Call for Concept Notes (CN) for youth employment projects, u...

Call for Concept Notes (CN) for youth employment projects,

under the Finance for Jobs (F4J) Development Impact Bond (DIB 2)

Please visit: Call for Concept Notes (CN) for F4J-DIB-2 

The F4J Youth Employment DIB is a results-based financial model designed to support Palestinian youth employment based on the needs of the labor market. In this model, investors provide the working capital to local Service Providers (SPs) that implement employment projects designed to help youth secure sustained jobs for at least 6 months. Investors get paid by Outcomes Funders for achieved employment outcomes.

Building on the success of the first F4J DIB, which exceeded all its employment targets under the umbrella of Finance for Jobs (F4J) project, the F4J outcome funders and investors have decided to implement another Impact Bond (DIB 2).

The first DIB’s four investors were Palestine Investment Fund (PIF), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO), and the Chilean-Palestinian Diaspora Investment Fund “Semilla de Olivo”.

The DIB’s Outcomes Funders are the Ministry of Finance, through the Finance for Jobs (F4J) project, implemented by DAI, with funding from the World Bank.

The F4J-DIB-2 is now soliciting Concept Notes (CN) from potential Service Providers to help it expand its pipeline of employment projects. Finance for Jobs for Consulting Services (F4J-CS) is a Palestinian Private Limited Company, based in Ramallah, that led the implementation of the first Palestinian youth employment Development Impact Bond (DIB 1), under the umbrella of Finance of Jobs (F4J) project, between 2020-2024, with private-funding from its investors, aimed at addressing the issue of youth unemployment in Palestine. The company (F4J-CS) will initiate the required mobilization for DIB 2 on behalf of its investors and outcomes funders. Similar to DIB 1, DIB 2 will work through Service Providers (SPs) that are contracted to provide employment services to unemployed Palestinian youth aged between 18-29 to help them secure sustained jobs for at least 6 months.

Sadly, due to the current war on Gaza and the current focus on humanitarian responses there, the DIB is currently receiving applications for employment projects targeting youth in the West Bank only. The DIB partners hope to announce a call for Concept Notes in Gaza at some point in the future.

Please visit https://form.f4jconsulting.com/app/ to learn more about the Concept Note (CN) submission instructions and access the online submission form. We will conduct two online information sessions to answer potential questions from interested applicants to help them fill the online Concept Note form.

If you have any questions, please make sure to attend one of these two information sessions, as we will not answer any questions via email or phone. These sessions require prior registration. You are not required to attend both sessions, the session is repeated to accommodate audience availability. You can reach the registration links via the same address above.

Eligibility requirements for lead applicant organizations

For the lead entity to be eligible to apply for this call, it must:

• Be legally registered for at least three years, whether locally or internationally,
• Be a private organization, whether for-profit or non-profit,
• Have official presence and experience in the West Bank,
• Have strong financial management systems and clean audit reports for -at least- the past 3 years,
• Have an official bank account, registered in the name of the entity, preferably in the West Bank,
• Have a valid ‘deduction-at-source’ certificate,

Eligible Service Providers (and their partners) could include both local and international organizations or companies, such as career centers, training centers or companies, youth-focused NGOs, universities, private sector companies, etc.

Applicants could submit applications individually or in a consortium format. Applicants are encouraged to form a meaningful consortium of partners to complement each other’s services and expand job opportunities they target by utilizing the network of their partners for faster and more diverse employment.

The first DIB emphasis on employment as opposed to just training has helped to shift the culture of Service Providers and raise the impact of the DIB. This results-based financing model has created the right incentives for all SPs, helping them focus on the end-result, i.e. employment, and not run any training unless there is an employer - with a vacancy - waiting for the training result, i.e. a skilled youth, and this is what we are looking for in the second DIB.

The online application is a Concept Note (CN) form that should be ideally completed by the lead entity (partner) of the Service Provider Consortium (if applicable). If selected, the DIB will contract a lead Service Provider, with its partners being subcontracted.

If initially shortlisted by the DIB Management team, the filled CN will be submitted to the DIB investors, and Outcome Funders for review and feedback. If initially approved, the lead entity (Service Provider/ consortium) will be invited to submit a Full Proposal.

Deadline for CN submission: Sunday, June 30, end of day.

NOTE: preferable to use Google Chrome for the links.

In the provided link, will find the:

1. Concept Note (CN) submission instructions,
2. Concept Note (CN) form in PDF format,
3. Registration form for information First sessions (30th May 2024 at 11:00 am),
4. Registration form for information Second sessions (3rd June 2024 at 11:00 am),
5. Concept Note (CN) online submission form.