Those who are interested in implementing the 2025 AWE should submit a proposal package to tbilisigrants@state.gov by January 20, 2025, 11:59p.m. Applications submitted directly to ECA will not be considered. Please follow all instructions below.  

1. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) established the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs in 2019 to provide women with the knowledge, networks, and access they need to launch or scale successful businesses: https://eca.state.gov/awe  

By promoting women’s economic opportunities and ensuring that women have the capabilities and resources needed to participate in the economy, the AWE program directly supports the U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality. 

AWE uses a hybrid model that combines the online platform DreamBuilder  (developed through a partnership between Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management and global copper mining company Freeport-McMoRan) with online and/or in-class mentoring and facilitation. Through AWE, participants learn core business skills, then get together as a class to discuss the material with experienced implementers, local mentors, and U.S. Exchange Alumni. Partnerships with local NGOs, universities, and chambers of commerce offer women the opportunity to amplify their newly learned business skills and network with other businesspeople through speed mentoring, pitch competitions, and entrepreneurship fairs. Applicants may also use a new online curriculum, in whole or in part – the Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative  – alongside or instead of DreamBuilder.

At a local level, AWE harnesses the power of public-private sponsors, local partnerships, and U.S. Exchange Alumni networks to help women and their businesses grow. By giving women the tools and the confidence they need, the AWE program is generating income and creating jobs in women-led businesses, driving local prosperity in more than 100 countries worldwide. 

Program Objectives:  

• Provide resources for English-speaking female entrepreneurs of Georgia to engage in U.S-style online and/or in-person education with guided facilitation from USG exchange alumni, local business leaders, or other local partners. 
• Foster networks that support participants’ access to peer-to-peer mentors, business partners, and scaling opportunities with businesses in the region and in the United States. 
• Engage AWE alumni with volunteer, professional, and educational opportunities in ways to promote business expansion. 
• Share lessons and practices from the United States with new businesses operating in the Georgian entrepreneurial ecosystems and prepare them for potential collaboration with U.S. clients, customers, and investors. The project also aims to empower women entrepreneurs in Georgia to fulfill their economic potential, and in doing so, create conditions for a more prosperous society.  

Participants and Audiences: 

Female entrepreneurs of Georgia