OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR SMALL GRANTS, WOMEN AND YOUTH

Country: Malawi Name of Project: Transforming Agriculture Through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (TRADE Programme) Assignment Title: Agriculture Commercialization Innovation Fund (ACIF) matching grants for Commodities under the TRADE Programme Reference No.: TRADE-MWI-200000/600-0339/0342-GRANTS-GRFT-AWARD Date of Issue: 1st November 2025

1. Background

The Transforming Agriculture through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (TRADE) Programme is a Government of Malawi-led initiative funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). The programme aims to contribute to improved livelihoods of rural people in Malawi through increased value addition and commercialisation of selected commodities among smallholder farmers and producers.

Specifically, the TRADE Programme seeks to: (a) Increase production and productivity by smallholder farmers and producers; (b) Strengthen market access by smallholder farmers and producers; (c) Improve horizontal linkages, storage, and packaging to capture more value in the market; (d) Improve institutional and policy environment for smallholder commercialisation; and (e) Enable farmers to access agricultural services at different functional levels of the value chain.

Targeting 127,000 direct and 173,000 indirect households, TRADE Programme is being implemented in eleven (11) districts: Mchinji, Dedza, Kasungu, Nkhatabay, Rumphi, Karonga, Lilongwe Rural, Thyolo, Chitipa, Blantyre, and Salima.

The programme focuses on seven (7) commodities namely groundnuts, soybean, sunflower, potato, rice, beans, and livestock (small ruminants).

2. The ACIF Matching Grants

As a way of accelerating its Agricultural Commercialisation agenda, TRADE Programme provides Agricultural Commercialisation Innovation Fund (ACIF) grants to qualifying projects. The ACIF Grants – Small Window are administered under a matching concept, where applicants will fund 30% of the project cost in cash and in kind. The ACIF Grants – Small Window will support projects with a ceiling of up to USD 100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Dollars).

The TRADE Programme shall contribute a maximum of 70% of project cost (where 10% is a credit facility approach and 60% is a grant contribution), while the applicant shall contribute 30% directly.

(i) Women and Youth Window

As one way of accelerating youth and women agricultural commercialisation, the TRADE Programme provides Agricultural Commercialisation Innovation Fund (ACIF) grants to qualifying Women and Youth Window sub-projects administered under a matching concept.

Where the applicants are women and youth-owned businesses and cooperatives, the ceiling for support will be USD 10,000.

The ACIF will specifically give priority to interventions that: (a) Bring sustainable innovations to increase productivity of targeted commodities; (b) Create market linkages for farmers and producer organisations; (c) Contribute to Climate Smart/Natural Resource Management; (d) Foster diversification, value addition and inclusiveness; (e) Value chain actors that empower women and youth; and (f) Ensure that proposals conform to IFAD’s Social, Environmental and Climate Assessment Procedures (SECAP).

3. Call for Proposals

The TRADE Programme now invites applications from eligible Firms, FBOs, Cooperatives, and Women and Youth Groups to submit proposals under the ACIF Small Grants Window.

The TRADE Programme promotes gender and youth inclusion in agriculture, entrepreneurship and agribusiness.

4. Review of Proposals

Proposals shall be reviewed by an independent team of reviewers called The Grants Review Committee (GRC), in line with the eligibility criteria and the list of targeted commodities which may be downloaded from the TRADE Programme website.

5. How to Apply

Interested applicants can access the following by visiting or emailing the addresses below or downloading documents from the TRADE website: (a) Call for Proposals; (b) The General Conditions for the Utilization of the ACIF Grant Facility; (c) The Application Form and Eligibility Criteria for ACIF Small Grant; and (d) List of EPAs and targeted commodities where TRADE Programme is operating.

Further information and submission details: Email: grants@tradeprogramme.org

6. Submission of Proposals

Applicants should submit their proposals in electronic copies through email: grants@tradeprogramme.org or online through https://www.tradeprogramme.org

The subject line should read: “ACIF Small Matching Grants Proposals”

Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis to maximize access to funds.

Address all proposals to: The National Programme Coordinator Transforming Agriculture through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (TRADE) Area 9 Plot Number 328, P.O. Box 2135, Lilongwe, Malawi Web: www.tradeprogramme.org

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