The Women’s Economic Empowerment Through Advancing Women-Led Enterprises in Lebanon (WEE) is a  project generously funded by the Government of Canada implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project aims at supporting gender-responsive job creation and generating economic opportunities for women-led MSMEs across various productive sectors with high growth potential.

One of the project’s components is designed to tackle one of the longstanding challenges faced by Lebanese MSMEs—their limited access to financial and technical support, which is hindering their growth and ability to contribute to economic development. The 2019 financial crisis exacerbated these challenges, making it increasingly difficult for businesses to sustain their operations. More recently, the 2024 war on Lebanon has further strained MSMEs, not only through direct physical damages but also by disrupting supply chains, reducing consumer demand, and increasing operational costs.

With MSMEs forming the backbone of Lebanon’s economy, supporting them post conflict is crucial for maintaining and improving economic resilience and sustaining livelihoods opportunities across the country. Such support has a dual impact, enabling MSMEs to maintain their operations while building the foundation for future recovery and sustainability.  

Through the Access to Finance component, UNDP will ensure that businesses, particularly those led by women have access to financing opportunities to sustain and grow their operation, thus contributing to job stabilization.

Objective

The primary objective of the call is to provide grants to eligible micro and small-sized enterprises, especially those led / owned by women to enable them to sustain and increase their production in a post-conflict and recovery setting.    

The grants will therefore be directed to achieve the following:  

• Invest in new machinery/equipment or upgrade existing ones
• Invest in infrastructure improvement or upgrade for quality and safety enhancement.
• Purchase or upgrade energy-efficient equipment to reduce production cost
• Reach new customers, enabling increased sales opportunities through the use of e-commerce solutions, other digital solutions or targeted marketing activities

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the grant, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Businesses that operate in the project’s prioritized sectors, including Agrofood, Cosmetics and Cleaning Products, Creative Industries and their related sub-sectors
• Formally registered business in Lebanon with the relevant authorities
• Employing less than 10 full time employees
• Turnover less than 300,000 USD or the equivalent in LBP based on the central bank exchange rate
• Business should be in operation for at least one year by the time of application and demonstrating ongoing operations
• Business has a production facility and is not operating from home
• Business should be producing goods and actively selling in the local market
• Businesses didn’t receive funds/support from UNDP exceeding 5,000K in the past 2 years

Priority will be given for the micro and small-sized enterprises operating in the Cosmetics and Cleaning and Creative Industries, which support women economic empowerment and livelihoods while adhering to sustainable environmental practices.  Enterprises located in war-affected areas including the South and Bekaa will also be prioritized.  

Benefits

If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can benefit from a grant of up to 12,000 USD. Eligible activities covered by the grant include:  

• Purchase of Equipment or Machinery
• Infrastructure Enhancement
• Purchase or upgrade of Energy-efficient Equipment
• E-commerce Activities and Digital Solutions
• Access to Local Markets & in-store promotional Activities

Refer to the “Eligible Grant Activities Annex II” for more details. Selected beneficiaries who receive the grant will also be provided with additional technical assistance for product quality enhancement and access to markets.  

Application Process

Step 1: Read the eligibility criteria and determine your eligibility for the grant  

Step 2: Complete the Grant Application Form and compile the required documents, including additional documents specific to the selected activity (Refer to Annex IV ).

Step 3: Complete the Low Value Grant Proposal Form and outline proposed activities, performance targets, and budget using the provided templates (Refer to Annex V).

Step 4: Submit your inquiries via email (sme.support@undp.org) and make sure to attend the scheduled information session to learn more about the call, eligibility criteria, and application guidelines. Register for the Information Sessions Here.

Step 5: Submit the completed application package online through the Online Form. Ensure all required fields are completed and supporting documents are uploaded. Applications submitted by email will not be considered and reviewed.  

Proposals will undergo a thorough evaluation process, and results will be communicated to applicants via email. If any clarification or additional documents are needed, UNDP will be reaching out to you via email or phone.  

Timeline

Application Deadline: April 29, 2025  
Announcement of Selected Grantees: End of May 2025  
Implementation Period: 8 to 10 months starting from grant disbursement. 

Important: Applications must be submitted by April 29, 2025. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.  

Evaluation Process

The evaluation process is carried out by a dedicated Grant Selection Committee with expertise in MSME development. Proposals will be assessed based on:

• Production facility respecting hygiene and quality standards as well as  environmental measures
• Women’s engagement in the business
• Justification for the selected activities in the grant proposal  
• Economic and social impact of the business
• Company's ability to sustain the grant usage
• Other additional criteria 

Detailed scoring and selection criteria are available in the templates and annexes below.  
 

Templates and Annexes

Annex I: Eligible Sectors

Annex II: Eligible Grant Activities  

Annex III: List of Required documents

Annex IV and Annex V: Application and Proposal Form

Grant selection/scoring criteria

Terms of Reference  

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