Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

  • We are looking for projects in three priority sectors with strong potential to drive nature-positive growth and attract sustainable investment:
    • Agriculture: Currently focused on agroforestry and biochar solutions that improve soil health.
    • Forest Ecosystems: Currently focused on forest ecosystems through climate-smart economies that tap into growing demand for products to increase value of ecosystems.
    • Blue Economy: Currently focused on mangrove forests that sustainably leverage Africa’s vast ocean resources, and are primed for scaling.
  • Projects must have a positive impact on biodiversity and ecosystem health.
  • Projects must demonstrate or show potential for financially sustainable business models—those with a pathway to generating revenue or attracting long-term investment. This helps ensure the project’s impact can be sustained and scaled beyond the initial grant financing.
  • We are looking for projects that have proof of concept and are looking to unlock anywhere between $100,000 to $2,000,000 in funding.
  • Projects should be run by independent entities legally registered in the markets they operate.

We focus on supporting projects across the African continent, with special consideration to any organisations operating in the Congo Basin.

Participating organisations in BIRA will benefit from the following :

  • Due diligence support to inform African NbS organisations of opportunities to strengthen investment readiness and impact potential.
  • Expert guidance to support specific project needs identified during the due diligence including but not limited to financial viability, leadership and team, project design, ESG safeguards, achieving and measuring impact etc.
  • Business development services with a specific focus on building investment readiness.
  • Project fundraising support, including showcasing projects to our Funders’ Circle.
  • Networking opportunities with other enterprises through our Communities of Practice that enable knowledge and resource sharing.
  • Innovative financing mechanisms for nature, e.g., nature/biodiversity certificates.

Application Process and Support

Applicants can submit their proposals through our online submission portal. The portal provides instructions and guidelines to ensure a smooth application process.

A standard organisational overview document (no customized documentation is necessary), including:

  • Operating context and approach
  • Biodiversity and social impacts
  • Financial projections and budget
  • Team profiles and organisation structure
  • Legal registration document
  • Team profiles and organisation structure
  • Website or social media links (optional)

Organisational overviews can be prepared in Word or PowerPoint format and submitted in PDF form.

Yes, feedback will be provided. Applications that pass our initial investment prescreening for alignment with project selection criteria will get feedback through subsequent assessments. Those that do not pass the assessments will also have the opportunity to resubmit applications in the future after addressing feedback provided.

Participating organisations should be prepared to dedicate time to attend virtual workshops, respond to due diligence requests, and engage with technical support teams. While the exact time commitment may vary depending on your project’s needs, a core team member should be available to participate regularly over the 18-month period. Access to key organisational documents and staff may also be required to support capacity-building and fundraising efforts.