U.S. Department of State Grant: Training Ukrainian Start-up Owners in Sustainable Business Financing to Foster Innovation

The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in Ukraine by training Ukrainian start-up owners on sustainable business financing methods. This opportunity envisions an intensive, multi-module workshop on sustainable business financing for a limited group of Ukrainian entrepreneurs and the creation of a publicly available free virtual training on sustainable business financing.  Applicant organizations should place a strong emphasis on developing relationships between Americans and Ukrainians through this program. Please carefully follow all instructions below.

Priority Regions:  Eastern, southern, and/or southeastern Ukraine

Program Objectives:

Summary:  A successful applicant will design a program that trains Ukrainian start-up owners on various sustainable business financing methods to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in Ukraine and enhance the climate for Ukrainian start-ups. Your proposal should include plans for an intensive, multi-module workshop that walks Ukrainian start-up entrepreneurs through the development and execution of a successful and sustainable business financing plan. The workshop should also provide insight into various methods for financing an enterprise longer-term. In addition, you should plan to create a publicly available free virtual training on sustainable business financing accessible to the broader community of Ukrainian innovators and entrepreneurs. Your program must place a strong emphasis on developing relationships between Americans and Ukrainians. 

Structure:  You will be responsible for organizing an intensive, multi-module workshop on sustainable business financing for a limited number of competitively selected Ukrainian entrepreneurs. The workshop should cover, at a minimum, the mechanics of business financing, business financing best practices and models (to include but not limited to crowdfunding, donations, work with investors, loans, etc.), concept pitching, accountability to investors and lenders, and ways to sustain financing longer-term. These modules should include an equal representation of American and Ukrainian trainers with expertise in sustainable business financing and business development. Participants should come away from the workshop with tangible deliverables (e.g., short- and long-term sustainable business financing plans). The workshop should culminate in an event allowing participants to demonstrate the skills they learned. Your proposal should place a heavy emphasis on networking and relationship development amongst participants and between participants and American and Ukrainian guest speakers.

You will also be responsible for creating a publicly available free virtual training on sustainable business financing for the broader community of Ukrainian entrepreneurs. The training should incorporate modules similar to those of the workshop, though in shorter form. Online modules should be easily understandable and entertaining and should include an equal representation of American and Ukrainian speakers.

America House Kyiv will host all in-person and online training sessions. Likewise, America House Kyiv and/or a U.S. Embassy platform will host the publicly available free virtual training course on sustainable business financing. America House Kyiv and U.S. Embassy social media platforms would assist with advertising and promotion. Your project should follow the U.S. government branding guidelines linked below.

Your proposal should demonstrate a clear understanding of the business financing and start-up climate in Ukraine and take all relevant laws and regulations into account. You should make a compelling case for how your program would advance the strategic priorities outlined above within the Ukrainian context. In addition, your program should clearly represent U.S.-Ukraine collaboration and help deepen ties between the United States and Ukraine in the business sector.

Your budget should include costs for interpretation/translation into Ukrainian.

PAS will give preference to proposals with strong cost-sharing elements.

Note:  Given the COVID-19 outbreak, proposals must also include plans for an online format is in-person programming is unfeasible.

Sample Timeline:

• October-November 2020 – Announcement of workshop; solicitation of applications for participation; workshop planning; start of online course development
• December 2020 – Review of applications in consultation with PAS; workshop planning; online course development
• January 2020 – Workshop planning; online course development
• February 2020 – Workshop; online course development
• March 2020 – Launch of online course
• April-December – Evaluation of program

Monitoring and Evaluation:  You must demonstrate your organization’s capacity to monitor program activities and evaluate your program’s results by measuring performance and impact (results).  Indicators of success should relate directly to the strategic goals outlined above.  Your budget must cover the costs of monitoring and evaluating your program.

The evaluation plan should address the following:  1) What data will you collect to determine whether the program is on track? 2) How will you collect the data (e.g., pre- or post-surveys, focus groups, interviews, media monitoring, etc.)? What type of data will you collect (quantitative and/or qualitative)? 3) How will you organize and report your data?  You should submit your evaluation plan as a “logic model,” a link to a sample of which is included in Section D.

Participants and Audiences:

This opportunity targets young Ukrainian entrepreneurs (20-35 years of age) who have recently launched a start-up, particularly in the priority regions mentioned above. Your proposal should also identify plans to include underrepresented groups, including but not limited to women, persons with disabilities, and LGBTI+ individuals.

Priority target sectors:  creative industries, technology, food/restaurants, agriculture, and healthcare.