The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are launching a Request for Expressions of Interest (EoI) for the Access to Clean Energy for the Poor through Microfinance (CleanStart) programme in Nepal. The EoI is open to eligible financial service providers (FSPs) that have retail or wholesale operations in Nepal. The programme will award grants and technical assistance to leading FSPs to create new financing models and expand their retail or wholesale operations in the clean energy markets, in particular to provide microfinance for clean energy solutions to low-income households and micro-entrepreneurs in areas which are underserviced at the moment. CleanStart will operate over a period of four years (2012-2015) in Nepal, and provide business development support to up to three qualified financial institutions.

After reviewing responses to this EoI, CleanStart will invite shortlisted FSPs to participate in a structured training on business plan development for energy lending (pre-investment support). As part of the final process of selecting grantees, shortlisted financial institutions that have participated in this initial stage will later be invited to submit their business plans for investment appraisal.

The CleanStart programme focuses on improving access to modern energy and contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by assisting poor households and micro-entrepreneurs to obtain access to sustainable low-cost, clean energy solutions through microfinance. By end of the programme in Nepal, more than 150,000 low income households and micro-entrepreneurs (600,000 beneficiaries) will have access to clean energy through microfinance. Implementation will be based on the ‘CleanStart Business Plan - Nepal’ (Link https://uncdf.org/en/project-documents-cleanstart).

Deadline for submission

Expressions of Interest are due by 18 January, 2013 (17:00 Kathmandu time) and must be submitted by e-mail to clean.start@uncdf.org, with a copy to hee.sung.kim@uncdf.org 

Please read the three (3) attachments below before making an application. 

Relevant links

Access to Clean Energy for the Poor through Microfinance (CleanStart) programme https://uncdf.org/en/cleanstart

CleanStart Business Plan for Nepal https://uncdf.org/en/project-documents-cleanstart