Tag Archives: small-business

INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE (ITC) WTO MSME GROUP SMALL BUSINESS CHAMPIONS COMPETITION

Application Deadline: 28 March 2025

LOCATION: Switzerland

Are you an organization that supports the circular business model? Are you a non-governmental organization that empowers small businesses and entrepreneurs to become sustainable? Are you owning a small business implementing or wanting to scale sustainable innovations?

Become a Small Business Champion!

ELIGIBILITY:

The proposal entails:

Initiatives that can include awareness-raising campaigns, competitions, capacity building, training, mentoring and networking programmes related to the circular economy.

Small businesses active in the circular economy with an innovative business concept that, through its operations, reduces, prevents or repurposes waste in equivalent conventional business models.

Applications should have a clear link to international trade and include an action plan. To see examples from past competition winners, visit the MSME Group Small Business Champions website.

Proposals are open to small businesses, enterprises, industry associations, chambers of commerce and non-governmental organizations and should be submitted by 28 March 2025 via this online form:

Small Business Champions 2025 – Formstack
For more information on the Proposal and the Initiative, visit:

English: http://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/business_e/call_for_applications_2025_e.pdf

French: http://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/business_e/call_for_applications_2025_f.pdf

Spanish: http://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/business_e/call_for_applications_2025_s.pdf

BENEFIT:

The winner(s) will be invited to travel to Geneva for the award ceremony on 26 June 2025, sponsored by ICC and ITC. The International Trade Centre will additionally award each winner $4,000 prize money to support the development or further scaling of their winning project and issue an award certificate.

Moreover, training and mentoring opportunities will be discussed with each winner according to their needs, while winning submissions will be promoted by ICC, ITC, UN Trade and Development and the WTO MSME Group through their communication channels.

APPLY

OPEN CALL FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS IN NIGERIA AND KENYA!

Application Deadline: October 6, 2024 at 23:55 West Africa Time

LOCATION: Multiple Regions

Are you an entrepreneur with a solution focused on improving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and/or sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in Nigeria or Kenya? 

The Access Accelerator could be the program for you! This program could help take your idea to the next level with expert mentorship, network expansion, and seed funding. Don’t miss this opportunity!

ELIGIBILITY:

They are seeking social businesses based in Nigeria and Kenya that address the challenges of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) through:

Solutions to reduce loss in water distribution

Solutions for better management and technical training of service providers and public agents responsible for water and sewage

New and effective forms of financing for the sector (providers and consumers)

They also encourage applications from social enterprises that offer WASH and SRH solutions for the following beneficiary groups:

Women and girls 

Populations in remote and rural areas 

Populations in informal settlements 

BENEFIT:

All social businesses that complete the program will get access to:

Tailored support & capacity-building: Receive mentorship and topic-based guidance from industry professionals, including Reckitt employees, who can offer learning across a wide range of subjects from digital marketing to impact measurement & management. 

Extensive business network: The Access Accelerator offers social entrepreneurs an open door to partners and supporters from Reckitt, Yunus Social Business, and the global WASH community who are fully committed to creating better access to WASH for the long-term.

Access to seed funding: Financial support to help scale the growth of the participating social businesses beyond the accelerator

APPLY