Build Back Better: Enhancing Recovery and Resilience of Small and Micro Businesses in Bangladesh

Deadline: 23-Mar-21

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is inviting applications from entities registered in Bangladesh to develop and expand digital and financial literacy skills development modules and solutions to enhance recovery and resilience of Small and Micro Businesses (SMB) towards an inclusive digital economy through digital and financial literacy in Bangladesh.

The “Build Back Better – Enhancing Recovery and Resilience of Small and Micro Businesses (SMBs) towards an Inclusive Digital Economy through Digital Literacy” challenge will co-fund companies to pilot and scale digital and financial literacy skills modules and solutions that enhance SMB and specifically women SMB growth and resilience.

The goal of this initiative is to empower small and micro businesses in Bangladesh by developing mechanisms and tools that support acquiring necessary financial and digital literacy skills, adopting new digital and financial services, and leveraging digital services to increase enterprise performance.

Funding Information

The contributions may range from USD 30,000 to USD 55,000 in size and cover a maximum of 70% of the overall project cost and/or maximum of US$ 55,000 and will be targeted at solutions that are ready for pilot testing and scale-up.
The project is expected to have an 18-20 months duration, starting in mid-April 2021.

Geographical Scope

The project intervention target benefits small and micro businesses and women small and micro businesses in Bangladesh.

Eligibility Criteria

The applicant/ lead applicant must be a registered entity and incorporated in Bangladesh.
The applicant must have, directly or indirectly, at least 50,000 small and micro businesses as users/customers in Bangladesh.
The applicant should be operating in Bangladesh for at least 3 years.
The applicant should have audited financial statements for at least 3 years.
The applicant’s project implementation and the solution must target small and micro businesses (SMBs) including women SMBs in Bangladesh.
Applications from consortiums of organizations must show that the partnership was established prior to this call for applications or due to this call for application with a letter of intent.
The solution proposed must be implementable in 2021 and 2022, with a project duration of between 18 and 20 months and ending by December 2022.
Applicants must contribute at least 30 percent of the project’s cash costs (costs may include technical infrastructure, resources, and operations).
Applicants shall not have been the subject of bankruptcy, liquidation, judicial settlement, safeguarding, cessation of activity, or any other similar situation resulting from a similar procedure.
Applicants and any of their staff or member of their board of directors shall not be included in the United Nations financial sanctions lists, particularly in the fight against the financing of terrorism and against attacks on international peace and security; and
Applicants must not be involved in any of the following activities: manufacture, sale or distribution of controversial weapons or their components, including cluster bombs, antipersonnel mines, biological or chemical weapons, or nuclear weapons; manufacture, sale or distribution of armaments and/or weapons or their components, including military supplies and equipment; replica weapons marketed to children; manufacture, sale or distribution of tobacco or tobacco products; involvement in the manufacture, sale and distribution of pornography; manufacture, sale or distribution of substances subject to international bans or phase-outs, and wildlife or products regulated under the CITES; gambling including casinos, betting, etc.