Investment vehicle to facilitate access to finance | 72016819RFI002

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72016819RFI002

USAID/Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a grant opportunity titled "Investment vehicle to facilitate access to finance" (Funding Opportunity Number 72016819RFI002) focused on exploring and testing practical financing models that can unlock more private investment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The activity sits in the Business and Commerce category (CFDA 98.001) and is framed as an "Other" type of opportunity and funding instrument, which usually signals flexibility in the approach and in the kinds of partnership structures USAID may consider. The core idea is to identify, pilot, and assess investment vehicle concepts that make it easier for businesses or entrepreneurs to obtain capital, particularly where the existing finance market may be constrained, risk-averse, or not serving certain segments well.

A central feature of this opportunity is that USAID is explicitly open to working with a broad mix of both traditional and nontraditional capital providers and ecosystem actors. The notice highlights potential partners such as private sector firms, angel investors, investment funds, banks and other financial institutions, insurance companies, foundations, and non-profits, among others. Rather than limiting eligibility to a narrow set of organizations, the opportunity is listed as "Unrestricted" for eligible applicants, and it encourages participation from U.S.-based entities, international organizations, and organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The invitation to submit an Expression of Interest suggests USAID is seeking market input and partner concepts, potentially to shape a later procurement or co-creation process, or to identify partner(s) for a pilot.

The purpose, as described, is to "test and evaluate models to catalyze private investment." In practice, that typically means USAID is looking for proposals that can demonstrate how an investment vehicle or financing mechanism would reduce barriers to finance, share or mitigate risk, mobilize private capital alongside donor support, and produce evidence about what works in the local context. While the short description does not list specific target sectors or beneficiary groups, the language implies an emphasis on demonstrating scalable approaches that can attract private capital and improve the functioning of the local finance market. The full technical details, expected structure, and any thematic priorities are referenced as being available in the "Related Documents" section of the official posting.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was created on March 22, 2019, with an original closing date of September 23, 2019. The listing shows an award ceiling of up to $2,000,000, indicating the upper bound of potential USAID funding that could be available for a selected model or pilot, although the number of expected awards is not specified in the source data provided. Overall, the notice reads as an open call for concepts and potential partners to help build and validate an investment vehicle that expands access to finance in Bosnia and Herzegovina by leveraging private investment and experimenting with innovative partnership and funding structures.

• The Bosnia USAID-Herzegovina in the business and commerce sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Investment vehicle to facilitate access to finance" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-03-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-09-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for 72016819RFI002

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