Call for Proposals: Micro and Small Businesses to Benefit from UNDP Grants

The Women’s Economic Empowerment Through Advancing Women-Led Enterprises in Lebanon (WEE) is a new project generously funded by the Government of Canada and implemented by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project aims at supporting gender-responsive job creation and generating economic opportunities for women-led MSMEs across various productive sectors with high growth potential.

With MSMEs forming the backbone of Lebanon’s economy, supporting them during times of crisis is crucial for maintaining and improving economic resilience and sustaining livelihoods opportunities across the country.

Through the Grant Component, UNDP will ensure that businesses, particularly those led by women have access to financing opportunities to sustain and grow their operation.

Objective

• The grants aim to:
  • Maintain ongoing production and business continuity.
  • Promote job retention and economic stability.
  • Enable innovation to meet changing market needs.
  • Support the integration of energy-efficient practices to support in cost reduction.
  • Expand market access and explore new distribution channels to sustain sales.

Funding Information

• You can benefit from a grant ranging from 10,000 USD to 12,000 USD to sustain your business operations and ensure its continuity.

Eligible Activities

• Eligible activities covered by the grant are listed below:
  • Purchase of Essential Materials
  • Support for Workers’ Wages
  • Logistics-Related Costs
  • Purchase of Equipment or Machinery
  • Product Innovation
  • Purchase of Energy-efficient Equipment
  • E-commerce and Marketing Activities

Eligibility Criteria

• To qualify for the grant, applicants must meet the following criteria:
  • Businesses formally registered with relevant authorities and compliant with legal requirements;
  • Businesses employing less or equal to 20 registered employees and have an annual turnover of less or equal to 1 million USD;
  • Businesses operating within the Agro-Food (food processing and beverages), Cosmetics & Cleaning Products (Essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic and Soap, organic surface-active agents, detergents and washing and cleaning preparations) or Creative Industries (high-end crafts, jewellery designed products and textile-based products.) sectors;
  • Businesses producing goods locally, with export activity accounting for less than 20% of total sales;
  • Businesses demonstrating ongoing business activity and provide evidence of sustained operations.
• Priority will be given for the micro and small-sized enterprises which support women economic empowerment and livelihood while adhering to sustainable environmental practices.

Evaluation Criteria

• The evaluation process is carried out by a dedicated Grant Selection Committee with expertise in MSME development. Proposals will be assessed based on:
  • Justification and relevance of proposed activities.
  • Feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the proposed budget and timeline.
  • Innovativeness and alignment with market needs.
  • Financial stability and operational capacity of the business.
  • Economic, social, and environmental impacts, including gender equality.

For more information, visit UNDP.