The Transition States Coordination Office (RDTS) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2025 Call-for-Proposals of the Targeted Support Window (Pillar III) of the Transition Support Facility (TSF).
Overview of TSF Pillar III
Pillar III of TSF is designed to support targeted capacity building and technical assistance activities that may not be readily addressed through other Bank instruments. In line with the first priority of the Bank’s 2022-2026 Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in Africa, its goals include overcoming critical capacity bottlenecks, addressing institutional weaknesses, fostering dialogue across stakeholders and mobilizing resources to support countries transition out of conflict situations, harness peace dividends, prevent humanitarian emergencies, and build the foundations for resilience and prosperity.
TSF Pillar III exhibits crucial flexibility in managing resources, allowing swift interventions through both governmental and non-governmental entities. This flexibility enables it to act as a catalyst across the humanitarian, development, and peace (HDP) nexus, engaging partners from the public and private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), and research institutions.
For this purpose, TSF Pillar III encourages financial synergies with internal and external instruments to scale up impact. A key emphasis is placed on promoting innovation, enhancing collaboration at the HDP nexus, increasing government ownership and accountability, mainstreaming conflict-sensitivity in planning processes, and address climate-related risks, with the aim to systematically building resilience at the community level. Additionally, TSF Pillar III places a bold focus on programs supporting marginalized and forcibly displaced populations in fragile and conflict-affected areas.
The 2024 Updated Operational Guidelines of the TSF offer a thorough overview of operational modalities for the use of TSF resources. In addition, the following sections and the Project Proposal Note (PPN) template provide complementary and more specifics guidance for developing successful project proposals under this Call-for-Proposals.
Themes and Priorities
This 2025 Call-for-Proposals focuses on three pivotal thematic areas that seek to promote results-driven partnerships across the HDP nexus, focusing on building lasting resilience at local, national, and regional levels. It places a strong emphasis on supporting community-based interventions, and the need to mainstream peacebuilding, climate action, and preventative approaches in national and regional strategies and plans. Cross-cutting themes—including conflict-sensitivity, gender equality, and youth empowerment—are expected to be integrated in the project proposals without necessarily having to exclusively focus the proposal on all these themes.
- Building inclusive, effective, and accountable institutions – Under this theme, proposals should focus on strengthening local, national, and/or regional institutions and platforms that foster dialogue, cooperation, transparency, innovation, and synergies for effective development. The goal is to effectively mobilize and utilize public and private resources to build resilience as well as to ensure the integration of peace and conflict-sensitivity across development plans. Examples of targeted proposals include: support to audit institutions; enhancement of public financial management; financial innovation for peacebuilding measures; implementation of conflict-sensitive national budgeting; technical and financial coordination among HDP partners; evidence-based resource mobilization initiatives; prioritization of climate finance in national budgets; role and representation of women in decision-making processes; inclusive policies for refugees and internally displaced persons; data availability and quality to attract investments and reduce risks; development and operationalization of early warning systems; and regional cooperation and integration under the AfCFTA.
- Managing natural resources for peace and prosperity – Under this theme, proposals are encouraged to focus on lessons learned from past investments in Africa’s natural resources and policies aimed at ensuring that natural resources serve as a driver of stability and economic resilience. The objective is to contribute significantly to sustainable governance of Africa’s vast natural wealth while leveraging the climate-peace nexus, engaging local communities for inclusive solutions and integrating natural resource governance into national development strategies with a conflict-sensitive lens. Examples of targeted proposals include those supporting: development and enforcement of conflict-sensitive local content policies; jobs creation and economic inclusion of youth, women, and marginalized groups in extractive industries; community driven initiatives; development of climate-resilient policies for natural resources mitigating environmental frictions; revenue management systems for enhancing the collection and distribution of resources; implementation of best practices in due diligence for responsible supply chains of minerals; promotion of responsible foreign direct investments; and establishment of business linkages between large-scale investments and small business/cooperatives and local enterprises.
- Attracting private investments and developing the domestic private sector – Under this theme, proposals should focus on catalyzing peace-positive private investments, facilitate private sector climate finance, nurture the growth of the local private sector—including in the informal sector—, as well as initiatives tailored for refugees and internally displaced persons. Examples of targeted proposals include: implementing targeted regulatory reforms; developing entrepreneurial ecosystems and attracting venture capitals; increasing access to finance to support business development at the community level; utilizing innovative financing mechanisms; delivering targeted capacity-building initiatives that leverage both physical and hybrid approaches; supporting public-private-dialogue platforms; promoting and facilitating investments in key development areas such as climate, agriculture, power, transport and social; maximizing the benefits of legal migration and engaging with the diaspora; and fostering regional value chains and cross-border trading.
Challenges within these critical areas call for innovative solutions and partnerships that draw upon past experiences, existing initiatives, facilities, and best practices to the benefit of fragile and conflict-affected environments.
Country Eligibility
TSF Pillar III offers support based on merit, aiming to address the root causes of fragility and promote long-term resilience through capacity-building and technical assistance in twenty-four (24) countries. These are: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, São Tomé & Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, and Zimbabwe.
The Call-for-Proposals encourages regional approaches with a focus addressing common institutional and technical challenges faced by countries within close geographical proximity (hotspots) and managing risks of spillover of conflicts. All financing under TSF Pillar III is provided in grant terms, irrespective of the credit and debt sustainability status of the beneficiary countries.
Eligible Recipients
TSF Pillar III resources can be provided to a diverse range of recipients, including agencies of the United Nations (UN), sovereign entities like government institutions, regional organizations, and other international partners. Non-state actors, including Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and private sector entities, are also eligible.
For non-state actors to receive TSF Pillar III resources, they must meet prerequisites such as a commitment to neutrality, independence, and transparency, legal registration, organizational capacity, and a successful track record in similar activities within Africa.
Key Considerations
To be considered for the TSF Pillar III Call for Proposals, applicants must demonstrate strategic alignment with resilience-driven objectives, conflict-sensitivity, preventive approaches, and innovation with scalability potential. Proposals should leverage additional funding sources and sustain interventions beyond the Bank's support. Collaborations with public and private entities, NGOs, CSOs, CBOs, and research institutions are highly encouraged. Proposals must incorporate gender equality, youth empowerment, and support for internally displaced populations. Community-level impacts should be clearly demonstrated, showcasing the involvement of community institutions and the benefits to targeted communities. Preference will be given to proposals with formal endorsement from beneficiary countries, ensuring alignment with national and regional priorities. Additionally, a clear theory of change linking inputs to expected outputs and outcomes, and risk assessments and mitigation measures is essential. Additionally, proposals should demonstrate that majority of the funds are committed towards achieving the project's development outcomes rather than merely covering project costs.
Resources and Funding
The TSF Pillar III for the period 2023-2025 was allocated UA 150 million from ADF-16 resources. For this Call-for-Proposals, an estimated amount equivalent of UA 35 million is made available.
A national proposal targeting activities in only one country can submit a maximum funding request of UA 1 million. For multinational proposals, while the specific amount depends on factors such as the number of countries covered, the proposal’s scope, and its readiness, the maximum funding is limited to UA 5 million per project. Furthermore, the implementation period of the project should not surpass 36 calendar months.
Selection Criteria
An inter-departmental committee will evaluate all submitted proposals to discern the projects with the highest potential to yield impactful results across themes and geographies. Each proposal will be examined to ascertain why funding through other Bank instruments would not be more efficient. The following selection criteria will be applied:
- Theory of Change – Assessing how well the proposal is informed by an understanding of the fragility context and how it intends to maximize impact for peace and prosperity, using a limited amount of grant resources.
- Leveraging Comparative Advantages – Verifying how the proposal reinforces the Bank’s comparative advantages by leveraging on Bank supported interventions and through effective collaboration with other partners.
- Creating Synergies – Evaluating the proposed financial and technical synergies with internal and external stakeholders, existing initiatives, as well as various funding sources, fostering a collaborative and impactful approach.
- Scaling Up Impact – Assessing how complementary technical and institutional support translate into large synergetic impacts.
- Utilizing Technology – Assessing the innovative use of technology within the proposal to enhance operational efficiency and maximize impact.
- Community Impact – Assessing the involvement and incidence of benefits for community level interventions, and how the approach contributes to reducing inequality and preventing various drivers of fragility at community level.
Beyond the proposal’s quality and relevance, considerations of equity and the endorsement by national and/or regional authorities will play a pivotal role in the final resource allocation.
Application Process
Applications for this Call-for-Proposals are exclusive to Bank’s Task Managers interested in submitting project proposals. External applicants must coordinate with a relevant sectoral unit and Task Manager within the Bank to support and facilitate the submission and subsequent processing. Accordingly, a Task Manager can submit either an internal proposal on behalf of a Bank organizational unit, or an external proposal, representing an external partner. In all cases, submitted proposals will be subjected to the competitive evaluation process. Upon selection, the Task Manager will lead the appraisal and approval process of the project and ensure supervision and completion during its implementation phase.
External applicants who seek to become implementing partners must demonstrate clear value addition, including cofinancing, technical expertise, or other inputs that will directly contribute to the project outputs and outcomes. Any administrative fee charged by implementing agencies must be competitive.
All project proposals must adhere to the standardized Project Proposal Note (PPN) template, capturing all required information for the application process. The application process involves the following considerations:
- Online Application – Applicants should submit their PPN through the online Application System, providing comprehensive and concise answers to all questions and including any required details. It is recommended to use the offline PPN template for preparation.
- Saving Progress – Applicants can save incomplete proposals in the online system, allowing them to resume their work at their convenience.
- Completeness – Applicants should ensure that all sections of the PPN are properly filled out and supported with relevant materials. Only fully completed proposals submitted online before the specified deadline will be considered during the evaluation and selection process.
- User Guide – Applicants should refer to the User Guide for instructions and tips on navigating the system, completing the PPN, and attaching relevant documents. This guide facilitates a seamless submission process.
- Consultation – Applicants are encouraged to seek strategic and technical guidance from the RDTS team during the proposal preparation process. To seek assistance or guidance, applicants can send an email to Transition Support Facility. Through its fragility expertise, RDTS can provide advisory support to help develop high-quality project proposals.
Timeline
The timeline of the Call-for-Proposals process is as follows:
- Launch of the Call-for-Proposals: March 06, 2025
- Application Deadline: April 30, 2025
- Announcement of Selection Results: June, 2025
Applicants are advised to take note of these dates and ensure that their project proposals are submitted within the specified timeframe. Following the closure of the selection process, the results will be promptly disclosed to applicants, providing them with information on the outcome of their application.
Targeted Support Window (Pillar III) of the Transition Support Facility (TSF) Call for proposal
The Transition States Coordination Office (RDTS) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2025 Call-for-Proposals of the Targeted Support Window (Pillar III) of the Transition Support Facility (TSF).
Overview of TSF Pillar III
Pillar III of TSF is designed to support targeted capacity building and technical assistance activities that may not be readily addressed through other Bank instruments. In line with the first priority of the Bank’s 2022-2026 Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in Africa, its goals include overcoming critical capacity bottlenecks, addressing institutional weaknesses, fostering dialogue across stakeholders and mobilizing resources to support countries transition out of conflict situations, harness peace dividends, prevent humanitarian emergencies, and build the foundations for resilience and prosperity.
TSF Pillar III exhibits crucial flexibility in managing resources, allowing swift interventions through both governmental and non-governmental entities. This flexibility enables it to act as a catalyst across the humanitarian, development, and peace (HDP) nexus, engaging partners from the public and private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), and research institutions.
For this purpose, TSF Pillar III encourages financial synergies with internal and external instruments to scale up impact. A key emphasis is placed on promoting innovation, enhancing collaboration at the HDP nexus, increasing government ownership and accountability, mainstreaming conflict-sensitivity in planning processes, and address climate-related risks, with the aim to systematically building resilience at the community level. Additionally, TSF Pillar III places a bold focus on programs supporting marginalized and forcibly displaced populations in fragile and conflict-affected areas.
The 2024 Updated Operational Guidelines of the TSF offer a thorough overview of operational modalities for the use of TSF resources. In addition, the following sections and the Project Proposal Note (PPN) template provide complementary and more specifics guidance for developing successful project proposals under this Call-for-Proposals.
Themes and Priorities
This 2025 Call-for-Proposals focuses on three pivotal thematic areas that seek to promote results-driven partnerships across the HDP nexus, focusing on building lasting resilience at local, national, and regional levels. It places a strong emphasis on supporting community-based interventions, and the need to mainstream peacebuilding, climate action, and preventative approaches in national and regional strategies and plans. Cross-cutting themes—including conflict-sensitivity, gender equality, and youth empowerment—are expected to be integrated in the project proposals without necessarily having to exclusively focus the proposal on all these themes.
- Building inclusive, effective, and accountable institutions – Under this theme, proposals should focus on strengthening local, national, and/or regional institutions and platforms that foster dialogue, cooperation, transparency, innovation, and synergies for effective development. The goal is to effectively mobilize and utilize public and private resources to build resilience as well as to ensure the integration of peace and conflict-sensitivity across development plans. Examples of targeted proposals include: support to audit institutions; enhancement of public financial management; financial innovation for peacebuilding measures; implementation of conflict-sensitive national budgeting; technical and financial coordination among HDP partners; evidence-based resource mobilization initiatives; prioritization of climate finance in national budgets; role and representation of women in decision-making processes; inclusive policies for refugees and internally displaced persons; data availability and quality to attract investments and reduce risks; development and operationalization of early warning systems; and regional cooperation and integration under the AfCFTA.
- Managing natural resources for peace and prosperity – Under this theme, proposals are encouraged to focus on lessons learned from past investments in Africa’s natural resources and policies aimed at ensuring that natural resources serve as a driver of stability and economic resilience. The objective is to contribute significantly to sustainable governance of Africa’s vast natural wealth while leveraging the climate-peace nexus, engaging local communities for inclusive solutions and integrating natural resource governance into national development strategies with a conflict-sensitive lens. Examples of targeted proposals include those supporting: development and enforcement of conflict-sensitive local content policies; jobs creation and economic inclusion of youth, women, and marginalized groups in extractive industries; community driven initiatives; development of climate-resilient policies for natural resources mitigating environmental frictions; revenue management systems for enhancing the collection and distribution of resources; implementation of best practices in due diligence for responsible supply chains of minerals; promotion of responsible foreign direct investments; and establishment of business linkages between large-scale investments and small business/cooperatives and local enterprises.
- Attracting private investments and developing the domestic private sector – Under this theme, proposals should focus on catalyzing peace-positive private investments, facilitate private sector climate finance, nurture the growth of the local private sector—including in the informal sector—, as well as initiatives tailored for refugees and internally displaced persons. Examples of targeted proposals include: implementing targeted regulatory reforms; developing entrepreneurial ecosystems and attracting venture capitals; increasing access to finance to support business development at the community level; utilizing innovative financing mechanisms; delivering targeted capacity-building initiatives that leverage both physical and hybrid approaches; supporting public-private-dialogue platforms; promoting and facilitating investments in key development areas such as climate, agriculture, power, transport and social; maximizing the benefits of legal migration and engaging with the diaspora; and fostering regional value chains and cross-border trading.
Challenges within these critical areas call for innovative solutions and partnerships that draw upon past experiences, existing initiatives, facilities, and best practices to the benefit of fragile and conflict-affected environments.
Country Eligibility
TSF Pillar III offers support based on merit, aiming to address the root causes of fragility and promote long-term resilience through capacity-building and technical assistance in twenty-four (24) countries. These are: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, São Tomé & Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, and Zimbabwe.
The Call-for-Proposals encourages regional approaches with a focus addressing common institutional and technical challenges faced by countries within close geographical proximity (hotspots) and managing risks of spillover of conflicts. All financing under TSF Pillar III is provided in grant terms, irrespective of the credit and debt sustainability status of the beneficiary countries.
Eligible Recipients
TSF Pillar III resources can be provided to a diverse range of recipients, including agencies of the United Nations (UN), sovereign entities like government institutions, regional organizations, and other international partners. Non-state actors, including Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and private sector entities, are also eligible.
For non-state actors to receive TSF Pillar III resources, they must meet prerequisites such as a commitment to neutrality, independence, and transparency, legal registration, organizational capacity, and a successful track record in similar activities within Africa.
Key Considerations
To be considered for the TSF Pillar III Call for Proposals, applicants must demonstrate strategic alignment with resilience-driven objectives, conflict-sensitivity, preventive approaches, and innovation with scalability potential. Proposals should leverage additional funding sources and sustain interventions beyond the Bank's support. Collaborations with public and private entities, NGOs, CSOs, CBOs, and research institutions are highly encouraged. Proposals must incorporate gender equality, youth empowerment, and support for internally displaced populations. Community-level impacts should be clearly demonstrated, showcasing the involvement of community institutions and the benefits to targeted communities. Preference will be given to proposals with formal endorsement from beneficiary countries, ensuring alignment with national and regional priorities. Additionally, a clear theory of change linking inputs to expected outputs and outcomes, and risk assessments and mitigation measures is essential. Additionally, proposals should demonstrate that majority of the funds are committed towards achieving the project's development outcomes rather than merely covering project costs.
Resources and Funding
The TSF Pillar III for the period 2023-2025 was allocated UA 150 million from ADF-16 resources. For this Call-for-Proposals, an estimated amount equivalent of UA 35 million is made available.
A national proposal targeting activities in only one country can submit a maximum funding request of UA 1 million. For multinational proposals, while the specific amount depends on factors such as the number of countries covered, the proposal’s scope, and its readiness, the maximum funding is limited to UA 5 million per project. Furthermore, the implementation period of the project should not surpass 36 calendar months.
Selection Criteria
An inter-departmental committee will evaluate all submitted proposals to discern the projects with the highest potential to yield impactful results across themes and geographies. Each proposal will be examined to ascertain why funding through other Bank instruments would not be more efficient. The following selection criteria will be applied:
- Theory of Change – Assessing how well the proposal is informed by an understanding of the fragility context and how it intends to maximize impact for peace and prosperity, using a limited amount of grant resources.
- Leveraging Comparative Advantages – Verifying how the proposal reinforces the Bank’s comparative advantages by leveraging on Bank supported interventions and through effective collaboration with other partners.
- Creating Synergies – Evaluating the proposed financial and technical synergies with internal and external stakeholders, existing initiatives, as well as various funding sources, fostering a collaborative and impactful approach.
- Scaling Up Impact – Assessing how complementary technical and institutional support translate into large synergetic impacts.
- Utilizing Technology – Assessing the innovative use of technology within the proposal to enhance operational efficiency and maximize impact.
- Community Impact – Assessing the involvement and incidence of benefits for community level interventions, and how the approach contributes to reducing inequality and preventing various drivers of fragility at community level.
Beyond the proposal’s quality and relevance, considerations of equity and the endorsement by national and/or regional authorities will play a pivotal role in the final resource allocation.
Application Process
Applications for this Call-for-Proposals are exclusive to Bank’s Task Managers interested in submitting project proposals. External applicants must coordinate with a relevant sectoral unit and Task Manager within the Bank to support and facilitate the submission and subsequent processing. Accordingly, a Task Manager can submit either an internal proposal on behalf of a Bank organizational unit, or an external proposal, representing an external partner. In all cases, submitted proposals will be subjected to the competitive evaluation process. Upon selection, the Task Manager will lead the appraisal and approval process of the project and ensure supervision and completion during its implementation phase.
External applicants who seek to become implementing partners must demonstrate clear value addition, including cofinancing, technical expertise, or other inputs that will directly contribute to the project outputs and outcomes. Any administrative fee charged by implementing agencies must be competitive.
All project proposals must adhere to the standardized Project Proposal Note (PPN) template, capturing all required information for the application process. The application process involves the following considerations:
- Online Application – Applicants should submit their PPN through the online Application System, providing comprehensive and concise answers to all questions and including any required details. It is recommended to use the offline PPN template for preparation.
- Saving Progress – Applicants can save incomplete proposals in the online system, allowing them to resume their work at their convenience.
- Completeness – Applicants should ensure that all sections of the PPN are properly filled out and supported with relevant materials. Only fully completed proposals submitted online before the specified deadline will be considered during the evaluation and selection process.
- User Guide – Applicants should refer to the User Guide for instructions and tips on navigating the system, completing the PPN, and attaching relevant documents. This guide facilitates a seamless submission process.
- Consultation – Applicants are encouraged to seek strategic and technical guidance from the RDTS team during the proposal preparation process. To seek assistance or guidance, applicants can send an email to Transition Support Facility. Through its fragility expertise, RDTS can provide advisory support to help develop high-quality project proposals.
Timeline
The timeline of the Call-for-Proposals process is as follows:
- Launch of the Call-for-Proposals: March 06, 2025
- Application Deadline: April 30, 2025
- Announcement of Selection Results: June, 2025
Applicants are advised to take note of these dates and ensure that their project proposals are submitted within the specified timeframe. Following the closure of the selection process, the results will be promptly disclosed to applicants, providing them with information on the outcome of their application.