As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to address the root causes of irregular migration, USAID is sponsoring the MujerProspera (WomanProsper) Challenge, a regional challenge to advance gender equality in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. 

The challenge is seeking holistic and impactful solutions that advance women’s economic security, employment, and/or entrepreneurship. MujerProspera is looking for both innovative new approaches, as well as those that scale-up successful existing efforts to promote women’s agency, safety, access to economic power, resources, fair and stable long-term income, and advances in labor protections in the formal and informal sectors.

How Can My Organization Apply?

To apply to the challenge, submit your application through the application platform by February 14, 2022, at 12 p.m. Eastern Time. To fill out an application, please sign in with an existing Google account. If you do not have a Google account, you can create one using an existing non-Google email address here. There is no cost to setting up an account. To learn more about the challenge and how to apply, read the Request for Applications. 

What Are the Objectives of the Challenge?

The MujerProspera Challenge is seeking innovative and impactful proposals that:

• Advance Women’s Economic Security by improving working conditions and labor protections, recruitment, retention, promotion, and the advancement of women in dignified, stable work that results in increased access, productivity, and a fair and stable income in the workforce.
• Address Harmful Gender Norms and Enable Safe Work Environments through promoting positive gender norms, egalitarian attitudes and behaviors, a holistic safe working environment, and safe transportation to and from work, supportive of women’s economic security and agency.

For more information on the objectives of the challenge, please see the Request for Applications.

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

Prospective applicants for the MujerProspera Challenge must meet the following requirements. All applications will undergo an initial screening to ensure they comply with the eligibility criteria.

• Organization Type: The challenge is open to U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, and all registered organization types around the world, including but not limited to nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, business associations, women’s associations, foundations, national, regional, community, and Indigenous peoples organizations, etc.
• Local Presence: All applicants must use the funds to implement interventions in El Salvador, Guatemala, and/or Honduras. Applicants must already have a presence in that country, or be a local entity or have a local partner. The Challenge will require supporting documentation to demonstrate legal status to operate where the intervention is taking place.
• Topical: Applicants should present interventions that address the objectives of the challenge outlined in the Overview, Section A: The Problem, and Section B: Challenge Statement and Goals sections of the Request for Applications.
• Language: Applicants must submit their entries in English or Spanish.
• Completeness and Timeliness: Applications will not be assessed if all required fields of the application have not been completed. This applies to any stage of submission and relates to missing documentation that may have been requested. Late entries will not be accepted.
• Eligibility to Receive USAID Funds: Catalyst will conduct pre-award due diligence prior to award to ensure that the applicant has the organizational and technical capacity to manage a USAID-funded sub-award activity. Applicants must pass this process to receive a grant (which is a sub-award) under the challenge.
• Gender Analysis: All awards are required to complete a gender analysis. We strongly encourage all applicants to complete a gender analysis (identifying major gender gaps that the activity will address) prior to applying, but this is not mandatory. Successful awards who have yet to complete a gender analysis will be required to do so as one of their initial activities under the grant.

For more information on eligibility, please see the full criteria in the Request for Applications. 

How Can I Learn More?

To learn more about the challenge, read the Request for Applications. Information is also available in Español.