Social Enterprise Application Form

Alfanar Investment Application

The new project is set to support established social enterprises, cooperatives, and other Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) entities in Lebanon.

Social enterprises, cooperatives, and other impact-driven businesses play an important role in creating jobs, delivering essential services, and supporting communities across Lebanon. Yet, many face barriers to sustainable growth, including limited access to tailored business support and affordable financing needed to strengthen and scale their operations.

The International Labour Organization (ILO), in partnership with Alfanar Venture Philanthropy, and Lebanese microfinance institution Al Majmoua, is launching BĀDER (بادر) – a new project under the broader PROSPECTS programme funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. BĀDER is designed to bridge the gap between technical support and access to finance by providing tailored technical support and facilitating access to loan financing for 25 established social and solidarity economy enterprises.

Through tailored technical support and access to loan financing, the project will support SSEs to strengthen their operations, build long-term sustainability, and prepare for growth.

Selected SSEs will benefit from tailored business diagnostics, capacity building, one-to-one coaching, governance and financial readiness support, and market access and networking opportunities. They will also access an interest-subsidised loan of up to USD 50,000 through Al Majmoua, subject to financial due diligence. Selected entities will additionally take part in an international study visit.

PROSPECTS is a global partnership that aims to improve the access of host communities and forcibly displaced people to education, social protection and decent work. It brings together the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank to help transform the way in which governments and other stakeholders, including the private sector, respond to forced displacement crises.

If your organization is an eligible Social and Solidarity Economy entity with a clear social mission, and ambitions to grow its impact while creating decent employment opportunities, we encourage you to submit your application.

A Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) entity refers to a social enterprise that carries out economic activities while pursuing a clear social and/or environmental mission. SSE entities aim to generate positive impact for their communities or target groups while developing sustainable activities that support the continuation and growth of their mission over time.

Alfanar Investment Criteria

We are looking for social enterprises in Lebanon that share our values and exhibit the following requirements:

Is a registered legal entity in Lebanon (NGO, cooperative, limited company, or any hybrid form)

Generates revenue from productive activities (not fully grant-dependent)

Has a primary social, environmental, or community mission

Has been operational for a minimum of 2 years

Not currently receiving concurrent ILO support for the same activities

Has a team that consists of a minimum of 2 direct employees or equivalent (part-time converted to FTE)

Has the potential to sustain and/or grow its business over the next 3 to 5 years

Operating in at least one of: Beirut, Mount Lebanon, North Lebanon, or Bekaa ValleyWilling to take an interest-subsidized loan under the programme

Further Notes on Application

· Please ensure you fill in all the required information before sending us your application

· Due to the high number of applications we will receive, only successful applicants will be contacted.

· Please confirm that your organization meets each of the eligibility criteria below. All criteria must be selected in order to proceed with the application. Organizations that do not meet all the criteria are not eligible to apply.

· Please note that we only work with organisations that are registered in Lebanon

· If you require any specific advice relating to your application, please contact us directly at applications@alfanar.org.uk. and we will be happy to help.

Good luck with your application

Compliance

Selecting “Yes” to any of the questions below will make your organisation ineligible to proceed with the application.

Does the organisation discriminate in its selection of beneficiaries or in providing services based on religion or religious affiliation?

Do any members of your organization's leadership (Senior Management, Board of Directors, or key decision-makers) have a prior personal or professional relationship with any Alfanar and/or Al Majmoua staff, consultants, or board members?. If yes , please describe the nature of the relationship & individuals involved

If yes, please specify

Is your organization under any sanction or involved in any judiciary action?

If yes, please describe

1. Background of Applicant Organisation

Main Address

Street	City
Country	Postal Code

Focal Point for Application

Full Name

Email

Phone Number

Role/Job Title

How do you best define your organisation

Focus on Charitable Activities with no regard to commercial activityCommercial activity that has a financial return in direct correlation to the social impact createdCommercially driven with social impact offered through some form of corporate social responsibility (CSR)

Population Served Other

Have you received funding or investment in the past?

Please include the names of your 5 most recent donors/investors as well as their respective donation/investment amounts and accompanying details

Donor/Investor	Amount (USD)	Date	Funding Status

2. People & Governance

Number of Employees

Total Number of Employees

Employees include full-time and part-time staff, as well as freelancers and consultants currently engaged by the organisation.

	Male	Female	Refugees	Persons with Disability	Youths (aged 18-35)
Full Time Staff
Part Time Staff
Freelancers
Volunteers

If any of the sections are inapplicable, please put "0"

Board of Trustees

Do you have a Board or an Advisory Committee?

Capacity Building Needs

Which areas of technical training would be most beneficial to your organization? Please select up to three.

Business planning and growth strategyFinancial management and financial planningMarketing, sales, and market positioningInvestment readiness and access to financeGovernance and organizational managementSocial impact measurement and reportingOther

Please specify

3. Impact

Please specify the social/ environmental problem you are solving and the communities most impacted by the problem.

Please specify how your business is solving this problem, and what is the change on the community and/or environment?

Impact Scale

	2024	2025	Projections for Upcoming Year
Number of individuals directly reached

*Example of individuals: if your organisation employs vulnerable women to provide services or produce products, allowing them to earn income.

Do you measure and report on your social/environmental impact? Can you share an example of your measurement approach?

Briefly describe how you plan to grow your impact over the next 12 months, and indicate how Alfanar's support fits in your impact growth plans

Please also indicate with numbers how Aflanar's support can help increase your impact breadth (# of beneficiaries) and depth (i.e. income increase, educational improvement, climate reduction...)

4. Business and Market

Briefly describe your business model and the products and/or services that you are offering

How many paying customers did you reach in the last 12 months?

(Customers are clients who are paying for products and services, and are different from the individuals who benefit (but don't pay) for the products or services offered)

Please provide a brief description of your target paying customers. Who are they, and how do you reach them?

(Customers are clients who are paying for products and services, and are different from the unique individuals who benefit (but don't pay/pay a discounted rate) for the products or services offered)

Who are your competitors in the market and how do you do to differentiate your organisation from the competition?

5. Income and Expenditure Profile

In the section below, please provide some details about your financials over the last calendar year, the year to date as well as your projections for the upcoming year in USD. Please do not take into account the Aflanar Funding for your calculations.

Please note that applicants shortlisted for the next phase will be required to submit financial documents and audited statements to verify the information provided. Any material discrepancies will result in delays in the next phase of the application process.

Income and Expenditure Profile

	2024	2025	2025
Self Generated Revenue
Grant Income
Other income
Individual Donations
TOTAL Income
Salaries
Administrative expenses
Other expenses
TOTAL Expenditure
Cost Recovery (in %)
NET PROFIT/LOSS
Overhead ratio (%)

Interest in Securing a Loan

What loan amount would your organization be interested in taking?

USD 15,000–30,000USD 30,001–40,000USD 40,001–50,000

Please provide a breakdown of how you plan to use this amount.

Please specify

What would be the purpose of the loan? (Select all that apply.)

Capital expenses (CapEx)Operating ExpensesInformation and Communication Technology investment (ITC)

Please briefly explain how the loan would contribute to the growth of your organization

7. Additional Information

How did you hear about Alfanar

If other, please specify

Supplementary information and comments

By submitting this application, I hereby certify that all information provided in this document is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. I understand that any misrepresentation may lead to the disqualification of this application or the revocation of any subsequent award.

Documents Upload:

Registration documents

Financial statements (if available)

Organisation Name	Registration Number
Registration Date	Country of Registration
Operating Since	Registration Type
Social Media Handles	Website
Geographical area of operations in Lebanon AkkarBaalbek-HermelBeirutBeqaaDonniehFerzolKeserwan-JbeilMount LebanonNorthSouthTripoli	Geographical area of operations AlgeriaBahrainDjiboutiEgyptIraqJordanKuwaitLebanonLibyaMoroccoOmanPalestineQatarSaudi ArabiaSomaliaSudanSyrian Arab RepublicTunisiaUnited Arab EmiratesYemen