Deadline: 31 December 2020
The Lebanon Enterprise Development (LED) project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking concept papers for activities that will serve as catalysts for investments that will substantially increase the competitiveness of Lebanese firms and industry sectors with the objective of creating new jobs supported by increased revenue.
LED is also interested in concepts from organizations that are or are trying to produce goods or offer services that are in high-demand due to COVID-19, but that have specific constraints that are limiting their ability to do so or their ability to meet demand.
LED also welcomes concepts from local private sector organizations that are helping local businesses to overcome the multiple challenges that they are currently facing, whether economic or heath related.
Grants Program Objective
- The objective of this grant program is to support LED’s goal of creating new jobs for Lebanese citizens by leveraging the ideas, knowledge, skills, and resources of selected local organizations. The outcomes achieved by LED’s grantees will enhance LED’s overall impact on the Lebanese economy.
- LED invites private not-for-profit and for-profit associations, syndicates, or cooperatives or private enterprises to propose activities they wish to implement with LED grant funding.
Supported Activities
LED’s grants are to support activities in two primary areas as follows:
- Firm or Industry Competitiveness: Grants shall address constraints that result in directly improving business operations for firms or groups of firms, including those that address the multiple challenges that they are currently facing, whether economic or heath related.
- Improved Business Enabling Environment: Grants shall address policy, regulatory, or administrative constraints to doing business that will reduce the cost of doing business, increase investment, or have other beneficial impacts, thereby accelerating private sector growth and job creation.
- Applicants may propose grants that relate to one or both areas.
- LED is open to supporting solutions in almost any sector, subsector, or market niche. However, preference will be given to grants that support the following sectors: food processing; industry / manufacturing; tourism and hospitality; information technology; or other professional services.
Funding Information
- LED anticipates awarding approximately $300,000 during this funding period.
- Grant awards may range between $10,000 and $150,000.
- The final amount will be dependent upon grant activities and final negotiation. No grant award may exceed $150,000 in value.
Duration
- The duration of any grant award is expected to be from 3-12 months and no more than 18 moths; but in all grants must be fully completed by December 2021, inclusive of final reporting and financial reconciliation.
- The earliest start date of the first grants awarded under call is April 2020.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be a registered Lebanese entitiy, e.g. NGO (not-for-profit or for-profit); industry/sector, trade, or other private sector association or syndicate; or individual private enterprise formally constituted, recognized by and in good standing with appropriate Lebanese authorities, and compliant with all applicable civil and fiscal regulations.
- Applicants must provide inform the following information which is required for vetting. This information is required at the concept stage.
- Information of all the shareholders (including silent shareholders).
- Copies of the IDs or passports not (for all shareholders and silent shareholders.
- Submission of dual citizenship passports or IDs, if applicable.
- Copies of the document showing who are the shareholders or similar.
- Information concerning the role that each shareholder has, if applicable.
- Information on whether the enterprise/organization has a board of directors. If it does, copies of the document and IDs or passports.
- Information on whether the enterprise/organization has an executive committee and which individuals manage the finances and operations.
- Information about individuals who will be assigned to work on the LED project and copies of their IDs or passports.
- Information on whether the company is a branch of a larger company and reports to a head office or if the company is a subsidiary.
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate successful past performance in implementation of integrated development programs related to LED’s priority areas.
- Applicants must have established outreach capabilities with linkages to the beneficiary group(s) identified in the program description. This should be reflected by the incorporation of the beneficiary perspective in the application.
- Applicants must display sound management in the form of financial, administrative, and technical policies and procedures and present a system of internal controls that safeguard assets; protect against fraud, waste, and abuse; and support the achievement of program goals and objectives. LED will assess this capability prior to awarding a grant.
- Applicants must sign the following certification as part of their application to this APS. These are not needed for the concept paper phase. Only approved applicants need to sign these documents as part of a post-award grant agreement:
- Prohibition on Providing Federal Assistance to Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements – Representation (May 2017)
- Certification of Representation by Organization Regarding a Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Criminal Conviction (AAPD 14-03, August 2014)
- Certification Regarding Terrorist Financing.
For more information, visit https://berytech.org/led-project-annual-program-statement/