Outrigger Technical Assistance Facility

The Outrigger Technical Assistance Facility (OTAF) will support and develop the capacity, capability and ecosystem for blue economy SMEs within the Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The facility has been developed in conjunction with the Outrigger Impact Fund; and, as such, will work in tandem with the main fund to help catalyse funding and investment to help develop social, economic and environmental resilience within the Islands.

Photo credit: Renata Romeo / Ocean Image Bank

What will OTAF do?

Photo credit: Jayne Jenkins / Ocean Image Bank

  • Provide grant funding to early-stage projects in target SIDS that are aligned with the mandate of the Outrigger Impact Fund and potentially eligible for investment from the fund in the future.

  • Support proof of concept or feasibility studies for early-stage projects and/or undertake initial analyses on key challenges or policy enablers that must be addressed prior to projects receiving investment finance.

  • Provide funding to early-stage nature-based solutions including mangrove, seagrass and coral restoration that could evolve into blue carbon and biodiversity credit projects.

  • Build capability and capacity within an organisation to enhance business, policy, ESG or impact skills to address identified gaps.

  • Target smaller islands with grant funding to develop a “hub and spoke” model and/or to support projects that are not eligible for the investment window.

  • Catalyse the development of broader financial and insurance products to help develop and mature the financial markets across Island Nations.

Where will OTAF operate?

OTAF will focus on UN designated Small Island Developing States (SIDS) across the Caribbean, Pacific and Atlantic, Indian Ocean, South China Sea (AIS) with strong preference to issue grants in ODA eligible countries.

Caribbean

Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago

AIS

Cabo Verde, Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Maldives, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Timor-Leste

+ Sri Lanka*

Pacific

Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

What will OTAF achieve?

Enhancing ecosystem restoration and conservation

Ecosystem restoration and conservation is a vital aspect of building environmental resilience to the impacts of climate change. By improving ecosystem health, OTAF will support the livelihoods of these coastal communities through fishing and eco-tourism, and strengthen natural coastal protection. OTAF aims to enhance the protection and conservation of 10,000 hectares of coastal and marine areas.

Addressing poverty alleviation

Strengthening economies within SIDS drives economic resilience at multiple scales. Resilience at the broader island scale is developed through businesses built on high environmental and social foundations that have strategies for adapting to the changing climate and improving coastal ecosystems that provide natural protection against extreme weather events such as storm surges. At a smaller scale, individuals can become more resilient through access to climate-resilient jobs and livelihoods, which bring regular income to poor, vulnerable communities.

Building Capacity

OTAF can build capacity within SIDS for example, to enhance the technical capacity needed to develop Marine Spatial Plans and ocean stewardship policy development and implementation, alongside expanding business-related capabilities within SMEs. Outrigger Impact will work in together with each grantee to identify opportunities to enhance capacity.

Driving investment readiness

OTAF will support projects in achieving ‘investment readiness’. This means helping projects with strong investment potential that need targeted assistance to address gaps preventing them from securing investment. These gaps may be financial, operational, impact-related, or ESG-related.

Photo credit: Balazs Fodor / Ocean Image Bank