SheTrades Caribbean Hub

• be a woman-owned/led business legally registered and operating in any of the following countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands;
• be a registered member of the SheTrades Caribbean Regional Hub;
• be a firm operating for at least two (2) years, whose application demonstrates its cash flow position via the financial statement or bank account statement for the last year. The financial statements submitted may either be audited or unaudited and must meet  established international financial reporting standards.
• own and operate a Business bank account;
• be exporting or able to demonstrate their potential to export goods and services (i.e. by highlighting product and market readiness, business leads and/or orders secured;
• commit in writing, with evidentiary support, to financing 15% of the total project costs;
• commit to participation in a six-month capacity building programme if selected. 

• start-ups, firms, entities, or individuals not operational for at least two years;

• educational institutions such as universities, schools, vocational centres, etc.;

• Business Support Organisations (institutions that provide any form of support, guidance and resources to WMSEs); 

• insolvent companies or those entering into bankruptcy procedures;

• companies currently suspended or sanctioned by CDB, United Nations or other multilateral development banks; 

• non-governmental organisations, including but not limited to human rights, social clubs, associations, and charities. 

Under the Grow Stream, grant funding will be allocated women-owned and women-led businesses who are currently offering innovative and competitive products and services1 in sectors which are best placed to take advantage of opportunities at the regional/international level. 

The Grow Stream grant will be provided to help an eligible company to:

• Expand its reach and increase profits;

• Manage a growing workload or potential increase in output in a cost-effective manner; 

• Expand operations without sacrificing performance or revenue;  

• Create systems or processes to handle larger volumes of business without requiring proportional increases in resources. 

  Some of the areas in which funding may be provided (list is for guidance only and is not exhaustive):  

  1. Research & Development such as completing business assessments and diagnostics (including in-market research activity and investment readiness, evaluation of business models, development of strategies for internationalisation, etc.);  

  2. skills training and development for staff which directly supports business growth;  

  3. purchase/installation of capital items (e.g. equipment) which improve business processes and increase productivity;  

  4. digital process innovation and implementation of information technology solutions;  

  5. product and service development; and  

  6. acquiring, protecting or managing company Intellectual Property (IP). This includes provision of funding to companies seeking to obtain IP advisory and IP business support services to address immediate trade and commerce related IP issues: such as conducting IP assessments, developing IP business strategy, conducting an IP inventory or IP audit, drafting and filing a patent, registering a trademark, etc.  

Under the Go Stream, grant funding will be allocated for women-owned and women-led companies at different stages of their export journey. Funding would be made available to new exporters and export-ready companies which require a financial or technical catalyst for international expansion. 

Funding will also be accessible by WMSMEs who are already exporting and seeking to scale up their presence in desired target markets or to diversify the products and services already on offer.   

The Firm’s 15% Cash Contribution should be provided from the applying Business’ Funds.

Some areas in which funding is provided include: 

1. market research;  

2. training activities including developing export capability, market intelligence, accessing networks, and marketing for export;  

3. participation in regional/international trade fairs and festivals (coverage of Trade Show Exhibitor costs including fees relating to registration and booth space/stands);  

4. promotional activities to market eligible products in foreign countries;  

5. development of marketing materials aimed at exploring new export markets;  

6. translation, e.g. of existing material (booklets, webpages, etc. for export markets); 

7. development of websites for e-commerce; and 

8. business assessments and diagnostics (including market and investment readiness, evaluation of business models etc.).

The following types of costs are not eligible: 

1. individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences, congresses (i.e. airfare, hotel and per diems); 

2. administrative costs/overheads; 

3. individual scholarships for studies or training courses; 

4. acquisition of motor vehicles; 

5. debts and provisions for losses or debts; 

6. interest owed; 

7. salaries, wages, and other human resource expenses; 

8. items already financed in another framework; 

9. purchases of land or buildings, except where necessary for the direct implementation of the project, in which case ownership must be transferred to the final beneficiaries and/or local partners, at the latest by the end of the project; 

10. currency exchange losses; 

11. taxes, including VAT and government duties; 

12. credits to third parties; 

13. interim financing costs; and 

14. commitment fees, bank charges. 

The SheTrades Caribbean Hub is a resource centre for women entrepreneurs hosted by the Caribbean Development Bank (the Bank) and provides access to women in the Bank’s Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs), providing access to:

• Technical Training and Capacity Building

• Networking, Mentoring, and Coaching

• Market Access and Investment Opportunities

The SheTrades Initiative is the flagship programme of the International Trade Centre (ITC) which supports women across the world in trade. ITC SheTrades targets all stakeholders across the trade and business ecosystem to create the right conditions and capacities for every woman, everywhere, to realize their full economic potential.

The SheTrades Caribbean Grow and Go Grant Facility, is a USD $500,000 facility funded by the CDB and designed to provide direct financial support to the women-led/owned Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (WMSMEs) registered to the SheTrades Caribbean Regional Hub. The facility is established to help WMSMEs overcome financial barriers and grow in key areas that impact or improve their ability to scale, increase their ability to participate in trade, and to sustain a viable market presence – locally, regionally or internationally.

Businesses which:

· Are 100% woman-owned

· Are more than 50% owned by one or more women

· Have a woman founder/co-founder

· Have a woman driving the strategic and operational direction

In order to be eligible for support, applicants must:

(a) be a woman-owned/led business legally registered and operating in any of the following 19 CDB BMCs – Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

(b) be a registered member of the SheTrades Caribbean Regional Hub.

(c) be a firm operating for at least two (2) years, who is able to demonstrate its cash flow position via bank or financial statements for the past financial year.

(d) own and operate a Business bank account.

(e) be exporting or can demonstrate their potential to export goods and services (i.e. by highlighting product and market readiness, business leads and/or orders secured.

(f) commit in writing, with evidentiary support, to financing 15% of the total project costs.

(g) commit to participation in a six-month capacity building programme if selected.

The following categories of persons/firms and institutions are not eligible to apply:

(a) start-ups, firms, entities, or individuals not operational for at least two years.

(b) educational institutions such as universities, schools, vocational centres, etc.

(c) Business Support Organisations (institutions that provide any form of support, guidance and resources to WMSEs)

(d) insolvent companies or those entering into bankruptcy procedures.

(e) companies currently suspended or sanctioned by CDB, United Nations or other multilateral development banks.

(f) non-governmental organisations, including but not limited to human rights, social clubs, associations, and charities.

Under the Facility, all exporting sectors are covered.

The maximum amount which will be provided to a grantee by the CDB is US$25,000. The CDB will fund 85% of the total eligible project cost (up to a maximum of USD 25,000). The Grantee will be required to provide Counterpart Funding of 15% of the total eligible project cost.

Yes, grantees will benefit from existing technical assistance provided by the SheTrades Caribbean Hub and receive tailored business and technical expertise during the project implementation period.

The application form can be accessed via the CDB’s Grant Application Portal on the Submittable Platform - Caribbean Development Bank Submission Manager. You will be required to create a free Submittable account or sign in with Google or Facebook credentials to submit your application. Follow the instructions on the page to access the SheTrades Caribbean Grow and Go application form. The Submittable Grant Application Portal is the only source for the Grow and Go Grant Application Form.

The SheTrades Caribbean Hub will host a series of virtual information sessions in April (dates to be announced) to provide further clarity on the application process and guide applicants on the use of the Submittable platform. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the information sessions.

Businesses can submit only one (1) application under this Call for Applications.

Once you submit your application, the Grant Evaluation Team will screen your submission for eligibility and begin the evaluation process. You will receive an email confirming receipt of your application on the Submittable platform.

Grantees will be selected based on the criteria in the Evaluation Grids provided in the Guidelines and Procedures document.

The evaluation process will take over one (1) month from the close of applications. All applications received will be assessed by a committee consisting of independent evaluators. Please note that the SheTrades Caribbean Hub will not provide status updates during this evaluation period.

It is important to review the CDB Privacy Notice regarding how your information is treated by us Please take some time to review the attached CDB Privacy Notice.

If you need further clarification, please email us – Subject Matter: Grow and Go Grant at shetrades@caribank.org.