Funding Criteria

In considering grant funds allocation, the ATMS Foundation takes into account the following;

a) Conformity with Country development priorities

· Job creation
· Income generation
· Skills development
· Technology transfer
· Export generation
· Import substitution
· Linkages promotion
· Empowerment and promotion of women
· Conservation of the environment
· Social development .e.g .community programmes, worker outreach

The Foundation also provides support to commercially oriented public entities and member associations whose aims and objectives conform to national policies and work towards;

· economic and social development,
· environment protection,
· good governance and
· capacity building

To quality for support, these institutions must show ability and willingness to participate in a cost sharing of a minimum of 50% of the cost of the intervention.

b) Shareholding

African owned
· 50% or more African owned ( defined as any person who is passport holder of any country in sub-Sahara Africa.
· Shareholding by a multi or bi-lateral Development Finance Institution (DFIs) is categorized and included as part of the African ownership provided the DFI shareholding does not exceed African ownership.

Foreign owned – less than 50% African ownership
Government owned entities in the process of being privatized or under the Public Private partnerships.

c) Size of enterprise

Businesses
· Small – up to US $ 3m in sales and US $ 3 m in gross assets
· Medium – up to US $ 15m sales and US 15m in gross assets

Financial Institutions
· Small – up to US $ 4m in equity capital
· Medium – up to US $ 7 million in equity capital

Funding Allocation

The levels of funding are based on the country tiering, being the Country Risk Rating issues by the Institutional Investor, with priority being given to countries that are least developed post war countries or countries which have suffered political turmoil, war or natural disaster.