Call for Proposals in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold (AGSM) Programme
This Challenge Fund is about unlocking partnerships and aligning market incentives with sustainable development, ensuring that responsible gold production becomes both viable and competitive. Submission deadline: 29.05.2026
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining provides livelihoods for millions of people worldwide but is often associated with significant environmental degradation, unsafe working conditions, informality, and limited access to responsible international markets. The programme seeks to address these challenges by supporting the transition of ASGM operations toward more responsible production practices, improved governance, and greater integration into transparent and traceable gold supply chains.
The Challenge Fund aims to:
• Expand the scope of responsible ASGM value chains supplying the Swiss market
• Support ASGM mines in new contexts or territories to adopt responsible mining practices
• Enable export readiness under recognized voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) accreditations and continuous improvement programmes1
• Catalyse private sector investment in responsible gold supply chains
Eligible applicants include:
• Private sector companies
• Civil society organisations and NGOs
• Research institutions
• Industry associations
• International Development Organisations
• Consortia involving the above actors
Find more information on the Baastel website.
Submission deadline: 29.05.2026