All over the world, small businesses are the building blocks of local communities – they offer entrepreneurial and leadership opportunities to community members, infuse the local economy, and serve the needs of their clients in a way only local businesses can. With their deep connection to the people they serve, small businesses are perfectly positioned to address and respond to community needs (or challenges). To support the incredible work that small businesses are doing in communities all over the world, we’re launching the Challenge “Power of Local: Supporting Ecosystems for Small Businesses to Thrive.” Through it, we’re looking for small business ecosystem builders: organizations, programs, or initiatives that provide small businesses with diverse and equitable opportunities like resources, tools, networking, etc.
WORTH
All eligible applicants will receive:
- Feedback from Ashoka and reviewers on their applications.
- Have a chance to connect with a community of changemakers through this challenge (through peer reviews and meeting them through community events).
- Access to self-paced training opportunities to support you in your changemaking journey.
- All semifinalists will have the opportunity to refine their application based on feedback received.
- Semifinalists and finalists will have access to exclusive opportunities to connect and learn with peers working in the field.
- Finalists will be invited to interact with a panel of expert judges from Ashoka and its partners.
A total of 11 winners will be awarded a cash prize of up to $60,000 as follows:
- We will award at least 1 winner in each geographical region: Latin America, East Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, East Asia.
- Ten Winners will receive $15,000 each.
- One Grand Prize Winner will be selected and will receive $60,000
ELIGIBILITY
Participants must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Your initiative must be primarily impacting at least one of the following countries: Botswana, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe.
- Your application should be fully written and submitted in English (Applicants, especially finalists, will be expected to engage in activities that require English proficiency).
- Employees and their children and grandchildren of the program partner, Ashoka, or its affiliates and participating advertising and promotion agencies are NOT eligible to apply.
- You must be 18 or above by the application deadline, on February 26th, 2025.
- If your solution has not been implemented at scale; you must have a clear business plan and a minimum-viable solution (prototype, pilot, or another proof of concept).
- You may only submit 1 application per organization.
DEADLINE: February 26, 2025
Learn more and apply for The Power of Local Challenge here!
