Private sector companies can apply for a range of grants depending on the need with a minimum grant request of US $250,000 and a maximum of US $750,000.

A minimum of US $100,000 will be considered for women- and/or youth-led businesses. Payments will be performance based, where disbursements are based on mutually agreed milestones that must be achieved. Technical support will be available for successful applicants to maximise their project’s sustainability and development impact.

Grants are available to small and medium-sized companies that are commercially active or have a strategic plan to enter the Kakuma and Kalobeyei area. Applicants must meet eligibility criteria including:

• Request a grant within the stipulated range.
• Legally registered as a for-profit company (e.g. corporation, LLC, etc.) or a branch/subsidiary of an international for-profit company, and physically established in Kenya at the time of awarding of investment by AECF.
• Have been in operation for a minimum of two years, with the ability to produce two years of audited accounts [parent company, if recently established as a branch/subsidiary in Kenya].

Each applicant will be evaluated and scored against the following criteria:

• Geographic focus areas of Kakuma and Kalobeyei and how the project intends to benefit either host or refugee communities, or both.
• Capacity of the project to deliver and sustain social impact, particularly on refugees and women and youth.
• Strength of the project’s commercial viability and sustainability.
• Demonstrated potential to attract further commercial funding, beyond the grant provided by KKCF, if needed.
• Demonstrated capacity of the applicant’s management team to implement the proposed business / project.
• Demonstrated understanding of the humanitarian development context, gender issues and culture of Kakuma refugee camp and host community.
• Adherence to the blended finance principle

Selection will prioritise business models that address gender-related constraints by supporting women’s economic advancement through the creation of new entrepreneurial and job opportunities, as well as improving their lives.   

Women and youth-owned/led businesses are highly encouraged to apply.

To apply for the grants, please click on the “Apply” button and register on our secure online application platform. You will be expected to complete an application form.

All applicants must submit their application through AECF’s online platform.

The application window closes at 11:59pm EAT on Tuesday 22 December 2020.

Additional Guidelines for Submitting:

1. Please complete all mandatory fields to complete the application process. Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk (*).  
2. You can save your progress and return to the application any time by clicking the ‘Save Draft’ button at the bottom of the form. The form auto saves your progress, however, we recommend that you manually save your progress.  
3. Remember to click the ‘Submit’ button at the end of the form. AECF can only access your application after you have submitted it. We will send you a confirmation e-mail once you have submitted your application.