The U.S. Embassy in Armenia’s Public Diplomacy Section is offering this grant to promote STEM education and youth entrepreneurship.

Higher education institutions from the United States and Armenia.

Foreign Public Entities based in Armenia.

Executive Summary 

The U.S. Embassy in Armenia advances U.S. interests by helping Armenia succeed as a secure, prosperous, and democratic country, at peace with its neighbors, and more closely integrated with the Euro-Atlantic community.  A key objective of U.S. Embassy Yerevan Public Diplomacy Section is to support Armenia’s economic resiliency and inclusive economic growth.  We do this by supporting initiatives that foster entrepreneurship skills training for Armenian youth and advancing U.S. Armenia higher education partnerships in the STEM education and entrepreneurship fields. This results in citizens better prepared to contribute to Armenia’s economic growth, particularly in the burgeoning information technology (IT) sector.  For this funding opportunity, the Public Diplomacy Section aims to fund to initiatives that support U.S.-Armenian higher education cooperation in STEM learning and social entrepreneurship, and youth entrepreneurship skills training for Armenian youth, leveraging U.S. models and expertise. Two (2) separate projects are set forth in this NOFO to support individual and institutional capacity-building in the key areas of U.S.-Armenia higher education cooperation in STEM and social entrepreneurship, and youth entrepreneurship.   

Background 

STEM fields have become promising areas that are positively impacting various sectors of the Armenian economy and continue to grow vigorously. In the coming decades, STEM job creation is expected to outpace non-STEM job creation significantly, highlighting the importance of STEM knowledge to the economy. Developing U.S.-Armenian higher education connections in entrepreneurship and STEM fields to increase the capacity of students and faculty in Armenia and the uptake of STEM careers becomes more urgent every year as demand for these talents rise. Connecting the technical and analytical skills of STEM disciplines with the innovative, problem-solving focus of business and entrepreneurship fields are critical to supporting Armenia’s economic resiliency and inclusive economic growth. This project will contribute to the U.S. Embassy’s priorities by empowering youth to address social problems, collaborate with peers globally, and become active contributors to inclusive economic growth. By targeting both university students and aspiring entrepreneurs, this project will build their skills, prepare them for careers in the STEM and entrepreneurship fields, give them tools to enhance and expand their startup ideas, and provide access to U.S. expertise, mentors and international resources. It will also strengthen ties between the entrepreneurship ecosystem in United States and Armenia, building local capacity to support a pipeline of aspiring entrepreneurs. 

Project Goals & Objectives 

This NOFO comprises two (2) separate projects. Applicants must have the experience and resources to reach the target objectives, goals and audiences.  

Project 1: U.S.-Armenia Higher Education Partnership in STEM and Social Entrepreneurship 

Project ceiling: $300,000 

Goal: The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan seeks innovative proposals for a U.S.-Armenia higher education partnership that connects entrepreneurship skill building with the technical rigor and fundamentals of STEM fields through innovative learning opportunities. A priority focus for 2024 is on social entrepreneurship, which utilizes for-profit business models and entrepreneurial approaches to make a positive impact on social issues. Recognizing the critical importance of STEM and social entrepreneurship in shaping the future of the economy and society, the program should explore how STEM can address complex societal challenges through technological innovation and entrepreneurial strategies.  We are looking for innovative concepts which aim to create dynamic and impactful collaborations between universities, students, and the startup ecosystem, fostering a culture of innovation and practical problem-solving in both STEM and social entrepreneurship, and leveraging U.S. expertise and insights. 

Project Activities: 

Proposals should focus on both of the following two activities, and incorporate a U.S. perspective through linkages with a U.S. higher education partner. 

• STEM for Social Good Incubator/StartUp Lab: Launch an incubator or StartUp lab program for Armenian undergraduate students designed for STEM and entrepreneurship projects that address social issues in Armenia. The lab should provide resources, mentorship, and opportunity to help turn ideas into viable social enterprises, based on U.S. expertise and models. This could take the form of a course, summer mini-program, or other lab format that provides students with hands on learning. Audience: Undergraduate students. 
• Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship, based on U.S. expertise and models. The initiative should equip participants with the knowledge and skills to apply STEM learning, technology, and innovation to develop entrepreneurship initiatives, including social enterprises. The initiative could be 9-12 credit hours and should be designed for both policy/non-profit and entrepreneurship-oriented participants. The certificate program might include courses including financial and resource management, social entrepreneurship skills, and design thinking. Audience: Graduate students and/or early career/aspiring entrepreneurs. 
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Proposals should achieve the following:  

Objective 1: Strengthen the Armenian higher education sector’s ability to train and inspire the next generation of STEM professionals and entrepreneurs through a U.S.-Armenian higher education partnership that brings U.S. best practices and standards to STEM and social entrepreneurship education in Armenia.  

Objective 2: Enhances access to U.S. STEM and social entrepreneurship expertise and models for university students and aspiring professionals in the STEM field through integrating STEM and entrepreneurial principles into education programs that improve skill building and practical application of skills. 

Objective 3: Provides training across a variety of STEM and social entrepreneurship concepts for undergraduates, graduate students, and aspiring entrepreneurs that builds their skills, empowers them to advance their own entrepreneurial venture or career in STEM and entrepreneurship, and provides a framework for harnessing STEM and entrepreneurial skills with creating transformative responses to societal challenges. 

Audiences: 

Participants or primary audiences for the project should be Armenian university students (graduate and undergraduate), as well as early career aspiring entrepreneurs.  

Monitoring and Evaluation: 

• Applicants should include a Program Monitoring and Evaluation Plan in their proposal.  A monitoring and evaluation plan (M&E plan) is a systematic and objective approach or process for monitoring project performance toward its objectives over time.  In general, M&E plans should have a robust set of indicators that measure program progress and impact of the program activities.  While it is not necessary to have indicators for every program activity, the indicators should measure the major program activities that will contribute to the advancement of the strategic objectives as laid out in the proposal. Each M&E plan should contain specific output- and outcome-based indicators with baselines and targets, data source, and frequency of data collection.         

Project 2: Promoting Entrepreneurial Skills for Armenian Youth   

Project ceiling: $175,000 

Goal: Strengthen Armenia’s economic resiliency and inclusive economic growth by nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship skills among young people, displaced persons, and women entrepreneurs, primarily in rural communities of Armenia.  Proposals should demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring equal opportunities for all applicants, with a concerted effort to achieve gender balance and inclusion of underrepresented groups and vulnerable populations. 

Project Activities: 

To achieve the program goals/objectives and the expected results, proposals could include the following types of activities. However, these are suggestions not requirements, and the NOFO is purposefully left broad to encourage innovative approaches. 

• Organize a youth-focused entrepreneurship competition or capacity-building activity to enhance entrepreneurship skills among 300 Armenian youths (ages 18-30), including displaced persons and women from rural areas, focusing on sustainable social impact.  This could be a startup or business pitch competition, hackathon, or other capacity building activities designed to build skills in entrepreneurship and/or social entrepreneurship. 
• Foster a network of entrepreneurs, facilitating skill transfer and resource sharing, especially among projects that address society challenges in Armenia. This network aims to support the broader understanding and adoption of U.S. business practices and could focus on entrepreneurship or social entrepreneurship. 
• Create a new partnership between the U.S. and Armenian entrepreneurial ecosystems. This could take the form of a new link between a U.S. and Armenian hub, incubator, training program, or business problem solving competition program. The initiative should bring U.S. expertise to Armenian youth, facilitating an increased understanding of U.S. innovation and entrepreneurship practices among Armenian youth. 
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Proposals should achieve the following: 

Objective 1: Build skills and enhanced entrepreneurship skills among youth, displaced persons, and/or women entrepreneurs from rural communities of Armenia. 

Objective 2: Encourage broader understanding of and adoption of U.S. expertise in innovation, design thinking and entrepreneurial skills among Armenian youth and start-up community. 

Objective 3: Build new U.S.-Armenian partnerships between Armenian and U.S. entrepreneurial ecosystems, building local capacity to train aspiring entrepreneurs, focused on U.S. expertise in design thinking, creative problem solving, and social innovation. 

Audiences: 

• Priority Audiences: Youth and aspiring entrepreneurs (particularly from rural areas) ages 16-30, displaced persons, and women. Secondary audiences: Armenian start-ups and business community, with a special interest in social entrepreneurship and sustainable business models. 

Monitoring and Evaluation: 

Applicants should include a Program Monitoring and Evaluation Plan in their proposal, which can include but not be limited to the collection of the following data:  

• Demographics: The grantee collects demographic information on all participants to include gender, age range, home district, level of formal education, profession, etc.  

• Grantee Interviews: The grantee includes plans to conduct interviews with a representative sample of participants. The purpose of the interviews is to determine the most significant change beneficiaries experienced, in their opinion, from participation in the project. Interviewers must explain the purpose of the interview and protect the confidentiality of any beneficiaries who agree to be interviewed. The grantee translates summaries of key interviews into English to be used as success stories.  

• Beneficiary network created: At the end of the program activity, the selected grantee sends a follow-up survey at least 3 months after the project ends to determine how, if at all, the participant is utilizing knowledge and skills gained from participating in the project.  

For more details please download the full NOGO!