Grant Opportunities – Applications Due July 9, 2008

The SEEP Network seeks innovative and committed partners to advance urban value chain development and help millions of people work their way out of poverty.

Request for application #1, Business Planning:
Grants, peer networking, and links to funders for advanced practitioners in value chain development, social enterprise, fair trade or other market-based enterprise development strategies. Duration: 5-months, $25,000.

Request For Applications #2, Urban Value Chain Development:
Action research and capacity building grants for practitioners new to urban value chain development and their technical assistance providers. Duration: 3 years, $400,000-$700,000.

For full RFAs please see attachments, below.

Project Description

By 2008, for the first time in history, over half of the world’s population will live in cities. One in three urban residents currently lives in a slum—a billion people, a sixth of the world’s population.

How can the resources of today’s cities be harnessed to reduce poverty?

The Value Initiative provides:

• Grants for learning, capacity building, and expansion
• Technical Expertise to advance learning and practice
• The Enterprise Development Exchange, a new, interactive website for practitioners, technical experts, researchers, and funders.

The Value Initiative is forming a global community of practice to:

• Advance sustainable urban economic development strategies
• Innovate, build capacity, develop leadership, and stimulate social investment
• Reach more people with poverty-eradicating services, on a sustainable basis

Key Outputs (planned or achieved):

• Interactive website, The Enterprise Development Exchange
• Publications, learning tools, trainings
• Demonstration programs and improved practitioner and trainer/advisory capacity
• Business plans for sustainability and scale-up, links to expansion funding