Measuring Impact and Learning

Joint measurement, data sharing and peer learning, in line with the SWISSCO and SSCP MEL Frameworks. Grants of up to CHF 150,000, from a window of CHF 1 million per platform.

What this window funds

The MEL Frameworks, revised in 2026 and newly developed for SSCP, track progress against the Roadmap 2030 ambitions and their underlying theory of change. They comprise data collection, reporting and joint learning, and enable members to track progress in a consistent and comparable way while generating evidence relevant to the sector.

Key elements of the window:

Strengthening the Community of Practice on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, for example through support for applied research and member-driven living labs.
Regular cocoa and coffee household income studies, and living income benchmarks, to enable measurement of outcomes and impact.
Co-funding of impact assessments related to the Roadmap ambitions, particularly human rights, climate, biodiversity and gender.

The window is closely linked to the MEL Community of Practice. Part of this work is led directly by the Coordination Office, for example impact assessments; members are nonetheless invited to submit proposals at any time.

Your contribution

The counterpart contribution is 50 %, indicative. The SECO contribution may not exceed 50 % for projects proposed by members. Where a project is developed by the Coordination Office, the 50 % requirement does not apply.

Who may apply

The formal submission of project ideas and proposals must come from SWISSCO or SSCP members.
At least one lead or co-lead applicant must be a full or associate member of SSCP or SWISSCO.
The lead applicant is the company or organisation responsible for developing and administering the agreements with its project partners and co-applicants, and the contact point for any queries.
A co-applicant is an additional company or organisation that will actively participate in implementation, and that signs the application alongside the lead applicant.
A project partner takes part in implementation without signing the application, for example a producer organisation, a local authority or a research institute.
Swiss Embassies and Swiss Cooperation Offices may suggest projects, but do not submit them.

What is assessed

Projects are assessed against these key criteria. The weighting applied is set out in the proposal template.

Alignment with the SWISSCO and SSCP MEL Framework.
Scope: alignment with the Roadmap 2030 ambitions.
Cross-sectoral collaboration and member engagement.

Formal requirements

Multiple sources of financing. The SECO contribution may not exceed 50 % for projects proposed by members.
At least one lead or co-lead applicant is a full or associate member of SSCP or SWISSCO.

Templates and forms

Full project proposal form

Draft of 29 September 2026. The forms are under review with SECO and may change.

There is no separate idea form for this window. Members may submit a project idea in free form at any time, or go straight to a full proposal.

The proposal requires three annexes: logframe, overall budget, and work plan for year 1.

How to apply

Members may submit a project idea or a full proposal at any time. Where an idea is submitted, the Project Committee decides which ideas to pursue, and the submitters of selected ideas are invited to develop a full proposal. Where a proposal is already fully developed at the time of submission, the Committee may approve it directly.

The Project Committee takes the final decision to co-finance projects. It meets in February and August, and projects may also be approved through written consultation so that decisions are not delayed.

Reference documents

The MEL Framework, the Roadmap 2030 and the KPI list are collected on the documents and guidance page.

Submit

Send the completed form and annexes to [submission address to be confirmed].