The Youth Entrepreneurship Funding Announcement

The Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (NEA/PI), Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the US Department of State has announced an open competition for foreign and US-based NGOs under the “Youth Entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa Program Announcement.”

The Project

  • The program will engage youths by supporting their economic opportunities and building new partnerships to address issues such as unemployment in the region.

  • Projects that involve youths in an entrepreneurial manner such as “entrepreneurial skill-building, idea generation, business incubation, competition, access to capital, access to employment, and development of entrepreneurship networks (including possibly virtual networks) to connect entrepreneurs with each other as well as with a broader range of stake-holders” can be proposed under this funding program.

  • “Projects should encourage innovation and creativity – in both new and traditional sectors.

  • Projects may also support the development of social entrepreneurship, applying business-like efficiency, innovation, and sustainability to tackling pressing social problems.

    Selection Criteria

    NEA/PI seeks applications that would address the varying status of entrepreneurship in the economies of the region:

  • those that have significant economic resources or are well developed in some respects but are still building a local culture of entrepreneurship,

  • those without significant economic resources that must use entrepreneurship to tap into comparative advantages and create niche markets,

  • and those that fall somewhere in between these two poles.

  • Most responsive projects will address the needs of economies and populations that lack strong traditions of entrepreneurship and will specify how and where they will have the greatest impact, particularly with respect to youth (defined for purposes of this RFA as males and females from 16 to 35 years of age).”

    The Fund

  • A total amount of $2,250,000 Economic Support Funds has been allocated for funding under this program.

  • All submissions have to be made through the Grants.gov website for which prior registration is necessary for all applicants.

  • Applicants registering for the first time need to prepare the proposal at least 10 days ahead of the deadline as registration time can be lengthy at times.

    Application Deadline; 20 November.

    For More Information and Application, Please Visit; U.S Department of State Website