Whole Planet Foundation Launches a Call for Applications for Organizations Working Across Latin America and the Caribbean

As Whole Planet Foundation crosses the $107 million threshold for funds disbursed, we have set ambitious but achievable goals for the next 7 years. By 2030, Whole Planet Foundation aims to reach 300,000 new microentrepreneurs, smallholder farmers, and vulnerable populations.

Reflecting on our 18-year evolution, we see that our role in the Responsible Finance sector is to support local organizations that help financially excluded people to generate income so they can address their basic needs and become more resilient in the face of shocks. As people address their basic needs and become more resilient, they can strengthen their community ecosystems and contribute to positive economic, environmental, and social outcomes.

To help us reach this goal, Whole Planet Foundation is launching a Call for Applications for implementing organizations working across Latin America and the Caribbean. Organizations that may apply include socially-focused Microfinance Institutions, social enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and cooperatives. Preference will be given to organizations serving rural and financially vulnerable farmers, with access to less than 3 hectares, living near the poverty line.

Whole Planet provides new partners with (a) grants, or (b) local currency loans with 0% interest. New projects can range between $50,000 - $500,000. Typical first projects provide partners with $300,000, over the course of 3 years. We are also open to considering alternative financing vehicles.

Project Requirements

• Whole Planet Foundation must partner directly with implementing organizations that can submit quarterly reports regarding project and institutional progress. This includes reporting quantitative and qualitative information on the number of beneficiaries that received project funds, the amount of funds utilized, and more.
• Whole Planet Foundation will consider mature organizations as well as post-pilot initiatives. Project ticket-size will be based on the maturity of the program and organization as well as the organization’s ability to absorb funds. Whole Planet Foundation’s contribution cannot be more than 30% of the organization’s total assets/loan portfolio outstanding.
• Whole Planet Foundation seeks partners that are looking to continuously achieve net growth.
• Whole Planet Foundation projects must target very vulnerable segments, including people living near the poverty line and excluded from financial systems.
• Whole Planet Foundation projects must be appropriately designed for vulnerable segments, as marked by their accessibility and affordability. For example, if the project is to fund Agricultural Loans to smallholder farmers, the loans should not require collateral or salaried co-guarantors; should not use the legal system to demand assets from delinquent clients; and the organization should provide services within farmers’ communities.

Applicants may apply to 1 or several of the following funds. Note that the first 4 describe the methodologies that Whole Planet Foundation currently funds and prioritizes. The last option, “Special Requests/ Other”, is for organizations that don’t fall within Whole Planet Foundation's current models but would nonetheless like to make a special request for Whole Planet Foundation to consider.

1. Economic Opportunity Fund

a. Segments and services: Entry-level microentrepreneurs receive business and empowerment training, social services, and business microloans to start or expand a micro-enterprise. Methodologies supported in this fund include, but are not limited to: Grameen Bank-style Group Lending; institutions lending to informal savings groups; and individual loans.

b. Whole Planet Foundation’s contribution: Funding business microloans; providing seed capital and matching savings for Savings Groups; etc. Loan size per client varies per country but typically does not exceed $800. The amount is often much lower since Whole Planet Foundation prioritizes clients in their first cycle.

c. Type of organization: Typically, a Microfinance Institution (although, legal status may vary). Whole Planet Foundation prioritizes organizations that are in the process of achieving Operational Self-Sufficiency. Whole Planet Foundation rarely works with organizations with Operational Self-Sufficiency over 120%. Whole Planet Foundation partners that provide dividends to shareholders will only be eligible for debt financing.

2. Resilient Farmer Fund

a. Segment and services: Smallholder farmers, with access to less than 3 hectares, receive financial services, accessible farming tools, technical assistance, and a guaranteed market to sell their harvest. Methodologies supported in this fund include but are not limited to: Input Loans through which organizations offer seeds, fertilizer, and/or farming tools to their farmers at the beginning of the season with the commitment to then purchase and sell farmers’ harvest; organizations offering advanced payments to farmers before farmers have delivered their harvest.

b. Whole Planet Foundation's contribution: Funding the seeds, fertilizer, and/or farming tools financed by farmers; funding the advanced payments to farmers. Seed capital/ loan size varies per country, but typically does not exceed $1,000. Sizes tend to be much lower, since Whole Planet Foundation prioritizes entry-level farmers.

c. Type of organization: Typically, but not exclusively, companies, cooperatives, and social enterprises. Whole Planet Foundation prioritizes organizations that are in the process of achieving Operational Self-Sufficiency. Whole Planet Foundation partners that distribute dividends to stakeholders will only be eligible for debt financing.

3. Food Security Fund

a. Segment and services: Subsistence farmers living in extreme poverty financing affordable farming tools, while receiving technical assistance and coaching. Methodologies in this fund include but are not limited to: organizations seeking out subsistence farmers, with the goal of converting them into income-generating smallholder farmers.

b. Whole Planet Foundation's contribution: Funding the tools that farmers finance. Seed capital/loan size per client varies per country but typically does not exceed $750. The amount is typically much lower, as Whole Planet Foundation prioritizes entry-level farmers.

c. Type of organization: Typically, but not exclusively, nonprofit organizations.

4. Energy and Water Fund

a. Segment and services: People living off-grid finance essential goods like solar home kits, water filters and fuel-efficient cookstoves.

b. Whole Planet Foundation’s contribution: Funding the procurement of these essential goods.

c. Type of organization: Legal status varies and may include both nonprofit and for-profit entities. Whole Planet Foundation prioritizes organizations that are in the process of achieving Operational Self-Sufficiency. Whole Planet Foundation rarely works with organizations with Operational Self-Sufficiency over 120%. Whole Planet Foundation’s partners that provide dividends to shareholders will only be eligible for debt financing.

5. Special Requests/Other

The Whole Planet Foundation team is constantly reviewing the most impactful way our funds can be spent. If your organization has an innovative and data-backed approach that is not described above but nonetheless helps people living in poverty to generate income, please apply.

Examples of other methodologies that Whole Planet Foundation would consider:

• Grant transfers to farmers. For example: an Agroforestry organization that provides fruit tree seedings to farmers at no cost, which will generate income for the farmer after several years.
• Asset donations to Fishing Associations, to provide members with post-harvest tools.
• Organizations that sell farming tools on credit to small-to-medium-size stores, which then sell on this inventory to vulnerable populations, using an affordable pricing structure. Ex: a company that finances biofortified seeds to mom-and-pop shops, which then sells those seeds to their customers, under an affordable pricing structure.

About the Application Process

• Interested parties may apply here. We anticipate this form will take 2 to 3 hours to complete. We recommend that you prepare your responses in a separate document to ensure you do not lose longer answers.
• The form may be completed in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.
• Please check your spam mailbox regularly, as our messages regarding your application status might end up there.

Timeline for Priority Countries

• Brazil: December 15, 2023
• Panama: December 31, 2023
• Guatemala: December 31, 2023
• Jamaica: February 1, 2024
• French Guyana: February 1, 2024
• Bolivia: February 1, 2024
• Peru: February 1, 2024
• Ecuador: February 1, 2024
• Applications from all other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean: April 1, 2024.

Thank you for your interest in collaborating with Whole Planet Foundation. We look forward to exploring a potential partnership.

About Whole Planet Foundation

Whole Planet Foundation is a private foundation of Whole Foods Market. We have funded projects in more than 80 countries, working with more than 130 organizations to help financially vulnerable people to generate income. To date, we have disbursed over $106.2M. In Latin America, Whole Planet Foundation has disbursed $24.7 million. See our global impact dashboard here and learn more at wholeplanetfoundation.org.