Short Term Consultant - Catalytic Investment Fund Co-creation Workshop Facilitation, Amman, Jordan

The Youth Grow Activity (YGA) is seeking a highly qualified consultant to provide support, expert advice, and recommendations for the development of YGA’s Catalytic Investment Fund (CIF). This includes participating in a co-creation session(s) with the two potential local Jordanian partners who applied to the Expression of Interest for the CIF, and other stakeholders. The consultant will review all relevant CIF project material available, the concepts submitted by the potential partners, and the profiles of the potential partners, to prepare for the co-creation sessions. The consultant will take part in the co-creation session(s) to foster a productive discussion among participants, bringing YGA closer to building the best model for the partnership under the CIF, and provide technical expertise on other successful catalytic investment models. The consultant will then develop a report detailing the outcomes of the discussion and recommending the best course of action and the next steps.

Period of Performance:

November 6, 2024 – November 14, 2024

Level of Effort: Up to 5 working days

Consultant Type: short term

This opportunity is open to Internationals.

Background

Q2 Impact is a global consulting firm with 25 years of experience providing data-driven and insightful solutions to accelerate development in over 97 countries, passionate about transforming lives and systems through knowledge-based solutions.

Youth Grow Activity (YGA) is a five-year (2023-2028) USAID-funded project implemented by Q2 Impact and partners, adopting Positive Youth Development (PYD) principles to empower Jordanian youth for the benefit of the youth and society at large. YGA targets youth aged 10-29, prioritizing girls, women, people with disabilities, and isolated or economically disadvantaged communities. YGA focuses on increasing youth economic participation by addressing both readiness and access to income-generating opportunities. Through targeted programs, the initiative enhances youth economic status by providing skill development, and job-tech opportunities. In parallel, YGA supports the growth of youth-led and youth-serving enterprises through acceleration and access to financial resources. Moreover, YGA promotes an inclusive environment for youth economic participation by strengthening coordination across the youth development system and institutionalizing support mechanisms, ensuring that procedures and practices are embedded within local and national frameworks for long-term sustainability.

The Youth Grow Activity TOC states that: IF youth in Jordan are equipped with knowledge, resources, and income-generating opportunities, and IF stronger youth-inclusive and supportive systems are established in Jordan, THEN youth in Jordan will be economically resilient and contribute positively to their communities.

Overarching YGA Objectives and Expected Key Result Areas

YGA aims to achieve two main objectives:

• Increased youth economic participation readiness. Through increased readiness for income-generating opportunities, enhanced youth access to income-generating opportunities, and enhanced youth-led and youth-serving enterprises’ growth opportunities. The youth will be better prepared, inspired, and linked with activities that allow them to generate income.
• Enabled an inclusive environment for youth economic participation, through enhanced coordination within the youth development system, to ensure collaboration among stakeholders to streamline services, and institutionalize support mechanisms for youth economic participation, integrating sustainable practices and procedures into the local and national ecosystem

The Catalytic Investment Fund (CIF)

The Catalytic Investment Fund (CIF) is a strategic initiative designed to empower entrepreneurs and foster inclusive economic growth in Jordan. Youth represent a significant portion of the potential workforce, but often lack the skills and experience demanded by employers. As entrepreneurs, youth bring innovative solutions to global challenges but are frequently overlooked due to a lack of collateral and credit history required by traditional financial institutions. Angel, social, and impact investors also view youth-led startups as high -risk due to limited track record and a lack financial literacy needed to navigate funding processes, create compelling business plans, or manage finances.

By providing targeted financial investments, mentorship, and networking opportunities, the CIF aims to stimulate the creation of sustainable income opportunities, and address the challenges faced by marginalized youth.

The fund will prioritize investments in youth-led and youth-serving enterprises that demonstrate a strong potential for social and economic impact. For youth serving enterprises the fund will focus on those that offer products and services tailored to the needs of marginalized youth, contributing to the overall development of the Jordanian economy. Another key focus of the CIF will be to support enterprises led by young women and people with disabilities, who often face significant barriers to economic participation. By providing these groups with access to capital, training, and mentorship, the CIF aims to create a more equitable and inclusive business environment.

The CIF aims to provide a versatile financing package, incorporating blended financing solutions and mechanisms, to address specific challenges faced by young entrepreneurs and enterprises that aim to create income for youth. In collaboration with YGA, the CIF will equip youth with invaluable mentorship, expertise, and networking opportunities to propel their ventures to success.

To collaborate on managing the CIF as an activity under YGA and create a substantial portfolio of innovative investments in Jordan's youth, Q2 Impact issued an Expressions of Interest (EOI) for existing investment funds operating in Jordan, to collaborate in the launch, development, and scale of the CIF. Through this partnership with a specialized local investment fund, the CIF will leverage the partner’s expertise, infrastructure, and credibility to create a sustainable and impactful investment platform. By providing mentorship, funding networks, and milestone-based funding, the CIF seeks to foster the creation of income opportunities for youth, generate a reasonable return on investment, and create positive economic change.

Based on the results of the expression of interest, two applicants have been selected as potential CIF partners. These applicants will be invited to two-to-three-hour long co-creation sessions (combined or separately).

Scope of Work and Objectives

The consultant's primary objectives are to support the design of the CIF by providing expert advice, recommendations, participate in the co-creation sessions between YGA, potential partners, and stakeholders, gather insights and information, and develop a comprehensive report summarizing the outcomes and recommending actionable steps. Participants in the Co-creation session will include the potential shortlisted applicants, Government of Jordan and USAID representatives, and members of the YGA technical team.

Once the co-creation is sessions are complete, the consultant will develop a detailed report summarizing the key findings, identifying areas of alignment and synergies, and recommending specific actions and next steps for partnership structures, roles and responsibilities, and funding mechanisms.

The consultant should have a strong understanding of youth economic development, social entrepreneurship, investment and financing, and the ability to navigate complex discussions and negotiations.