This summary organizes the Request for Expression of Interest (EOI) and Concept Note invitation from Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for the Ethiopian Seed Activity (ESA) project.
🌾 CRS Ethiopia: Innovation and Business Acceleration Fund (IBAF)
Reference No: CRS-ESA-2025-001
Project: Ethiopia Seed Activity (ESA)
Objective: To award catalytic matching grants to private companies and Farmers’ Cooperative Unions to expand the production and commercialization of high-quality seeds and forage.
📋 Eligible Commodities & Regions
Applicants must select only one commodity from the following list:
| Commodity |
Priority Regions / Zones |
| Chickpea Seed |
Tigray (Central, NW, Southern/SE) |
| White Bean (Haricot) |
Oromia (East Shewa, Arsi, West Arsi); Sidama (Sidama Zuria, Bilate) |
| Sorghum Seed |
Tigray (Eastern, Central, NW); South Ethiopia (South Omo, Gofa) |
| Soybean Seed |
Major Soyabean producing parts of Ethiopia |
| Integrated Forage |
Afar (Dubti, Amibara, Asayita); Tigray (Raya Azebo) — Requires Irrigation |
📅 Critical Deadlines & Timeline
| Event |
Date |
Time |
| Call Starts |
December 25, 2025 |
Office Hours |
| Submission Deadline |
January 7, 2026 |
5:00 PM |
📝 Mandatory Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must provide evidence of the following:
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✅ Legal Status: Registration certificate, renewed business license, TIN/VAT, and Certificate of Competence (CoC).
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✅ Experience: Proven records in commercial seed production for the selected commodity, including a confirmation letter from the Woreda Agriculture Office.
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✅ Resources: Verifiable access to land (owned or leased). For Forage, access to irrigation is mandatory.
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✅ Financial Match: Ability to provide a 1:1 (50%) matching fund (cash or in-kind).
📥 Submission Instructions
Applicants must submit a 2–3 page Concept Note covering their organizational profile, production concept (area and yield data), market strategy, staffing, gender/youth inclusion, and climate commitment.
Method 1: Email
Method 2: Physical Delivery
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Address: CRS Reception, Gulele Sub-City, Woreda 09, Swaziland Street (Near Enkulal Fabrica Square), Addis Ababa.
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Format: Sealed envelope with Applicant Name, Address, and Legal Stamps.
🔍 Next Steps After Submission
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Scope of Work (SOW): Upon receipt of your Concept Note, ESA will send you the SOW and a Business Plan Template.
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Full Business Plan: You will then be required to submit a full Business Plan based on that template for final competitive selection.
📞 Contact for Clarification
For any questions, contact the technical team:
