Small Business Network of the Americas Partnership | WHAP WHAAQPPC 16 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for WHAP WHAAQPPC 16 005

The Small Business Network of the Americas (SBNA) Partnership grant opportunity is a discretionary U.S. government grant administered by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, designed to strengthen the small business support ecosystem across the Western Hemisphere. SBNA was originally launched at the Sixth Summit of the Americas in April 2012 with a broad regional development purpose: promote economic growth and social inclusion while improving the capacity and performance of small business development services that help micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) compete and innovate. In practical terms, this opportunity focuses on improving the institutions that serve entrepreneurs and small firms, rather than providing direct business financing to individual companies.

The core goal of the project is to strengthen and better connect the region's small business support infrastructure. The program targets a large network of more than 4,000 small business support centers (including entities similar to Small Business Development Centers, or SBDCs) by raising the quality of the assistance these centers provide, increasing the number of businesses they are able to serve, and creating durable center-to-center partnerships. The intent is to make these service providers more effective and more collaborative so that entrepreneurs in different countries can access better training, advising, and connections, especially in ways that support cross-border business activity.

A central feature of the SBNA Partnership Program is a small grants approach that incentivizes partnerships among service providers. Rather than operating as isolated support centers, participating organizations are encouraged to form cooperative relationships with peers across the hemisphere and carry out joint activities. These partnerships are meant to translate into practical outcomes for MSMEs, particularly expanded trade opportunities in the region. While the announcement does not list specific allowable activities in the excerpt provided, the stated emphasis on cooperative activities and trade outcomes suggests projects such as joint programming, shared tools and methodologies, exchange of best practices, coordinated trainings, mentorship linkages, or mechanisms that connect MSMEs to regional markets through improved support services.

The funding opportunity is identified as "Small Business Network of the Americas Partnership" with Funding Opportunity Number WHAP WHAAQPPC 16 005. It uses the grant instrument type and falls under the funding activity categories of Business and Commerce and Employment, Labor and Training, with CFDA number 19.750. The agency anticipated making one award, with an award ceiling of $2,970,297, indicating a single, relatively large umbrella project that could potentially administer or coordinate smaller sub-grants or partnership activities across multiple countries and institutions. The opportunity was created on May 16, 2016, and had an original closing date of June 30, 2016.

Eligibility spans a range of institution types that commonly implement international economic development and capacity-building programs. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), and an "Others" category. The description also references overseas non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and public international organizations (PIOs), signaling that non-U.S. entities with relevant capacity and regional reach were contemplated as potential implementers or partners. Overall, the grant is structured to build stronger small business support networks across the Americas by funding coordinated, partnership-driven efforts that improve service quality, expand reach to more MSMEs, and increase the likelihood that small businesses can pursue and capture trade opportunities regionally.

• The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs in the business and commerce, employment, labor and training sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Small Business Network of the Americas Partnership" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.750.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-05-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-06-30. (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 $2,970,297.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than 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, Others.

Apply for WHAP WHAAQPPC 16 005

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