USAID CATALYZE

In #BurkinaFaso, youth entrepreneur Abdoulaye Wendlanaba Kaboré provides essential agricultural inputs to local livestock breeders. However, he lacked adequate access to financing that would allow him to purchase inputs in bulk, preventing him from growing his business.   Thanks to a loan received through USAID CATALYZE, Kaboré can now meet the needs of his growing clientele. This has positioned him as a trusted supplier for smallholder farmers in the region, allowing him to supply them with better access to affordable, high-quality feed.   Read more about his story, and how USAID CATALYZE mobilized nearly $18M in #privatecapital to help agricultural enterprises — particularly those owned by #women and #youth — access #finance: https://lnkd.in/gCddc6zM

Innovative financing is critical to expanding access to quality education. USAID CATALYZE Education uses a blended finance approach — the strategic use of USAID funds and #privatecapital — to improve and sustain learning outcomes for children and youth worldwide. Read more about USAID Education's approach to sustainable #educationfinance: https://lnkd.in/gzncqN39 

As 2024 draws to a close, USAID CATALYZE is thrilled to share some of our top highlights from the year — from new digital finance products and trainings to support #women-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises (#SMEs), to innovative pay-for-results models, and partnerships to support youth employment and workforce development. Read: https://lnkd.in/gwmCfTcd

#ICYMI: USAID CATALYZE posts all of our #webinars and videos on our YouTube channel. Check out the latest videos and expert insights on #blendedfinance and explore how we:   ➡️ Expanded access to financing for school owners and parents across #LAC through innovative financing models: https://lnkd.in/gXn8Fxrm ➡️ Transformed how #SMEs access capital in the #WesternBalkans: https://lnkd.in/gKtdbkue ➡️ Bridged the credit gap for agricultural sector actors in the #Sahel: https://lnkd.in/gXc6XxpF

Last month, the USAID CATALYZE America's Partnership for Economic Prosperity (#APEP) Activity concluded the initial year of its Kinesis program — an impact-focused accelerator implemented with the support of Agora Partnerships. Over the last 12 months, Kinesis has strengthened the capacities of 155 social enterprises across the #LAC region. Participating enterprises took part in a multi-week program to develop sustainable business models, identify market growth opportunities, and build their investment-readiness. Over 90 percent of these enterprises reported improvements in their data management, allowing them to make better strategic business decisions, while 70 percent have begun conversations with potential market and financial partners through the program’s facilitation. Graduates also noted impact measurement as one of their top areas of improvement, demonstrating Kinesis’ focus as a program aimed at unlocking the impact potential of its participants. Through its accelerated enterprises, Kinesis has managed to impact over 60,000 new beneficiaries. In addition to its success with enterprises, the Kinesis accelerator built the capacities of six local enterprise strengthening organizations in #Barbados, #Chile, #DominicanRepublic, #Ecuador, #Peru, and #Uruguay. These six organizations took part in a methodology transfer, adopting Kinesis’ training modules and impact focus to assist with co-implementation. Going forward, these organizations are equipped with the tools and methodology to carry out their own impact focused acceleration programs to continue generating positive outcomes.  We look forward to building on these achievements to drive #environmental and #socialimpact across #LAC as we launch into Kinesis’ second year in 2025! USAID | Palladium: Make It Possible

Early childhood development (#ECD) is a key focus area for USAID CATALYZE in #SouthAfrica, where access to education is plagued by race, gender, and wealth inequalities.   In partnership with Seed Fund Connect and Kaizenvest, CATALYZE EduFinance South Africa jointly developed a variety of #loan products catering specifically to the needs of #ECD centers across the country, and raised $1.75 million in private capital to be used to fund these loans.   Read about how this support provided a lifeline for Mother Goose, an ECD Center in #Diepsloot: https://lnkd.in/gQj42x4q   #EducationFinance #ECCE #EducationAccess #SouthAfrica

In the #Philippines, USAID CATALYZE develops #blendedfinance solutions that promote sustainable #employment outcomes for #youth by partnering with private sector companies in key industries, including Pizza Hut Philippines.   Last month, 21 CATALYZE youth participants met with key officials from Yum! Brands, which operate more than 55,000 restaurants globally, including Pizza Hut Philippines. Chief People Officer James Watts shared personal career anecdotes, supportive tips, and inspiring messages with youth participants, who had the opportunity to ask questions and share what they learned.   "We [now] know a lot about making pizza and other products. It also boosted my confidence," said Andrei, one of the participants. 

Since 2020, the USAID CATALYZE Engines of Growth (EoG) Activity has unlocked $200 million in financing for more than 2,000 #SMEs in the #WesternBalkans — with 41 percent of these funds directed toward #women-owned or -led businesses — and introduced pioneering financial solutions that have facilitated scalable, inclusive, and sustainable long-term growth. Learn more about how USAID CATALYZE has transformed how #SMEs across the region access #capital: https://lnkd.in/gNn_VmsC

In the village of Dimistenga, located in the Centre-Est region of #BurkinaFaso, Salamata Kouraogo earns her living by trading nuts, beans, rice, and grain – a vital yet challenging enterprise in her rural community.   Thanks to a 50,000 FCFA (US $82) loan through the USAID CATALYZE Finance for Resilience (F4R) Activity, Salamata diversified her business and started purchasing product in bulk, which has helped her to better anticipate and respond to growing demand in the local market.    Read more about Salamata's story, and how USAID CATALYZE mobilized nearly $18M in #privatecapital to help agricultural enterprises — particularly those owned by #women and #youth — access finance: https://lnkd.in/gutny3Eh   #AccessToFinance #Sahel #WomensResilience #AgriculturalFinance

"It's paying for the outcomes rather than the inputs," Palladium's Amanda Fernandez explains to Devex in this new article on 'pay by results' methodologies. The conversation around PBR (or 'pay for results', as described in USAID's primer, which Amanda co-authored) is having a resurgence as funders look for new ways to embrace localization that give the money they're investing the best chance at truly achieving development outcomes. Amanda is currently head of Palladium's USAID CATALYZE, which uses this approach to (1) leverage USAID resources with private capital; and (2) help USAID missions to design, implement, and evaluate private sector engagement. Read the Devex article: https://lnkd.in/gT_Zh74E Download the USAID primer: https://lnkd.in/g9VzChqw