Description
The U.S. Embassy in Singapore is pleased to announce the open competition to award a cooperative agreement for a recently launched program, the “Academy for Women Entrepreneurs” (or “AWE”). The Public Affairs Section invites proposals from established Singaporean associations, committed, and organized civil-society organizations, and academic institutions, to design and implement a six-month entrepreneurship program in partnership with the Embassy that would provide approximately 30 emerging female entrepreneurs with knowledge, networks, and access they need to launch and scale successful businesses. U.S. and third-country organizations or nationals are not eligible for cooperative agreements under this program unless in partnership with a Singaporean entity. It is the Embassy’s intent to award one cooperative agreement up to $25,000. Pending the availability of funds, the agreement should begin on or around September 1, 2023 and should expire on March 31, 2024. The authority for this funding opportunity is the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, commonly referred to as the Smith-Mundt Act. Through this entrepreneurship program, participants will take part in facilitated training sessions featuring an online curriculum on business fundamentals (“DreamBuilder” and/or “100 Million Learners”) that will be provided by the State Department through the University of Arizona. These sessions should be highly interactive, extend learning beyond the virtual course material, and add value in a local context. The program should enhance local entrepreneurs’ business acumen as well as their capacity to expand. Coursework should be supplemented by engaging and educational in-person talks and workshops, including from successful Singaporean entrepreneurs and alumni of U.S. government exchange programs. Awardees must facilitate all the virtual and in-person sessions or work with facilitators with a background in education, entrepreneurship, and training. One key focus of the program will be enhancing the technology capabilities of female entrepreneurs when feasible. In close coordination with Embassy staff, the awardee will recruit participants, plan the program schedule (taking into account participants’ schedules), and coordinate supplemental site visits, guest speakers, and other networking sessions and events that enhance the technical capabilities of the entrepreneurs. The AWE program will target Singaporean women ages 23-45 who are ready to launch their business or have done so within the past 5 years and are looking to scale up or grow. It will particularly benefit business owners who need to increase their technical capabilities through exposure to American tech experts and companies. Participants should be recruited via a competitive application process from across Singapore. The awardee will develop the recruitment and selection plan with clear guidelines for participant eligibility. The program will be held at a variety of locations across Singapore, selected by the awardee in consultation with U.S. Embassy Singapore. In addition to facilitation, talks, and workshops, the awardee will be responsible for communications with program participants, coordinating and paying for venues, equipment, and other particulars linked to virtual and in-person components of the program. The awardee is also in charge of monitoring and evaluation of the program, to include designing and implementing pre and post surveys, monitoring the program, and post program evaluation. All AWE activities should have a strong American focus. To supplement the facilitated “Dreambuilder” and “100 Million Learners” online sessions, the Embassy will work with the awardee to identify and recruit relevant local American business experts and professors in Singapore and/or business experts from the Singaporean branches of American companies to provide complementary lectures and workshops. The Embassy will seek to include a substantial proportion of female role models among these experts. The Awardee will integrate these experts into the program based on the best fit with course content.