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AGRA Call for Proposals: VALUE4HER Innovation Grant in Africa

Deadline: 17-Jul-21

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is pleased to launch a call for proposals for the Innovation Grant for Catalyzing Women-Women supply chains to implement activities geared towards catalysing women to women supplier and mentorship relationships, to create market and learning networks among women-led businesses.

VALUE4HER is AGRAs continental program, aimed at increasing the performance of women agri-enterprises, through access to markets and trade, finance and investments, knowledge and skills, networking and building women’s collective voice. The program VALUE4HER is powered by VALUE4HERConnect, Africa’s first women in agribusiness integrated digital resource, designed to assist women agri-enterprises transcend gender and market entry barriers, built upon digital technologies capabilities to connect, amplify, and deliver customized service.

Objectives

The overall objective is to catalyse, incubate, consolidate the approach for women to women supply chains, to reach women micro-entrepreneurs and or women farmers. AGRA stands to benefit from the knowledge developed from the pilot to further hone its approach on women to women business networks while cascading the benefits from established women’s businesses who are beneficiaries of VALUE4HER to those that are not yet beneficiaries of the program.

The women to women supply relationship will leverage, connect, and integrates all women from micro, meso and macro levels of agribusiness, to create market opportunities that serve women from the higher tier to the lower tier of agribusinesses.

  • To connect 20 women top tier SMEs on the VALUE4HER platform with approximately 400 women nano and micro-entrepreneurs, through a supply relationship
  • To pilot these women’s supply integration to develop knowledge and insights on women to women market linkages.
  • To develop coaching and mentorship/role modelling support between women’s business leadership at the different tiers of relationship, to create the incentive to trigger growth ambitions among women agribusinesses.
  • To contribute to the expansion of voice and advocacy outcomes for the VALUE4HER platform through proof of concept that enhances the visibility of the performance of women entrepreneurs.
Funding Information
  • The Applicant must have been in operation for a minimum of 3 years, with an annual turnover of USD 20,000 – USD 200,000.
  • The maximum available grant per qualifying agribusiness is USD 9,000. This is to cover up to a maximum of 90% of the total budget for approved activities (inclusive of fees for training, logistics costs, equipment, etc.). The balance of 10% (USD 1,000 in-cash or in-kind contribution from participating business) is the Applicant’s contribution to the project.

Eligible Activities

The Applicant can use the VALUE4HER grant to fund a range of services, alone or in combination, for example as per the following:
  • Costs relating to the identification and mobilization of women agripreneurs and producers of lower business segment for produce offtake.
  • Costs relating to the identification of capacity gaps of women suppliers, cost of at least one training on product quality, standards, product flow schedules, logistics, packaging, etc.);
  • Costs relating to two coaching/mentorship sessions
  • Costs relating to the drafting of partnerships/ supplier agreements/contracts.
  • Costs relating to new supply chains and linkages (to meet at least 20 new women suppliers);
  • Costs in lieu of small equipment purchases, not exceeding USD 2,500
  • Costs relating to personnel supporting the initiative, not exceeding USD 1,500

Eligibility Criteria

This Innovation Grant (IG) is open to women-led/owned agribusinesses (at least 70% of the shares held by a woman or group of women) that are incorporated in an African country and have been in existence for at least three (3) years. The detailed eligibility criteria are below. The woman-led/owned agribusiness (hereafter called ‘The Applicant) must meet the following criteria:
  • The Applicant is a legal entity (sole proprietorship; partnerships, corporation or limited liability company), incorporated in an African country, fully or majority-owned by women citizens of Africa (minimum 70% shareholding).
  • The Applicant is in agribusiness – either in bulking, processing or trading in agricultural commodities or products.
  • The Applicant must demonstrate the capacity to contribute at least 10% of the total project budget (in cash or in-kind).
  • Qualifying members of the #VALUE4HERConnect Platform are particularly encouraged to apply.

For more information, visit https://agra.org/call-for-proposals-applications-innovation-grant-for-catalyzing-women-women-supply-chains/