Call for Applications – Partnership Opportunity Notice (PON)- Growth Pole Project’s Soil Health Challenge Competition Round 2 –Commercializing Organic and Mineral Fertilizers for Increased Soil Health and Agricultural Productivity

Open Call for Applications

 Partnership Opportunity Notice (PON)

Subject: 217826-2026-SHCC2-01 Growth Pole Project’s Soil Health Challenge Competition Round 2 –Commercializing Organic and Mineral Fertilizers for Increased Soil Health and Agricultural Productivity

Dear Interested Applicants:

This Partnership Opportunity Notice (PON) solicits applications to partner with the Growth Poles Project, an Embassy of Ireland-funded initiative implemented by Palladium Group in Malawi. Contributing to Ireland’s ‘A Better World’ foreign policy, and Pillars 1 and 2 of Malawi 2063: Malawi’s Vision, namely agricultural productivity, commercialization, and industrialization, the Growth Poles Project advances a more inclusive, diversified, and resilient private sector that drives sustainable wealth creation while enhancing the environment and ecological diversity. As such, this PON aligns with the project’s operational mandate to catalyze and leverage private sector investment and coordination to achieve sustainable project results.

This PON provides important information and instructions for how interested parties can secure an application form, submit questions, submit their applications along with required supporting documents, as well as key deadlines and qualifying criteria.

All applications must be submitted electronically. Applications are due no later than 31^st March, 2026, 17:00 CAT, and must be submitted to ProcurementGPMW@thepalladiumgroup.com.

Sincerely,

The Growth Poles Project Team

PROJECT SUMMARY

The Growth Poles Project is an Embassy of Ireland-funded strategic initiative implemented by the Palladium Group in Malawi. Contributing to Ireland’s ‘A Better World’ foreign policy, and Pillars 1 and 2 of Malawi 2063: Malawi’s Vision – An Inclusively Wealthy and Self-Reliant Nation, namely agricultural productivity, commercialization, and industrialization, the Growth Poles Project advances a more inclusive, diversified, and resilient private sector that drives sustainable wealth creation while enhancing the environment and ecological diversity. The project’s operational mandate is to catalyze and leverage private sector investment and coordination to achieve sustainable project results.

Growth Poles uses the GP Development Facility (GPDF) to provide flexible, tailored support to partners and their communities, while maximizing the impact of private sector funding and co-investment. The GPDF’s aim is to facilitate investments capable of generating systems-level change, where such investments do not distort markets or create dependencies.

Via this PON, the GPDF is launching the Growth Pole Project’s Soil Health Challenge Competition Round 2 –Commercializing Organic and Mineral Fertilizers for Increased Soil Health and Agricultural Productivity. This round aims to support up to two Product Categories (Organic Fertilizers and Natural Mineral Soil Amendments) and companies at either the Early Commercialization or Acceleration Stages, with preference for ones in Acceleration.

TWO CATEGORIES – qualifying products must be from at least one of the following two categories:

1. Organic Fertilizers, including biofertilizers, organic mineral fertilizers,
2. Natural Mineral Soil Amendment, e.g. limestone, rock phosphate, gypsum, etc

Excluded and otherwise non-qualifying Products include:

• Chemical or Synthetic Fertilizers
• Fertilizers produced outside of Malawi

This competition round focuses on concrete commercial outcomes (units sold, hectares treated, farmers reached, etc), and thus targets only businesses with a developed product and already proven sales and immediately scalable potential.

TWO STAGES – applicants must demonstrate via their applications that they and their targeted product are either at the Acceleration or Early Commercialization Stage:

• Early Commercialization: the stage where a soil health Product is already developed and the business is focusing on refining production processes, strengthening quality assurance, validating market demand, and preparing pricing, packaging, distribution, and operations for reliable scale-up toward 5,000+ units within 18 months.
• Acceleration: Rapid scale-up of proven soil health Products through commercial mechanisms (e.g., production scaling investments, expanded distribution, working capital alignment) where the applicant demonstrates at least 2 years of sales and over 2,000 units sold annually, and has already identified concrete buyer and channel commitments for the performance period.

PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The anticipated performance period for resulting Subawards is up to 18 months with Subawards signed and starting no later than 1st July, 2026. Therefore, all proposed applicant activities will end no later than 31st December, 2027.

 GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE

Applicants must be producing and distributing their products in Malawi. Priority (non-restrictive) catchments include Lilongwe, Salima, Mzimba, Rumphi, and Chikwawa. Applicants should describe their current footprint and affiliate catchments relevant to their proposed application activity.

AWARD INFORMATION

Applying to this PON may result in receipt of a subaward agreement contract. A subaward size, number of subawards, and the amount of available funding is subject to change.

ESTIMATED FUNDING LEVEL

Awards will be between $50,000 to $150,000. The actual award amount will depend upon: 1) the proposed activities; 2) partner co-investment and leverage; and 3) final negotiation.

CO-INVESTMENT / LEVERAGE

Co-Investment and Leverage represents all the resources and investments an Applicant brings and applies to a partnership initiative in order to achieve the proposed results that are. While leverage is not intended to be binding or auditable, Growth Poles takes leverage commitments seriously. Failure of a Subawardee to meet their stated leverage contribution without strong justification is grounds to corrective action up to and including termination of the partnership.

Co-Investment and Leverage can include financial matching or in-kind contributions to the activity budget. A full list of criteria and examples of co-investment and leverage can be requested by emailing: ProcurementGPMW@thepalladiumgroup.com with the subject heading “Co-Investment or Leverage 217826-2026-SHCC2-01”.

1:1 RATIO or HIGHER

Applicants must propose a leverage ratio of at least 1:1 to their requested funding. For example, a proposal requesting $100,000 must provide at least $100,000 of co-investment and/or leverage. Applicants must clearly define the nature and amount of their leverage in their Application’s Summary Budget.

TWO-PHASE APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS

This application and award process will take two phases: Application (Phase 1) and Co-Creation (Phase 2). Successful applicants in Phase 1 will be invited to Semi-Finalist Review and Shark Tank Pitch where they present their concept to the Growth Poles review committee as part of the Phase 2 co-creation/co-design process. From there, select Applicants will turn their applications into Scopes of Work (SOW) and detailed budgets forming the basis of their subaward.

DISCLAIMER:

This PON does not commit Growth Poles to make an award. Palladium at its own discretion can accept or reject any or all applications, at any step, in part or in full without assigning a reason. Growth Poles and Irish Embassy reserve the right to award any or none of the Applicants at any stage of the process. Proceeding to co-creation does not guarantee a final award and neither Growth Poles nor Irish Embassy  will cover any costs associated with participating in this process.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Lead Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Legally registered per the laws of Malawi and not suspended or debarred.
• Applicant (including its Principals) is not on any list of debarred or suspended entities (as found on sam.gov), or on any terrorist watch list or other published list of ineligible recipients (i.e. US Department of Treasury OFAC designated nationals and blocked persons list);
• Enterprise producing and selling with soil health products and existing sales in Malawi.
• Commercialization stage must demonstrate (through provision of records) production progress towards 5,000 units and acceleration stage must demonstrate production progress ≥2 years of sales OR ≥2,000 units sold (cumulative).
• Demonstrated potential to scale per requirements for applications falling under the categories of Early Commercialization and Acceleration within or shortly after the performance period.

To be eligible for funding, applicants must provide all requested information in their application. Applications that are submitted past the PON deadline, or incomplete, will not be considered.

If potential applicants have any questions, forward them to ProcurementGPMW@thepalladiumgroup.com. Answers will be shared by 20^th March, 2026 and will also be published on our social media pages.

Applicants must submit applications via email to ProcurementGPMW@thepalladiumgroup.com (subject line: 217826-2026-SHCC2-01). Paper applications will not be accepted. Applications must be received no later than 31^st March, 2026, 17.00 CAT. No Applications received after this deadline will be considered.

Post expires at 5:00pm on Tuesday March 31st, 2026