Opportunity Information: Apply for 72016522RFA00010
The Private Sector Led Growth, Resilience and Response Activity is a USAID North Macedonia (USAID-Skopje) grant opportunity designed to accelerate economic growth by putting the private sector at the center of development. The program is built around the idea that sustainable growth comes from stronger, more competitive businesses and a workforce trained for real market needs, with government and industry working together to remove bottlenecks and open opportunities. It is framed not only as a growth initiative, but also as a resilience and response effort that helps firms and markets cope with shocks and uncertainty.
At the core of the activity are several connected goals focused on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and start-ups. The opportunity aims to boost MSME productivity, which typically means helping firms improve operational efficiency, adopt better technologies or processes, raise quality standards, and strengthen management practices so they can compete more effectively. Another major emphasis is developing demand-driven professionals, meaning workforce development aligned with what employers actually need. This can include improving job-relevant skills, strengthening links between businesses and education or training providers, and ensuring that talent pipelines support priority sectors and growing companies.
A key component is improving access to finance for micro, small, and start-up firms and facilitating investment for MSMEs. In practical terms, this often involves working with financial institutions, investors, and business support organizations to expand suitable financial products, reduce barriers that prevent smaller firms from borrowing or attracting investment, and improve firms' readiness to seek financing (for example, through better financial reporting, business planning, or investment pitch preparation). The activity also plans to strengthen existing public-private dialogue (PPD) mechanisms, which are structured channels where businesses and government can coordinate on reforms, address regulatory problems, and shape policies that affect competitiveness. Alongside domestic improvements, the activity seeks to improve North Macedonia's regional economic integration, which generally points to stronger cross-border trade and investment ties, alignment with regional markets, and improved participation in regional value chains.
The design approach highlights collaboration with the private sector through resource partnerships, with an emphasis on joint interventions and enterprise-driven solutions. This signals that the implementing partner is expected to co-create and co-deliver activities with companies and business organizations, likely leveraging private sector contributions such as funding, in-kind support, expertise, market access, or co-investment. The program is positioned to encourage solutions that are grounded in real business constraints and opportunities rather than purely donor-driven programming.
A defining feature of this opportunity is its focus on resilience in the face of recent and ongoing disruptions. The description explicitly points to post-COVID recovery challenges, Europe's energy crisis, and the war in Ukraine as factors constraining growth, while also recognizing that future unexpected events could disrupt forecasts and economic stability. Because of this, the activity is expected to shape interventions that help the private sector strengthen its ability to respond to shocks, anticipate changes, adapt operations and strategies, and even leverage changing conditions when opportunities arise. In other words, resilience is not treated as a separate add-on, but as something that should be embedded throughout the program's technical approach, partnerships, and results.
Administratively, this is a USAID funding opportunity issued as a Cooperative Agreement, which typically indicates substantial involvement by the funding agency during implementation compared with a standard grant. The opportunity is categorized under "Business and Commerce" and is associated with CFDA 98.001 (USAID Foreign Assistance for Programs Overseas). The funding opportunity number is 72016522RFA00010. USAID anticipated making one award, with an award ceiling of $5,500,000. The opportunity was created on September 15, 2022, and had an original closing date of October 31, 2022 at 4:00 pm Skopje time. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with further clarification referenced in an additional eligibility section in the full notice.
Overall, the grant seeks an implementing partner capable of working closely with businesses, financiers, and public institutions to improve firm-level performance, build market-relevant skills, unlock capital for smaller firms, strengthen public-private coordination, and deepen regional integration, while ensuring the entire program is designed to perform under uncertainty and help the private sector in North Macedonia become more shock-ready and adaptable over time.Apply for 72016522RFA00010
- The Agency for International Development, Macedonia USAID-Skopje in the business and commerce sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Private Sector Led Growth, Resilience and Response Activity" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 15, 2022.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 31, 2022 October 31, 2022, 400 pm Skopje time. (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 $5,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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