Public Affairs Office Grant for the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) in Uganda

The Public Affairs Office invites proposals from established, non-profit Ugandan associations, committed and organized civil-society organizations, and academic institutions to design and implement an intensive training program that would provide approximately 100 emerging female entrepreneurs (in four cohorts of 25 participants each) with critical skills for founding or scaling up their businesses and help develop a network among participants and trainers for future collaboration and support. U.S. and third-country organizations or nationals are not eligible for cooperative agreements under this program unless in partnership with a Ugandan organization.

Through the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, participants will take part in facilitated training sessions featuring an online curriculum (“DreamBuilder”) that will be provided by the State Department and that offers modules on the fundamentals of launching and scaling up businesses. These sessions should be highly interactive and should be supplemented by in-person talks and workshops, including from successful Ugandan and American entrepreneurs and alumni of U.S. government exchange programs, trade fairs, business accelerators, or pitch competitions. 

The AWE program will target female Ugandan business owners and entrepreneurs, who are approximately 25 to 40 years old and who have 1 – 5 years of business experience. Participants should be recruited via a competitive application process. In addition to demonstrating an appropriate level of business/entrepreneurship experience and strong motivation for participating in AWE, participants must also be computer literate and have reliable access to an internet-connected computer or smart phone. The online DreamBuilder curriculum is in English so participants must be able to demonstrate requisite language skills.  

The program will be held in Kampala and at three regional centers selected by the awardee in consultation with the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Office. The Kampala cohort will focus on entrepreneurship in the creative sector while the remaining cohorts will target entrepreneurs/businesswomen in the technology sector or whose enterprises utilize technology for a significant aspect of their work, including digital sales and marketing.

All AWE activities should have a strong American focus. To supplement the facilitated “Dreambuilder” online sessions, the Public Affairs Office will work with the awardee to identify and recruit relevant local American business experts and professors in Uganda, business experts from the Ugandan branches of American companies, and alumni of U.S. government exchange programs to provide complementary lectures and workshops. The Public Affairs Office will seek to include a substantial proportion of female role models among these experts. The Awardee will integrate these experts into the AWE curriculum, and arrange, and fund their travel and lodging.

Objectives 

Each proposal should meet the following objectives, in addition to strengthening understanding of U.S. values, institutions, and precepts: 

1.          Expand participants’ understanding of the fundamentals of developing and scaling up a business.   

2.          Expose participants to U.S. models for business development and connect them with American entrepreneurship experts.  

3.          Facilitate the development of an ongoing network of female entrepreneurs who can offer support and ongoing best practices while sustaining their relationship with the U.S. Embassy.