The programme shall support the gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, enabling grantees to overcome early stage uncertainty, step across the Pioneers Gap and move closer to financial sustainability and scale.
The IAP was initially launched by Sida in 2011 as a challenge fund designed specifically to “fill the Pioneers Gap” and catalyze innovative inclusive business models by providing early stage grant funding to ventures that are developing new socially beneficial products, services and business models engaging with the ‘Base of the Pyramid’ (BoP).
Inclusive businesses provide goods, services, and livelihoods on a commercially viable basis, either at scale or scalable, to people at the ‘base of the economic pyramid’, making them part of the value chain of companies’ core business as suppliers, distributors, retailers, or customers.
During 2014, Sida has evaluated the first phase of IAP and has decided to continue the programme. The launch of the next phase of the programme is bound for 2016. IAP grantees reported that Sida’s support has had an important role in helping them bridge the gap in financing for early stage entrepreneurs, but also highlighted the multitude of challenges related to pioneering inclusive business in a development context and the need for additional forms of assistance, such as business advice, promotion, market development and knowledge exchange.
The ultimate vision of the programme is to promote an inclusive economy that contributes to increased opportunities for people living in poverty to improve their own lives.
Extended due date: November 23, 2015 via e-mail to iapcall@sida.se
Please note: As described in full application format a version of the application shall be sent to:
Sida
Att: Jenny Åkerbäck
105 25 Stockholm
Sweden
Applicants should retain a copy of their proposals and accompanying uploaded documents for their records.