: Botswana, Burundi, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
PROJECT TYPES: Feasibility Studies or Pilot, Demonstration, Replication, or Scale-up Projects
Learn more about how to apply from the video announcing our most recent Call for Proposals
Recent Calls
Green Growth Call (2020)
An open call focused on productive use of energy and circular economy. Twenty six projects were approved for financing out of 357 applications. The projects began implementation in 2021.
Gender-themed Call (2019)
A gender-themed call focused on creating economic and leadership opportunities for women. Eighteen projects were contracted from the 285 applications submitted. The projects began implementation in 2020.
Open Call (2018)
A general call that was the first funding round under the leadership of NDF. Twenty eight projects approved for financing out of 530 applications. The project began implementation in 2019.
