Academy of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) – Uruguay

Deadline: 19-Nov-20

The U.S. Embassy Montevideo has announced an open competition for organizations or individuals to submit a SOIs to support the implementation of the State Department’s Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), a program to provide 40 women entrepreneurs with the skills, resources, and networks needed to start and scale successful businesses in Uruguay.

Program Objectives

• This program seeks to empower women in Uruguay to fulfil their economic development, promote a stable, secure, and prosperous society.
• The objective is to engage a minimum of 40 Uruguayan women entrepreneurs in an educational program designed to equip them with skills for the successful development of their business idea.
• This project will reinforce the right to access to employment and training opportunities for women to gain better social and economic development.

Funding Information

• Fund Available: $20,000;
• Length of performance period: April 2021 to September 2021.

Funding Restrictions

Funds cannot be used for:

• Food or alcohol for social events or entertainment purposes;
• Infrastructure/construction;
• Individual scholarships;
• International travel, unless specifically justified within the project;
• Personal development;
• Gifts or prizes;
• Citizen exchange programs with foreign countries;
• Social welfare projects;
• Funds to complete activities begun with other funds;
• Projects that are inherently political in nature or that contain the appearance of partisanship or support of an individual or single party electoral campaigns;
• Projects that support specific religious activities;
• For-profit endeavours.

Participants and Audiences

• The target audience should be women from geographically diverse areas of Uruguay, aged 25 and older, fluent in Spanish, with good computer literacy. The women must have a demonstrated interest in developing a business idea.
• Depending on the chosen online course, participants may not need to be in business already or have developed a business plan.
• The participants must be energetic and available to commit up to 5 hours a week for studying the course content, discussions, networking, and other events as part of the program.
• The participants must have access to a computer workstation and stable Internet connection for the duration of the program.

Priority Region

• Uruguay– cities and rural areas, with priority given to locations outside Montevideo.

Eligible Applicants

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

• Uruguayan not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations;
• Uruguayan Public and Private educational institutions;
• Uruguayan Individuals;
• U.S. organizations working with Uruguayan partners or organizations;
• Foreign Public Entities (FPE) for example Public International Organizations and Uruguayan Governmental institutions.

Evaluation Criteria 

Criteria Each SOI will be evaluated and rated based on the evaluation criteria outlined below.

• Quality of Program Idea: The SOI is responsive to program framework. The idea is communicated well and is feasible. SOI’s that promote creative approaches to address program objectives are highly encouraged. The proposed timeline is reasonable.
• Organizational Capacity and Record on Previous Grants: The SOI should demonstrate the organization’s expertise and previous experience in administering programs. If a local partner is identified SOI should briefly describe the partner’s role and experience.
• Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives: The SOI should clearly articulate proposed program activities and expected results towards achieving program objectives and goal(s).

For more information, visit https://uy.usembassy.gov/es/academia-de-mujeres-emprendedoras-awe-convocatoria/