APS-OAA-21-00001 Addendum _ Women in the Digital Economy Fund

Background
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) seeks to advance its efforts to facilitate the development of gender-equitable digital economies. This aligns with USAID priorities outlined in the USAID Digital Strategy to strengthen inclusive, open, and secure digital ecosystems in countries where USAID works. The grant is a joint effort between USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to accelerate progress in closing the gender digital divide.

Grant Details
The specific objectives of this grant are to launch the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (Wi-DEF), an accelerator-type platform to identify organization(s) that can serve as hosts, provide strategic direction, operationalize a fund, and facilitate dialogue among diverse stakeholders. The fund aims to catalyze acceleration, facilitate partnerships, and advance evidence-based solutions to accelerate gender equality in digital access and participation, including in the digital economy. The grant will support programs that advance digital access and affordability; develop relevant products and tools; provide digital literacy and skills training; promote online safety and security; and invest in gender-disaggregated data and research.

Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for award, the applicant must provide all information as required in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and meet eligibility standards. Prospective applicants should engage one or more private sector entities listed in Section II.B of the Global Development Alliance Annual Program Statement (GDA APS) and demonstrate how resources contributed from such entities will help achieve the objectives and results set forth in this addendum.

Grant Value
$5,000,000 may be allocated in fiscal year 2022 (FY22) funds to fund an award to launch this Fund. Subject to availability of funds, USAID may allocate up to $50 million total over 4 years toward such investments.

Place of Performance
The geographic scope for concepts proposing an accelerator-like platform is countries where USAID is currently present.