Grants to support Resumption or Development of non-Agricultural & Agricultural Small & Micro-Enterprises (Armenia)

The grant competition is announced under the United Nations Development Program “Investing in Development-Preventing Crisis” project (hereinafter referred to as the Project).

Project will support refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, vulnerable households and their related non-agricultural MSMEs in Yerevan city, and agricultural and non-agricultural MSMEs in Kotayk/Ararat regions. To this end, the project announces competition to select two implementing local organizations (1 for Yerevan, and 1 for Kotayk/Ararat marzes), which, together with UNDP, will select beneficiaries and provide them support in small grants scheme.

Objectives

• To conduct an open announcement/competition prior to the phase of providing the small grants in Yerevan city and Kotayk and Ararat regions, in order to select potential beneficiaries of grants and provide them with business training, as well as support in developing business plans.
• Based on the results of training phase, together with UNDP:
  • In Yerevan city support the resumption or development of non-agricultural small or micro-entrepreneurship or individual/family/entrepreneurship by refugees from NK or hosting socially vulnerable individuals or families, providing each with up to $3,000 non-monetary small grants,
  • In Kotayk and Ararat regions support the resumption or development of agricultural and non-agricultural small or micro-entrepreneurship or individual/family/entrepreneurship by refugees from NK or hosting socially vulnerable individuals or families, providing each with up to $5,000 non-monetary small grants.
• The grantee NGOs should involve, if necessary, official, and non-formal representatives of local communities, applying innovative approaches if plausible. The grant support should focus on inclusion, in particular involving youth, women, persons with disabilities, in addition to low-income and socially vulnerable refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh.

Funding Information

• For Yerevan city the maximum allowable budget amount for a given job is 100,000 (one hundred thousand) US dollars. The winner/implementing organization will issue at least 25 applicants, who have successfully passed the training phase, with small non-agricultural business grants with the amount up to 3,000 USD to each based on their business plans.
• Likewise, the maximum allowable budget amount for a given job is 100,000 (one hundred thousand) US dollars for Kotayk and Ararat marzes. The winner/implementing organization will issue at least 15 applicants, who have successfully passed the training phase, with small agricultural and non-agricultural business grants with the amount up to 5,000 USD to each based on their business plans.

Expected quantitative results

• In the preliminary business training phase of the project to select and include around 30 participants from Yerevan and 20 participants from Korayk and Ararat marzes- to form capacities in developing business plans, budgeting, marketing, management, business communications. From participants, who have successfully completed the training phase and developed their business plans select:
  • In Yerevan at least 25 refugee or host beneficiaries (including sole and individual entrepreneurs registered in Yerevan), for non-agricultural small entrepreneurship non-monetary grant for up to 3000 USD.
  • In Kotayk and Ararat marzes at least 15   refugee or host beneficiaries (including sole and individual entrepreneurs), for agricultural and non-agricultural small entrepreneurship non-monetary grant for up to 5000 USD.

Duration

• All projects must be implemented in the specific period mentioned in the Cooperation Agreement/contract with UNDP. Overall, projects must be implemented maximum within the period between May 1, 2024- September 30, 2024.

Grants Beneficiaries and Target Groups

• Project target groups are refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, their host families, and individuals, as well as sole entrepreneurs and small entrepreneurs residing in Yerevan city, Kotayk and Ararat marzes. It is required that minimum 80% of these beneficiaries be refugee individuals, families, sole or small entrepreneurs from NK.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications are accepted from non-profit organizations that have a certificate of registration with the Ministry of Justice of Armenia and have the right to operate in the country;
• The grant applicant should be a local non-governmental organization operating in Yerevan, Kotayk or Ararat regions or with significant implementation record in these areas, which has an office and registered employees.
• The grant applicant must have at least 2 years of proven work experience in providing and managing small entrepreneurship grants preferably in Yerevan, or Kotayk/Ararat regions.
• The applicant must have 1 year of work experience working with displaced persons and socially vulnerable groups preferably in Yerevan, or Kotayk/Ararat regions.
• The grant applicant must have 3 years of work experience in project implementation, donor grants, budget management, monitoring, and public relations reports preferably in Yerevan, or Kotayk/Ararat regions.
• Application must showcase how it targets youth, women/girls and most vulnerable groups.
• The same applicant cannot apply for two grants in both regions. The applicant can apply for a grant to be implemented in either Yerevan or Kotayk/Ararat regions.
• Applicant should have operating office, registered employees.
• Applicant should include activities in the application that provide significant mentoring and learning to the beneficiaries in the field of specific business activities or general entrepreneurship.
• • The project application should be prepared in strict accordance with the proposed format, and the provided information should be complete, accurate and clear.

Ineligible

• Applicants are excluded from participation in an open tender or grant allocation process if, at the time of submission of the project proposal:
  • They have a conflict of interest;
  • Incorrect or fake information was provided;
  • An attempt was made to obtain confidential information or to influence the work of the Grant Evaluation Commission (GEC).

For more information, visit UNDP.