Applications are open until 31 March for enterprises in Peru and Colombia seeking patient capital between $50,000 and $500,000 USD
The NESsT Lirio Fund invests in social enterprises that are addressing the root causes of poverty for communities in Latin America, with great emphasis on improving rural livelihoods and preserving land through sustainable practices.
What is the meaning behind the Fund’s name?
Lirio is the Spanish word for ‘lily’; the vibrant and long-lasting Peruvian lily is native to South America, growing mainly in the cool mountainous regions of the Andes.
The Amazon rainforest is home to thousands of plant species that could bring immeasurable benefits to global food systems and human health. The Lirio Fund targets agricultural enterprises that unlock the richness of the Amazon, delivering products native to the forest to global markets in a sustainable manner that protects biodiversity.
The NESsT Lirio Fund portfolio enterprises maintain strong relationships with local communities, including indigenous communities, and help farmers to adopt practices that conserve the forest and promote gender equity.
RONAP supports Indigenous communities safeguard the Amazon’s rich biodiversity
The Fund portfolio currently supports the livelihood of over 2,400 smallholder farmers and vulnerable workers, 45% of whom are women, in rural Peru and Colombia.
What the Lirio Fund offers
High-impact enterprises need patient, flexible capital with return expectations aligned with the costs and risks they face in achieving positive social changes, in addition to business mentorship and technical training that will help them enhance their product and growth strategies, and ensure they meet their goals.
Social enterprises in the NESsT Lirio Fund access:
Flexible funding: debt capital between $50,000 and $500,000 USD with flexible terms that allow entrepreneurs to accelerate growth in a sustainable manner. Entrepreneurs have used NESsT’s loans for working capital, purchasing machinery or processing plants, expanding inventory, etc.
Strong impact framework: support to measure and amplify impact metrics, such as number of marginalized workers, job creation for marginalized rural communities, employee income, and sustainable land management
Tailored business assistance: entrepreneurs can access mentoring for support with acquiring new clients, financial management, and business operations
Shanantina works with smallholder farmers in Peru to cultivate the superfood sacha inchi
How Shanantina accessed impact growth capital and business assistance to support farmers in Peru secure financial stability
Shanantina started receiving investments from the NESsT Lirio Fund in 2021. “NESsT has been a very important ally to us and its support came at an opportune moment. We were already working with NESsT before the pandemic, and its fund launched when we were starting to reactivate our business. We were able to acquire working capital and capital investment,” shares Miguel Paz, Shananatina General Manager.
Shanantina is a social enterprise that works with smallholder farmers and indigenous communities to cultivate sacha inchi, a nut that is native to the Peruvian Amazon, and has been used by indigenous people in Peru for at least 2,000 years.
““The monthly meetings [with NESsT] helped us to manage our business and better positioned us to apply for more financing, whether with banks or with other international entities. I encourage companies looking for financing to apply to NESsT and to follow their guidance, because this will allow them to scale and access funding from other sources.””
Applications to the Lirio Fund are open until 31 March!
Through this open call, the NESsT Lirio Fund wants to support more enterprises like Shanatina that improve the income opportunities, gender equity, and environmental standards of rural communities in Peru and Colombia.
Specifically, the NESsT Fund is seeking applicants with annual sales above $500,000 USD. For more information on eligibility criteria and how to apply, visit: https://www.nesst.org/convocatoria-2023