U.S. Department of State: Offering the 2025 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs Grant in Korea

Funding Opportunity Title: 2025 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs

Funding Opportunity Number: PD-SEOUL-FY24-05

Deadline for Applications: August 12, 2023, 11:59 p.m. GMT+9

CFDA Number: 19.040 – Public Diplomacy Programs

Total Amount Available: $75,000

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

After a successful inaugural program in 2024, U.S. Embassy Seoul is excited to launch the second Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) in Korea.  The U.S. Department of State created AWE to support and empower women entrepreneurs globally.  The program provides the skills, knowledge, and resources needed to build, manage, and scale successful businesses – a key priority highlighted by both President Biden and President Yoon during the 2023 U.S.-ROK State Visit.  Participants will gain skills to maximize their contributions to the Korean economy and facilitate entry into the U.S. market.

The selected grantee will facilitate a pre-made curriculum combining online and offline components.  The curriculum covers topics including entrepreneurship, business planning, marketing, financial management, and pitching.  The grantee will also collaborate with U.S. Embassy Seoul to organize networking activities for participants to build relationships amongst themselves and to expand their networks of Korean and American business leaders. Prior to the program, the grantee organization will receive an AWE training session to familiarize themselves with the program’s curriculum.

Key Outputs:

Recruitment:

The grantee, in close collaboration with U.S. Embassy Seoul, will recruit 25 women entrepreneurs who have been running their businesses since inception.  Detailed participant selection criteria will be designed in close collaboration with the grantee organization.

Program:

Training: The first phase of the program will focus on Thunderbird University’s three-month-long “100 Million Learners Program,” delivered online. During this phase, the grantee organization will maintain regular check-ins with participants to ensure their active engagement.  Monthly in-person meetings will be held to facilitate discussion of the material and best practices for adapting these skills to their own businesses.

Networking: The grantee organization will organize networking activities. U.S. Embassy Seoul will supplement these activities with invitations for participants to attend related ongoing programs or events. In particular, these networking activities should involve the inaugural 2024 AWE cohort and their mentors, when possible.

Events: The program will culminate in a graduation ceremony in Fall 2025. Select, high-performing participants will be invited to attend Select USA in 2025 and/or to become mentees in the Select USA Global Women in Tech program.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

The grantee organization will conduct ongoing surveys to assess participants’ experiences before and after attending the AWE program.  These surveys will assess the relevance of the materials to their businesses and reflections on the trainings.

Note: Not mandatory, but you may use the templates provided here:

Proposal Template / Budget Template

All application materials must be submitted by email to SeoulPDGrants@state.gov