Standards and Trade Development Facility

Name

Standards and Trade Development Facility

Legal name

Standards and Trade Development Facility

Website

https://standardsfacility.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) is a global partnership that funds sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity-building projects, helping developing countries comply with international food safety, animal health, and plant protection standards. It serves government agencies and small-scale agricultural producers across Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Grants / SPS Capacity Building

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Foreign Governments (8888)

akta.pro primary industry

Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) & Food Safety Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Results-Based Financing (RBF) & Performance-Based Grants (BPADAOAF), Safeguarding, Accountability & Compliance (ESG, Gender/GBV, Do No Harm) (BPADAEAM), Supplier Approval, Verification & Food Safety Risk Management (GFSI-aligned) (AFALADAH)

Keywords

• SPS capacity building
• Safe trade grants
• Phytosanitary certification
• Food safety standards
• Trade development partnership

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Project Preparation Grants (PPG): Funds up to US$50,000 are available for PPGs to prepare technically sound and sustainable projects, including application of SPS-related capacity evaluation tools, feasibility studies, and project proposal formulation.
2. Project Grants (PG): Funds up to US$1,000,000 for projects that improve food safety, animal and plant health capacity to comply with international SPS requirements. Beneficiaries must contribute from their own resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

STDF is a global partnership facility that finances sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity building in developing countries through two grant mechanisms: Project Preparation Grants (PPG) of up to US$50,000 for project design, feasibility studies and capacity evaluations, and Project Grants (PG) of up to US$1,000,000 for implementation of projects that improve food safety, animal and plant health compliance with international SPS standards. Alongside funding, STDF develops and disseminates knowledge products and frameworks — including P-IMA, ePhyto electronic certification, Good Regulatory Practice, and Capacity Evaluation Tools — to help small-scale farmers, processors, traders and national agencies in developing countries access safe trade markets.

Product overview

The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) is a global partnership that provides funding and knowledge resources for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity building in developing countries. The core offering consists of two funding mechanisms: Project Preparation Grants (PPG) providing up to US$50,000 for project design, and Project Grants (PG) offering up to US$1,000,000 for implementation. The STDF also provides methodological tools including P-IMA for investment prioritization, electronic SPS certification solutions (including the ePhyto Solution adopted by 96 countries), capacity evaluation tools, and good regulatory practice frameworks. Knowledge products include annual reports, good practice articles, and publications documenting 20 years of safe trade results.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Preparation Grants (PPG) Grants of up to US$50,000 for preparing technically sound and sustainable SPS projects, including application of capacity evaluation tools, feasibility studies, and project proposal formulation. Available to organizations in OECD DAC-listed developing countries.
• Project Grants (PG) Grants of up to US$1,000,000 (multi-year) for projects that improve food safety, animal and plant health capacity to comply with international SPS requirements. Requires beneficiary co-financing contribution from own resources.
• ePhyto Solution Electronic SPS certification system for paperless phytosanitary trade documentation, adopted by 96 countries to enable digital exchange of phytosanitary certificates.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2001Founding partner of STDF. Provides technical expertise in food safety, agriculture, and food standards. FAO co-hosts Codex Alimentarius Commission Secretariat with WHO.
• World Bank GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2001Founding partner of STDF. Provides financing expertise and connections to development finance.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2001Founding partner of STDF. Co-hosts Codex Alimentarius Commission Secretariat with FAO for international food standards.
• World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2001Founding partner of STDF. Provides expertise in animal health standards and Terrestrial Animal Health Code.
• World Trade Organization (WTO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2001Founding partner and host of STDF Secretariat. Provides platform for SPS Committee discussions and trade policy expertise.
• COLEAD (Committee Linking Entrepreneurship-Agriculture-Development)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplemented Togo SPS project (PG-375). European-Africa-Caribbean-Pacific Liaison Committee focused on agricultural trade and development.
• CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplemented Safer Spices project (PG-619) in Viet Nam, Lao PDR, and Cambodia for peppercorn food safety compliance.
• Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed regional biopesticide project (PG-634) across eight Asia-Pacific countries reducing pesticide residues by 50%.
• Secretaría General de la Comunidad Andina (SGCAN)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing entity for Regional Center for Phytosanitary Intelligence (CRIFCAN) project across Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
• Enhanced Integrated Framework National Implementation Unit (Burkina Faso)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplemented aflatoxin reduction project in Burkina Faso maize sector with Farmer's Confederation of Burkina Faso.
• Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, IndiamajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplemented India spice value chain project using traditional street plays to promote food safety practices.
• Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed regional cocoa cadmium projects (PG-577) in Latin America and Caribbean in collaboration with KU Leuven.
• Codex Alimentarius Commission (CODEX)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational food standards body whose secretariat is hosted by FAO and WHO. STDF supports countries to implement Codex standards.
• International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational phytosanitary standards body. STDF supports countries to implement IPPC standards including ePhyto certification.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA): IICA is an STDF strategic partner implementing regional SPS projects such as the cocoa cadmium program. Comparable as a hemispheric inter-governmental organization funding and executing agricultural health and food safety capacity building across Latin America and the Caribbean.
• CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International): CABI is an STDF implementing partner that delivers agricultural and bioscience capacity-building projects in developing countries (e.g., the Safer Spices project). It operates similar donor-funded, science-based, multi-country SPS and plant health interventions in Africa and Asia.
• Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI): APAARI is an STDF implementing partner that led the eight-country Asia-Pacific biopesticide project. Comparable as a regional platform delivering donor-funded agricultural research and SPS projects across multiple developing countries.
• Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF): EIF is a multi-donor facility supporting LDCs on trade-related capacity building, including SPS. It overlaps with STDF in beneficiary countries, donor base (WTO/World Bank lineage) and grant-funded project delivery for trade compliance.
• COLEAD (Committee Linking Entrepreneurship-Agriculture-Development): COLEAD implements STDF projects (e.g., Togo PG-375) and runs its own EU-funded programs to build SPS and trade capacity in ACP countries. Same beneficiary base (developing-country producers/exporters), same project-funding-and-implementation model.

Broad incumbents

• Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN): GAIN is a large Geneva-based foundation that funds market-based nutrition and food safety interventions in developing countries. Comparable to STDF in donor-funded, multi-country, food-system capacity-building model, though its mandate is broader (nutrition rather than SPS).
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): FAO is a founding partner of STDF and operates parallel SPS capacity-building programs (food safety, plant health, Codex support). Comparable mandate at vastly greater scale and budget, often as the implementing agency for STDF grants.
• Codex Alimentarius Commission: Codex sets international food safety standards that STDF helps countries implement. Comparable in domain authority and global reach, though it operates as an intergovernmental standard-setter rather than a grantmaking facility.

Emerging players

• CropLife International: CropLife collaborates with STDF on pesticide management and MRL compliance in developing countries (joint events, biopesticide work). Comparable in that it engages in SPS-adjacent capacity building, but from a private-sector industry-association perspective.
• Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI): GFSI is a private-sector food safety standards convergence effort involving major retailers and manufacturers. Comparable in food-safety capacity-building relevance, though it focuses on private GFSI-recognized certification rather than public-sector SPS compliance.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/STDF_WTO
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC626H4xgkJaDpR6iT6i5N4w
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/standards-and-trade-development-facility

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Standards and Trade Development Facility