Applications Invited for 2024 Academy of Women Entrepreneurs Program in Consular District Hyderabad

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About the Organization

The U.S. Department of State manages America's relationships with foreign governments, international organizations, and the people of other countries.

Our Mission: To protect and promote U.S. security, prosperity, and democratic values and shape an international environment in which all Americans can thrive.

The mission of the United States Embassy is to advance the interests of the United States, and to serve and protect U.S. citizens in India.

About the Grant

A key pillar of U.S. strategy in India is to strengthen India’s innovation and entrepreneurship eco-system while also advancing the role of women in the economy and the workforce.  Building on the success of our Academy of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) 2023 program, U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad proposes in 2024 to create an AWE program of 60 total participants for an intensive, four month, “workshop” style training and mentorship program.   Our AWE program will provide training in basic business principles using the established Academy of Women Entrepreneurs/DreamBuilder curriculum. Building on the DreamBuilder framework, we seek to add value for participants by including extensive USG alumni engagement, including the participation of distinguished alumni as speakers and as informal mentors to all participants. Hyderabad’s AWE program will again also tap into existing U.S. government-funded resources to provide additional value to participants, including the use of our American Corners for in-person event locations and the use of a specialist to help participants hone their business communications and presentation skills. For 2024, priority for participation will be given to underrepresented groups, including Muslim women.

Background:

Women are vital to India’s future economic prosperity, and jobs and businesses are a vital tool that allow women to take a more active role in Indian society. Unfortunately, women in India continue to face significant cultural and structural challenges in creating and growing businesses. Women’s participation in India’s labor force is still low, and limited numbers of businesses are woman-owned or run. Lack of quality mentorship and good learning materials deny budding women entrepreneurs access to funding, networking, and market opportunities. The lack of basic business training and awareness inhibits growth and expansion, as well as job creation. Many women also lack the contacts and awareness necessary to take advantage of existing resources to assist businesses to grow, such as business incubators, networks of investors, and support structures for small businesses.   

 

PD Hyderabad conducted a four cohort, 100-person AWE program in 2023. While this project was very successful, this year we propose a smaller, more streamlined “workshop” style AWE program. The proposed project for 2024 emphasizes adding value to the existing DreamBuilder curriculum—which is the core of the AWE program—while making fewer demands on participants’ time. Based on funding availability, this project will train a total of 60 aspiring women entrepreneurs in two cohort locations: Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam. Each cohort will consist of 30 entrepreneurs, and the American Corners in Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam will be used for the in-person portions of the program.

Our AWE 2024 program is for four months duration (ideally June-September 2024) and has four individual phases. 

Phase one will be participant selection. The implementing organization, facilitators, and the Consulate Hyderabad PD team will all work to advertise for the program to drive interest and applications. This will include using a web microsite for program information, social media for advertising, and virtual information sessions to inform applicants about the program prior to making applications. Post will also leverage existing contacts—such as incubators and advocacy groups who work with women—to find potential applicants. The implementing organization, local facilitators, and Consulate Hyderabad will form a selection committee and review applications and select 30 participants for each cohort. 

Following participant selection, phase two will begin in June with a day-long, in-person orientation workshop for each cohort (conducted separately for each cohort at their local American Corners) by the implementing organization. The orientation workshop will allow participants to meet in person, become familiar with the DreamBuilder curriculum and the program plan, and provide an orientation to basic business skills and concepts. The event will include speakers from both the implementing organization as well as expert guest speakers, including participants of the United States Government-supported exchange programs and Consulate Hyderabad’s AWE 2023 alumni. Participants will also meet with their informal alumni mentors at the opening workshop. The implementing partner should organize an evening networking event to conclude the orientation.

During Phase Three, both cohorts will complete the DreamBuilder curriculum over 14 weeks through asynchronous, self-paced study. The local facilitator at each cohort location, engaged by the implementing partner, will conduct bi-weekly online review sessions and serve as an expert resource for questions about the curriculum, as well as provide guidance and encouragement to participants. During the self-study phase of the program, one week should be reserved for each cohort for a virtual workshop with our business communications specialist, who will provide training in business communications, self-branding, and business pitching skills. 

Phase four will be a final, two-day, in-person capstone workshop (conducted separately by the implementing partner for each cohort at their local American Corners). At the two-day capstone workshop, the implementing partner will review the content of the DreamBuilder curriculum, offer talks on specific business topics, feature motivational speakers, and include networking opportunities with members of the business community.  At least two USG alumni should be included as speakers at these events. The concluding event of the workshop will be a pitch competition for interested participants. Successful business executives, alumni, and members of the New Delhi-based NEXUS team will serve as judges. NEXUS is Mission India’s premier business entrepreneurship incubation program and provides intensive business training and guidance to small groups of emerging entrepreneurs. The winners of the pitch competition in each cohort location will receive a small reward and will also be offered the chance to make an express application to the NEXUS program for more advanced training. The implementing partner should work with the Consulate team to include USG Alumni in the AWE Program where required to serve as speakers and judges in the capstone pitch competition.

During the entire program, each participant will be assigned a mentor with experience in business and entrepreneurship to provide advice, guidance, and networking connections. As envisioned, all mentors will be USG program alumni. The mentors are not intended to replace the facilitators for the core training elements of the curriculum, but instead will provide participants with a one-on-one relationship with an experienced business professional who can be a source of advice, tips, and encouragement.

Consulate Hyderabad will provide certain resources that will be available to the implementing partner at no cost. Both cohort locations will be based out of the existing American Corner facilities, and access to these facilities is free. Since both Corners are located on university campuses, they also provide the opportunity for the cohorts to tap into existing networks with alumni, faculty members, and business incubators. During the second half of the program, a business communications specialist, paid through a separate grant, will provide both cohorts a weeklong, virtual session on business communications and personal branding skills. Consulate Hyderabad will pay the travel and lodging costs for the implementing organization staff for the launch and capstone events in each cohort location through a separate grant.

To ensure proper communication during the program, the implementing partner should create and moderate WhatsApp groups to communicate with the groups participating in the program. This should include groups to communicate with the Consulate, implementing partner staff, the two facilitators for the cohorts, and for the participants in the cohorts themselves.

The implementing partner should create a microsite with program information for potential participants and to accept applications prior to the start of the program, as well as to keep them informed during the course of the program. The implementing partner will be responsible for using Consulate Hyderabad’s own logo and branding during recruiting as well as during the course of the program. The implementing partner must ensure that that this project is promoted on social media, both before and during the course of the program. The implementing partner should also budget for providing or subsidizing mobile data for participants, where needed, as well as promotional branded items (like t-shirts and bags) for participants.

The implementing partner should plan for a robust monitoring and evaluation effort to evaluate program success, solicit opinions of various elements of the program, and gauge the impact of the program on participants’ success following completion of the program. This should include pre- and post-program surveys to determine the level of participant’s business knowledge at the start and finish of the program, as well as to measure satisfaction with the program and its implementing partner/facilitators/curriculum. The implementing partner will also follow-up with the participants six months after program ends to determine the ongoing impact of the program on participants’ business success (e.g., increase in employees, sales, investment, etc.). PD Hyderabad will include the requirement of at least one partial report in the Award Specific of the grant to report on program progress and success.

 

The implementing partner must conduct an open call to select the facilitators for each of the two cohort locations. The selection of the facilitators will put a premium on choosing individuals with business, entrepreneurship, and/or teaching and academic experience in business. Facilitators should be from the metropolitan area in which each cohort is located. 

Project Audience(s):

Participants must be from 21 to 45 years of age, with at least a high school education, who have limited resources, experience, or the network needed to expand and formalize their business.  Participants should already have a small business in operation for at least six months at the open call (but no more than two years) and/or have proven working experience with the business idea they would like to implement. Participants’ experience should be the key factor in their selection for the program: the implementing partner must ensure all participants are neither too advanced to find the curriculum useful, nor novices not yet prepared to make full use of the program. Participants must have intermediate computer skills in order to follow the DreamBuilder modules online and connect to the virtual facilitation sessions. Participants must have intermediate or better English skills so that they can complete the DreamBuilder curriculum without the need for its translation. Priority must be given to underrepresented groups in both locations, especially in Hyderabad, which has a large and historically disadvantaged Muslim minority population. 

Project Goal: Strengthen Indian entrepreneurship and ensure equitable economic growth and inclusive development.

Project Objective:  Graduating participants will gain the basic knowledge necessary to formalize and grow their businesses, as well increase their contacts and learn about local business incubator opportunities and resources. 

Expected Outcomes:

Outcome 1:  To strengthen the capacities of 60 women who are interested in entrepreneurship and help them create and/or formalize sustainable businesses.

Outcome 2: To provide 60 businesswomen access to networking, funding, and new markets to enhance the potential of their businesses.

Outcome 3: To create a network of empowered businesswomen who can contribute to the local economy, inspire young women in their ecosystems, and will continue to engage with our government.

Eligibility

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

• Not-for-profit organizations
• Civil society/non-governmental organizations
• Think tanks
• Public and private educational institutions

How to Apply

Application forms required below are available at www.grants.gov

Application Submission Process: There are two application submission methods available to applicants. Applicants may submit their application using Submission Method A or Submission Method B outlined below. 

• Submission Method A: Submitting all application materials through Grants.gov.  For those opting to apply through Grants.gov, thorough instructions on the application process are available at http://www.grants.gov.
• Submission Method B:  Submitting all application materials directly to the following email address: HYDGrantApplications@state.gov

Applicants opting to submit applications via email to must include the Funding Opportunity Title and Funding Opportunity Number in the subject line of the email. 

Submission Deadline: All applications must be received by May 22, 2024[11:59 pm midnight Washington DC].

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Tags Entrepreneurship Skill Development Women Empowerment Others