Organizations that want to promote the access to renewable energy in developing African countries can now apply to EDP's A2E (Access to Energy) CSR Fund. The company is launching this Thursday, 20 April, the 5th edition of this program, with an allocation of one million euros, to support projects in five countries: Mozambique, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, and Rwanda.

With the goal of contributing to a fair and inclusive energy transition in remote and more vulnerable communities in these regions, EDP intends to help develop solutions for access to clean and affordable energy that impact fundamental sectors in the lives of these communities. A relevant intervention when it is estimated that there are still more than 700 million people worldwide without access to electricity, with about 70% located on the African continent.

"It is urgent to develop solutions to tackle poverty and exclusion that still impacts the lives of millions of people around the world " says Miguel Stilwell d'Andrade, CEO of EDP. "With this new edition of the A2E Fund we want to ensure that the most remote and vulnerable communities have access to clean and affordable energy. We want to help them break the cycle of poverty while contributing to their social and economic development.”

EDP thus continues the program started in 2018 with the ambition to support clean and sustainable energy projects in emerging countries.

"This is one of the focuses of our social impact program, EDP Y.E.S. - You Empower Society. When we bring energy to those who don't have it, we are bringing better living conditions, clean water, safety and education to those people and communities. We are talking about the lives of thousands of families that we help to change, in many dimensions, and that continues to be an important axis of our commitment to society, in an investment that we have once again reinforced in the group's most recent Strategic Plan," emphasizes Vera Pinto Pereira, EDP’s executive board member and president of EDP Foundation.

In the last four editions, the A2E CSR Fund received over 540 applications and invested EUR 2.5 million in 28 projects that directly impacted the lives of 120,000 people and, indirectly, around two million in seven African countries - Mozambique, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, Angola, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

These interventions include, for example, projects that bring electricity and drinking water to schools and medical centers, feed irrigation systems in agricultural fields and refrigeration equipment for small traders or support the work of artisans, among many other cases. Despite the differences, all these projects share the same ambition and positive impact: to improve the quality of life of these small communities and enhance their social, economic, and environmental progress.

As in previous editions, A2E CSR Fund is once again focusing on five priority areas - education, health, water, agriculture, community, and business - and values evaluation criteria such as social impact, partnerships, sustainability, expansion potential or technical and financial viability. In this 5th edition, entities may apply for financial support between 50.000 and 150.000 euros for each project - the fund guarantees up to 75% of the real total costs of the project (in the case of non-profit organizations) and up to 50% of the costs for other for-profit entities. Applications can be submitted until next May 22, followed by an evaluation and pre-selection phase in the following months.

The regulations and application form for the 5th edition of the A2E CSR Fund can be found here.

A2E CSR FUND - 5th edition

• Application deadline: from 20 April to 22 May
• Where to apply: https://edp.smapply.io
• Eligible entities: organizations of any sector or geography, with projects of access to renewable energy with impact in the areas of education, health, water and agriculture, community, and business, to be developed in 5 countries - Mozambique, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, and Rwanda
• Intervention areas: education, health, business, community, water and agriculture

• To find out more about EDP's A2E initiatives, visit the EDP Y.E.S. website.