The document outlines details of the African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM) program which will provide grants and technical assistance totaling nearly $1 million to small and medium enterprises in select African countries, with 15 to 30 businesses expected to receive matched grants of $50,000 on average along with additional technical assistance funds. Workshops will be held in several US cities in late 2011 and applications for the program will be accepted from December 2011 through February 2012 with final awards announced in June 2012.

1. Anna Alejo, Western Union 720-332-3884 anna.alejo@westernunion.com
Natasha Jackson, USAID Press Officer 202-712-1647 njackson@usaid.org
· United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
· Western Union
Participating Organizations · Western Union Foundation
· Tony Elumelu Foundation
· George Washington University CIBER
· Irv Barr Management
Resources Available · Grants and/or other financing (winners)
· Technical assistance (grants or training)
· SME workshops and toolkits
Total Grant Pool*
Nearly US $1 Million `*fundraising will continue through 1Q 2012, total TBD
Proposals must be implemented in one of the following African countries,
representing four trading regions: ECOWAS, EAC, SADC, COMESA
Implementation
Angola, Benin, Cote D’Ivoire, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali,
Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa,
Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia
Number of Business Awards
Anticipated number of awardees is 15-30 and will be determined based on
to be Granted grant pool, technical partners and qualified applicants
Anticipated Average
Grant size is highly dependent on businesses selected; anticipated range is
Grant Size US$50,000 matched grant, plus $25-$50,000 technical assistance
Duration of Support Grants, technical support and monitoring will take place during 12-24
months, depending on specific businesses selected
--ADM SME Business Workshops will be held in 7 US cities:
· Atlanta, GA (Nov 30) · Chicago, IL (Dec 8)
· Houston, TX (Dec 2) · New York, NY (Dec 13)
· Los Angeles, CA (Dec 6) · Philadelphia, PA (Dec 15)
ADM Timeline
· Washington DC (Dec 16)
--Call for proposals: December 16, 2011-February 3, 2012
-- Finalists announced: March/April 2012
-- Final proposals submitted: May 2012
--ADM final event, Recipients announced: June 2012
For More Information www.diasporamarketplace.org
Small Enterprise Assistance Fund;
Implementing Partners Constituency for Africa;
Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio & Associates, Inc.