Deadline: 15-Jun-21
The Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP) Office of Multilateral Affairs at the U.S. Department of State (DOS), announces this Notice of Funding Opportunity for Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Mekong (Burma, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam).
The U.S. Department of State Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP), Office of Multilateral Affairs (MLA), announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to support women’s economic empowerment in the Mekong through providing financial literacy training and support to women seeking micro insurance to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
This project should increase the access of women entrepreneurs and business owners to financing, market opportunities, and training to help establish and grow their businesses while providing health insurance protections to women owned MSMEs. This project supports the Mekong-U.S. Partnership’s goals of increasing economic connectivity and growth by supporting MSMEs and human resource development by including support for human capital development and women’s empowerment in the Mekong. It is expected that this project will benefit two or more Mekong countries.
Goals
This project will facilitate female-owned MSMEs access to micro-insurance products to help prioritize business and health needs for the entrepreneur and her family.
- Objective 1: Increase the access of women entrepreneurs and business owners to finance and market opportunities while also providing health benefits; and
- Objective 2: Increase the financial literacy of women entrepreneurs and business owners.
Funding Information
- EAP anticipates having approximately $395,061 of FY20 Economic Support Funds (ESF) available to support one successful application submitted in response to this NOFO, subject to the ability of funding.
- Applicants should include an anticipated start date between August and September 2021 and the period of performance should be 3 years.
Expected Results
Specific results could include the following:
- Women entrepreneurs will gain increased access to finance opportunities and sound financial teaching; and
- Women entrepreneurs will gain increased access to medical care;
- Unbanked and under banked women in the Mekong enroll in financial banking products and services;
- Women entrepreneurs and business owners learn “core skills,” including communication, leadership, self-confidence, and other abilities needed for success.
Main Activities
To achieve the goals and expected results, the program could include the following:
- Provide a product and training that are gender-responsive in design and execution; (EAP defines gender responsive as to outcomes that reflect an understanding of gender roles and inequalities and which make an effort to encourage equal participation and equal and fair distribution of benefits. Gender responsiveness is accomplished through gender analysis and gender inclusiveness).
- Provide a local support network and education for the products and services, including those offered through other U.S. government and likeminded partner programs, available to each female MSME;
- Provide a premier health care package as a bundled option to financial products;
- Support grassroots entrepreneurship to build competitive markets in the Mekong;
- Incorporate “core skills” training to include communication, leadership, self-confidence building and other abilities needed for success;
- In addition, per the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017, it is a U.S. government wide priority to expand and apply gender analysis, as appropriate, to improve the design and implementation of U.S. government-funded programs. A gender analysis helps consider the different ways in which programs might impact and be impacted by the community, country, and region where activities take place. EAP encourages organizations to tailor these questions to ensure perspectives based on religion, disability, race, ethnicity, and/or sexual orientation and gender identity are meaningfully considered and included in the program design, budget, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan.
Eligibility Criteria
- EAP welcomes applications from U.S. Non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) having a 501(c) (3) status with the IRS, or overseas-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations, and U.S. and overseas private/state institutions of higher education.
- For-profit and commercial firms are not eligible to apply in response to this NOFO.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=332914
