Opportunity Information: Apply for 72026321RFA00001
The Women s Economic and Social Empowerment Activity is a USAID Egypt (USAID-Cairo) discretionary funding opportunity designed to increase women s access to economic opportunities in Egypt by tackling barriers in the workplace, in the financial system, and in women s broader social and safety environment. The activity is structured around three integrated and mutually reinforcing goals that are meant to work together rather than as separate standalone projects: improving the work environment for women in Egypt s private sector economy, expanding women s financial inclusion, and reducing the socioeconomic impacts of violence against women. Taken as a whole, the opportunity aims to strengthen conditions that allow women not only to enter the workforce or start businesses, but also to stay economically active and benefit from that participation over time.
Under Goal 1, the emphasis is on improving the work environment for women in the private sector. In practical terms, this goal typically involves addressing constraints that limit hiring, retention, and advancement of women, such as workplace policies and practices, safe and equitable working conditions, and organizational cultures that may discourage women s participation. Activities aligned with this goal often include partnering with employers and industry groups, supporting the adoption of gender responsive human resource policies, promoting equitable recruitment and promotion practices, and improving mechanisms for preventing and responding to workplace harassment. The intent is to make private sector employment more accessible, safer, and more sustainable for women, which helps translate education and skills into real labor market outcomes.
Goal 2 focuses on expanding women s financial inclusion, recognizing that access to appropriate financial products and services is a key enabler of employment, entrepreneurship, and resilience. This goal generally targets the demand and supply side of financial inclusion: helping women use and benefit from formal financial services while also working with financial institutions and related providers to offer products that better match women s needs. Financial inclusion in this context can encompass access to bank accounts, digital payments, savings tools, credit and microfinance, insurance, and financial capability building. By strengthening women s ability to control and use financial resources, the activity supports women s capacity to invest in businesses, manage household financial shocks, and participate more fully in the formal economy.
Goal 3 aims to reduce the socioeconomic impacts of violence against women, reflecting the reality that violence and the threat of violence can directly undermine women s economic participation through lost income, reduced productivity, health costs, and social exclusion. Work under this goal commonly focuses on mitigation of economic harms and strengthening pathways to services and support, including linkages to health, legal, psychosocial, and protection resources. It may also include measures that help workplaces and communities respond appropriately, reduce tolerance for violence, and support survivors economic recovery. By addressing these impacts, the activity seeks to remove a major barrier that can prevent women from entering or remaining in employment or entrepreneurship and can erode gains made through workplace and financial inclusion efforts.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number 72026321RFA00001 and was issued by the Agency for International Development, Egypt (USAID-Cairo). The funding instrument is a Cooperative Agreement, which typically means the implementing partner can expect substantial engagement and collaboration with USAID during design and implementation. The activity is categorized under Employment, Labor and Training and is associated with CFDA number 98.001. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to a wide range of entity types, subject to any additional eligibility details that may be provided in the full announcement. The opportunity was created on December 20, 2020, with an original closing date of January 27, 2021.
USAID expected to make a single award under this solicitation, with an award ceiling of USD 39,000,000. The single award structure suggests USAID intended one lead implementer to manage an integrated program that connects private sector workplace improvements, financial inclusion expansion, and responses that reduce the economic and social fallout of violence against women. This setup generally favors applicants that can demonstrate strong coordination capacity, partnerships across private sector and financial actors, and the ability to work across economic empowerment and social protection related areas in a cohesive way.Apply for 72026321RFA00001
- The Agency for International Development, Egypt USAID-Cairo in the employment, labor and training sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Women’s Economic and Social Empowerment Activity" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 20, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 27, 2021. (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 $39,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Women's Economic and Social Empowerment Activity (USAID Egypt)
1. What is the Women's Economic and Social Empowerment Activity?
It is a USAID Egypt (USAID-Cairo) discretionary funding opportunity intended to increase women's access to economic opportunities in Egypt by addressing barriers in the workplace, in the financial system, and in women's broader social and safety environment.
2. What is the overall purpose of this opportunity?
The opportunity aims to strengthen conditions that allow women to enter the workforce or start businesses, remain economically active over time, and benefit from that participation. It does this by integrating workplace improvements, financial inclusion efforts, and actions that reduce the socioeconomic impacts of violence against women.
3. How is the activity structured?
The activity is structured around three integrated and mutually reinforcing goals that are meant to work together rather than operate as separate standalone projects.
4. What are the three goals of the activity?
The three goals are: (1) improving the work environment for women in Egypt's private sector economy, (2) expanding women's financial inclusion, and (3) reducing the socioeconomic impacts of violence against women.
5. Are the three goals separate projects that can be implemented independently?
No. The goals are described as integrated and mutually reinforcing, intended to operate together rather than as separate standalone projects.
6. What does Goal 1 focus on?
Goal 1 focuses on improving the work environment for women in Egypt's private sector. It targets constraints that limit women's hiring, retention, and advancement, including workplace policies and practices, safe and equitable working conditions, and organizational cultures that discourage women's participation.
7. What types of activities are typically included under Goal 1?
Examples mentioned include partnering with employers and industry groups, supporting adoption of gender-responsive human resource policies, promoting equitable recruitment and promotion practices, and improving mechanisms to prevent and respond to workplace harassment.
8. What is the intent behind Goal 1 activities?
The intent is to make private sector employment more accessible, safer, and more sustainable for women, helping translate education and skills into labor market outcomes.
9. What does Goal 2 focus on?
Goal 2 focuses on expanding women's financial inclusion, recognizing that access to appropriate financial products and services supports employment, entrepreneurship, and resilience.
10. What does “financial inclusion” include in this opportunity?
As described, financial inclusion can encompass access to bank accounts, digital payments, savings tools, credit and microfinance, insurance, and financial capability building.
11. Does Goal 2 address both the demand and supply sides of financial inclusion?
Yes. The description notes efforts on the demand side (helping women use and benefit from formal financial services) and the supply side (working with financial institutions and related providers to offer products that better match women's needs).
12. What is the intended result of expanding women's financial inclusion?
By strengthening women's ability to control and use financial resources, the activity supports women's capacity to invest in businesses, manage household financial shocks, and participate more fully in the formal economy.
13. What does Goal 3 focus on?
Goal 3 aims to reduce the socioeconomic impacts of violence against women, acknowledging that violence and the threat of violence can undermine women's economic participation through lost income, reduced productivity, health costs, and social exclusion.
14. What types of activities are commonly associated with Goal 3?
The description points to mitigating economic harms and strengthening pathways to services and support, including linkages to health, legal, psychosocial, and protection resources. It may also include measures that help workplaces and communities respond appropriately, reduce tolerance for violence, and support survivors' economic recovery.
15. Why is addressing violence against women included in an economic empowerment activity?
The opportunity states that violence and the threat of violence can directly undermine women's economic participation and can erode gains made through workplace and financial inclusion efforts. Addressing these impacts is positioned as removing a major barrier to sustained employment or entrepreneurship.
16. What agency is offering this funding opportunity?
The opportunity was issued by the Agency for International Development, Egypt (USAID-Cairo).
17. What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA) for this solicitation?
The Funding Opportunity Number is 72026321RFA00001.
18. What type of funding instrument will be used?
The funding instrument is a Cooperative Agreement.
19. What does it mean that the instrument is a Cooperative Agreement?
As described, a Cooperative Agreement typically indicates substantial engagement and collaboration with USAID during design and implementation.
20. What program area/category is associated with this opportunity?
The activity is categorized under Employment, Labor and Training.
21. What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed is 98.001.
22. Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to a wide range of entity types, subject to any additional eligibility details that may be provided in the full announcement.
23. How many awards did USAID expect to make under this solicitation?
USAID expected to make a single award under this solicitation.
24. What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling is USD 39,000,000.
25. What does the single-award approach suggest about the program design?
The single award structure suggests USAID intended one lead implementer to manage an integrated program that connects private sector workplace improvements, financial inclusion expansion, and efforts to reduce the economic and social fallout of violence against women.
26. What kinds of organizational capabilities are implied as important for applicants?
Based on the description, the setup generally favors applicants able to demonstrate strong coordination capacity, partnerships across private sector and financial actors, and the ability to work across economic empowerment and social protection-related areas in a cohesive way.
27. When was the opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on December 20, 2020.
28. What was the original closing date?
The original closing date was January 27, 2021.
29. What country context is this activity focused on?
The activity is focused on Egypt, including Egypt's private sector economy and women's economic participation within that context.
30. What barriers to women's economic participation does the opportunity specifically highlight?
It highlights barriers in the workplace (policies, practices, safety, equity, culture, harassment response), barriers in the financial system (access to and suitability of financial products/services), and barriers tied to women's social and safety environment (including the socioeconomic impacts of violence against women).
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