Funding to support Youth to develop Micro and Small Businesses in West Nile Region (Uganda)

This call for proposals aims to address the lack of employment opportunities and barriers to inclusive economic development for vulnerable refugee and host community youth, including young women, by supporting the development of sustainable micro- and small businesses.

In first instance, the project aims to enhance resilience needs of vulnerable youth/ youth groups. The call therefore targets micro- and small businesses, including in the informal economy, that can generate sufficient income or enhance income diversification, for sustainable livelihoods and enhanced food security.

The call aims to unlock entrepreneurship potential and primarily promotes business development support actions. The target groups are therefore skilled youth who have the entrepreneurial mindset, capacity and are ready but in need of support to start their micro-business and/or youth business-owners in need of support to make their business resilient and maximize its value.

Objectives

• The general objective of this Call for Proposals is: The livelihoods of vulnerable refugee and host community youth, including young women, in the refugee hosting districts in West Nile region, are improved and sustained through access to self-employment opportunities.
• The specific objective of this Call for Proposals is: Vulnerable refugee and host community youth, including young women, start and grow sustainable micro- or small businesses, through enhanced access to quality business development support.

Themes

• The call targets sustainable micro- and small business development support in the following value chains:
  • Lot 1: Agriculture:
    • Horticulture value chains;
    • Staple food crops: cassava, sim sim and sunflower value chains;
    • Apiary value chain;
    • Small livestock: poultry, piggery value chains;
    • Coffee and cocoa value chains.
  • Lot 2: Green economy:
    • Sustainable tourism and hospitality value chains;
    • Renewable energy value chain;
    • Sustainable forestry value chains (sustainable timber and non-timber, including agroforestry models).

Funding Information

• The total indicative amount available under this Call for Proposals is 1,000,000 EUR. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all of the available funds.
• The total indicative amount is distributed over sectors/lots, with indicative allocation per lot as follows:
  • Lot 1 – Agriculture: 650,000 EUR
  • Lot 2 – Green economy: 350,000 EUR
• Grant amount
  • Any grant application under this Call for Proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts per lot:
  • Lot 1 – Agriculture:
    • minimum amount: 150,000 EUR
    • maximum amount: 500,000 EUR
  • Lot 2 – Green economy:
    • minimum amount: 150,000 EUR
    • maximum amount: 350,000 EUR

Expected Results

• Expected results are:
  • 1000 vulnerable refugee and host community youth, including young women (ie. Skilled, unemployed youth as well as youth business-owners), are supported to start or grow sustainable micro- and small businesses through quality business development support;
  • 1000 vulnerable refugee and host community youth (the same target group as under expected result), are supported to access affordable finance and capital to start or grow their micro- or small businesses;
  • Good practices in (green/climate-smart) business development services for the economic integration of vulnerable youth are scaled-up.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicant
  • To be admissible for grants, the applicant must satisfy the following conditions:
    • Be a legal entity;
    • Be a private not for profit entity or foundation;
    • Be established or represented in Uganda;
    • Be any of the following types of organization:
      • national or international Non-Governmental Organization, Civil Society or Community-Based Organization, or Foundation;
      • Business Membership Organisation;
      • non-profit Business Development Service provider.
    • Have demonstrated local expertise and experience in managing quality business development initiatives and economic empowerment of vulnerable refugee and host community youth and young women in a humanitarian/refugee settlement context for – at least – the past 2 years;
    • Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co applicant(s) (where applicable) and not be acting as an intermediary;
    • Have an active Bank Account for the past 12 months;
    • Have in-house financial management capacity.
• Co-applicant(s)
  • The applicant may act with one or maximum two co-applicants. A partnership with (a) co applicant(s) is to optimize the accumulation of complementary expertise needed to obtain the objectives of the action. Any co-applicant(s) shall participate in the definition and the implementation of the action, and the costs that they incur shall be eligible in the same way as those incurred by the applicant.
  • Co-applicants must meet the following conditions:
    • Be a legal entity;
    • Be a public entity; or
    • Be a private not for profit entity or foundation; or
    • Be a legal entity of private law for which profit maximization is not the priority objective4,
    • Be established or represented in Uganda;
    • Be any of the following types of organization:
      • Accredited public or private non-profit technical and/or vocational skills training provider;
      • Semi-autonomous public agency in Research and Development, agricultural extension services or community development;
      • National or international NGO, Civil Society or Community-Based Organization, or Foundation;
      • Business Membership Organisation;
      • Non-profit Business Development Service provider;
      • a cooperative or social enterprise for which profit maximization is not the priority objective;
    • Have demonstrated expertise and experience in participating in the implementation of quality business development initiatives and economic empowerment of vulnerable refugee and host community youth and young women in the geographical target area for – at least – the past 2 years;
    • Have an operational governance structure and an active bank account for the past 12 months.

For more information, visit Enabel.