Opportunity Information: Apply for NEAAC ACBURGR 17 009
The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Assistance Coordination (NEA/AC), is seeking grant proposals for a project called "Supporting Job Creation for Young Tunisians from Marginalized Communities" (Funding Opportunity Number: NEAAC-ACBURGR-17-009). The central goal is straightforward and results-driven: proposals must lead to verifiable, measurable increases in employment for young Tunisians, particularly university-educated youth living in marginalized governorates. The opportunity is built around closing the gap between what young people learn in school and what employers actually need, while also treating entrepreneurship as a practical pathway to employment and self-employment rather than a separate, abstract objective.
The program is described as a "supply-side" intervention, meaning it focuses on increasing the availability of job-ready candidates and strengthening youth capacity to enter the labor market. Applicants are expected to design activities such as market-relevant technical training, soft-skills development, structured job placement support, and initiatives that help young people start their own income-generating work. Entrepreneurship-focused components can include technical assistance, mentoring, and business plan development, but they must still connect clearly to market demand and real job outcomes. The funder emphasizes that activities should be grounded in the realities of specific interior or underserved locations, not generic national-level approaches.
A key requirement is local labor market intelligence. Strong proposals must demonstrate real knowledge of employment constraints and opportunities in the target governorates and, where relevant, an understanding of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. In practice, this means identifying localized barriers (such as skills mismatches, limited private-sector absorption, weak networks between employers and graduates, transportation constraints, or lack of access to capital and coaching) and proposing targeted solutions that directly address those barriers. The solicitation places a high premium on stakeholder buy-in and practical alignment with employers and local institutions so that training and support lead to jobs rather than just completed workshops.
The most important point in the solicitation is how success will be judged. NEA/AC makes clear that the grant will not be evaluated primarily by how many trainings are delivered or how many centers, programs, or advisory services are created. Instead, the ultimate measure is quantifiable increases in youth employment in specific localities. Proposals are expected to show how their interventions will translate into actual employment outcomes and to provide an evidence-based model that justifies why the approach should work. Applicants must also include a rigorous monitoring and evaluation plan that allows the government to track the number of jobs gained and calculate the cost per job gained, signaling that performance, verification, and value-for-money are central to this opportunity.
Partnerships and local ownership are also core to the design. Applicants must explain how they will leverage local leadership and sustain engagement, and they are encouraged to collaborate with individual businesses in the interior, relevant Tunisian government entities, business associations or chambers, existing job centers, and other private-sector actors. The intent is to build credible pathways from training to hiring by involving employers and labor market intermediaries directly, rather than treating placement as an afterthought. Overall, the opportunity supports projects that combine targeted skills development, employer-linked placement mechanisms, and demand-informed self-employment support, with a strict requirement that outcomes be measurable in terms of real jobs for marginalized Tunisian youth.
Administrative details provided in the announcement include that the funding instrument is a discretionary grant, the activity categories include business and commerce as well as employment, labor, and training, and the CFDA number listed is 19.600. The award ceiling is up to USD 1,000,000. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled higher education institutions, private higher education institutions, nonprofits (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status), small businesses, and other eligible entity types listed in the notice. The original closing date shown is July 10, 2017, and the opportunity was created on May 30, 2017.Apply for NEAAC ACBURGR 17 009
- The Assistance Coordination in the business and commerce, employment, labor and training sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Supporting Job Creation for Young Tunisians from Marginalized Communities" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.600.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-05-30.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-07-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Small businesses, Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Supporting Job Creation for Young Tunisians from Marginalized Communities".
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is NEAAC-ACBURGR-17-009.
Which U.S. government office is offering this grant?
The grant is offered by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Assistance Coordination (NEA/AC).
What type of funding instrument is this?
This opportunity uses a discretionary grant funding instrument.
What is the central goal of the project?
The central goal is to produce verifiable, measurable increases in employment for young Tunisians, with a particular focus on university-educated youth living in marginalized governorates.
Who is the primary target population?
The primary target population is young Tunisians, especially university-educated youth from marginalized communities in underserved governorates.
What does the solicitation mean by a "supply-side" intervention?
"Supply-side" means the project should focus on increasing the availability of job-ready candidates and strengthening youth capacity to enter the labor market, rather than focusing primarily on creating employer demand directly.
What kinds of activities are applicants expected to propose?
Applicants are expected to design activities that support real employment outcomes, such as:
- Market-relevant technical training
- Soft-skills development
- Structured job placement support
- Support for youth to start income-generating work (self-employment)
Is entrepreneurship an allowable focus area?
Yes. Entrepreneurship is treated as a practical pathway to employment and self-employment, not as a separate or abstract objective. Any entrepreneurship component is expected to connect clearly to market demand and real job outcomes.
What entrepreneurship activities are specifically mentioned as examples?
Examples of entrepreneurship-related components include technical assistance, mentoring, and business plan development, as long as these are tied to market realities and measurable employment outcomes.
Does the opportunity prefer national-level programs or local approaches?
The opportunity emphasizes that activities should be grounded in the realities of specific interior or underserved locations, not generic national-level approaches.
What is meant by "local labor market intelligence" in this opportunity?
Local labor market intelligence refers to demonstrating real knowledge of employment constraints and opportunities in the target governorates, and (where relevant) understanding the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. Proposals are expected to identify localized barriers and propose targeted solutions tailored to those places.
What types of local barriers does the announcement indicate applicants may need to address?
The announcement gives examples of localized barriers such as:
- Skills mismatches between graduates and employer needs
- Limited private-sector absorption capacity
- Weak networks between employers and graduates
- Transportation constraints
- Lack of access to capital and coaching
How will proposals be judged for success?
Success will be judged primarily by quantifiable increases in youth employment in specific localities. The solicitation states that performance is not evaluated mainly by the number of trainings delivered or the number of programs/centers/services created.
Are outputs like trainings and centers sufficient on their own?
No. The solicitation makes clear that outputs (for example, trainings delivered, centers created, advisory services launched) are not the primary basis for evaluation. Applicants must show how activities will translate into actual, measurable job outcomes.
What monitoring and evaluation (M&E) expectations are described?
Applicants must include a rigorous monitoring and evaluation plan that allows the government to:
- Track the number of jobs gained
- Calculate the cost per job gained
This signals that verification and value-for-money are central to the opportunity.
Does the opportunity require an evidence-based model?
Yes. Proposals are expected to provide an evidence-based model explaining why the proposed approach should lead to real employment outcomes.
What does the solicitation emphasize about employer alignment?
The solicitation places a high premium on stakeholder buy-in and practical alignment with employers and local institutions so that training and support lead to jobs rather than only workshop completion.
What kinds of partnerships are encouraged?
Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with:
- Individual businesses in the interior
- Relevant Tunisian government entities
- Business associations or chambers
- Existing job centers
- Other private-sector actors and labor market intermediaries
What does the solicitation say about local ownership and sustainability?
Applicants must explain how they will leverage local leadership and sustain engagement. Partnerships are framed as a way to build credible pathways from training to hiring by involving employers and intermediaries directly.
What are the activity categories associated with this funding opportunity?
The activity categories listed include business and commerce and employment, labor, and training.
What is the CFDA number listed in the announcement?
The CFDA number listed is 19.600.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is up to USD 1,000,000.
Who is eligible to apply based on the announcement?
Eligible applicants include:
- Public and state-controlled higher education institutions
- Private higher education institutions
- Nonprofits (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status)
- Small businesses
- Other eligible entity types listed in the notice
What is the closing date shown for this opportunity?
The original closing date shown is July 10, 2017.
When was the opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on May 30, 2017.
What is the main theme that applicants should keep in mind when designing a proposal?
The main theme is results: design an intervention that closes the gap between education and employer needs, links training to real hiring pathways, and measures success by verified job gains (including cost per job gained), with strong local grounding and partnerships in targeted governorates.
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