The Terra Bella Colombia Fund

Organizational profile: Founded in 2006, Terra Global is a woman-run, women-owned for-profit social enterprise and small business. Terra Global's mission is to facilitate financially, socially and environmentally sustainable forestry and agricultural land management practices. The Terra Bella Colombia Fund is designed to mobilize private equity investments to finance smallholder agriculture, non-timber forest products, and climate change mitigation in Colombia. The Fund utilizes an innovative public-private partnership structure, combining anchor investments from USAID/Colombia with private funds to deliver Colombia’s first investment fund dedicated to smallholders. 

In order to support the Fund’s projects, a Technical Assistance Facility has been established to “bridge the gap” that smallholders face in achieving readiness to access investment capital. The Fund will leverage Terra’s experienced international and local portfolio management team to identify and deliver the support required to make projects bankable. This technical assistance facility is awarded to eligible projects after close evaluation and determination by the Fund’s portfolio management team.

Financing Instrument: Grants, Technical Assistance

Project scale: The Terra Bella Colombia Fund Technical Assistance Facility provides grants between US$5,000 to US$100,000 per project over 3-24 months to build investment readiness to access investments from the Terra Bella Colombia Fund. 

Recipient countries regions/country groups: Colombia

Recipient categories: NPOs/NGOs, Businesses

Eligibility Criteria: Projects that seek to apply for Terra Bella Colombia Fund Technical Assistance are required to demonstrate the following:
- The smallholder/community groups managing the projects seek to apply to receive a future investment from the Terra Bella Colombia Fund and understand that this type of investment is reimbursable (must be paid back) with a return for the Fund
- Income is generated from multiple revenue streams (including emission reductions), high-value crops, non-timber forest products, sustainable timber, and emission reductions
- That incremental revenue can be generated through investments in improved production for high priority crops/activities that are in and around forest areas
- That they are seeking to receive an investment from the Terra Bella Colombia Fund after completion of the technical assistance of $1-4 million per project and that the project will break-even in 3-5 years and generate returns of 15-30% per annum.
- They can demonstrate ability to be investment ready within 24 months, complying with investment readiness requirements. 
- While other geographies in Colombia can be considered, the following are priorities Pacifico (Chocó, Valle del Cauca), Andeano (Antioquia, Santander, Huila), Orinoquía (Meta, Vichada) and Amazon (Caquetá, Guaviare, Guainía)
- Projects must be well beyond the design and early implementation phases, and grants will seek to leverage USAID’s and other donors or government’s prior investments in Colombia where possible.

The Terra Bella Colombia Fund Technical Assistance facility cannot support the following types of projects:
- Plantations or other monoculture systems
- Lands where tenure is not (or cannot be) formally recognized
- Commercial type agribusinesses (not managed by smallholder/community groups)
- Projects that are too small justify at least $1 million investment

Application guidelines: Projects that wish to be considered for the Terra Bella Colombia Fund Technical Assistance and a follow-on (reimbursable) investment from the Terra Bella Colombia Fund should complete the downloadable preapplication form and submit all documents, information and data that are necessary to support the answer in the application. Please send information package to tbcf@terraglobalcapital.com