USAID LENS Community Upgrade Grant Program 2018 (Grant between 50,000 JOD – 250,000 JOD)

Applications are ongoing for the USAID LENS Community Upgrade Grant Program 2018. The USAID LENS focuses on several sectors, one of which is tourism. Since 2014, USAID LENS has focused on supporting and promoting the adventure tourism industry in Jordan, as a potential major driver of jobs and revenue for MSEs in Jordan.

The primary objective of this intervention is to upgrade tourism-related MSEs in local communities along the Jordan Trail, to turn them into becoming high-quality key service providers. The mechanism of achieving this objective will include a grant in which tour operators/travel agents/tourism consulting groups apply to in order to develop the mentioned MSEs.

Grant

• The requested amount may not be less than 50,000 JOD and may not exceed 250,000 JOD.

Eligibility

• An applicant must be a registered, licensed business and operating in the tourism industry, and can be an inbound tour operator, travel agent, or tourism consultancy business;
• Although applicants to this opportunity may be for profit or not-for-profit entities, profit is not an allowable cost under this mechanism. Indirect costs are also not allowed, but can be converted to direct costs to be accepted;
• USAID LENS will consider applications from Jordanian and non-Jordanian entities, dependent on the conditions that apply based on grantee country of origin.

MSEs Eligbility Criteria

• The MSEs must be located along one of the sections of the Jordan Trail (refer to the mapped out route on the Jordan Trail website)
• The MSEs that the applicant aims to target can be formal or informal, and should be one or more of the following:
  • Homestay
  • Bed and breakfast (B&B)
  • Hostel
  • Motels
  • Campsites/camping facilities
  • Lodges
  • Guest houses
  • Meal providers
  • Service providers
  • Local guides
  • Local hosts providing experiences for people along the trail (Ex. Cooking, farming, sand-art, weaving, etc.)

Application

Applicants should submit the following:

• Application Form
• Budget
• Certificate of Registration or Incorporation Papers (Arabic originals or scanned Arabic photocopies and English translation)
• Action Plan
• A letter explaining the motivation behind the applicant’s interest
• Qualifications and past relevant experience of the project key personnel
• Optional Documentation: Other material such as brochures, research reports, samples of publications and results of past programs are very welcome.

For more information, visit USAID-LENS Community Upgrade Grant Program.