Opportunity Information: Apply for K NOFO 18 106
Catch Them Young with the Entrepreneurship Bug is a U.S. Department of State grant opportunity run through the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata under the U.S. Mission to India. It is a discretionary education-focused grant (CFDA 19.040) designed to encourage entrepreneurship among young people in eastern India by making entrepreneurship feel like a realistic, desirable first career option rather than a backup plan. The project is framed as part of the "Road from GES" effort and is intended to be implemented in partnership with the Nexus Startup Hub, with an emphasis on using modern outreach and practical support structures to push early-stage entrepreneurial thinking at the college level.
The core idea is to reach a large youth audience quickly and persuasively, mainly through digital and social media. The program aims to reach roughly 100,000 youth and their families across West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Bihar. That detail about families matters because career choices in these regions are often influenced by parents and guardians, so the outreach is not limited to students alone. Proposals are expected to show how they would use online platforms, content, and campaign strategy to normalize entrepreneurship, highlight pathways into it, and make it understandable for people who may not have direct exposure to startups or business creation.
A second major component is capacity building on campuses through a structured support network. The grant calls for creating a network of 15 experts from different sectors who can guide and strengthen Entrepreneurship Development Cells (EDCs) at colleges. This expert group is expected to include graduates of the Y4BIZ program, signaling that the U.S. government wants to leverage alumni and people with prior entrepreneurship training as multipliers. The expert network would support at least 30 EDCs, implying ongoing mentorship, troubleshooting, and programming assistance rather than one-off events. A competitive proposal would typically lay out how experts will be recruited, coordinated, and matched with campuses, and what kind of engagement cadence or deliverables the EDCs will receive.
The third pillar focuses on practical skill development and early venture formation. The project is expected to facilitate access to online training and to identify opportunities for business plan development for young women and men. In plain terms, it is not just about inspiration; it is also about giving participants tools, structured learning, and a route to turn ideas into workable plans. Proposals would likely be stronger if they clearly describe what online training will be used or developed, how participants will be onboarded, and how business plan development will be coached and evaluated, especially with attention to inclusion and equal access across genders.
In terms of funding and logistics, the opportunity number is K NOFO 18 106 and the funding instrument is a grant. The award ceiling listed is $40,000, and the program anticipated making one award, so this is essentially a single-project competition rather than a multi-award portfolio. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions). The notice was created on April 12, 2018, and the original closing date was June 12, 2018. Overall, the grant is oriented toward measurable outreach at scale, creation of a durable mentorship and expert network, and tangible entrepreneurship skill-building that can help students move from interest to action through campus-based EDC support and online learning pathways.Apply for K NOFO 18 106
- The Department of State, U.S. Mission to India in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Catch Them Young with the Entrepreneurship Bug" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 12, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 12, 2018. (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 $40,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- 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, Private institutions of higher education.
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FAQs: Catch Them Young with the Entrepreneurship Bug (U.S. Department of State)
1) What is the "Catch Them Young with the Entrepreneurship Bug" grant opportunity?
It is a discretionary, education-focused U.S. Department of State grant opportunity (CFDA 19.040) run through the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata under the U.S. Mission to India. The program is designed to encourage entrepreneurship among young people in eastern India by making entrepreneurship feel like a realistic and desirable first career option rather than a backup plan.
2) Which U.S. government office is running this opportunity?
The opportunity is run through the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata, under the U.S. Mission to India, within the U.S. Department of State.
3) What is the main goal of the project?
The main goal is to normalize entrepreneurship for youth audiences at scale, especially at the college level, and help move participants from interest to action through modern outreach, practical support structures, campus-based Entrepreneurship Development Cells (EDCs), mentorship, and online learning pathways.
4) What does "discretionary education-focused grant" mean in this notice?
Based on the notice, it indicates the funding is provided through a discretionary grant mechanism focused on educational outcomes tied to entrepreneurship encouragement and capacity building.
5) What is the opportunity number and funding instrument?
The opportunity number is K NOFO 18 106, and the funding instrument is a grant.
6) How much funding is available?
The award ceiling listed is $40,000.
7) How many awards are expected to be made?
The program anticipated making one award, meaning this is intended as a single-project competition rather than multiple simultaneous awards.
8) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include: public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions).
9) What geographic area is the project focused on?
The program aims to reach youth and their families across West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Bihar.
10) Who is the intended audience?
The project targets young people (especially college-level audiences) and also explicitly includes families, since parents and guardians often influence career choices in the target regions.
11) Approximately how many people is the program expected to reach?
The outreach target described is roughly 100,000 youth and their families across the three states.
12) Why does the program emphasize reaching families and not only students?
The notice highlights that career choices in these regions are often influenced by parents and guardians, so outreach is expected to persuade and inform families as well as students.
13) What is the "Road from GES" framing mentioned in the notice?
The project is framed as part of the "Road from GES" effort, as stated in the opportunity description.
14) Is the project expected to be implemented with any partner?
Yes. The opportunity states it is intended to be implemented in partnership with the Nexus Startup Hub.
15) What are the major components or pillars of the project?
The description points to three major pillars: (1) large-scale digital and social media outreach; (2) campus capacity building via an expert support network for Entrepreneurship Development Cells (EDCs); and (3) practical skill development and early venture formation support through online training and business plan development pathways.
16) What is expected under the digital and social media outreach component?
Proposals are expected to show how they would use online platforms, content, and campaign strategy to quickly and persuasively reach a large youth audience and their families, normalize entrepreneurship, highlight pathways into entrepreneurship, and make entrepreneurship understandable to people without direct exposure to startups or business creation.
17) What does "normalize entrepreneurship" mean in the context of this grant?
In this notice, it refers to using outreach and messaging to make entrepreneurship feel like a common, viable, and desirable first-choice career path rather than a fallback option.
18) What is the expert network, and how large should it be?
The grant calls for creating a network of 15 experts from different sectors to guide and strengthen college Entrepreneurship Development Cells (EDCs).
19) Are there any preferred qualifications for the experts?
The notice states that the expert group is expected to include graduates of the Y4BIZ program, indicating an intent to leverage alumni and individuals with prior entrepreneurship training.
20) How many college Entrepreneurship Development Cells (EDCs) should be supported?
The expert network is expected to support at least 30 EDCs.
21) What kind of support is implied for EDCs?
The description implies ongoing mentorship, troubleshooting, and programming assistance rather than one-off events. Competitive proposals are expected to describe how experts will be recruited, coordinated, matched with campuses, and how engagement cadence and deliverables will work.
22) What does the grant expect regarding training and skill development?
The project is expected to facilitate access to online training and identify opportunities for business plan development, emphasizing that the program is not only inspirational but also tool- and skills-oriented.
23) Is the program meant for both women and men?
Yes. The notice explicitly refers to business plan development opportunities for young women and men and notes that stronger proposals will address inclusion and equal access across genders.
24) What is meant by "business plan development" in this opportunity?
Based on the description, it refers to creating a structured route for participants to turn ideas into workable plans, including coaching and evaluation approaches described in proposals.
25) What makes a proposal more competitive according to the notice?
The notice suggests proposals would be stronger if they clearly describe: (a) online platforms/content/campaign strategy for large-scale outreach; (b) how the 15-expert network will be recruited, coordinated, and matched to campuses; (c) engagement cadence and deliverables for at least 30 EDCs; (d) what online training will be used or developed and how participants will be onboarded; (e) how business plan development will be coached and evaluated; and (f) how inclusion and equal access across genders will be ensured.
26) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The notice lists CFDA 19.040.
27) When was the notice created and what was the original closing date?
The notice was created on April 12, 2018, and the original closing date was June 12, 2018.
28) Is this opportunity focused more on awareness or on venture creation?
It is designed to do both: deliver measurable outreach at scale (awareness and normalization) and provide tangible skill-building and support structures (online training, business plan development opportunities, and EDC strengthening) that help students move from interest to action.
29) What level of education is the program primarily aimed at?
The notice emphasizes early-stage entrepreneurial thinking at the college level, especially through campus-based Entrepreneurship Development Cells (EDCs).
30) What kind of outcomes does the grant emphasize overall?
Overall, the grant is oriented toward measurable large-scale outreach, creation of a durable mentorship/expert network, and tangible entrepreneurship skill-building tied to campus EDC support and online learning pathways.
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