Bangladesh and Climate Change

Bangladesh, ranked seventh on the Global Climate Risk Index, faces significant challenges due to its low-lying geography, high population density, and widespread poverty. However, the country also stands as a global leader in climate adaptation, offering scalable solutions that can be applied worldwide.

The Climate Innovation Fund aims to stimulate and drive innovation in climate resilience by:

Identifying the most promising and innovative approaches to climate resilience in Bangladesh and supporting them to establish and scale
Building a strong and credible pipeline of initiatives and facilitating support from other agencies and investors
Creating opportunities for collaboration to facilitate learning & knowledge exchange

Call for Proposals: Agriculture

Applications to the second round of the Climate Innovation Fund are now OPEN. Sponsored by Prime Bank, and in partnership with The British Asian Trust, this call invites applications from Bangladesh-based organisations and enterprises with innovative solutions addressing climate change within the agriculture sector.

Why Agriculture?

Agriculture is at the heart of Bangladesh’s economy, employing 42% of the population and providing support to millions. Yet, it is also the sector most vulnerable to climate change impacts, such as flooding, cyclones, and rising sea levels.

Bangladesh’s recent floods have devastated over 297,000 hectares of cropland, impacting more than 1.3 million farmers and resulting in agricultural losses exceeding USD 438 million. As climate change continues to threaten rural livelihoods, climate-smart agricultural practices are essential to securing food security and protecting the economic backbone of the country.

By investing in innovations that enhance agricultural resilience, the Climate Innovation Fund aims to safeguard the livelihoods of millions, ensuring farmers can continue to feed their families and contribute to the country’s economic growth, even in the face of climate adversity.

Who Can Apply?

Enterprises and organisations with tested innovations in the pre-market rollout phase and which are working towards financial sustainability but need funding to strengthen their business models. This includes private limited companies, social enterprises, sole proprietorships, and NGOs.
Rural Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with a strong operational base in rural communities, focused on delivering innovative agriculture products and collaborating with farming communities.
Eligible enterprises may include innovations in Climate-Smart and Resilient Agriculture, Agricultural Technology and Innovation, Nature-Based Solutions, and/or Agri-Financing.

For detailed eligibility criteria, please refer to the Application Guideline [Click to Download].

Support Streams

For this call, applicants may apply to either one of two separate support streams:

i. Catalytic Funding:

Suitable for ventures with a product or service in the early stages of market rollout. These ventures should have early customer traction, clear market validation, or initial revenues, and are looking for resources to scale, improve operations, or expand their market reach.

Selected ventures will be able to access:

Business development support
Grant funding up to BDT 4,500,000

ii. Venture Building:

Suitable for early-stage ventures or initiatives in the pre-market rollout phase, where the idea or prototype has been validated through initial research, proof of concept, or small-scale testing.

Selected ventures will be able to access:

6 months of tailored advisory, mentorship, & training
Business development support
Grant funding: Up to BDT 600,000 for 6-month venture building awardees, with opportunities for follow-on funding of up to BDT 3,000,000

How to Apply

Catalytic Funding:

Applicants interested to apply for catalytic funding need to download and complete the three templates listed below:

Completed templates, as well as any additional documents requested, must be submitted as email attachments to cif@sajida.org.

For Catalytic Funding, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for the next steps to undergo due diligence.

Venture Building:

Applicants interested to apply for venture building need to download and complete the two templates listed below:

Completed templates must be emailed as attachments to cif@sajida.org.

There is no need for any other additional documents at this stage of application for venture building.

Before applying, please read the Application Guideline [Click to Download].

Applicants are encouraged to attend the following webinar ‘Climate Innovation Fund Application Procedure: A Live Q&A Session’ on 5th November 2024 (Tuesday) at 3 PM to gain insights on the application and to address any queries.

Link to Webinar: Climate Innovation Fund Application Procedure: A Live Q&A Session [Click to View]

Applications must be submitted by 16th November 2024 (11:59 PM Bangladesh Standard Time)

Want to Get Involved?

Have questions? Want to collaborate? Reach out to us at cif@sajida.org

TRANSFORM Climate Challenge

With the shared commitment to build climate resilience through innovation and entrepreneurship, the ClimateInnovation Fund, led by the British Asian Trust and SAJIDA Foundation, has partnered with TRANSFORM, an impactaccelerator led by Unilever, the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and EY, to launch the TRANSFORM Climate Challenge.

The TRANSFORM Climate Challenge is a specialized initiative that aims to identify and support enterprises working onclimate resilience, with a special focus on innovations addressing plastic circularity challenges. Eligible enterprisesshould have innovative, scalable and sustainable business models that work on at least one of the following:

Improving the collection and processing of plastic waste, while integrating informal waste pickers into the valuechain
Implementing innovative technologies/business models to enhance recycling capabilities for plastic waste,particularly for flexible plastics

The TRANSFORM Climate Challenge expands on the Climate Innovation Fund’s vision to support innovations in the key areas ofagriculture, food security, water security, and livelihoods, and offers a unique opportunity for climate innovators in Bangladeshto receive support and funding from TRANSFORM and the Climate Innovation Fund.

For more details, visit TRANSFORM (Click Here)