Deadline: 26-Apr-24
The U.S. Mission to South Africa announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, a 5-month program to train women entrepreneurs based in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini.
The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) is a program of the U.S. Department of State and Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management. The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs LESA (Lesotho, Eswatini and South Africa) program is centered on the Francis and Dionne Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative, an accredited online global management and entrepreneurship certificate consisting of five world-class courses and available to learners across the globe.
Applicants for this notice of funding opportunity will support cohorts of women entrepreneurs in seven cities – five in South Africa and one each in Lesotho and Eswatini. The cohorts will attend virtual and in-person events at American Spaces in each location. For participation in the 100 Million Learners program, the applicant will work with the U.S. Embassy to identify an in person alumni facilitator in each city to lead the participants. The AWE LESA program focuses on the 18-module foundation course which has particular focus on global entrepreneurship and innovation. Facilitators will also lead in-person discussions and serve as mentors for program participants.
There are a total of 18 sessions taking place on a weekly basis. Facilitators may be alumni of related U.S. government programs and should be selected in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy or Consulate General. Facilitators will attend pre-program training and orientation.
Priority Region
- Project activities will take place between July/August and December in five cities across South Africa, one city in Lesotho, and one city in Eswatini.
Program Goal
- Promote economic prosperity, including equitable economic development opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups and individuals.
Program Objectives
- Provide a resource for women entrepreneurs to engage in online education with guided facilitation and localization.
- Foster networks that support participants’ access to peer-to-peer mentorship, business partners, and scaling opportunities with businesses in the region and in the United States.
- Provide access to a range of educational programs tailored to women’s economic empowerment to expand the effects of participation.
Participants
- Young women (aged 21–35).
- Early-stage entrepreneurs (businesses that have been operating for 1-3 years) that run businesses with a community improvement element or other social impact.
- Some level of post-secondary study (i.e. certificate, diploma, undergraduate degree or postgraduate degree) in order to complete the 100 Million Learners course successfully.
- Citizen/legal resident of the country in which the participant’s cohort is based.
- Reside within 40km of the cohort base locations in Free State (Mangaung), Gauteng (Johannesburg), Kwa-Zulu Natal (Pietermaritzburg), Limpopo (Polokwane), Western Cape (Cape Town), Maseru (Lesotho), and Manzini (Eswatini).
- The participant numbers will be as follows: Limpopo (15 participants); Johannesburg (15 participants); Bloemfontein (10 participants); Cape Town (10 participants); Pietermaritzburg (10 participants); Maseru (20 participants); Manzini (20 participants).
Academy for Women Entrepreneurs Southern Africa Regional Summit
- The U.S. Mission to South Africa announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a 3-day regional summit for alumni of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs from the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), namely Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa.
- The main objectives of the summit are to build networks of women entrepreneurs from SACU countries, explore opportunities for business expansion through trade and accessing regional markets, partnerships, best practices, and provide a learning opportunity on the latest digital innovations that relate to entrepreneurship in Africa.
- Applicants for this funding opportunity will support the host Embassy (U.S. Mission to South Africa) by administering all logistical activities in the planning and execution of the summit (e.g. venue identification and booking, catering, processing speaker payments etc.), as well as travel logistics for participants traveling to the summit. A total of seventy alumni including speakers and facilitators are expected to attend in-person at a Gauteng-based venue.
Priority Region
- Summit activities will take place during Global Entrepreneurship Week at a venue in Gauteng, South Africa. Participants will travel from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa.
Program Goal
- Promote economic prosperity, including equitable economic development opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups and individuals.
Participants
- Young women who have participated in the AWE program in one of the following years – 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023.
- Citizen/legal resident of South Africa (26 participants), Lesotho (5 participants), Eswatini (5 participants), Botswana (12 participants) or Namibia (12 participants)
- Must be running a fully operating business that has shown growth (revenue, staff and/or community impact) since graduating from the AWE program.
Audiences
- National, provincial, and municipal (or equivalent) government departments and agencies focused on economic development, women’s empowerment, and gender equity.
- Non-governmental organizations and other civil society organizations focused on related topics and subject matter.
- Investors and other entities focused on economic prosperity, trade and investment opportunity development, and other related subject matter.
Funding Information
- Length of performance period: 12 months
- Number of awards anticipated: One to two
- Award amounts: $25,000 to $119,190
- Total available funding: $119,190
- Anticipated projects start date: On or before June 1, 2024
Eligible Applicants
- Only non-profit South African or U.S. organizations with proven on-the-ground implementation capability in South Africa are eligible to apply. This includes non-profit think tanks, civil society/non-governmental organizations, and public and private educational institutions.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.