Opportunity Information: Apply for DI 15 NOFO 001
Apply for DI 15 NOFO 001
- The Department of State in the employment, labor and training sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Women Weaving a Better Future through Better Business Timor Leste" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.801 Office of Global Womens Issues.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 13, 2015 and posted on Aug 13, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 14, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $496,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $496,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
- Other Foreign Public Entities
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Opportunity Summary:
Women Weaving a Better Future through Better Business Timor Leste is a U.S. Department of State grant opportunity (U.S. Embassy in Dili) designed to strengthen the economic empowerment of women and girls in Timor Leste by helping women artisan weavers move from informal, isolated production into a sustainable, organized business collective that can compete in higher-value markets. The core idea behind the program is that many women weavers already have strong traditional skills, but face barriers such as limited business knowledge, fragmented supply and sales channels, and little direct access to international buyers. This grant aims to bridge those gaps so weaving can generate more stable and increased income, while also building longer-term pathways for girls to participate in and benefit from the sector.
The program focuses on several connected activity areas. First, it supports efforts to modernize local weaving-related skills and strengthen business practices, which can include improving production quality, consistency, finishing, design adaptation for target consumers, pricing, bookkeeping, inventory management, and other practical steps that make artisan work market-ready. Second, it prioritizes building a unified and organized collective for women weavers, meaning the grant is intended to help create or strengthen a coordinated structure that can aggregate products, standardize quality, negotiate better terms, and represent the group in partnerships and sales relationships. Third, it supports identifying new markets and developing strategies for international market access, such as understanding demand trends, branding and storytelling, packaging, compliance expectations for export-oriented buyers, and building relationships with distributors, retailers, or fair-trade style networks abroad. Alongside these business-oriented goals, the program also requires a scholarship and internship component for girls as part of the collective development, linking near-term income generation with longer-term skills development and opportunity for the next generation. Finally, the program includes sub-grants to local organizations that work on empowering women economically within the artisan industry, signaling an expectation that the prime awardee will not only run programming directly but also channel resources to community-based partners that can expand reach and local ownership.
The opportunity is a discretionary grant under Funding Opportunity Number DI 15 NOFO 001, categorized under Employment, Labor, and Training, with an explicit emphasis on advancing economic empowerment for women and girls. The U.S. government anticipated making one award, with total estimated funding of $496,000. The award floor was listed at $450,000 and the ceiling at $496,000, indicating the intended project size and suggesting applicants were expected to propose a comprehensive, multi-part program rather than a small pilot.
Eligibility was broad enough to include nonprofit organizations (both with and without U.S. 501(c)(3) status), public and private institutions of higher education, and certain other entities as described in the announcement, including foreign public entities. The funding opportunity was posted on August 13, 2015, with a closing date of September 14, 2015, and it was archived on October 14, 2015. The CFDA number referenced is 19.801, associated with the Office of Global Women’s Issues, reinforcing that the grant is anchored in women’s economic empowerment outcomes rather than only cultural preservation or craft promotion.
In practical terms, this grant opportunity is best understood as a combined economic development and women’s empowerment initiative that uses the weaving sector as the entry point: improving skills and business systems, organizing women into a durable collective, connecting them to international markets to raise revenues, investing in girls through scholarships and internships, and strengthening local ecosystem partners through sub-grants.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Women Weaving a Better Future through Better Business Timor Leste" grant opportunity?
This is a U.S. Department of State grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Embassy in Dili. It is designed to strengthen the economic empowerment of women and girls in Timor Leste by helping women artisan weavers move from informal, isolated production into a sustainable, organized business collective that can compete in higher-value markets.
What problem is the program trying to solve?
The program is built around the idea that many women weavers already have strong traditional weaving skills, but face barriers that limit income and growth. These barriers include limited business knowledge, fragmented supply and sales channels, and little direct access to international buyers. The grant aims to bridge these gaps so weaving can generate more stable and increased income, while also creating longer-term pathways for girls to participate in and benefit from the sector.
What are the main goals of the grant?
The opportunity combines economic development and women’s empowerment goals using the weaving sector as the entry point. Core goals include improving weaving-related production and business systems, organizing women into a durable collective, connecting weavers to international markets to raise revenues, investing in girls through scholarships and internships, and strengthening local ecosystem partners through sub-grants to local organizations focused on women’s economic empowerment within the artisan industry.
What types of activities does the program support?
The program supports several connected activity areas, including: modernizing weaving-related skills; strengthening practical business practices; building or strengthening an organized collective; identifying new markets and developing international market access strategies; adding a scholarship and internship component for girls; and issuing sub-grants to local organizations working on women’s economic empowerment in the artisan industry.
What does "modernize local weaving-related skills and strengthen business practices" mean in this grant?
Based on the opportunity description, this can include improving production quality and consistency, finishing, design adaptation for target consumers, pricing, bookkeeping, inventory management, and other practical steps that make artisan work market-ready and competitive.
What does the grant mean by creating or strengthening a "unified and organized collective"?
The grant intends to support a coordinated structure for women weavers that can aggregate products, standardize quality, negotiate better terms, and represent the group in partnerships and sales relationships. In other words, the collective is meant to reduce isolation and fragmentation by giving weavers a shared system for production and sales.
How does the grant approach international market access?
The opportunity emphasizes identifying new markets and developing strategies for international market access. Examples described include understanding demand trends, branding and storytelling, packaging, compliance expectations for export-oriented buyers, and building relationships with distributors, retailers, or fair-trade style networks abroad.
Does the program include support for girls?
Yes. The program requires a scholarship and internship component for girls as part of the collective development. This ties near-term income generation to longer-term skills development and opportunities for the next generation.
Are sub-grants part of this opportunity?
Yes. The program includes sub-grants to local organizations that work on empowering women economically within the artisan industry. This indicates the prime awardee is expected not only to run programming directly, but also to channel resources to community-based partners that can expand reach and local ownership.
What kind of grant is this (formula vs. discretionary)?
This opportunity is described as a discretionary grant.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this grant?
The Funding Opportunity Number listed is DI 15 NOFO 001.
How is this opportunity categorized?
The opportunity is categorized under Employment, Labor, and Training, with an explicit emphasis on advancing economic empowerment for women and girls.
How much funding was available?
The total estimated funding was $496,000. The award floor was $450,000 and the award ceiling was $496,000.
How many awards did the U.S. government expect to make?
The government anticipated making one award.
What does the award floor and ceiling suggest about the expected project size?
With a floor of $450,000 and a ceiling of $496,000, the funding range suggests applicants were expected to propose a comprehensive, multi-part program (not a small pilot), covering skill and business improvements, collective building, market access work, a girls scholarship/internship component, and sub-grants.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility included nonprofit organizations (both with and without U.S. 501(c)(3) status), public and private institutions of higher education, and certain other entities described in the announcement, including foreign public entities.
Is U.S. 501(c)(3) status required for nonprofit applicants?
No. The opportunity explicitly notes that nonprofit organizations were eligible both with and without U.S. 501(c)(3) status.
Does the grant allow foreign entities to be eligible?
Yes. The eligibility description includes certain other entities described in the announcement, including foreign public entities.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on August 13, 2015 and had a closing date of September 14, 2015.
Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. The opportunity was archived on October 14, 2015.
Which U.S. government entity is associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is a U.S. Department of State grant opportunity associated with the U.S. Embassy in Dili.
What is the CFDA number referenced for this program?
The CFDA number referenced is 19.801.
What does the CFDA reference indicate about the focus of the grant?
The CFDA number is associated with the Office of Global Women’s Issues, reinforcing that the grant is anchored in women’s economic empowerment outcomes rather than only cultural preservation or craft promotion.
Is the grant mainly about cultural preservation of weaving traditions?
Based on the description provided, the central emphasis is economic empowerment and business development through the weaving sector. While traditional skills are acknowledged as a strength, the grant’s activities focus on making weaving market-ready, building a collective, and accessing higher-value markets.
What outcomes is the program trying to achieve for women weavers?
The program aims to help women weavers increase and stabilize income by improving production and business systems, reducing fragmentation through an organized collective, and enabling access to higher-value and international markets.
What outcomes is the program trying to achieve for girls?
The scholarship and internship component is intended to create longer-term pathways for girls to participate in and benefit from the weaving sector, connecting current collective development to future skills development and opportunity.
What role do local organizations play in this program?
Local organizations are supported through sub-grants, particularly those working on economic empowerment for women within the artisan industry. This reflects an approach that includes community-based partners to broaden reach and strengthen local ownership.
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