CFPs: Fostering the Growth of Women-led Businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean

With this call for research proposals, the IDB Group’s Gender and Diversity Knowledge Initiative (GDLab) seeks to fund rigorous academic studies that provide actionable insights to address structural barriers, enhance access to resources and markets, and unlock the growth potential of women-led businesses, driving economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The proposals must apply rigorous quantitative methods that establish causal relationships using structural models, experimental or quasi-experimental evaluations.

Thematic Areas

• This call seeks research proposals that provide quantitative and rigorous evidence in the following thematic areas:
  • Access to Markets and Inclusive Procurement: Women-led MSMEs face barriers in accessing markets due to procurement challenges, limited supply chain integration, and weak market linkages.
  • Access to Training, Mentoring, and Networks: Capacity-building initiatives are essential to support entrepreneurs in navigating market demands, scaling their businesses, and increasing their competitiveness.
  • Improving the Enabling Environment: Legal, regulatory, and cultural barriers can constrain the growth of women-led MSMEs.
  • Access to Finance: Despite their potential, women-led MSMEs face disproportionate barriers in accessing financial resources, including limited availability of tailored financial products.
  • Firm Growth and Graduation: Many women-led enterprises remain micro or small-scale due to a lack of resources and support to achieve significant growth.
  • Digital Skills and Technology Adoption: Women-led MSMEs often face significant challenges in adopting digital technologies, which are critical for accessing broader markets, improving efficiency, and scaling operations.
  • Climate Resilience and Sustainable Practices: As the effects of climate change intensify, MSMEs need support to adopt sustainable practices and build resilience, especially in sectors where women entrepreneurs are heavily represented.
  • Firm growth and the role of care: According to research, the challenge of balancing work and household responsibilities has been identified as a key factor limiting the growth of women’s businesses.

Funding Information

• Quantitative diagnoses that establish causal relationships: Proposals in this category can access a maximum of $20 thousand and have a maximum of 12 months to complete the study starting in September 2025.
• Pilot interventions:  Proposals in this category can access a maximum of $100 thousand and have a maximum of 18 months to complete the study starting in September 2025.

Eligibility Criteria

• Both independent researchers and research teams comprised of entities from the public sector, private sector, universities, or research centers may apply.
• Applicants must meet the following requirement:
  • be a citizen of one of the 48 IDB member countries and not have family members who currently work at the Inter-American Development Bank, IDB Lab or IDB Invest (jointly, “IDB Group”).
• Participation of IDB Group specialists in the research teams is encouraged.

Evaluation Criteria

• The following questions will guide the evaluation in the following four areas:
  • Relevance and innovation
  • Data and methodology
  • Implementation capacity
  • Scalability and replicability

For more information, visit IDB.