Projects
Green Energy and Sustainability Granting Facility
Given their vital role in economic and social development, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lie at the heart of the Palestinian economy. PsDF - the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF) - during the last years, launched in cooperation and funding by EU and PIF, the Jerusalem Granting Facility to support small and medium-sized enterprises. The facility acheived great success during the two phases of implementation, which resulted in supporting around 75 SMEs and creating or sustaining above 650 jobs, while providing approximately 4.0M EUR as direct grants to SMEs operating in Jerusalem. Yet SMEs in Jerusalem suffer from weakness in various areas, including high operational costs, taxes, access to finance etc., which put attention to the environmental aspects and focus on providing clean and renewable energy alternatives at the last priority of these projects. Therefore PIF and the EU agreed on launching “The Green Energy and Sustainability Granting Facility” which focuses on investing in environmentally friendly equipment, clean and renewable energy and will contribute to raising the number of SMEs interested in alternative and renewable energy given its environmental impact as an economic solution to the problem of the high cost of energy in Jerusalem.
The facility provides financing in the form of matching restricted grants for SMEs that has proven case and able to benefit from the program to serve their commercial interests while investing in environmentally friendly equipment, energy efficiency, green initiatives, expansion in the production of renewable energy through installation of solar panels or encouraging recycling and green production. Moreover, the facility will focus on NGOs in Jerusalem that are willing to invest in energy efficient solutions that will create energy sustainability and cut the energy costs and reduce consumption. The program is 2.40M EUR and the facility’s life extends for three years from 2022 until the end of 2024.
Eligible Financing Uses For SMEs:
Matching grants (10K EUR – 100K EUR) will be provided for the eligible uses as the following:
- Purchase of Eco-friendly equipment and machinery.
- Installing solar panels; especially on the rooftop of hotels, factories or group of businesses that share premises.
- Support businesses that utilize recycling activities in their production.
- Improving business premises if this will impact the energy efficiency and results cutting energy costs.
- Energy efficiency consultancy services.
• Marketing grant will be added as a condition to receive the original expansion grant based on assessment and advice performed by the facility marketing consultant.
Full grant uses for NGOs include:
- Installing solar panels for the organization.
- Enhancing the organization premises through creating an eco-friendly environment.
- Investing in solutions that creates energy efficient organization that saves costs.
In certain cases, the steering committee can accept applications requesting grants below or above the proposed grant sizes above; up to 30% higher or lower. The use of the wavier is very limited – More details under “Eligibility Tap”.
The Eligibility Criteria, General View:
The matching grants eligibility to MSMEs criteria includes:
- The applicant must be defined as MSMEs as accepted definition in Palestine, regarding number of jobs and annual revenues.
- Investing in environmentally friendly ideas that will positively affect the environment and community they are operating in.
- Feasible ideas and solutions that will have positive impact on financial performance in the short or long run, whether through increasing revenues, or cost reduction and savings that is reflected in better profit margins, or through generating new source of income ideas that aim to invest in solar panels, recycling activities, and going green initiatives.
- Expansion ideas that include purchasing environmentally friendly solutions, equipment, machinery or adopted approaches and ideas that contribute positively to the business sustainability, operations, and profits. whether in the short or long run.
- Acceptable growth and development potential.
- Supporting and sustaining the existence of Palestinian businesses in East Jerusalem through investing in sustainable energy solutions that will create sustainability for the businesses.
- Capable and experienced management or have the tolerance to absorb new knowledge and improving toward institutional way of business.
- Acceptable legal structure.
- Grants must be employed to finance eligible grant uses.
- Meet the matching requirement, minimum contribution from beneficiary. (More details under eligibility tap).
- The grant or expansion plan must help in creating jobs that will support the facility to reach its targets; Businesses with higher number of jobs created will be assessed more favorably.
- The applicant must be owned by Palestinian Jerusalemites and registered in East Jerusalem – Including inside municipality areas, surrounding villages and districts.
The eligibility criteria for NGOs include:
- Legal registration as a local non-governmental organization: provide a certificate of registration officially.
- Submit a proposal that includes details of energy consumption and the proposed idea that requires support and tends to create energy sustainability.
- Grant uses directed towards investing in a renewable energy solution.
- Feasible ideas and solutions that will have positive impact on financial performance of the organization in the short and long run, through cutting costs and contributing to creating sustainability for the organization.
Click on the link below to apply for financing.
Applications that do not meet the facility's general and specific criteria will not be considered.
*The grant size might be subject to VAT deductions according to the applicable laws.
Applications that do not meet the facility's general and specific criteria will not be considered.