Deadline: 14-Jul-23
The Office of Global Partnerships (GP) of the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announces an open competition for organizations to submit a statement of interest (SOI) to carry out a program (or programs) to expand and amplify the Department’s response to the climate crisis.
GP has launched the Climate Solutions and Sustainable Entrepreneurship Fund (CSSEF) to drive sustainability-focused programming in maker spaces, community centers, and technology labs in developing economies that strive to capacitate local entrepreneurs and increase their ability to scale climate solutions to market. GP hopes to help create local communities of entrepreneurs and entrepreneur-support organizations around these hubs that are more market-savvy, more resourced, more cooperative amongst each other, and better able to generate climate solutions. SOIs that work to enable an economic response to the climate crisis, such as coaching and mentorship curriculum, capital-raising guidance, recruitment and education of environmentally-focused entrepreneurs, event management, and other economic engagement are welcome. These examples are only made for illustrative purpose and the Department welcomes hearing of the creativity from the private sector.
Program Objectives
- The CSSEF seeks SOIs that will address the following three objectives, as outlined in the attached Draft Scope of Work for Climate Solutions and Sustainable Entrepreneurship:
- Convene in a dedicated space sustainability-focused entrepreneurs and founders passionate about developing and scaling solutions to the climate crisis in order to provide educational services to relevant participants over the course of the program.
- Measurably increase the capacity of entrepreneurs and founders to scale solutions, obtain finance, reach market deployment, and expand market share.
- Foster a community of founders and entrepreneur-support organizations where additional partners seek to support emerging, sustainability-focused solutions.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $780,000
- Award Ceiling: $260,000
- Award Floor: $50,000
- Length of performance period: 12 to 36 months.
Participants and Audiences: SOIs should primarily target entrepreneurs and entrepreneur-facing support organizations that seek to generate new and scale existing sustainability solutions. These entrepreneur-support organizations do not need to be headquartered in the targeted priority region but should have a focus and active presence in the chosen market.
Eligibility Criteria
- GP will determine priority regions and Economic Support Fund (ESF) eligible countries in consultation with Department of State stakeholders. Programming could take place in any of the following geographic regions: Sub Saharan Africa (AF), East Asia Pacific (EAP), Europe and Eurasia (EUR), Near East and North Africa (NEA), South and Central Asia (SCA), and Western Hemisphere (WHA). Programs in the following countries will not be considered eligible for this funding opportunity: Comoros, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, South Sudan, Burma, China (PRC), Malaysia, Russia, Algeria, Iran, Syria, Turkmenistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Venezuela.
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- U.S. non-profit/non-governmental organizations;
- (NGOs) having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS;
- Overseas-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations;
- U.S. and overseas private/state institutions of higher education; and
- for-profit and commercial firms.
- Applicants may partner with hub owners of public or private origin, such as the American Spaces program, so long as the hubs are not supported by a government deemed ineligible for the CSSEF.
- GP will not accept applications from individuals.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.