Deadline: 30-Jan-23
Applications are now open for the Guatemala Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (GEDI) Fund.
Purpose
- Through the Guatemala Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (GEDI), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and ANDE will foster a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem to bring economic prosperity to communities heavily impacted by irregular migration from Guatemala.
- GEDI will develop a coordinated set of expanded business support services available to entrepreneurs, particularly to businesses run by, employing, or serving the needs of women, indigenous and rural communities, and youth.
- By helping ventures overcome challenges to access for business advisory services, incubation or acceleration programs, and access to finance and markets, GEDI looks to build the entrepreneur support system so that ventures can increase their revenue, employment, and develop new goods and services that meet these community needs. This increased prosperity and diversified economic opportunity will increase the availability of local economic opportunities, helping people remain invested in their communities.
Objectives
- ANDE seeks concept notes from Entrepreneurial Support Organization (ESOs) to scale efforts that strengthen opportunities for SGBs to a) access new/improved markets, b) increase employment and income, c) access capital, and d) access business development services for investment readiness. ANDE is particularly interested in solutions that support entrepreneurs that are directly tackling climate change mitigation and adaptation challenges for their communities. ANDE will give preference to interventions that support businesses run by, employing, or serving the needs of women and indigenous people, rural communities, or youth.
- ESOs must support SGBs that demonstrate a growth trajectory and that have the potential to connect to or enter larger supply chains and/or markets. Concept notes should show how solutions can be replicated and scaled by ESOs in the broader SGB support sector. Concept notes may also include activities or components that strengthen the internal capacity of the organizations to better respond to their clients´ needs.
- GEDI also seeks proposals that strengthen the capacity of implementing organizations to continue to provide investment readiness services, expand access to financing and markets for SGBs in areas of high migration after the funding has ended.
Thematic Tracks
- Proposals should fall in at least one or more of the following thematic tracks (multiple tracks are accepted but not necessary):
- Agriculture:
- Initiatives from ESOs that support rural agricultural SGBs and consider one of the following aspects in their support to entrepreneurs
- Agroindustrial products: transformation of local products
- Sustainable production (forest-free, environmentally friendly, climate-resilient agricultural solutions)
- Innovations in the value chain
- Initiatives from ESOs that support SGBs, and offer services related to agriculture
- Logistics
- Innovative agricultural products
- Incorporation of technology in agro-industrial processes (irrigation, climate-smart technology, agtech)
- E-commerce (digitize processes, etc.)
- Initiatives from ESOs that support SGBs related to Guatemala’s forest production chains (i.e. non-timber forest products)
- Promote the conservation and/or regeneration of biodiversity
- Ecotourism, community tourism
- Food systems
- Initiatives from ESOs that support rural agricultural SGBs and consider one of the following aspects in their support to entrepreneurs
- Clean Energy:
- Initiatives from ESOs that support SGBs focused on providing products or services related to climate change mitigation and natural disaster prevention
- Technology-based solutions to mitigate climate change
- Nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change
- Initiatives from ESOs that support SGBs focused on providing products or services related to climate change mitigation and natural disaster prevention
- WASH:
- Initiatives from ESOs that support SGBs whose business models address the water and sanitation issue with innovative approaches like circular economy
- Organizational and Ecosystem Strengthening:
- Funds that are driving investment to the region
- Funding to strengthen specific organizational areas within promising ESOs to make them
- Agriculture:
Funding Information
- Submissions should be for activities spanning a 12-month time period, beginning July 1, 2023, with a range between $200,000 and $300,000 USD.
Outcomes
- ANDE encourages submissions employing creative and novel approaches to address issues that entrepreneurs face in accessing the right type of finance and markets. Solutions may address supply and demand components of the financing and market gaps, and the solutions should directly contribute to one or more of the following outcomes:
- Access to new and/or better markets: Increased collaborations contributing to sustainable market linkages of SGBs to national and international value chains
- Increase economic development opportunities: Increased employment and income-generating opportunities for entrepreneurs and SGBs through interventions
- Access to capital: Increased amount of the right type of available capital for SGBs, through innovative investment vehicles;
- Access to business support services for investment readiness: Increased number of entrepreneurs with appropriate access to capital through tailored consulting services, mentorship, or other approaches to address investment readiness issues, and strengthened technical and “soft skills” with a vision toward growth.
Geographical Focus
- Proposals from all regions of Guatemala will be considered, with a particular focus on supporting existing economic corridors, connecting production to value chains, taking into consideration high migration areas etc. Activities and interventions should preferably but not exclusively focus on supporting vulnerable communities, with a focus on serving the needs of indigenous communities, women and/or youth-led businesses.
Eligibility Criteria
- Demographic scope: Vulnerable communities, with a focus on serving the needs of indigenous communities, women and/or youth-led businesses.
- Nonprofit and for-profit entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs), such as incubators, accelerators, capacity development providers, non-governmental organizations, operating (non-grantmaking) foundations, and advisory service providers, are qualified to apply.
- Government donor agencies, donor finance institutions, and grantmaking foundations are not qualified to apply. Current GEDI subgrantee leads (Cohort 1) are not eligible to apply as project leads nor as participants in a consortium/as subcontractors.
- Given GEDI’s objectives, organizations headquartered locally in these regions are strongly encouraged to apply. Additionally, consortiums involving locally-headquartered organizations and/or finance providers (banks, investors, corporations, etc.) are also encouraged to apply. While partnerships and consortiums are advised, funds will be given to a lead organization to further distribute to partners.
- Applications accepted in Spanish or English.
For more information, visit USAID.