Eligible Projects and How To Apply

The principal selection criteria for Cleaner Technologies projects are:

• Environmental Benefits. Top priority goes to projects that yield improvements in the immediate quality of life for the poor in rural or urban settings in developing countries.

• Innovation. A high degree of innovation on global, regional or country level with respect to technology, business model or entry to new markets.

• Commercial Sustainability. Projects must have a clear expectation of commercial viability. Priority goes to projects that require assistance only in the development phase, but projects that are expected to have above-market risks or longer-term returns may also be considered if the steps to eventual commercial viability can be readily identified.

• Strong Sponsor. Projects should have a private-sector sponsor with a strong commercial interest in the project's success, appropriate management and technical skills and resources to co-finance the project.

• Need. Projects must demonstrate a clear need for funding. If market-rate funding is available, or if our funds would simply serve to subsidize the sponsor's returns (without compensating for a commensurate risk), then the project is not eligible for consideration. Cleaner Technologies Program assistance cannot be provided to projects that can be developed using regular IFC resources.

• Demonstration and Replication Potential. Projects must answer an important demand for environmental products and services and have long-term financial viability in order to target a strong demonstration effect, and the potential for organic growth or replication by other businesses. One of our goals is to share success stories with the private sector to attract other investors to similar projects.

If you are interested in applying for funding, please fill in the Funding Proposal Checklist (Word document, 54kb) and submit it to cleantech@ifc.org.