As part of the strategy "Leaving no one behind in the digital era", we are looking for entities legally established in Uganda.

We propose innovative and scalable solutions that can address the following focus areas with an aim of economically and socially empowering economically and socially women groups, women farmers or women-owned MSMEs in rural communities of Northern Uganda, precisely in Dokolo, Oyam and Adjumani districts.

The focus areas include:

Area 1: Skills enhancement for women and access to digital-related services

Including digital literacy innovations that drive informed and higher uptake of financial services and digital services. The solutions should improve women's reading, writing and communication skills and competencies. These efforts will work to find sustainable hybrid business models (both in-person and digital) that can effectively address the digital divide and device ownership linked to social norms.

Area 2: Increasing access to and usage of financial products for women to improve the quality of their lives.

We are looking for digital innovations that address specific problems for rural women. Examples could build on existing credit history and encourages the development of customised products, including business and financial tools responsive to the needs of women living in rural communities.

Such solutions should focus on women-centred digital credits including group lending and female village saving loan groups (VSLGs), mobile financial products for women groups, reaching women customers through micro-loans and savings products, women handset financing, expansion of movable asset- credit products based on women's needs and digital lending facilities as start-up capital for women-owned/initiated micro small and medium enterprises.

The solutions must be innovative and sustainable to allow for continuity. They should target women groups, women farmers or women-owned Micro small and medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Dokolo, Oyam and Adjumani

The solutions proposed should create the following impact:

• Improved ownership, access, usability, and use of mobile phones by rural women.
• Leverage from a variety of skills learnt through the digital and group platforms.
• Improved decision-making process by women at family and community levels.
• Improved participation and involvement of women in digital solutions.
• Increased digital and financial literacy of women.
• Improved access to dedicated savings and credit services for women including use of insurance for health and education purposes.

We will provide a grant and sign a Performance-Based Agreement (PBA) with at least one applicant or consortium of applicants covering both areas or two applicants or consortium of applicants covering one of the two areas.

Our contributions may range from 50,000 USD (US Dollar) to 500,000 USD (US Dollar) per grant.

In the proposal, the applicant shall quote its costs for the project’s operations and management, including providing full-time resources that would engage with UNCDF in supporting the project implementation.

Applicants are required to co-finance at least 25% of the total proposed budget. In the proposal, the applicant shall quote its costs for the project’s operations and management, including providing full-time resources that would engage with UNCDF in supporting the project implementation.

Applications about this Request for Application (RFA) should be submitted online through the platform before the 21^st of April 2022 23:59 EDT (New York Time). However, please visit UNCDF’s Apply platform to check if the deadline has not been extended.

Queries to this RFA can be submitted via email at uncdf.rfa@uncdf.org, copying in (cc) Chris Lukolyo chris.lukolyo@uncdf.org no later than the 11th of April 2022. Please use in the subject email “Digital as catalyst in building women led inclusive skills and access to finance in northern Uganda”.

A document of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) will be shared on UNCDF website

The overall duration of UNCDF support for the successful applicants will be up to 24 months until the 31^st July 2024.

Submissions using other templates or sent by other electronic or non-electronic means will not be eligible.