Spring Impact Scale Accelerator Programme: Women’s Economic Empowerment

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Are you an established NGO or social enterprise working in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania? Do you have a proven solution that advances the economic resilience of women working in rural settings? Apply for Scale Accelerator and get fully-funded consultancy support to help you expand your impact.

Women engaging in rural-based economic activities across East Africa face significant systemic barriers – limited access to resources, precarious employment, and societal discrimination – that hinder their economic potential and perpetuate cycles of inequality.

To tackle these challenges, Scale Accelerator will support established nonprofits in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to scale proven solutions that strengthen the economic resilience of women working in rural sectors.

The programme offers fully-funded consultancy and training to help organisations develop the strategies and skills to scale sustainably and create lasting change.

Scale Accelerator Focus Areas

This programme is for established NGOs and social enterprises operating in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania that are ready to scale a proven project, service, or programme advancing the economic resilience of women in agriculture and rural sectors.

Examples include, but are not limited to, interventions focusing on:

Reducing barriers women face in their economic activities. These barriers could be societal, cultural, legal, or practical.
Ensuring women are aware of and have access to services, products and information that will enhance their economic resilience.
Ensuring or creating an environment which supports women to access their economic rights, or ensuring duty bearers uphold those rights.
They recognise that other types of interventions contribute to women’s economic empowerment. If you believe your work is a good fit, get in touch.

Benefits

Scale Accelerator has helped set over 120 organisations firmly on the road to scaling their vital work. Through hands-on support and expert coaching, you’ll be guided through all key milestones on the way to greater impact:

Strategy development: Build and test a clear, robust strategy for scale that aligns with your impact goals
Sustainable impact: Implement approaches that ensure enduring benefits for women working in agriculture and other rural activities
Up-skilling teams: Optimise internal structures and processes and equip your team with the skills and tools to drive and manage scaling effectively
Financial sustainability: Develop financial and scaling models for long-term impact, and identify approaches that will ensure sustainability as you scale
High-quality delivery at scale: Identify partners and design systems for them to deliver with quality

Two Programme routes

Participants can take part in either one of two fully-funded programme routes:

1. Expert Consultancy: Up to 2 years of tailored consultancy for a select group of NGOs with a proven solution that has high potential to scale. Our team will work collaboratively with you, providing technical assistance to help you figure out how to achieve scale.

2. Leaders of Scale Training: an online 6-month intensive training programme for a group of organisations. Our team will coach two members of your leadership team in the skills, tools, and frameworks needed so they can build the strategies, plans, and models required to achieve greater impact.

Eligibility Criteria for Scale Accelerator

NGOs, CSOs and coalitions of organisations working in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are eligible to apply for the programme.
Programme, intervention or service must demonstrate clear evidence of impact and have been proven to work, and it should have been running for at least 1 year
The programme, intervention or service must be a core part of your organisation’s strategy
Be able to dedicate several days per month for 2-3 staff, including at least one person from the leadership team.
You should be keen to look at how to take this to new locations, target groups or to have a greater impact on those you are already reaching.

Essential Criteria

The programme is intensive and works best where the organisation is well established, financially stable, and is able to devote significant time to the work.
Programme, intervention or service must demonstrate clear evidence of impact and have been proven to work, and it should have been running for at least 1 year
The programme, intervention or service must be a core part of your organisation’s strategy
Be able to dedicate several days per month for 2-3 staff, including at least one person from the leadership team.
You should be keen to look at how to take this to new locations, target groups or to have a greater impact on those you are already reaching.
If your initiative demonstrates clear impact, you are keen to scale the impact of your solution, and can dedicate the necessary resources, you’re an ideal candidate.