As a United Nations Multi Partner Trust Fund (MPTFO), CAFI provides automatic access of UN-System Entities to CAFI resources via approval of programmes and projects:
For Non-UN Organisations (also called NUNOs), which includes international and local NGOs, International-Bilateral Cooperation Agencies, Civil Society Organisations, Multilateral Development Banks and International Research Institutions, access to CAFI Funds require completion of an Access Process.
Organisations currently accredited to access CAFI funds include:
- AFD (French Agency for Development)
- CIFOR (Center for International Forestry Research)
- ENABEL (Belgian Agency for Development)
- Farm Africa
- GIZ (German Agency for International Cooperation)
- GRET (Group for Research and Technology Exchanges)
- IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)
- JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)
- The Nature Conservancy
- One Acre Fund
Below is a graph with the transferred amounts to all Implementing Organizations receiving funding from CAFI in 2023 and cumulatively:
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Detailed information about both Access to CAFI Fund and about CAFI's Access Process via the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), below.
For any other questions on CAFI’s Access process, feel free to fill in the Pre-Access Questionnaire and provide information about the profile of the organisation. It is designed to guide NUNOs through additional requirements.
1. How can an organisation receive CAFI funds to implement a project ?
According to CAFI's Terms of Reference and Manual of Operations, prospective recipient organisations are identified and mobilised either via public Expressions of Interest (EoI) posted regularly on CAFI's website, or via direct selection commissioned by CAFI's Executive Board.
The schema below explains the general process: from identification of the recipient organisations to undergoing the assessments and creating a Quality Assurance Plan, to elaborating a project proposal and receiving funds.
2. What is the submission process like for an Expression of Interest (EoI)?
Each EoI includes a deadline for receiving proposals. Once a call for Expressions of Interest is made, interested parties have a defined amount of time during which they may ask questions. All questions will be answered publicly. This period overlaps with the response period during which responses to the call are accepted.
Once the call is closed, CAFI conducts evaluations and endeavours to notify candidates in a timely manner. A Kick-Off Meeting is then planned between the CAFI Secretariat and the selected Implementing Organisation (IO), and the Project Development process begins.
3. Do you accept unsolicited proposals for projects?
We do not accept proposals for projects outside of our Expressions of Interest at this time. If you or your organisation would like to propose a project in line with CAFI’s mandate, please contact an accredited CAFI implementing organisation operating in your country of interest who can discuss your proposal in the context of CAFI’s pre-existing projects.
4. What is CAFI's process to access funds?
To access funding, organisations are identified and contacted by the CAFI Secretariat to initiate the process, a framework designed to assess whether they are capable of strong financial management, solid internal controls, compliance to Funding requirements as per Legal Agreements, social and environmental safeguards, amongst other requirements.
The table below provides an explanation of each requirement, which may be via assessment or via the provision of specific documentation, summarizing and sharing additional guidance material about each requirement to be met by prospective recipient organisations.
| Requirement | Description | Remarks | Checklist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valid legal registration | All organisations must present current and valid legal registration documentation in the country where they plan to implement the CAFI funded project. | If such documentation is not available during the start of the access process, evidence demonstrating that such registration is possible must be provided. | N/A |
| Attestation Letter(s) | Partners must provide reference letters from UN organisations or donor governments from which the organisation has received funding, attesting to the organisation’s satisfactory financial programme management over the last three years. | Minimum 1 letter, but NUNOs are encouraged to provide as many as available. | N/A |
| HACT Micro Assessment | HACT is the UN framework to assess financial risks, internal control and related capacity of all implementing organisations. | Only NUNOs that obtain the final rating of 'Low Risk' in the assessment can be granted access to CAFI Fund. | Download here |
| SEAH Assessment | The assessment on Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH) evaluates the procedural capacity of an omplementing organisation to meet the criteria established in the UN Protocol on Allegations of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. | Only NUNOs that obtain at a minimum of 6 out 8 criteria from the checklist can be granted Access to CAFI Fund. | Download here |
| Socio-Environmental Safeguards (SES) Assessment | The SES Assessment evaluates the organisation’s formal environmental and social safeguards, policies, procedures and guidelines, along with the agency’s experience with its implementation. | At the end of the SES assessment, the independent evaluator shall make recommendations of the CAFI Executive Board about engagement with the Partner. | Download here |
5. When does the process for accessing CAFI funds start?
Only organisations who have been approved to start the access process through calls for Expressions of Interest or direct selection will be contacted to initiate the process. The CAFI Secretariat commissions the assessments, which marks the start of the process.
However, it is recommended that prospective organisations fill in the Pre-Access Questionnaire to be better equipped on the requirements to work with CAFI funds.
6. How are the process' assessments facilitated?
Three independent and specialised assessments, namely the HACT Micro-Assessment, the SEAH Assessment and the SES Assessment are commissioned by the CAFI Fund. The CAFI Secretariat contracts independent evaluators and specialised firms to undertake such assessments with the organisations.
As a starting point, the independent evaluators contact the organisations to collect initial self-assessment information with respective supporting documentation until the final report for each Assessment is generated against the defined criteria.
7. Can the process be fast-tracked?
CAFI has a formal approach to fast-tracking the assessment process. If a prospective organisation meets the following criteria for each assessment, the relevant assessment requirements can be waived, leading to accessing funds more quickly:
| Assessment | Description |
|---|---|
| HACT Micro-Assessment | If the organisation has undertaken a HACT Micro-Assessment in the past 2 years an had a 'Low Risk' rating, that assessment can be used for CAFI's access to funds process. |
| SEAH Assessment | If the organisation has undertaken a SEAH Assessment in the past 2 years and met 6 out of 8 criteria, that assessment can be used for CAFI's access to funds process. |
| Socio.Environmental Safeguards (SES) Assessment | Organisations that are accredited with one or more of the following: GCF, GEF, Adaptation Fund or EU-DEVCO do not need to undertake CAFI's SES Assessment. |
8. What is a Quality Assurance Plan?
Once all necessary assessments have been completed and requested legal documentation provided, the Executive Board will make a formal decision on whether or not each organisation is eligible for access to CAFI funds.
At the end of this process, a Quality Assurance Plan will be drafted and discussed with the organisation, and will be composed of quality assurance activities such as the repetition of the HACT Micro-Assessment, addressing any gaps identified during the SEAH assessment, and risk mitigation measures defined in the SES assessment. This Quality Assurance Plan must be approved by the Executive Board and updated yearly.