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LEEP Business Accelerator Program

Request for Applications (RFA)

Background and Problem Statement Representing 49.89%1 of Liberia’s population, youths have remarkable power to influence, drive, and

catalyze the country’s inclusive economic and social prosperity and its overall peace and security. Yet, due

to a multitude of factors, more than half of Liberia’s youth find themselves in vulnerable employment, with

limited educational attainment, and limited to no opportunities to forge a path toward a better future. To

this point, in a School to Work Transition Survey (SWTS) conducted by the ILO in 2013, findings noted

that 78.7% of Liberia’s working youth fall within the category of ‘under-utilized labor’ and 77.9% are

considered in ‘vulnerable employment’, characterized by low wages, periodic or seasonal work, insecure

working conditions and with limited to no access to safety nets.

To contribute to the knowledge base on this issue, improve understanding of the nuances of youth as a

target market with wants, desires and aspirations, and hone in on the systemic challenges and opportunities

therein, Mercy Corps proposes a public-private-civil society partnership to generate better economic

opportunities and increase youth employment and entrepreneurship under the Liberia Employment and

Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP). LEEP is a three-year French Government funded program to bolster

employment and entrepreneurship potential of at-risk youth, engage public and private sector stakeholders

in youth opportunities and build micro- and small and medium enterprise (MSME) capacity to contribute

to economic growth and social development in Liberia.

Objective and Approach

Objective

Small and Medium sized businesses in Liberia face many and varied challenges to their growth

and operations. From lack of experience, to limited access to funding and a shrinking economy,

the challenges are enormous. Still more and more young entrepreneurs are exploring

entrepreneurial ventures as a means of creating income for themselves and their peers. However

due to a lack of experience and exposure to the formal sector’s mature corporate governance

systems their ventures are unstructured, risky, and vulnerable to failure in the short term.

The objective of this program is to create 600 new micro-enterprises as well as strengthen 15 private

sector innovators with financial and business advisory support through an external business incubator

accelerator program to create youth employment or mitigate labor market failures.

1 Liberia Demographics Profile 2017: https://www.indexmundi.com/liberia/demographics_profile.html



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Approach

Mercy Corps will partner with a Business Development Firm to design and implement a business

incubator and accelerator program to train, support and scale high performing Liberian businesses. These

businesses will be selected through a rigorous and competitive process and 600 youth will be selected for

the incubator program while 15 small to medium sized firms will receive expansion grants.

Micro Grants

a. To be eligible applicants must be between the ages 15-25, must have gone through Mercy

Corps basic or advanced business skills training and must have a clearly defined business

idea and plan

b. The application will be evaluated by an external review committee and a short list will be

forwarded to Mercy Corps for consideration

c. Once accepted, the applicant will enter the incubation program and high performing will

subsequently receive grant financing for their business idea.

d. The incubation program will last for 6 months and businesses will be supported to

accomplish specific goals.

e. The partner BDS Firm will train the businesses, follow-up on milestone activities and

provide monthly progress reports to Mercy Corps.

Expansion Grants

f. To be eligible to apply, the business must have been in existence for at least two year,

must have a clearly defined business idea and plan, must have a minimum viable product

(MVP) and proof of sale, must have specified customer profile and acquisition plan, and

must have an established and competent team.

g. Once accepted, the business will go through another round of internal capacity assessment

to identify weaknesses and growth potential. The business will also receive intensive

training and coaching to strengthen the initial business concept and value preposition.

h. At the end of this assessment period, the business must compete in a pitching competition

in front of a live audience. There will be three rounds of pitching and 6 grants will be

awarded in round 1, 5 in round 2 and 4 in round 3 – a total of 15 awards.

i. Once the grant is awarded, the business will enter the accelerator program and be paired

with an industry expert/leader as a mentor.

j. The accelerator program will last for nine months and businesses will be supported to

accomplish specific goals.

k. The partner BDS Firm will train the businesses, follow-up on milestone activities and

provide monthly progress reports to Mercy Corps.



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Selection process and criteria – expansion businesses Mercy Corps is looking to support 15 early-stage, growth-driven companies with business development

and grant financing through an external business accelerator program and incubate 600 micro-enterprises.

The goal of the program is to create 600 new enterprises as well as accelerate the growth cycle of validated

businesses by using experts to assess, identify, correct and propel businesses forward. This model is aimed

at “compressing years’ worth of learning-by-doing” into just a few months and eliminate the normal hassle

of accessing business financing.

The accelerator will put shortlisted applicants through an initial three months’ intense capacity assessment

and training and prepare them to pitch their businesses before a panel of expert judges. Winners of the

pitching competition will be awarded expansion grants. The grantees will be organized into three cohorts,

paired with industry leaders for mentorship and implement rapid growth strategies over a 9-month

acceleration period.

The Request for Application contains a competitive process which enables the most innovative and

disruptive businesses to participate through the following means;

● Submission of the Request for Application Package (which includes the Application template,

milestone budget, and declaration letter)

● Review of Application and shortlisting (done by an Independent Committee)

● Due Diligence (3 months’ Pre-award assessment and training)

● Pitching competition (Presentation of business idea)

● Award (winners of pitching competition)

● Business incubator/Accelerator Program

Eligibility Criteria Micro Business

To be considered for this program, you must meet the below requirements:

Liberian between the ages 18-35

Completion of either Mercy Corps’ Basic or Advanced business skills training

Completed business plan template

Mobile Money Account

Valid identification Card

Three (3) client reference letters

Able to complete project activities within six (6) months from the proposed start date

Business idea must be in one of the following areas including manufacturing, retailing and

distribution.



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- Tech/ICT

- Service (Hospitality, information, catering, construction, transportation, distribution etc.)

- Renewable Energy (especially in solar energy)

- Agriculture (with focus in Food processing, food production, packaging etc. Liberian-

owned registered business

- Pick up application package from the youth opportunity centers

Expansion Businesses

To be considered for this program, you must meet the below requirements:

Liberian-owned and registered business

Bank Account

Must have been operating for at least two (2) years prior to the date of this RFA

Official Tax Clearance Certificates (All applicants will be required to submit Tax Clearance

before signing of the Fixed Obligatory Grant Contract)

Three (3) client reference letters

Provide an audited financial statement stating clearly the current financial standings of the

business with no active / pending litigations

Able to complete project activities within nine (9) months from the proposed start date

Operating in at least one of the following sectors to include manufacturing, retailing and

distribution.

- Tech/ICT

- Service (Hospitality, information, catering, construction, transportation, distribution etc.)

- Renewable Energy (especially in solar energy)

- Agriculture (with focus in Food processing, food production, packaging etc. Liberian-

owned registered business

Guidelines for Completion of the Application

Applications must be submitted in accordance with the following:

1. Mercy Corps and affiliated parties will not pay for any application preparation costs.

2. Applications must be submitted in English.

3. All applications submitted in response to this RFA are due no later than COB Friday, February 5,

2021 4:30pm local time. Late applications will not be accepted or considered.

4. Applications must be typed in Times New Roman, 11-point font size, and have margins no less

than one inch on the top, bottom, and both sides.

5. Applications will be accepted in the following format:

● Portable document format (PDF), and submitted via email to [email protected]

with the subject line “Small Business Grant Program” or on a brand new thumb drive

and addressed to Mercy Corps Liberia located at Sophie Junction, Opposite SOS Clinic,

Monrovia,

mailto:[email protected]



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Application Documents

For Micro-Enterprises

The following documents must be submitted with all applications:

1. Business Plan template

2. 3 reference letters

For Expansion Businesses

The following documents must be submitted with all applications:

● Declaration Letter/Expression of Interest

● Application Template

● Activity/Milestone Budget Template

● Client references

● All legal documents

Guidelines for Completion of the Budget Template

In completing the attached budget template, please be mindful of the following:

Allowable Costs

● Costs directly associated with the proposed project implementation and incurred and paid between

the project’s start and end dates including but not limited to:

o Administration and support costs directly attributable to the proposed project

o Construction directly related to proposed project

o Equipment directly related to the project implementation

Non-allowable Costs

● Debt repayment (debt obtained prior to grant disbursement)

● Administration and support costs that are not directly related to the proposed project

implementation

● Design/proposal development costs

Download application documents here:

1. Application Template

2. Budget Template



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These lists are not exhaustive, and all proposed budgets will be evaluated for cost realism and compliance

with aforementioned guidelines and Mercy Corps Financial Policy.

The application process employed by this RFA is as follows:

Application Process

Application Package

Kindly request the full application package for the request for application (RFA) by sending an email to

[email protected]

Proposal Development and Support Workshop

To assist applicants in familiarizing themselves with the application package; provide an opportunity to

answer questions that may arise during the proposal development process; and provide real-time assistance

in the development of their proposed idea, a day-long workshop within each county (Montserrado,) has

been scheduled as outlined below. Each workshop is arranged in two parts: the morning session will consist

of a presentation of the application package and an overview of each of the application templates followed

by a question and answer session. The afternoon session will provide an opportunity for hands-on proposal

development assistance for all interested applicants. Applicants are encouraged to review the application

package prior to arrival at the workshop. Companies/businesses are encouraged to come to the workshop

with printed copies of the application documents. Requests for attendance will be considered on a first-

come, first-serve basis upon receipt of a reservation to [email protected] latest two days to the

workshop date.

Proposal Development and Support Workshop Schedule

Proposal Support: proposal

development workshop

TBA

Short listing,

internal capacity

assessment and training 16-28 Feb,

2021

External Panel

Review February 5-16, 2021

Launch of RFA

January 4, 2021

Pitching Competition

, selection and final

award March 1-28, 2021

Submission of

applications February 5,

2021 by 4:30pm local time

Request for Applications (RFA) Process and Key dates





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Upon closure of the RFA period, all applications will be reviewed by an independent, external review panel.

This panel is in no way affiliated with Mercy Corps to ensure balance and impartiality in the decision-

making process. Panel members will remain anonymous to ensure that decisions are not made under

pressure. Official decision notices will be issued to all applicants, successful or not. All decisions rendered

by the panel are considered final with no right of appeal.

Evaluation and Scoring Guidelines

Application Components Score

Technical Components 50

● Market relevance of proposed product/service as related to youth unemployment

● Impact on youth unemployment

● Innovation

Financial Viability of Proposed Application 25

● Extent to which proposed idea demonstrates commercial viability and sustainability post

grant closeout and its potential for scale-up

● Realism of projected milestone budget versus achievements

Applicant Organizational Capacity 25

● Current financial status of company (Financial statements)

● Demonstrated capacity to manage proposed project (management and staff capacity,

organization’s systems (administration, operations, accounting etc.)) (question 18)

Total 100

Monrovia, Montserrado

• Date: TBA• Venue: TBA

Kakata, Margibi

•Date:N/A•Venue: TBA

Buchanan, Grandbassa

• Date: TBA• Venue: TBA