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LEEP Business Accelerator Program
Request for Applications (RFA)
Background and Problem Statement Representing 49.89%1 of Liberia’s population, youths have remarkable power to influence, drive, and
catalyze the country’s inclusive economic and social prosperity and its overall peace and security. Yet, due
to a multitude of factors, more than half of Liberia’s youth find themselves in vulnerable employment, with
limited educational attainment, and limited to no opportunities to forge a path toward a better future. To
this point, in a School to Work Transition Survey (SWTS) conducted by the ILO in 2013, findings noted
that 78.7% of Liberia’s working youth fall within the category of ‘under-utilized labor’ and 77.9% are
considered in ‘vulnerable employment’, characterized by low wages, periodic or seasonal work, insecure
working conditions and with limited to no access to safety nets.
To contribute to the knowledge base on this issue, improve understanding of the nuances of youth as a
target market with wants, desires and aspirations, and hone in on the systemic challenges and opportunities
therein, Mercy Corps proposes a public-private-civil society partnership to generate better economic
opportunities and increase youth employment and entrepreneurship under the Liberia Employment and
Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP). LEEP is a three-year French Government funded program to bolster
employment and entrepreneurship potential of at-risk youth, engage public and private sector stakeholders
in youth opportunities and build micro- and small and medium enterprise (MSME) capacity to contribute
to economic growth and social development in Liberia.
Objective and Approach
Objective
Small and Medium sized businesses in Liberia face many and varied challenges to their growth
and operations. From lack of experience, to limited access to funding and a shrinking economy,
the challenges are enormous. Still more and more young entrepreneurs are exploring
entrepreneurial ventures as a means of creating income for themselves and their peers. However
due to a lack of experience and exposure to the formal sector’s mature corporate governance
systems their ventures are unstructured, risky, and vulnerable to failure in the short term.
The objective of this program is to create 600 new micro-enterprises as well as strengthen 15 private
sector innovators with financial and business advisory support through an external business incubator
accelerator program to create youth employment or mitigate labor market failures.
1 Liberia Demographics Profile 2017: https://www.indexmundi.com/liberia/demographics_profile.html
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Approach
Mercy Corps will partner with a Business Development Firm to design and implement a business
incubator and accelerator program to train, support and scale high performing Liberian businesses. These
businesses will be selected through a rigorous and competitive process and 600 youth will be selected for
the incubator program while 15 small to medium sized firms will receive expansion grants.
Micro Grants
a. To be eligible applicants must be between the ages 15-25, must have gone through Mercy
Corps basic or advanced business skills training and must have a clearly defined business
idea and plan
b. The application will be evaluated by an external review committee and a short list will be
forwarded to Mercy Corps for consideration
c. Once accepted, the applicant will enter the incubation program and high performing will
subsequently receive grant financing for their business idea.
d. The incubation program will last for 6 months and businesses will be supported to
accomplish specific goals.
e. The partner BDS Firm will train the businesses, follow-up on milestone activities and
provide monthly progress reports to Mercy Corps.
Expansion Grants
f. To be eligible to apply, the business must have been in existence for at least two year,
must have a clearly defined business idea and plan, must have a minimum viable product
(MVP) and proof of sale, must have specified customer profile and acquisition plan, and
must have an established and competent team.
g. Once accepted, the business will go through another round of internal capacity assessment
to identify weaknesses and growth potential. The business will also receive intensive
training and coaching to strengthen the initial business concept and value preposition.
h. At the end of this assessment period, the business must compete in a pitching competition
in front of a live audience. There will be three rounds of pitching and 6 grants will be
awarded in round 1, 5 in round 2 and 4 in round 3 – a total of 15 awards.
i. Once the grant is awarded, the business will enter the accelerator program and be paired
with an industry expert/leader as a mentor.
j. The accelerator program will last for nine months and businesses will be supported to
accomplish specific goals.
k. The partner BDS Firm will train the businesses, follow-up on milestone activities and
provide monthly progress reports to Mercy Corps.
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Selection process and criteria – expansion businesses Mercy Corps is looking to support 15 early-stage, growth-driven companies with business development
and grant financing through an external business accelerator program and incubate 600 micro-enterprises.
The goal of the program is to create 600 new enterprises as well as accelerate the growth cycle of validated
businesses by using experts to assess, identify, correct and propel businesses forward. This model is aimed
at “compressing years’ worth of learning-by-doing” into just a few months and eliminate the normal hassle
of accessing business financing.
The accelerator will put shortlisted applicants through an initial three months’ intense capacity assessment
and training and prepare them to pitch their businesses before a panel of expert judges. Winners of the
pitching competition will be awarded expansion grants. The grantees will be organized into three cohorts,
paired with industry leaders for mentorship and implement rapid growth strategies over a 9-month
acceleration period.
The Request for Application contains a competitive process which enables the most innovative and
disruptive businesses to participate through the following means;
● Submission of the Request for Application Package (which includes the Application template,
milestone budget, and declaration letter)
● Review of Application and shortlisting (done by an Independent Committee)
● Due Diligence (3 months’ Pre-award assessment and training)
● Pitching competition (Presentation of business idea)
● Award (winners of pitching competition)
● Business incubator/Accelerator Program
Eligibility Criteria Micro Business
To be considered for this program, you must meet the below requirements:
Liberian between the ages 18-35
Completion of either Mercy Corps’ Basic or Advanced business skills training
Completed business plan template
Mobile Money Account
Valid identification Card
Three (3) client reference letters
Able to complete project activities within six (6) months from the proposed start date
Business idea must be in one of the following areas including manufacturing, retailing and
distribution.
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- Tech/ICT
- Service (Hospitality, information, catering, construction, transportation, distribution etc.)
- Renewable Energy (especially in solar energy)
- Agriculture (with focus in Food processing, food production, packaging etc. Liberian-
owned registered business
- Pick up application package from the youth opportunity centers
Expansion Businesses
To be considered for this program, you must meet the below requirements:
Liberian-owned and registered business
Bank Account
Must have been operating for at least two (2) years prior to the date of this RFA
Official Tax Clearance Certificates (All applicants will be required to submit Tax Clearance
before signing of the Fixed Obligatory Grant Contract)
Three (3) client reference letters
Provide an audited financial statement stating clearly the current financial standings of the
business with no active / pending litigations
Able to complete project activities within nine (9) months from the proposed start date
Operating in at least one of the following sectors to include manufacturing, retailing and
distribution.
- Tech/ICT
- Service (Hospitality, information, catering, construction, transportation, distribution etc.)
- Renewable Energy (especially in solar energy)
- Agriculture (with focus in Food processing, food production, packaging etc. Liberian-
owned registered business
Guidelines for Completion of the Application
Applications must be submitted in accordance with the following:
1. Mercy Corps and affiliated parties will not pay for any application preparation costs.
2. Applications must be submitted in English.
3. All applications submitted in response to this RFA are due no later than COB Friday, February 5,
2021 4:30pm local time. Late applications will not be accepted or considered.
4. Applications must be typed in Times New Roman, 11-point font size, and have margins no less
than one inch on the top, bottom, and both sides.
5. Applications will be accepted in the following format:
● Portable document format (PDF), and submitted via email to [email protected]
with the subject line “Small Business Grant Program” or on a brand new thumb drive
and addressed to Mercy Corps Liberia located at Sophie Junction, Opposite SOS Clinic,
Monrovia,
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Application Documents
For Micro-Enterprises
The following documents must be submitted with all applications:
1. Business Plan template
2. 3 reference letters
For Expansion Businesses
The following documents must be submitted with all applications:
● Declaration Letter/Expression of Interest
● Application Template
● Activity/Milestone Budget Template
● Client references
● All legal documents
Guidelines for Completion of the Budget Template
In completing the attached budget template, please be mindful of the following:
Allowable Costs
● Costs directly associated with the proposed project implementation and incurred and paid between
the project’s start and end dates including but not limited to:
o Administration and support costs directly attributable to the proposed project
o Construction directly related to proposed project
o Equipment directly related to the project implementation
Non-allowable Costs
● Debt repayment (debt obtained prior to grant disbursement)
● Administration and support costs that are not directly related to the proposed project
implementation
● Design/proposal development costs
Download application documents here:
1. Application Template
2. Budget Template
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These lists are not exhaustive, and all proposed budgets will be evaluated for cost realism and compliance
with aforementioned guidelines and Mercy Corps Financial Policy.
The application process employed by this RFA is as follows:
Application Process
Application Package
Kindly request the full application package for the request for application (RFA) by sending an email to
Proposal Development and Support Workshop
To assist applicants in familiarizing themselves with the application package; provide an opportunity to
answer questions that may arise during the proposal development process; and provide real-time assistance
in the development of their proposed idea, a day-long workshop within each county (Montserrado,) has
been scheduled as outlined below. Each workshop is arranged in two parts: the morning session will consist
of a presentation of the application package and an overview of each of the application templates followed
by a question and answer session. The afternoon session will provide an opportunity for hands-on proposal
development assistance for all interested applicants. Applicants are encouraged to review the application
package prior to arrival at the workshop. Companies/businesses are encouraged to come to the workshop
with printed copies of the application documents. Requests for attendance will be considered on a first-
come, first-serve basis upon receipt of a reservation to [email protected] latest two days to the
workshop date.
Proposal Development and Support Workshop Schedule
Proposal Support: proposal
development workshop
TBA
Short listing,
internal capacity
assessment and training 16-28 Feb,
2021
External Panel
Review February 5-16, 2021
Launch of RFA
January 4, 2021
Pitching Competition
, selection and final
award March 1-28, 2021
Submission of
applications February 5,
2021 by 4:30pm local time
Request for Applications (RFA) Process and Key dates
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Upon closure of the RFA period, all applications will be reviewed by an independent, external review panel.
This panel is in no way affiliated with Mercy Corps to ensure balance and impartiality in the decision-
making process. Panel members will remain anonymous to ensure that decisions are not made under
pressure. Official decision notices will be issued to all applicants, successful or not. All decisions rendered
by the panel are considered final with no right of appeal.
Evaluation and Scoring Guidelines
Application Components Score
Technical Components 50
● Market relevance of proposed product/service as related to youth unemployment
● Impact on youth unemployment
● Innovation
Financial Viability of Proposed Application 25
● Extent to which proposed idea demonstrates commercial viability and sustainability post
grant closeout and its potential for scale-up
● Realism of projected milestone budget versus achievements
Applicant Organizational Capacity 25
● Current financial status of company (Financial statements)
● Demonstrated capacity to manage proposed project (management and staff capacity,
organization’s systems (administration, operations, accounting etc.)) (question 18)
Total 100
Monrovia, Montserrado
• Date: TBA• Venue: TBA
Kakata, Margibi
•Date:N/A•Venue: TBA
Buchanan, Grandbassa
• Date: TBA• Venue: TBA