Deadline: 15-Jul-2026
The ScaleUp Bolivia Program is a U.S. Embassy La Paz initiative designed to support the transition of informal businesses into Bolivia’s formal economy. It promotes entrepreneurship education, business formalization, and international commercial linkages, particularly with U.S.-based companies and service providers.
The program is implemented through a cooperative agreement with active involvement from the U.S. Embassy.
Program Objectives
The initiative aims to:
- Support formalization of informal businesses in Bolivia
- Strengthen entrepreneurship education and business skills
- Improve tax compliance and financial management systems
- Promote U.S.–Bolivia commercial partnerships
- Encourage adoption of U.S. fintech and business technologies
- Strengthen local economic governance systems
- Expand formal job creation and economic inclusion
- Build sustainable peer entrepreneur networks
Key Focus Areas
The program focuses on:
- Business formalization processes (registration, permits, tax compliance)
- Entrepreneurship training and capacity building
- Financial literacy and management systems
- U.S. commercial and technology partnerships
- Institutional collaboration with government and chambers of commerce
- Municipal economic development and tax revenue growth
- Peer networking and business ecosystem strengthening
Context and Rationale
Bolivia has a large informal economy, especially in:
- Retail
- Food services
- Construction
- Personal services
Challenges faced by informal businesses include:
- Limited access to credit and financing
- Lack of legal protections
- Restricted growth opportunities
- Limited access to modern business technologies
The program addresses these barriers by supporting formalization and market integration.
Program Activities
The initiative includes:
- Entrepreneurship education for 100 informal entrepreneurs
- Training via the Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative
- Formalization support (registration, taxes, permits)
- Financial management system development
- Creation of U.S. commercial partnerships
- Collaboration with tax authorities and municipalities
- Engagement with chambers of commerce and fintech providers
- Peer networking for entrepreneurs
Expected Outcomes
The program targets measurable results including:
- At least 40 businesses formalized within 12 months
- At least 15 businesses formalized per participating city
- Creation of over 150 formal jobs
- At least 20 businesses linked to U.S. companies
- Increased municipal tax revenue
- Establishment of a 50+ entrepreneur peer network
- Strengthened local economic governance systems
Funding Details
- Total funding: USD 40,000
- Award structure: Single fixed award
- Award ceiling: USD 40,000
- Award floor: USD 40,000
- Funding type: Cooperative agreement
- Embassy involvement: Active throughout implementation
Eligible Applicants
Eligible organizations include:
- Not-for-profit organizations
- Think tanks
- Civil society organizations (CSOs)
- Educational institutions
- Public international organizations
- Government institutions
Applicants must demonstrate capacity to:
- Design and implement entrepreneurship programs
- Manage multi-stakeholder partnerships
- Coordinate training and outreach activities
- Deliver formalization support services
- Provide monitoring and reporting
U.S. Embassy Role
The U.S. Embassy in La Paz will be actively involved in:
- Participant recruitment
- Program branding and visibility
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Event participation
- Oversight of implementation progress
Evaluation Criteria
Applications are assessed based on:
- Ability to support business formalization at scale
- Strength of entrepreneurship training design
- Quality of financial and governance systems support
- Capacity to build U.S. commercial linkages
- Feasibility of job creation targets
- Institutional collaboration strategy
- Monitoring and reporting framework
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid:
- Weak or unclear formalization strategy
- Lack of measurable economic outcomes
- Limited engagement with U.S. partners or tools
- Insufficient collaboration with local institutions
- Overly theoretical or non-implementation-focused proposals
- Missing job creation or tax compliance components
Tips for a Strong Application
To improve success chances:
- Clearly define formalization pathways for entrepreneurs
- Build strong partnerships with government and chambers of commerce
- Integrate U.S. fintech and business tools into program design
- Ensure realistic job creation and revenue targets
- Include structured mentorship and peer networks
- Provide strong monitoring and evaluation metrics
- Demonstrate clear scalability across cities
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the ScaleUp Bolivia Program?
- A U.S.-funded initiative supporting business formalization in Bolivia
- It focuses on entrepreneurship training and economic integration
- It promotes partnerships with U.S. companies
- How much funding is available?
- USD 40,000 total
- Single fixed award (no variation in amount)
- What is the main goal of the program?
- Transition informal businesses into the formal economy
- Improve tax compliance and financial systems
- Create jobs and strengthen economic governance
- Who can apply?
- NGOs, CSOs, think tanks, educational institutions
- Government and international organizations
- Applicants must manage implementation capacity
- What activities are required?
- Entrepreneurship training
- Business registration support
- Financial and tax compliance assistance
- U.S. commercial partnership development
- What outcomes are expected?
- Business formalization
- Job creation
- Increased tax revenue
- U.S. business linkages
Conclusion
The ScaleUp Bolivia Program is a targeted economic development initiative designed to reduce informality and strengthen entrepreneurship ecosystems in Bolivia. By combining training, formalization support, and U.S. commercial partnerships, it aims to drive inclusive economic growth, job creation, and stronger institutional governance within the formal economy.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.