Deadline: 22-Jul-24
The United States Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, through the Public Diplomacy Section (PDS), is pleased to announce a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to design and implement one (seven-day) BOLD (Balkanski Omladinski Lideri, Young Balkan Leaders) Economic Development/Entrepreneurship Workshop for Young Leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
Program Objectives
- The goal of the workshop is to develop the skills of young leaders in BiH to create opportunities for economic development in their communities through developing and/or launching their own business plan or developing projects in support of entrepreneurship.
- Special emphasis should be placed on innovative business model design; project-based collaboration; and leveraging assets within the BOLD network to ensure project success.
Mandatory Components
- Applicants should propose one seven-day workshop (excluding arrival and departure dates) for up to 50 participants from across BiH. The minimum number of participants is 45. The age range of possible participants is 18-35, but the applicant may limit the range further for participation to best fit the proposed workshop’s theme.
- The workshop should be planned, organized, and take place within 18 months of the grant’s awarding.
- The workshops should offer an innovative plan and provide young people with practical skills to contribute to the economic development of their communities.
- Content can include, but is not limited to, ideas for starting and running a small business in BiH, market research and pitching business ideas, organizational development and management, innovation, emerging markets, risk analysis, strategic business planning, corporate social responsibility, gaining entrepreneurial skills that will better prepare them for the 21st century market, and ideas to enhance existing enterprises.
- The primary outcome of the workshops is for participants (individually or groups of participants jointly) to design an economic development project to be implemented in their communities over the course of the following year.
- The workshop should deliver training in project management and the design and development of a project proposal and/or business plan, including a budget. By the end of the workshop participants should complete a basic draft of their project designs in the form of a project proposal which will be competitive for funding from the Embassy or other donors.
- Participants will be eligible to submit proposals in a BOLD small grant competition that will take place in 2025.
- The proposal should contain a detailed day-to-day schedule for the workshop, and other necessary information that makes it clear to anyone not familiar with it how the program will meet the stated objectives and projected outcomes.
- There should be a strong American component in the delivery of the workshop, ideally, with at least one participating American trainer contributing their expertise and experience from the economic or business field (either virtually or in person).
- The applicant should propose a nationwide recruitment plan to reach workshop participants from all parts of the country that goes beyond a public call for applications to include targeted outreach to appropriate youth audiences.
- PDS should review the final list of participants for each workshop before they are notified of their selection.
- It is the obligation of the applicant to ensure that workshop participants’ information about themselves, their experience in the workshop, and/or their project ideas are shared and publicized on social media platforms of the BOLD network so that others can see their leadership examples and be motivated by their experience in the workshop.
Funding Information
- Total Available Funding: USD 70,000
- Award Amounts: One award in the amount of USD 70,000
- Length of Performance Period: 18 months
- Number of Awards Anticipated: One
- Anticipated Award Date: September 2024
Eligibility Criteria
- Non-government, non-profit organizations (including think tanks, civil society organizations) educational institutions that are based and legally registered in Bosnia and Herzegovina are eligible to apply.
- Applicants must demonstrate an ability to work in all parts of BiH, whether independently or in cooperation with a partner organization.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.