Deadline: 15-Jan-2025
The U.S. Embassy Ottawa announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to implement the 2025 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) in Montreal, Canada.
AWE is a U.S. Department of State-led initiative established in 2019 to provide women with the professional skills, knowledge, networks, and access to launch or scale successful businesses. Cohorts of approximately 30 women meet online and in-person to learn core business skills such as strategic planning, marketing, and finance, then discuss the material with local facilitators, business leaders, and U.S. exchange alumni mentors.
Objectives
- Train 30 women entrepreneurs from under-represented backgrounds in foundational business skills, including strategic planning, marketing, and finance, through globally recognized curricula like DreamBuilder and/or the Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative .
- Empower program participants to create scalable business models.
- Expand participants’ understanding of social enterprise models.
- Foster participants’ ability to promote economic opportunities for women and increase the number of women-led businesses in Canada.
- Facilitate the development of a network of female entrepreneurs and investors in Canada to grow women businesses and drive local partnerships
- Foster alumni engagement through follow-on activities.
Funding Information
- Award amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $ 25,000 to a maximum of $35,000
- Number of awards anticipated: 1 award
- Length of performance period: 12 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following are eligible to apply:
- U.S. and Canadian registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks, community associations, and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience
- Alumni of U.S. government funded and U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs in Canada
- Non-profit media organizations
- Professional trade organizations
- Non-profit or governmental educational institutions
- Private educational institutions
Ineligibility Criteria
- For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.
For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Canada.