2024 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs | PAS CB 600 24 PAS 0004

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAS CB 600 24 PAS 0004

The 2024 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) opportunity is a U.S. government-funded grant designed to launch the first AWE cohort in Cambodia, led by the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh in partnership with the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). AWE is a global initiative that started in 2019 and has already supported more than 25,000 women entrepreneurs through nearly 100 cohorts worldwide. The Cambodia cohort will use DreamBuilder, an online entrepreneurship training program created by Arizona State Universitys Thunderbird School of Global Management, as the core curriculum and will combine that online coursework with in-person and virtual programming that strengthens practical business skills, professional networks, and access to mentors and role models.

The grant seeks proposals from eligible organizations to design and implement the program locally. The opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the implementer should expect active coordination with the U.S. Embassy and the AWE team. While the program is meant for Cambodian women entrepreneurs as the end participants, the applicants for the funding are organizations that can run the cohort. The eligibility listed in the source data specifies nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education). The U.S. Mission to Cambodia is the sponsoring agency, and the funding opportunity is identified as PAS CB 600 24 PAS 0004 under CFDA 19.040.

The target group for the cohort is 30 Cambodian women entrepreneurs and business owners, generally ages 20 to 35, who have around one to three years of business experience and are based in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Participants must be selected through a competitive recruitment process and are expected to have good English proficiency, basic computer skills, and reliable access to the internet through a computer or smartphone so they can complete DreamBuilder. The program explicitly welcomes women with disabilities to apply, reinforcing the expectation that recruitment and participation should be inclusive and accessible.

Program design expectations are fairly specific. Proposals must include the DreamBuilder online course as a required element, but they are also expected to add facilitated in-person and virtual sessions that connect participants with established Cambodian and American women entrepreneurs, alumni of U.S.-funded exchange programs, and other entrepreneurship experts. Applicants are encouraged to organize virtual talks that can also connect AWE participants and alumni across the broader Indo-Pacific region, in consultation with the U.S. Embassy AWE team. Beyond the core curriculum, proposals may include supplemental activities such as trade fairs, specialized trainings, business accelerators, and pitch competitions, as long as they clearly reinforce business growth outcomes.

Operationally, the implementer is expected to provide hands-on guidance and structure throughout the cohort. That includes assigning facilitators for each regional grouping (for example, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap) to monitor participant progress, keep women engaged through the training modules, and convene local sessions that help participants build relationships with one another. The program should end with a closing ceremony that highlights participant success stories, which signals that storytelling, visibility, and community recognition are part of the intended impact. The applicant is also asked to secure buy-in from relevant Cambodian government ministries, agencies, and other stakeholders, suggesting that coordination with local institutions and alignment with national or local economic development priorities will strengthen a proposal.

The goals of the funding opportunity center on economic empowerment, practical business capacity, and durable networks. AWE is framed as supporting women to start or scale businesses by improving foundational knowledge such as business planning, financial management, and raising capital, while also building an inclusive learning community. The program is also tied directly to the U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality, emphasizing that womens participation in the economy requires not only training but also access to networks and resources. Proposals are expected to deliver on three core objectives: strengthening participants understanding of business fundamentals for growth, exposing them to both U.S. and Cambodian models for business development through direct engagement with experts, and building an ongoing network of women entrepreneurs that continues beyond the cohort and sustains ties with the U.S. Embassy.

A key expectation is that programming should not stop when the training ends. Proposals must include plans to support and engage AWE alumni after completion, which could involve continued mentorship, networking events, advanced workshops, peer-to-peer support structures, or connections to financing and market opportunities. In practical terms, the opportunity is looking for an implementer that can run a full cohort experience from recruitment and facilitation through graduation and alumni engagement, while integrating the DreamBuilder platform and creating meaningful touchpoints with local and U.S.-linked entrepreneurial communities.

In terms of funding parameters, the opportunity lists an award ceiling of $40,000 and anticipates up to five awards. The original closing date shown in the source data is December 18, 2023. Overall, the grant is best suited for a nonprofit organization that can recruit and manage a competitive cohort of early-stage women entrepreneurs in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, deliver a blended online and facilitated learning program anchored in DreamBuilder, bring in credible mentors and speakers, coordinate with stakeholders, and leave behind an active alumni network that continues to grow after the initial cohort ends.

• The U.S. Mission to Cambodia in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2024 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-12-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $40,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for PAS CB 600 24 PAS 0004

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