RFAs: Data Driven & Gender-Smart Product Design to Increase access to Finance & Digital Inclusion for Women

Through grants, UNCDF will enhance FSPs’ capacity for data management and analytics and gender-smart product design (GSPD) that follows the principles of human centric design powered by sex-disaggregated data analytics. Ultimately, the RFA aims to accelerate the transition to an inclusive digital economy by increasing access to finance for women through digital solutions.

The RFA is supported by the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO), and it is implemented by UNCDF, under its ‘Leaving No One Behind in the Digital Era’ strategy.

Scope of Work

• The scope of work involves working with FSPs (e.g., banks, MFI, fintech companies) that are already investing in the provision of digital financial services to build their capacity for data-driven, gender-smart product design.
• UNCDF will support the selected applicant, through performance-based grants to enhance their data management, processes, and analytical capacity to develop and/or scale financial products/services for women.

Specific Objectives and Areas of Intervention

• The specific objectives of the project are to:
  • Strengthen FSPs’ data systems, processes, management, and analytical capabilities.
  • Based on gender insights derived from the analysis, improve and refine product innovation, delivery channels, and/or bussiness models. 
  • Increase access to and usage of gender-smart digital financial services for women, women-led MSMEs, and/or women entrepreneurs.
• These objectives will be achieved through the following areas of intervention.
  • Data diagnostic: the recipient institution will conduct a diagnostic assessment to understand the FSPs’ existing digital solutions, data systems/processes, and the extent to which data is used for gender-smart product development.
  • Gender Diagnostic: the partner will conduct a gender assessment to understand the FSPs’ systems, competencies and plans in place to serve the women (e.g., the extent to which sex-disaggregated data and gender-analytics is utilized in product development and gender mainstreaming within organizational policies).
  • Applied Data Tools: Based on the results of the data and gender diagnostics, the partner will provide relevant and tailored TA.

Budget

• UNCDF contributions will be up to $110,000. Specific projects will be financed based on business needs.
• Project Duration: Projects are expected to be completed by December 2024.

Language: The deliverables and any correspondence between the applicant organization and UNCDF must be in English.

Geographical Scope

• The interventions should be implemented in any one of the target countries: Nepal, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Zambia.

Eligibility Requirements

• Entity registration
  • The applicant/lead applicant must be a registered entity and can be based anywhere globally as long as can ensure implementation of the activities in the target countries.
  • The applicant must have prior experience in data capacity building, data science and the like.
  • The applicant must have prior experience in working in Least Developed Countries on similar projects.
• Consortiums
  • Applicants can apply only once under this RFA, whether independently or in a consortium.
  • Joint applications between market players in the target country or countries are encouraged if the solution proposed will expand delivery networks and promote rural and/or other last-mile access
  • Applications from consortiums of organizations must show that the partnership was established prior to this call for applications.
  • The lead applicant and their partner must be registered entities with at least one year of operations, and must have statutory accounts and audited financial statements for at least one operating year.
• Project funding
  • Applicants must contribute at least 30 percent of the project’s costs.
• Exclusionary criteria:
  • Applicants shall not have been the subject of bankruptcy, liquidation, judicial settlement, safeguarding, cessation of activity or any other similar situation resulting from a similar procedure.
  • Applicants and any of their staff or member of their board of directors shall not be included in the United Nations financial sanctions lists, particularly in the fight against the financing of terrorism and against attacks on international peace and security.

For more information, visit UNCDF.