Small Scale Sustainable Infrastructure Development Fund

About Us

As a Social Merchant Bank, S3IDF provides integrated and ongoing business development, financial and technical support to enterprises and projects supplying pro-poor and environment-friendly infrastructure services. By working locally and providing bundled services, S3IDF’s goal is not only to solve the infrastructure problem but to do so in a way that leads to healthier and more self-reliant communities. The salient features of the model are:
Multiple benefits to poor communities: where poor are the multiple stakeholders as users, Small & Medium Enterprises (SME) employees & even SME owners - of these pro-poor, environmental-friendly and financially sustainable enterprises. The poor also benefit because of access to infrastructure like energy, lighting , water, transportation etc. made available through these enterprises
Financial viability: The enterprises mentored/incubated by S3IDF are financially viable and completely recover all their operational costs and, to some extent, their capital costs too.
Leverage: S3IDF encourages participation by local Financial Institutions in these projects - which were otherwise non-bankable – through innovative financing mechanisms (debt, equity, partial guarantees, margin money financing..)
Partnering and linkage approaches: S3IDF works extensively with local NGOs and other similar groups, including government agencies, technology providers/ equipment suppliers as well as financial institutions. Through these partnerships, S3IDF provides financing, technology know-how and capacity building assistance to small, pro-poor projects and enterprises.