KKCF is targeting social enterprises that will create sustainable operations that extend beyond the life of the five-year duration of the program.

To be considered a Social Enterprise your business should:

• Have a clear social or environmental agenda included in your governing documents;
• Re-invest a large portion of your profits back into the business for sustainability purposes;
• Not be an NGO or government institution; and
• Be transparent and accountable.

Applicants must meet eligibility criteria including:

• Request a grant within the stipulated range.
• Be legally registered as an organisation (e.g. Companies Limited by Guarantee) or a company (e.g. Limited Liability Company) and physically established in Kenya at the time of grant award by AECF. International organisations are welcome to apply but will need to be legally registered and physically established at the time of funding award.
• Business model must be in line with definition of a social enterprise. i.e. an organisation or business which uses commercial strategies for the benefit of society or the environment while making a profit.
• Have been in operation for a minimum of two years, with the ability to produce two years of audited accounts (these could be from the parent company, if recently established as a branch/subsidiary in Kenya).
• Compliant with all government statutory requirements. 
• Pass AECF’s KYC (know your customer), AMT/CFT (anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism), PEP (Politically exposed person) and IDD (Integrity due diligence) screening. 
• Comply with applicable national laws relating to human rights, labor and social and environmental management and respect internationally recognized human rights standards, as expressed in the International Bill of Human Rights and in the core labor standards established through the International Labor Organization. 
• Businesses not listed on the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Exclusion List, i.e businesses supporting terrorism, production/trade of weapons, radioactive materials, tobacco, etc.

Each applicant will be evaluated and scored against the criteria that includes:

• 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 for 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 forced displacement context, gender issues and culture of Kakuma refugee camp and host community.

To apply for the grants, 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.

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.