Deadline: 21-Jun-24
The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Mission Afghanistan is pleased to announce an open competition for eligible organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to support the Business Expansion Initiative for Women’s Employment.
This initiative seeks to address the persistent gender gap in the Afghan workforce by empowering businesses to hire more women in sectors where they are permitted to work through strategic business expansion initiatives. The project aims to equip businesses with the necessary tools and support to embrace gender-inclusive practices, thereby creating more job opportunities for women and fostering economic growth.
This initiative aims to support women in Afghanistan who face significant challenges and barriers to economic progress, including limited access to employment opportunities, capital, financial services, and education. It seeks to achieve the following objectives:
- Empowerment through Business Expansion: Supporting women to start and expand their own businesses, join other women-led enterprises, or acquire the skills necessary to participate in women-led enterprises.
- Gender-Inclusive Practices: Promoting gender-inclusive policies and practices within businesses to improve access to employment opportunities and financial resources for women.
- Economic Growth: Contributing to economic growth by maintaining the visibility of women in the workforce and economy and recognizing women’s contributions to economic development.
Goals
- The goal of this NOFO is to empower women in Afghanistan by supporting their participation in the workforce and economy through strategic business acceleration and expansion initiatives. Success will be measured by the project’s ability to:
- Increase the number of businesses with gender-inclusive policies and practices.
- Promote business environments at the community level in which the contributions and value of women in the workforce and in business leadership positions is understood and promoted by community leaders.
- Create employment opportunities for women through expansion of business that commit to gender inclusive employment practices.
- Foster economic growth and development by recognizing and leveraging women’s contributions.
- Build on past projects’ best practices and lessons learned to design and implement effective interventions.
- Promote ecosystems for business expansion and development at the community level that strengthen partnerships and collaboration with local stakeholders.
- Promote strong investment and marketing relationships to ensure sustainability and long term impact.
Objectives
- The project objectives may include:
- Develop and implement tailored training programs for businesses that commit to gender inclusive practices, focusing on inclusive leadership, diversity, and gender-sensitive management practices, addressing specific industry needs.
- Establish structured mentorship and acceleration programs, prioritizing women, to provide guidance on expansion strategies, entrepreneurship training, materials sourcing, pitch practice and access to capital, access to markets, and job placement opportunities, supported by resources such as toolkits and case studies.
- Facilitate networking opportunities for businesses, with a special focus on empowering women entrepreneurs and business leaders, to connect with investors, collaborators, and industry partners, fostering growth, sustainability, and gender diversity in the business ecosystem. Forge partnerships with relevant organizations and institutions that facilitate access to capital and markets, or are otherwise committed to enhancing project effectiveness, institutional quality, and the promotion of women’s leadership and participation in the economy.
- Provide tailored support to businesses in developing strategic expansion plans, including market analysis and risk assessment, while offering expert assistance in navigating regulatory, logistical, financial, and community engagement challenges associated with expansion.
- Implement a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to assess project progress and impact, collecting data on businesses trained, expansion outcomes, and employment opportunities for women.
- Promote capacity for business leaders to advocate within their communities for genderinclusive business practices and business environments that supporting gender equality in employment.
- Actively engage with local communities to ensure inclusive benefits of business expansion, encouraging participation in community outreach programs, labor force development training programs, and reinforcing social responsibility and sustainable growth commitments.
Focus Areas
- PDS seeks proposals for this initiative addressing one or more of the following areas to help women’s employment in Afghanistan:
- Training Programs for Businesses: Developing and implementing targeted training programs for businesses that commit to gender inclusive employment practices, focusing on areas such as inclusive leadership, diversity and inclusion practices, and gendersensitive management.
- Mentorship, Apprenticeship, and Resource Support: Establishing structured mentorship and apprenticeship programs, providing business skills training, business expansion planning support, and offering resources such as toolkits and case studies.
- Acceleration and Expansion Planning Assistance: Offering tailored support to businesses in developing strategic expansion plans, including market analysis, financial modeling, business process analysis, human resources planning, and labor force development planning.
- Access to Capital: Facilitating access to capital for businesses that commit to gender inclusive employment practices, to include liaising with potential investors, entrepreneurs, collaborators, and industry partners, and providing networking opportunities with these resources for target businesses.
- Access to Markets: Facilitating relationships for businesses to access new domestic and international markets as they scale and grow.
- Awareness and Advocacy: Providing resources and training to business leaders that support them to start or continue efforts to advocate within their communities for gender-inclusive business practices.
- Community Engagement: Actively engaging with local communities to ensure that the benefits of business expansion are inclusive and contribute meaningfully to women’s labor force participation and community development.
Funding Information
- Length of performance period: 12 to 18 months
- Number of awards anticipated: One award (Up to 3)
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $300,000 to a maximum of $750,000.00
- Total available funding: $750,000.00
- Duration
- Proposed programs should be completed in 12 to 18 months.
Participants and Audiences
- This project is aimed at supporting and benefiting a diverse group of individuals and organizations in Afghanistan, primarily women and women-led enterprises, that are committed to gender inclusive employment practices. The key audiences and beneficiaries include:
- Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders: Individuals seeking mentorship and acceleration programs to grow their businesses.
- Industry Experts: Professionals who can provide entrepreneurship training, materials sourcing, and pitch practice tailored to the unique circumstances facing Afghan women.
- Business Owners and Entrepreneurs seeking to employ more women: businesses committed to gender inclusivity, organizations that are willing to develop and implement gender-inclusive practices, and who are actively seeking to employ more women.
- Community leaders who promote gender-inclusive practices within their business communities.
- Women Job Seekers and Professionals.
- Investors and Funding Organizations: female-focused financial advisors and investors, those who can offer guidance on access to capital and markets tailored to the unique circumstances facing Afghan women.
- Buyers and Vendors Inside and Outside Afghanistan who support Afghan women-owned businesses.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligibility is open to all types of applicants except for individuals. Organizations may sub-award/contract with other entities, but only one entity may be the prime recipient of the award. When sub-awarding/contracting with other entities, the responsibilities of each entity must be clearly defined in the proposal.
Ineligibility Criteria
- This opportunity will not support:
- Projects relating to partisan political activity;
- Charitable or development activities;
- Construction projects;
- Projects that support specific religious activities;
- Fund-raising campaigns;
- Lobbying for specific legislation or programs
- Scientific research or surveys;
- Commercial projects;
- Projects intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization;
- Projects that duplicate existing projects; or
- Illegal activities.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.