The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, U.S. Department of State, announces an open competition for individuals and organizations to submit applications to carry out an online hackathon for forty participants, including alumni of USG exchange programs, entrepreneurs, academia, and civil society, to develop innovative and/or technology-based ideas and solutions to help small and medium businesses in rural areas of the Dominican Republic mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and create new sustainable opportunities to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on rural economies in the D.R. Proposals should include YLAI program resources including the online courses, the online network and YLAI fellows.
Sponsoring Agency: U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo
Type of Fund: Grant
Deadline Available: Available
Deadline Date (mm/dd/yyyy): 06/14/2021
Size of the Fund: Less than USD $50,000
The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, U.S. Department of State, announces an open competition for individuals and organizations to submit applications to carry out an online hackathon for forty participants, including alumni of USG exchange programs, entrepreneurs, academia, and civil society, to develop innovative and/or technology-based ideas and solutions to help small and medium businesses in rural areas of the Dominican Republic mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and create new sustainable opportunities to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on rural economies in the D.R. Proposals should include YLAI program resources including the online courses, the online network and YLAI fellows.
The goal of this virtual program is to bring together entrepreneurs, students, and academia, to receive hands-on training on innovation and business pivoting and develop technology-based solutions that mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas of the Dominican Republic. The participants will share ideas and form teams to work remotely and develop technological solutions that empower rural entrepreneurs and rural development. The program should provide spaces for the participants to connect, learn best practices on rural business development, promote health and safety measures against COVID-19, and to receive training on business innovation and pivoting.
The working teams will develop technology-based solutions that help businesses pivot their strategy and approach or create new opportunities for economic growth and development in their communities. These proposals should promote the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative resources such as the online courses and the YLAI network. At the end of the program, the teams should pitch their projects to a panel composed by program facilitators and mentors, U.S. Embassy representatives, and business leaders, and compete for small seed funding of to kickstart their projects. These seed funds must amount to at least the ten percent (10%) of the program budget, and can be awarded to more than one proposal. A distribution and selection criteria for seed funds should be included the proposal.
Funding Information
• Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $30,000
• Total available funding: $30,000
• Length of performance period: 6-12 months
Activities
Activities that are typically funded include, but are not limited to:
• Online platforms to carry out the program
• Virtual trainer or speaker expenses
• Reasonable equipment and materials
Participants and Audiences
This virtual event should bring together 40 young entrepreneurs, students, teachers, and business leaders ages 18 to 40, with background in, but not limited to, the fields of technology, social management, design, business, and development.
Eligibility Criteria
Individuals and the following organizations are eligible to apply:
• Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations
• Public and private educational institutions
More information at: https://do.usembassy.gov/31325/
