Kenya Catalytic Jobs Fund

OVERVIEW

Kenya Catalytic Jobs Fund is sourcing innovations in agriculture, manufacturing and informal sectors that can lead to large scale job creation and increased income especially for youth, women, people living with disability, and people living in geographically marginalized areas. Organizations of any stage/size can apply as long as the innovation is post proof of concept. The fund will invest up to £100k in grants & technical assistance with the potential for follow-on funding & continued support over several years.

The first deadline is March 15th, 2020 but we will extend to March 22nd, 2020 so there’s still time to apply!

For more information and to apply, visit kenyacatalyticjobsfund.org.

FUND BRIEF

Target Impact

The intended programme impact is increased or improved productive employment opportunities for poor young men and women in target sectors and geographies.

Target outcomes

• Increased number and quality of jobs for young and vulnerable people
• Expanded innovative solutions or new technologies unlock barriers to productivity in formal & informal sectors
• Improved enterprise performance in the selected sectors (via productivity gains, investment and/or growth) 

Sectors of Focus

Agriculture

The Fund will support innovations aimed at increasing international competitiveness. This thematic area would for example, support agribusiness or manufacturers to innovate, test new technologies and provide evidence to key state actors to address market distortions and unlock policy constraints holding back key sectors. It could help companies to integrate more horizontally (through associations) or vertically (in supply chains) as well as scope out international markets. It could help attract anchor investors into the new Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in close collaboration with (and not in duplication of) other economic development initiatives run by DFID and other development partners.

Informal Sector

The Fund will support innovations aimed at raising productivity and/or supporting shifts into the formal sector. Additionally, the Fund could also support solutions that use technology to link up clusters of informal microenterprises with formal firms (e.g. aggregators) and connect them to local or regional value chains. It could also pilot initiatives which enable youth entrepreneurs in the informal sector to find ways to build up savings; diversify risks and access larger, longer duration loans in order to grow microenterprises.

Marginalised Groups and Geographies

The Fund will support innovations aimed at catalysing sustainable change in sectors and geographies that have the potential to create employment and increase incomes for disadvantaged groups, including women and people living with disabilities. This could include leveling the playing field for women-run businesses, e.g. around market positioning and access to finances. It could also include focusing on Arid and Semi-Arid Lands. However, as minimum levels of technology access, infrastructure or spatial proximity of firms are often needed for innovations to be optimally tested, the proposals would need to focus on areas where catalytic and scalable solutions remain feasible.

For more information and to apply, visit kenyacatalyticjobsfund.org.