For this Call for Expression of Interest (CEoI), Canopy Trust is partnering with the SDG Impact Finance Initiative to amplify the outreach to market and power up the selection process.

Canopy Trust has identified investment funds that address deforestation reduction in Sub Saharan African and in the Congo Basin. There is a need to support Congo Basin focused investors to develop a portfolio of deforestation reduction businesses.

In order to increase capital flowing into these deforestation reduction initiatives, Canopy Trust aims to deploy junior capital into investment vehicles that invest in such businesses. By providing early-stage, de-risking capital, Canopy Trust aims to support regional-focused actors to grow a deforestation-free economy, addressing current bottlenecks in the flow of concessional and private finance to businesses. As a capital provider, Canopy Trust will make available concessional finance to for-profit investment funds with portfolios consisting of businesses aligned with Canopy Trust’s impact goals.  The objective is to grow the financial ecosystem of actors that can develop and support deforestation free portfolio companies.

Canopy Trust structures patient capital in line with CAFI and NICFI’s objectives, using financial instruments that provide the necessary flexibility to address the unique financial needs of new impact funds, ensuring that capital supports the development of deforestation free projects while minimising financial risk. This approach allows these actors to focus on growth and impact and seek additional investment from impact investors and global financial institutions.

Canopy Trust has conducted a comprehensive assessment of key actors through proactive engagement with regional stakeholders, including NGOs, private sector partners, and development agencies. The assessment involved consultation with existing funds and businesses, and identifying gaps in resources that could hinder their scaling potential.

Based on the assessment, this Call for Expression of lnterest seeks to identify an investment vehicle with a strong impact potential in line with Canopy Trust’s impact goals, which can absorb Canopy Trust’s concessional capital to scale up their investment in deforestation reduction and deforestation free businesses in the Congo Basin.

Minimum Criteria (to confirm eligibility of Candidate to the Investment Window )

Minimum Criteria will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis. To qualify, Candidates must meet all Minimum Criteria. Failure to meet any single criterion or to provide clear evidence of compliance in the EoI will result in disqualification.

1. EoI Eligibility: The EoI must adhere to the submission requirements.
    
2. Candidate Eligibility: The Candidate must be a legally registered entity.
    
3. Track Record: The Candidate must have already invested in businesses, ideally as an asset manager.
    
4. Professional Experience: The Candidate’s management team must demonstrate proven experience, with at least 10 years of senior-level expertise in asset management or other relevant roles (first time funds will be considered provided management team experience)
    
5. Asset Class: The Candidate must target a specific asset class, such as Private Equity, Private Debt, Venture Capital, or Guarantees.
    
6. Target Fund Size: The Candidate must have a minimum target of at least US$ 30 million.
    
7. Ticket Size: The fund should have a minimum ticket size of 500,000 USD and maximum of 25 million USD for investing in its portfolio investees.
    
8. GP Commitment: The GP must hold at least 1% of the total fund size at all times.
    
9. Fund Lifetime: The Fund’s lifetime must be equal to or less than 12 years. If the Fund is structured as evergreen, Catalytic must receive its invested capital within 12 years.
    
10. Standards: The Fund’s environmental and social (E&S) standards must meet at least the IFC Performance Standards and the ILO Fundamental Conventions
     
11. First close: The candidate must reach Fund’s first close in maximum 12 months after award notice.
     
12. Thematic Focus:  The Fund must have at least 50% of its portfolio focus on investments in sustainable wood alternative energies and solutions, agroindustry or forestry.
     
13. Geographical Focus: The Fund must have a significant focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, including Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic and Gabon.  Ideally, Democratic Republic of Congo will be included in the fund’s current or future focus.
     
14. Regional Engagement: The Fund must demonstrate operational or governance presence in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Africa, through local staff, advisory partnerships, or board representation.
     
15. Readiness to Deploy: The Candidate must demonstrate soft commitments of at least 20% of the target fund size and provide a pipeline of three transactions with deforestation reduction impact.
     
16. Documentation: The Candidate commits that all documentation, including the financial model, has been updated no later than 12 months ago.
     
17. Strategy Alignment Statement: Applicants must submit a one-page narrative describing how their fund’s investment strategy aligns with Canopy Trust’s targets.
     
18. Alignment with Canopy Trust Impact Sectors
    • Sustainable agriculture, agroforestry and forestry, including processing
    • Clean cooking and renewable energy
    • Economic alternatives to deforestation, incl. but not limited to microfinance, financial intermediaries, tech-driven impact, ecotourism, deforestation-free value chain
       
19. Deforestation reduction eligibility : applicants are expected to detail
    1. Their internal (in force or considered) deforestation reduction investment criteria and impact criteria
    2. Example pipeline deals
    3. Deforestation stressors addressed
    4. Local engagement strategy
        
20. Compliance with Canopy Trust’s exclusion list

Submission Requirements

Candidates must prepare and submit their Expression of Interest (EoI) in compliance with the following requirements:

Cover Sheet:

Clearly state: “EoI Canopy Trust 2025”.

Include the Candidate’s full legal name, official address, and website.

Submission Format:

EoIs must be submitted as a single PDF document, not exceeding 10 megabytes (MB) in size.

Page Limits:

EoIs must not exceed 6 pages including annexes, excluding cover page, forms and pitch deck.

EoIs must be submitted exclusively through the SIFI website's submission portal. Submissions made by any other method, such as email, will be disqualified.

The submission deadline is the 26 September 2025 at 23:59 CEST. EoIs will only be considered submitted if they are successfully uploaded to the SIFI website at or before the deadline. Submissions uploaded after the deadline will be disqualified.

Clarifications requests regarding this CfP must be submitted in writing to secretariat@catalyticfinance.org before the 17 September 2025 at 12:00 CEST.

For any technical issues related to the submission on the SIFI website's submission portal, please contact info@sdgimpactfinance.org.