DoEE-Loden Fall Call for Business Proposals 2026 (Historical Reference)

Archived: DoEE-Loden Fall Call for Business Proposals 2026

The DoEE-Loden Fall Call for Business Proposals 2026 is closed. The official call opened on 27 July 2026 and set its deadline at 5:00 PM on 31 August 2026. The Loden Foundation and the Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship (DoEE), within Bhutan’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment (MoICE), announced it as a blended financing opportunity for aspiring and established Bhutanese entrepreneurs. The deadline above is retained as the date for this completed round. It is not an invitation to apply now.

The official announcement linked here describes the Fall 2026 round. The Loden Foundation’s current announcements listing places the later Best Loden Entrepreneur Award notice above the Fall call; that award is a separate recognition and nomination process for existing businesses, not a business-proposal intake. MoICE’s notice page points to the Fall call. The Loden announcements listing and MoICE notice listing reviewed for this update show no later DoEE-Loden business-proposal window, so there is no verified next deadline or active application route to give here. Applicants should check both organisers’ announcements directly before preparing a submission. This page is a historical reference to the terms of the completed call, not a claim that funding is currently available.

Who ran the call and what it offered

The organisers were the Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment, and the Loden Foundation. The Fall Call was supported by DoEE through the World Bank, the Loden Foundation, and Society Switzerland Bhutan. The announcement also named two dedicated categories: the Loden Women’s Enterprise Window, supported by the Bronwen and Brian Mills Educational Trust, and the Loden Technology Award, established in partnership with Arnaud Oltramare.

For each selected venture in the standard scheme, the announced package was up to Nu. 1.5 million. It combined an interest-free loan that must be repaid with a non-repayable derisking fund. The ceiling is a maximum, not an automatic award: the public call frames financial viability and ability to repay as its first evaluation priority and does not promise every successful applicant the maximum. The mixture of loan and risk-sharing support matters when founders assess affordability. This was not an unconditional grant, and applicants needed a credible business case for generating the money to repay the loan.

The announcement said the repayable financing would be disbursed in two tranches within two months of final results, subject to recipients meeting the prerequisites and signing a loan agreement. A personal guarantor was required. The second tranche depended on joint monitoring by DoEE and Loden to verify the first tranche’s use. Recipients were offered personalised mentoring. Once a business was operating, the call required written reports twice a year. Loan repayments were to begin after a grace period of three to six months and then be made over four years. Those conditions describe the published call; they should not be read as current terms for a future round.

Who could apply

The call invited Bhutanese entrepreneurs, whether aspiring or already established. Proposals were expected to describe ventures that were economically viable, socially responsible, culturally attuned, and environmentally sustainable. The announcement did not narrow eligibility to a particular industry or dzongkhag. It did make clear that a sound idea alone was insufficient: reviewers assessed whether the venture could repay the loan and whether the proposal was clear and realistic.

The published evaluation priorities provide a useful account of what applicants were expected to explain. Alongside financial viability, reviewers considered cultural, social, and ecological sensitivity; employment creation and community benefit; geographic suitability and regional balance; and whether a proposed venture duplicated an existing Loden-funded business. They also considered entrepreneurial motivation, personal commitment, teamwork and personal investment, business skills, and understanding of the market. A strong proposal would connect its claims to concrete evidence: the customers it expects to serve, the way it will earn revenue, its likely costs, and its practical contribution to people or communities.

The Women’s Enterprise Window was reserved exclusively for women entrepreneurs. It offered collateral-free start-up financing together with international mentoring opportunities. The announcement described this as a dedicated category alongside the broader call. Applicants interested in that route would still need to confirm its detailed application requirements with the organisers; the call page did not publish a separate checklist for the window.

The Loden Technology Award was a distinct special category for technology-driven start-ups. It was intended to support one exceptional venture with funding and mentorship, and offered milestone-based grant funding of up to US$7,000 with a founder co-investment requirement. Priority was given to young Bhutanese founders with computer science, information technology, or engineering backgrounds who were working on challenges facing Bhutan. This award should not be confused with the standard Nu. 1.5 million blended loan package: it had its own grant structure, selection focus, and co-investment condition. The official call described it as an annual award planned over an initial five-year period, with a possible extension subject to demonstrated impact; that statement does not establish when a later application window will open.

How applicants were asked to submit

The call offered two application processes, and applicants were to choose one. Process A used the Loden Business Proposal Template. The template was intended to guide the applicant through the proposal in a standard format. It was the simpler route for founders who preferred to answer the organiser’s prompts rather than assemble a proposal package from separate documents. The official announcement linked the template from the call page.

Process B was for applicants submitting their own business proposal. The proposal could be no more than 15 pages and had to be accompanied by a curriculum vitae, a personal statement explaining the applicant’s interest in the chosen business, the Business Plan Submission Form, CIB report(s), and a copy of the applicant’s CID or permit card. The announcement does not specify how many CIB reports each applicant must provide, so applicants should confirm that detail with the organisers. Applicants should use the form and instructions linked from the official call, since the organisers control the required documents and may revise them in a later round.

People returning with the same business idea were specifically asked to explain what was new in the proposal and disclose other funding they had received or applied for. That instruction is useful beyond simple form completion: a returning applicant should make the changes easy for reviewers to identify, such as a revised product, a newly tested customer base, a changed operating plan, or a more developed team. The published notice does not say that previous applicants were automatically excluded, nor does it guarantee acceptance of a repeat proposal.

The application page directed applicants to submit through the linked Google Form. The Fall call’s form link was https://forms.gle/xoRtc8DKvhahdxfe6. Because the deadline has passed, prospective applicants should not treat that form as an open intake. For a later round, the current announcement should be consulted for its submission address, templates, forms, deadline, and any changed instructions. A saved copy of the former form may not represent the process for a future cycle.

Preparing for a future call

Although this cycle is over, its published review criteria can help Bhutanese founders decide whether the programme is a good fit if DoEE and Loden announce another round. Start by separating the funding need into items that can be explained and checked: equipment, initial stock, setup costs, or other specific business uses. The notice describes monitoring of the first tranche before release of the second, so a future applicant should be prepared to document how funds are used and keep records that can be reviewed. This is practical preparation based on the announced process, not an additional eligibility rule.

Build a repayment case before requesting loan financing. Show the expected source of revenue, the major operating costs, and how the business can make payments after the stated grace period. Avoid relying only on optimistic sales projections. If the plan depends on a supplier, lease, equipment purchase, or customer contract, supporting evidence can make the proposal clearer. The call’s reviewers explicitly valued clarity, realism, business skills, and market understanding, so direct explanations and plausible numbers are more useful than broad claims about market potential.

Explain the community and environmental effects in specific terms. If the venture expects to create jobs, describe the roles and when hiring would be feasible. If it relies on local materials or serves a particular place, show how that shapes the business. The official priorities include employment, community benefit, regional balance, and social, cultural, and ecological sensitivity. Applicants should describe effects they can reasonably deliver instead of making claims they cannot support.

Founders considering a technology proposal should distinguish the Technology Award from the standard financing package and confirm whether the future call preserves the same category. The published Fall call connected the award to an early-stage, technology-driven venture, a milestone-based grant, mentorship, and founder co-investment. It prioritised young Bhutanese founders with relevant technical backgrounds and solutions to Bhutanese challenges. A future notice could change those terms; the archived details are not a substitute for checking that notice.

For the Women’s Enterprise Window, women founders can refer to the announced collateral-free start-up financing and international mentoring, while seeking clarification about any category-specific documents or selection steps. The main call page did not provide a separate application timetable for that window. Similarly, founders who are unsure whether a business fits should contact the programme coordinators named in a current official announcement rather than assume that old contact details, forms, or conditions remain active.

Official information and status

The authoritative record for this archived cycle is the Loden Foundation’s Fall Call announcement. It names the organising partners, describes the standard financing and special categories, gives the selection priorities, lists the two application routes, and provides the former form link and contact details. The Loden announcements listing and the MoICE notice provide official places to check for a later call. The Loden listing shows the Fall call and a subsequent, separate Best Loden Entrepreneur Award notice; the ministry notice points readers to the same Fall call. Check both organisers for a new application window before taking action, since this page preserves the completed cycle and does not establish that the same funding, amount, materials, or schedule will recur.

The central distinction for readers is between a programme that has existed and a live application window. The Fall 2026 call was a real, officially announced opportunity, but its dated application period has ended. No later DoEE-Loden business-proposal window was confirmed in the official listings reviewed for this update. Loden’s separate Best Loden Entrepreneur Award 2026 call was published on 8 September 2026, with applications open through 8 October 2026. Its official listing describes recognition for an outstanding entrepreneur and a Nu. 200,000 cash prize. This separate award window is open on the date of this review, but it is not a new DoEE-Loden proposal intake or the blended start-up financing described on this page. The closed deadline is therefore retained for historical clarity, while the page’s archive status signals that readers should seek a new business-proposal announcement before applying for funding.