Call for Applications: Rural Innovation and Pivoting Hackathon in the Dominican Republic

Deadline: 14-Jun-21

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, U.S. Department of State, announces an open competition for individuals and organizations to submit applications to carry out an online hackathon for forty participants, including alumni of USG exchange programs, entrepreneurs, academia, and civil society, to develop innovative and/or technology-based ideas and solutions to help small and medium businesses in rural areas of the Dominican Republic mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and create new sustainable opportunities to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on rural economies in the D.R.

The goal of this virtual program is to bring together entrepreneurs, students, and academia, to receive hands-on training on innovation and business pivoting and develop technology-based solutions that mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas of the Dominican Republic.

Award Information

Length of performance period: 6-12 months
Number of awards anticipated: 01 awards (dependent on amounts)
Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $30,000
Total available funding: $30,000
Type of Funding: FY20 Smith Mundt Public Diplomacy Funds
Anticipated program start date: 11-01-2021
This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Participants and Audiences

This virtual event should bring together 40 young entrepreneurs, students, teachers, and business leaders ages 18 to 40, with background in, but not limited to, the fields of technology, social management, design, business, and development.

Eligible Activities

Activities that are typically funded include, but are not limited to: