Youth Entrepreneurship Symposium – Building the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs | PAS CMR FY21 04

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAS CMR FY21 04

The Youth Entrepreneurship Symposium - Building the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs is a U.S. Embassy in Cameroon grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAS CMR FY21 04) that supports a nationwide entrepreneurship capacity-building program for young Cameroonians. The core activity is the design and delivery of three in-person regional workshops hosted in three different regional capital cities in Cameroon, with participants drawn from all 10 regions. The overall purpose is to help seed-stage and early-stage entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses and move toward intermediate and expansion stages, with practical results that can be tracked after the training.

The program is aimed at Cameroonian entrepreneurs ages 20 to 35 who already have clear, well-defined business ideas or early startups. A key expectation is that the workshops remain small enough to stay highly interactive and to ensure strong learning retention. Proposals are expected to show real familiarity with Cameroon's entrepreneurial ecosystem and the realities of starting and scaling businesses in the country, including barriers that entrepreneurs face and the types of support systems that actually exist on the ground. Applicants are encouraged to tailor emphasis areas based on the specific needs of entrepreneurs in each region where a workshop is held, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.

The Embassy outlines several objectives that the symposium series must address. These include strengthening entrepreneurship, leadership, and communication skills; building a deeper understanding of Cameroon's business environment; connecting participants to relevant state and private sector support institutions and resources; providing strategies for overcoming common hurdles and building resilience in challenging conditions; and delivering concrete skills training in areas like business plan development, financial management, market segmentation, product marketing, and related topics. The workshops must be designed as hands-on learning experiences, using formats like practical exercises, case studies, breakout discussions, large-group sessions, and fact-finding activities. The sessions must be conducted in person while complying with COVID-19 prevention measures.

A major requirement is that proposals include a full program design, not just a training outline. That means the applicant must plan and implement all aspects of the symposiums, including workshop length, agenda and content, suggested speakers, participant recruitment and selection criteria, logistics, and learning activities. Proposals must also include needs analysis steps to identify what participants actually require before or during the training, as well as follow-up activities after the workshops to reinforce lessons and help participants apply what they learned to their real businesses. In other words, the grant is not only about delivering training events; it is also about helping entrepreneurs implement changes that lead to measurable growth.

Impact and accountability are central to this opportunity. Applicants must include monitoring and evaluation activities that measure whether the program leads to tangible outcomes such as increased sales, new or retained employment, improved capitalization of the startups, stronger access to capital, and clearer marketing plans. The Embassy expects proposals to explain how these outcomes will be tracked and validated over time, using practical indicators and post-training follow-up mechanisms.

The opportunity also requires incorporating American elements into the program. Proposals must include American resource materials or American-origin entrepreneurship and business models or ideas in the symposium content, and/or involve American experts or alumni of U.S. government exchange programs. This can be reflected in the curriculum, speaker lineup, case studies, tools, or mentoring approach, but it must be clearly and intentionally built into the program design rather than added as an afterthought.

From a budgeting standpoint, applicants are expected to cover participant support costs that make national participation realistic. Budgets should include travel for participants from their home areas to the workshop locations, plus accommodation when needed, along with all working materials and resources required for effective delivery. Budgets may also include speaker honoraria and administrative expenses tied to running the program. The award ceiling listed is $20,000, and the funding instrument is a grant under a discretionary opportunity category. The funding activity categories include Business and Commerce and Education, and the CFDA number referenced is 19.040. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled higher education institutions, private higher education institutions, nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), and individuals.

Key administrative details included in the announcement are that the opportunity is issued by the U.S. Mission to Cameroon, was created on December 14, 2020, and had an original closing date of January 31, 2021. The full Notice of Funding Opportunity and related documents are referenced as the place to find complete application instructions and requirements.

• The U.S. Mission to Cameroon in the business and commerce, education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Youth Entrepreneurship Symposium – Building the Next Generation of 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 2020-12-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-01-31. (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 $20,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals.

Apply for PAS CMR FY21 04

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