WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME
BUSINESS GRANTS FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS (BGWE)
Conflicts with armed opposition groups in Iraq have led to massive internal displacement. Iraq is now contending with one of the largest internally displaced populations (IDPs) in the world; over 1.8 million people have been displaced since January 2014, in addition to approximately 220,000 Syrian refugees.
The exodus of IDPs and Syrian refugees have greatly impacted the capacity of local communities, authorities and humanitarian actors to adequately respond to urgent needs. At the same time that many actors focusing on the immediate and emergency needs of the displacement affected population, the focus on livelihoods and longer-term sustainable solutions is in process of adequately addressed as well. Livelihoods and sustainable income generation opportunities are needed to alleviate the burden of rental costs, provide access to basic facilities such as health and education and to meet daily needs including safe water and shelter. Providing livelihood opportunities has the advantage of supporting the local economy, minimizes tensions between host and displaced communities, and empowers households to become self-sustaining allowing for a protection environment, particularly for women and children.
In response to this crisis, ECCI/BIC (Erbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry/Business Development & Information Center), with support from UNDP, is launching a Call for Proposals (Business Grants for Women Entrepreneurs – BGWE), in order to support women entrepreneurs creating sustainable, profitable businesses which in return will create stable jobs and income generation for one of the most vulnerable fragments of the society; women affected by the current crisis.
I.OBJECTIVES, EXPECTED RESULTSAND TARGET BENEFICIARIES
The objective of the BGWEis to support women entrepreneurs in KRI to set up new businesses or enlarge existing businesses in order to foster opportunities for the employment of women IDPs, refugees and members of host communities.
All Business Grant Applications should aim to:
1) Respond to the urgent socio-economic needs of the displaced population and the host communities through ensuring sustainable and profitable business ideas.
2) Promote social cohesion through employment of women IDPs, refugees, and host community members with no ethnic, religious or other types of discrimination.
Business Grant Applicant should target to achieve one or more output(s) described below:
Eligible business proposals will focus on the following target beneficiaries:
II.ELIGIBILITY
In order to evaluate and select Inclusive Business Applications, the first filter to be applied will be the review for compliance with following criteria (companies should fully meet all the following criteria to be eligible for assessment):
III. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
Please see the Application Form (Business Plan) in Annex A.
IV. BUDGET and DURATION
A detailed budget that fulfils the following requirements:
The business plan has to be operational from March 2015 on.
V. SUBMISSION PROCESS
Applicants shall bear all costs related to proposal preparation and submission.
Applicants must submit their proposals in one envelope in hard copy or one pdf file electronically to:
* Proposal submission address for Hard-Copy: ECCI/BIC (Postal address: Erbil, Gulan Str, 40 mr, near Sofymall, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Building, Bic ,4th floor.)
(Note: Please indicate “Call for Proposal for Women’s Economic Empowerment” on top right-hand corner of the sealed envelope)
* E-mail Address for Electronic Copy: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Notes:
1-Please indicate the subject: Call for Proposal for Women’s Economic Empowerment.
2-All applications should be written in English language.
3-Number of copies: 1(One)
Submission Deadline
Proposals, with supporting documents, should be submitted by 12thFeb 2015at 12PM.
For additional questions about the Call for Proposals Guidelines or application forms, please e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Note; ECCI/BIC reserves the right not to fund any proposals arising from this Call for Proposals
Estimate Competition Timeline
Below is an estimated timeline for this Call for Proposals.
Call for Proposal opens and relevant documents are posted online: 26thtJanuary 2015
Deadline for organizations to submit proposals under this Call: 12th Feb 2015
Assessment and selection processes will take place: 19-20thFeb 2015
Selected applicants will be notified: 25thFeb 2015
ANNEX A:
APPLICATION FORM
BUSINESS IDEA PLAN
BUSINESS INFORMATION
This section must address all the following questions:
In this section, the applicant should describe their business model by clearly answering the following:
The company should consider the following points, when developing this section as applicable and needed:
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Business idea objective |
Indicators |
Assumption |
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Business idea outputs |
Indicators |
Assumption |
O1 |
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O2 |
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O3 |
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O4 |
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O5 |
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Activities for output1 put narrative description of output here |
Start date |
End date |
Key Milestones*, what targets/indicators need to be achieved |
OA1.1 |
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OA1.2 |
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Activities for output2 put narrative description of output here |
Start date |
End date |
Key Milestones, what targets/indicators need to be achieved |
OA2.1 |
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OA2.2 |
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Please provide a budget planning:
Please provide a statement and forecast (with calculations included) of the following:
Please provide as well:
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Key results/impact should be achieved at this milestone |
When it will be achieved |
Expected amount to be spent |
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2 |
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3 |
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4 |
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Grand total in USD |
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Monthly project cash-flow forecast:
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Month 1 |
Month 2 |
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Month 24 |
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Initial cash balance |
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Project cash outflow |
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Cash inflow |
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Provide data on market research as applicable to show that there are market opportunities for the goods and/or services mentioned in the proposal, for example:
Describe the technical feasibility of the business idea around the following elements
a) Key technical factors, knowledge and human resource that company currently has and that will use for the business model implementation.
b) Key technical factors which the company doesn’t have yet. The company will get the knowledge, human resources or others from which partners, suppliers, etc.
(Analyse the key risks and success factors needed for a successful implementation
Risk identified |
Risk likelihood |
Risk Severity |
What could be done to avoid or mitigate the risk? |
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BUSINESS IDEA IMPACT and MONITORING
In this section the applicant should explain the social impact of the business idea in terms of:
For and on behalf of the Lead Business Applicant, I understand that,
(Signed and sealed)
Name:
Title:
Date:
ECCI/BIC Internal admin
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Received date
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Received by |
Project number |
[1]Key milestones are milestones when project achieve one of its important objectives/output/target and/or when there is event that bring benefits to both business and low in-come people.