GROW

Advancing Gender Equality, Resilience, Opportunity, and Inclusion Worldwide (GROW) is a multi-sector, global initiative that combines blended finance and advisory services alongside IFC’s own account financing to accelerate gender equality and economic inclusion.  Supported by the Government of Canada, it is designed to address inequalities that prohibit women’s economic participation as leaders, employees, investors, consumers, and community members, with an intentional expansion to all business industries, in addition to continued support for women’s entrepreneurship. 

This funding platform aligns with IFC’s strategic outcomes for Gender Equality and Economic Inclusion and the World Bank Group’s Gender Strategy 2024-2030 to drive inclusion by allocating capital to build equitable supply chains, employment, and leadership. 

Vision

GROW has a comprehensive vision to mobilize private financing into gender projects across all industry sectors in emerging markets and developing economies. GROW’s innovative multi-sector, global approach is not limited to specific stakeholder groups, sectors or geographies. This allows GROW to support a wide range of IFC gender and inclusion activities.

Building on lessons learned from existing gender facilities, GROW will expand the eligibility of projects as other facilities require solutions to adhere to strict definitions as to what qualifies as a woman-owned enterprise and what constitutes small and medium enterprises, whereas development needs are much broader, including smallholder farms, distributors/retailers, fintech and insurance consumers, etc. Additionally, the types of solutions will be extended to include IFC’s Advisory and Upstream services such as investment pipeline development. 

The five pillars of GROW:

1. Accelerating Financial Inclusion for households and businesses

2. Making Supply Chains Inclusive

3. Removing Barriers to Entrepreneurship, Employment and Leadership

4. Bridging the Digital Divide

5. Accelerating Inclusive and Gender-Smart Climate Action

The GROW initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Governments of Canada and Ireland.