Call for Proposals: ESO Expansion Incentive Grant – Rwanda

Grant Dimensions

• Up to USD 500,000 per applicant, covering up to 70% of the cost of the approved eligible activities. The remaining amount will be covered by the ESO. The grant sizes within this window will be contingent upon the funding requirements associated with the expansion or internationalization activities that ESOs aim to undertake.
• The disbursement of the grants will be performance-based, based on the delivery of the defined milestones and in line with the disbursement schedules as outlined in the grant agreement.

Eligible Activities

The eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• Creating new innovative programs that attract and support diverse startups, creating cohorts with diverse international representation.
• Supporting startups to present innovative solutions and scale up outside of Rwanda.
• Creating initiatives that facilitate cross-border collaboration among startups.
• Forging partnerships with global industry experts, international ESOs, incubators, or accelerators for strategic growth initiatives.
• Developing specialized services for specific groups or sectors.
• Undertaking diverse growth initiatives, for strategic growth.

The eligible activities above will align with the gaps identified by the ESOs and indicated in the self-assessment report completed in the ESO Assessment Tool and submitted by the ESO as part of the grant application.

Sectorial scope: Sector-agnostic, focused on ESOs supporting innovation-driven start-ups.

Geographical scope: Rwandan registered ESOs operating on local, regional or national scale.

Target beneficiaries: Rwandan registered ESOs with established foundations, a minimum of 8 permanent staff and average annual revenues of USD 600,000 and above for the last three years, with a keen interest in expansion and internationalization to cater to evolving needs of high-growth startups in a scale-up phase. The ESOs should have been in operation for at least five years.

Type of application: Sole applicant or partnership. Rwandan registered ESO as lead applicant; partnership(s) with local and international ESOs is encouraged.

Eligibility Criteria

• Legal entity status: Be a legal entity, duly registered in Rwanda (ESOs will be required to submit their certificate of incorporation/registration), acting as the sole applicant or lead applicant in case of a partnership, directly responsible for the preparation and management of the grant application i.e. the implementing entity should be the one applying for the grant. For partnerships, all partner entities must be duly registered and certificates of incorporation/registration must be provided.
• Tax compliance: Must be tax compliant. A valid tax clearance certificate should be provided as part of the grant application.
• Financial stability as demonstrated by audited financial statements for at least 3 years.
• Ability to match the required % of financial contribution by ESO as proven by the bank statements or by a proof of being able to provide such financing by the requested date.
• Only one application per applicant is allowed within the context of a specific call of proposals/cut off dates. ESOs submitting multiple applications for one call for proposal will be disqualified.

For more information, visit Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA).