Funding projects for building Resilient Livelihoods and Fostering Entrepreneurship in India – SBI Foundation (SBIF)

Last Date for submission of proposals – 28th December 2022 

SBI Foundation (SBIF) was incorporated to bring all the CSR activities of State Bank Group under one umbrella and contribute in the efforts made by the State Bank Group to support and uplift the underprivileged sections of society. The focus areas of SBIF are Rural Development, Healthcare, Disability & Inclusion, Education, Livelihoods/Entrepreneurship and Environment.

So far, SBIF has impacted the lives of more than a million beneficiaries through all its programmes/initiatives and aims to continue improving the socio-economic well-being of the society, particularly of the less fortunate and under-privileged members and enable them to live up to the potential that they all possess.

SBI Foundation’s work in the domain of Livelihoods and Entrepreneurship is geared towards achieving the UN SDG 1 ‘’No Poverty” and SDG 17 “Partnership for Goals” for eradicating poverty in all forms. To achieve this, our interventions are designed to build the resilience of vulnerable communities through the development of innovative models to augment rural incomes, strengthening of community institutions, enabling access to finance and markets, capacity-building and skill enhancement, and sustainable natural resource management.

SBI Foundation’s interventions in Innovation and Entrepreneurship are targeted towards building a robust, dynamic and inclusive ecosystem for empowering and encouraging early-stage entrepreneurs working towards addressing pressing development challenges.

Under its recently launched Livelihood and Entrepreneurship programme, ‘SBIF LEAP – Livelihood and Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme’, SBI Foundation aims to bolster the efforts towards the achievement of sustainable and equitable economic growth.

About the Request for Proposal (RFP)
SBIF intends to engage non-profit organisations registered in India for funding projects in the thematic area of Integrated livelihoods, micro entrepreneurship and social innovation. The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to invite potential grantees with a proven track record to implement projects in the aforementioned thematic areas during the current financial year FY of 2022-23. This document provides information to enable the agencies to understand the requirements of SBIF for submitting their “Proposals”

Invitation for Proposals
SBI Foundation hereby invites proposals seeking funding under SBIF LEAP. The budget for a proposal should be in the range of Rs. 50.00 Lakh to Rs. 4.50 Cr. for a support period ranging from 2 to 3 years. Multiple submissions will be disqualified.

The evaluation forms, document checklist, grant utilisation format, budget template and donor feedback form is available on the below link. Link: https://bit.ly/3uQ6zdq

Agencies are requested to study this RFP document carefully before submitting their proposals in response to the call for RFPs. Submission of a proposal in response to this notice shall be deemed to have been done after careful study and examination of this document with full understanding of its terms, conditions and implications. Prospective agencies are requested to check the prequalification criteria before submission of proposal (both Technical and Financial).

Key Events and Dates –

1 Publication date of the RFP – 14th December 2022

2 Response to the clarifications requested through email – 22nd December 2022

3 Last Date and Time for submission of proposals – 28th December 2022

4 Communication to shortlisted participants to make presentations – 9 th January 2023

5 Tentative date for Presentations to be made by shortlisted candidates 12th – 19th January 2023

6 Final communication of selection February – March 2023

7 Place of Submission of Proposals (Physical copies)

SBI Foundation,
35, Arcade, World Trade
Centre, Cuffe Parade,
Mumbai – 400005

*Subject to all stakeholders complying with the defined timelines as per ownership/responsibility. The process will be completed in an online mode.

Instructions to the Agencies

1. Re-submission of Proposal
a. The agency can only submit one proposal at a time.

2. Completeness of Response:
a. The agencies are requested to study all instructions, forms, terms, requirements and other information in the RFP document carefully (including proposal format, document checklist, reporting formats etc.). Submission of proposal shall be deemed to have been done after careful study and examination of the RFP document with full understanding of its implications.

b. The RFP and all the annexures should be downloaded and filled from the link furnished. All completed formats should be emailed to: info@sbifoundation.co.in

c. The response to this RFP should be complete in all respect. Failure to furnish all information required by the RFP documents or submission of a proposal not substantially responsive to the RFP documents in every respect will be at the agency’s risk and may result in rejection of its proposal.

3. Agency Inquiries/Clarifications:

a. The agency shall send their queries at info@sbifoundation.co.in with a subject SBIF LEAP – RFP, before the due date for submission of queries/clarifications as mentioned in the key events and dates.

b. Queries on telephone, Social media or any other medium will NOT be entertained.

4. SBIF’s right to terminate the process:

a. SBIF may terminate the RFP process at any time and without assigning any reason thereof.

b. SBIF reserves the right to amend/edit/add/delete any clause. However, this will be informed to all and will become part of the RFP.

c. During the RFP process, if any information is found false/ fraudulent/ mala fide, then SBIF shall reject the proposal and if necessary, initiate appropriate action.

5. Language of Proposal:

a. Proposals should be submitted in English language only.

6. Documents (Scan) to be submitted and Pre-qualification criteria:

a. The Agency should be a non-profit organization/trust/society registered in India.

Documents to be submitted: Certificate of Incorporation/ Registration, tax-exempt status under 12 AA, Section 80(G) and/or 35 A (C) and/or FCRA of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1965. Approval for registration of entities for undertaking CSR activities (CSR-I) from Registrar of Companies, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India.

b. The Agency will be expected to have a minimum experience of 5 years of executing projects in one or more of the following areas:

I. Promotion of micro-entrepreneurship following a holistic model that comprises of forming and operating district level/regional coalitions (ecosystem building), capacity building, credit linkage and technical support

II. Integrated livelihoods focussing primarily on proven livestock based livelihood models for the most marginalized and vulnerable communities in India

III. Incubating or Accelerating start ups

c. Any Sub-letting, sub-contracting and/or outsourcing of the activities shall not be allowed.

Documents to be submitted: Copies of previous project completion and work experience details.

d. The Agency must have completed at least 3 assignments/project of similar nature in Disability Sector funded by a Public sector/Govt. Organizations/Central/State government authority/ Foundations

Documents to be submitted: Summary of projects undertaken should be attached

e. Cumulative Annual Revenue (grants/donations/receipts) of the organization, for the last 3 financial years should be of INR 5 Crores (Indian Rupees Five Crores Only) and above.

f. A self-declaration (on the letter head) that the Grantee does not discriminate based on race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, genetic information, citizenship, veteran or marital status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

g. The Agency should not have been blacklisted by any Government Agency/PSU/Central/State agency or under a declaration of ineligibility for fraudulent
or corrupt practices. Documents to be submitted: Declaration from the current authorized signatory of the company.

The agency must also submit the following documents (Scan) with the proposal:

• Scan copy of the RFP shall be submitted with authorized signature and official seal on each and every page of the RFP by the agency.
• Audited Annual financials should be submitted as per the proposal format
• Self-attested copy of Registration Certificate, tax-exempt status under 12 AA, Section 80(G) and/or 35 A (C) and/or FCRA of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1965.
  The agency must also submit the remaining documents and policies (Scan) as mentioned in the document checklist

7. Evaluation Process:

a. SBI Foundation will shortlist the proposals based on the Shortlisting criteria

b. Internal Committee of SBI Foundation shall evaluate the shortlisted proposals based on internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and submit its recommendation to Competent Authority whose decision shall be final in all aspects.

8. Grant Terms and Schedule:

a. Grant will be released on a quarterly basis on satisfactory performance by the agency and submission of quarterly reports (activity and financial utilisation) duly signed by the authorized signatory and duly certified by the auditors of the successful agency. Brief monthly update on activities conducted would also be required to be submitted.

b. All terms regarding to the grant will be in accordance to the amendment to the Companies act 2013, with effect from 22nd January 2021 and any further enactments by the government shall be binding on all the stake holders.

c. Any unutilised disbursement lying with the agency at the end of the Financial Year i.e. on 31st March of the preceding year shall be promptly intimated and refunded to SBI Foundation, not later than 10 days from the closure of the Financial Year i.e. on or before 10th April.

d. A separate bank account (preferably a savings bank account) in State Bank of India for the purpose of this grant and proof of the same should be furnished to SBI Foundation. All receipts and payments related to the said project must be routed through this account.

e. SBIF will release the grant, subject to verification of the reports submitted by the successful agency and subsequent approval by the Competent Authority, on submission of invoice and all other supporting documents being in order.

f. A grant agreement/MoU will be executed between SBIF and grantee with details of additional terms and conditions. The Project will be executed as per the terms and conditions of the grant letter or MoU and shall be binding on the Agency.

9. Penalty

a. SBIF shall be at liberty to impose penalties, including cancellation of awarded grant, if the agency indulges in fraudulent activities, malpractices and male fides.

10.Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

a. Selected agencies will have to sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement (Annexure) with SBIF.

11.Transfer of RFP

a. The RFP document is not transferable.

12. Proposal Preparation Costs

a. The agency shall submit proposal at its own cost and SBIF shall not be held responsible for any cost incurred by the agency. Submission of proposal does not entitle the agency to claim any cost and rights over SBIF and SBIF shall be at liberty to cancel any or all proposals without giving any notice. All materials submitted by the agencies shall be the absolute property of SBIF and no copyright/patent, etc. shall be entertained by SBIF

13.SBIF’s right to terminate the process

a. SBIF may terminate the RFP process at any time and without assigning any reason thereof. SBIF reserves the right to amend/edit/add/delete any clause of this Proposal Document. However, this will be informed to all and will become part of the RFP.

14.Submission of Proposals
The proposal submission shall comprise of the duly filled in proposal format uploaded on the website, along with all the annexures as mentioned in the document checklist uploaded on website.

15.Late Proposals
Any proposals received by SBIF after the deadline for submission of proposal shall be declared late and will be rejected and returned unopened to the agency at the discretion of SBIF.

SBIF shall award the contract to the selected identified agency at its own discretion

Scope of Work
The proposed projects under SBIF LEAP should focus on one of the below-mentioned thematic areas and must broadly follow the framework as mentioned below

1. Thematic area: Micro Entrepreneurship for job creation

Preferred project locations: Aspirational districts in Jharkhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa,Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Bihar

Preferred themes for microenterprises: NTFP based enterprises, ecotourism, promotion of GI products, Indigenous foods, art and craft, information kiosk, agri based micro enterprise.

Framework of SBIF LEAP micro-entrepreneurship model

1. Creation of an Ecosystem/ Coalition at district or regional level/convergence with stakeholders to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem

2. Enterprise development initiatives: Identification of potential entrepreneurs,setting up of micro enterprises, capacity building support, technical and marketing support

3. Credit linkage/ innovative credit mechanisms for long term sustainability of entreprises Partner organizations applying for a project in the above mentioned thematic area must follow the broad framework for SBI LEAP- Micro Enterprise Development.

2. Thematic area: Integrated Livestock Development

Preferred project locations: Most marginalized regions in North Eastern region of India, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir

Framework of SBIF LEAP’s Integrated Livestock Development model

1. Creation and promotion of integrated livestock development models primarily focusing on Goatery, Poultry, Fisheries, Sheep rearing, Piggery, backyard vegetable gardens, horti-floriculture) based on local geography, existing natural resources and needs.

The integrated livestock model should have at least 2-3 livestock options along with vegetable and horti-floriculture support

a) Identification of beneficiaries (preferably ultra poor and including women, transgenders, etc.)
b) Input support
c) Technical trainings on integrated livestock management
d) Enabling access to technological advancements and infrastructure for increased productivity
e) Creation of self-sustained community institutions such as Farmer Groups, SHGs, FPOs, FPCs for long term sustainability
f) Market linkage

2. Convergence/linkage with government schemes 10
Partner organizations applying for a project in the above mentioned thematic area must follow the broad framework for SBI LEAP – Integrated Livestock Development model

3. Thematic area: Innovators for BHARAT
Support to high impact incubators providing incubation/acceleration support to start ups in the following themes:

• Climate Change
• Agriculture and allied sectors (including Food security, livestock etc.)
• Promotion of indigenous local produce/Art/ Craft
• Fintech (including Innovative finance/ micro credit etc.)
• Deep science, Antimicrobial resistance and Digital Healthcare technology

Framework of SBIF LEAP’s Innovators for BHARAT

• Launch of an Innovation challenge to identify the best start-ups
• Providing seed capital, technical support, access to network and markets and mentoring support to start-ups
• Option of leveraging the model of Revolving Fund, through which the incubator takes an equity in the start-ups and upon successful exits, the investment comes back to the incubator which can be used to support more start ups

Partner organizations applying for a project in the above mentioned thematic area must follow the broad framework for SBI LEAP- Innovators for Bharat model and focus on identifying a right mix of cutting edge solutions (futuristic) as well as solutions which have an immediate impact on the masses.

Preference will be given to Incubators with 5+ years of expertise in the area proposed in the project, should have sectoral experts on team, mentors on team, regulatory clearances (if any) who have successfully incubated at least 75 start-ups and scaled over 35 social impact start-ups.

4. Thematic area: Development of Community Institutions
Support to NGOs for formation and strengthening of community institutions such as Farmer Producer Organisations, Farmer Producer Companies, Farmer Cooperatives and other community institutions to maximise farmers’ incomes in a sustainable manner. The community institutions should focus on promoting indigenous/regional produce, Geographical Indication (GI) Tagged produce, and traditional art/craft/handloom.

Framework of SBIF LEAP- Development of Community Institutions model

• Formation and strengthening of community institutions
•  Supply of quality production inputs as required, provision of value addition facilities like cleaning, grading packing, storage and logistics at less cost.
• Provision of Machinery and infrastructural facilities like sprinklers, cultivators, harvesters, etc. are given for rent and purchase.
• Capacity building training and facilitation of market information on produce, demands, trends, price fluctuations, Government regulations, etc are shared with the members.
• Facilitate access to credit options available compared to unregistered organizations, financial linkages and support to reach bigger markets

Partner organizations applying for a project in the above mentioned thematic area must follow the broad framework for SBI LEAP – Development of Community Institutions model

Link to access the annexure documents: Click Here

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Please download, fill in the details and share the annexure documents along with your proposals to info@sbifoundation.co.in

For any queries, please write to us at info@sbifoundation.co.in