Deadline: 22-Mar-22
The Department of State Consulate of the United States in Islamabad is seeking applications to empower women entrepreneurs in Balochistan to fulfill their economic potential, creating conditions for a more prosperous society.
The project called for in this NOFO envisions the following elements:
- a comprehensive business training program;
- a mentorship program that will help connect participants with relevant partners;
- a seed funding competition;
- incubation support for at least 20 shortlisted participants; and
- a monthly podcast or similar form of outreach on entrepreneurship and mentoring to reach and share knowledge with women in distant areas and in their homes and build community.
Project Goal
- To empower women in Quetta to become economically self-sufficient as entrepreneurs, through training and mentorship.
- Assist them to start and successfully run their businesses.
Project Objectives
- A comprehensive training and support program for at least 50 women entrepreneurs from Quetta, Balochistan, who are in the early stages of starting and/or scaling up their businesses. Develop participants’ understanding of the fundamentals of creating and scaling a business.
- Serve as a platform for these entrepreneurs to gain training, mentors, access to capital investment, and international exposure
- Select 20 talented women entrepreneurs for further business incubation support. Provide advanced master classes, access to peer-to-peer mentorship, and connect them with innovation hubs, high-level mentoring, and networking opportunities within Pakistan and the United States.
- Provide strategic guidance and funding (financial support) for at least three women-led entrepreneurial ventures out of the 20 candidates, with the aim to create successful women-run businesses in Quetta and other surrounding areas.
- Create a monthly podcast or similar type of outreach to impart discussions on entrepreneurship, reaching women at home in Balochistan.
- As part of the funding, the grantee should recruit Pakistani and American experts and expose participants to U.S. models for business development.
Funding Information
- Funding Mechanism Type: Grant
- Estimated Total Project Funding: $200,000
- Estimated Award Ceiling: $200,000
- Estimated Award Floor: $150,000
- Length of Project Period: Eighteen (18) months
- Anticipated Program Start Date: October 1, 2022
Project Audience(s)
Over the next 18 months, the potential grantee will train at least 50 entry level women entrepreneurs (aged 18-35), with a particular focus on Quetta and the surrounding area.
- Gender: Female
- Geographic Location: Quetta, Â Balochistan
- Age Group: 18-35
- Level of Education: 12th grade education and above.
- Social Class: All
- Religious Practice: All
- Profession: Entrepreneurs of all types
Eligibility Criteria
The following non-profit organizations are eligible to apply:
- Non-governmental organizations
- Civil society organizations
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=337450