Background

The G-20 and Ashoka's Changemakers are inviting the submission of proposals in an online competition to find the best models worldwide for public-private partnerships that catalyze finance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Up to 15 winners will be selected and invited to the November 2010 G-20 Summit in Korea to be recognized for their innovative ideas. Winners will then be connected with donors and investors at an SME conference in Germany following the Korea Summit.

The G-20 is collectively committed to mobilizing the public share of the funding needed to implement winning proposals from development banks and interested bilateral donors. IFC and the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank Group, the African Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have all indicated their support for implementing scalable and sustainable SME financing proposals, including those from the Challenge, in partnership with the private sector.

Visit the G-20 SME Finance Challenge website for guidelines and criteria for proposals.

Competition deadlines

• early entry deadline: 6:00 PM EDT, 6 August 2010
• final competition deadline: 25 August 2010