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The Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA-PD) announces an open competition for a grant through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The Entrepreneurial & Economic Empowerment (E3) Hub project is designed to partner with not-for-profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to implement activities which advance the applicant’s goals and the OPA-PD mission: to advance a comprehensive and lasting peace through a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the development of a vibrant, representative, and responsive Palestinian civil society, private sector, and governing institutions through substantive engagement with American people, institutions, ideas and ideals in order to improve American-Palestinian relations and create greater opportunities for mutually beneficial partnership and cooperation.
Priority Region: Jerusalem, West Bank, and Gaza.
Program Objectives:
The U.S. OPA E3 Hub is established as a center to focus on entrepreneurial competencies, economic empowerment, and advancement of employment skills of Palestinians audiences. Through the E3 Hub, the OPA aims to provide young Palestinians with the needed tools and support to develop their businesses successfully and have a positive impact on their community. The E3 Hub will utilize the networks and convening power of the OPA’s public diplomacy programming—including the ability to gather stakeholders, access American business expertise, connections to international businesses, American educational tools, and more—to advance the Palestinian entrepreneurial ecosystem and empower the Palestinian business community.
A variety of activities and events (virtual and in-person) should be designed and implemented to achieve the goals stated above and the objectives named below and to position the E3 Hub as the OPA’s center of entrepreneurship and economic empowerment programming. These activities should be designed to enhance the participants’ skills and connect them to potential collaborators, mentors, and even investors in the United States and throughout the world, to introduce them to new and exciting opportunities at home and in the region, and to enable them to create relationships and partnerships with the American businesses.
All proposed projects must aim to advance the OPA-PD mission goals stated above, contain a substantive American element, and achieve all of the following specific objectives:
Participants and Audiences:
Palestinian small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Palestinian entrepreneurs, recent graduates, job seekers, leaders and influencers in or on the Palestinian entrepreneurial ecosystem, investors, and the larger international business community.
FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION
Length of performance period: 8 to 12 months
Number of awards anticipated: One award
Total available funding: $150,000
Type of Funding: FY22 Smith Mundt Public Diplomacy Funds
Anticipated programs start date: on/about October 1, 2022
This notice is subject to availability of funding.
Funding Instrument Type: Grant, Cooperative Agreement, or Fixed Amount Award. OPA-PD will be substantially involved in carrying out various aspects of the resulting Cooperative Agreement; specifics will be included in award document.
Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 12 months or less, noting that at least the last 1-3 months of the period of performance — after the end of the substantive project activity — should be dedicated to short and medium term measurement and evaluation of project success to measure indicators and determine if leading goals and objectives have been met.
ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION
Organizations wishing to submit proposals to the Public Affairs Section should review the following documents and forms:
If a U.S. citizen, LPR, or immediate family (as listed above) desires our assistance and has not already provided their information to the Department of State, please email U.S. Embassy Jerusalem at JerusalemACS@state.gov with a copy of the individual’s travel document as well as an explanation or proof of relationship.
Please call: 02-630-4000 for U.S. Embassy Jerusalem and 03-519-7575 for the Branch Office in Tel Aviv
Outside of Office Hours, contact: 02-630-4000 (Jerusalem) or 03-519-7575 (Tel Aviv)
Outside of Israel, West Bank & Gaza: 011-972-2-630-4000 (Jerusalem) or 011-972-3-519-7575 (Tel Aviv)