The Foreign Assistance Program works to support long-term and equitable economic growth and advance U.S.

foreign policy objectives by supporting economic growth, agriculture and trade; global health; and democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance.

credit: Razoo

Examples of Funded Projects

To improve the fate of orphans, the USAID Mission in Russia has provided grant assistance to the International Research and Exchange Board (IREX) and the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

The program has created innovative child welfare models to prevent abandonment, promote family care, and foster the integration of orphans leaving institutional care as they enter adulthood.

More than 9,700 of Russia's most vulnerable children and 6,700 families have benefited directly from the program's assistance.

Early in 2002, the Moscow Duma appointed an ombudsman to protect orphans rights; a USAID grantee wrote the law establishing the position.

USAID/Bulgaria supports Partners Bulgaria Foundation for its conflict prevention and ethnic integration program.

It began as a pilot program to assist the Roma population in the city of Lom, and has been replicated in the cities of Vidin and Kyustendil.

The program has helped to establish cooperative planning mechanisms for the Roma population to work with local institutions in addressing common issues, a Conciliation Commission to engage in cooperative problem solving and local conflict resolution, a Roma Leadership Institute to increase the capacity of Roma leaders and NGOs through advanced training and networking, and increased cross-sectoral partnership across NGOs, municipality, Roma, business, media and educational institutions to improve the Roma educational and employment opportunities.

In Guatemala, through a grant to Creative Associates, civil society coalitions are provided assistance to help combat ethnic discrimination, promote transparency and anticorruption efforts, address public security issues and exercise congressional oversight.

The overall aim of the program is to establish broader, more effective civil society participation in the policy process and oversight of public institutions.

Under the Cuba program, a grant to Georgetown University supports a participant training program for students from Cuba.

The program will provide training in technical fields to disadvantaged youth at community and technical colleges throughout the United States.

Training will also include subjects in courses linked to democracy building, such as economics, political science, U.S.

history and Latin American history.

The program will expose students to U.S.

culture and institutions.

A grant was recently awarded under the USAID/Mexico program to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christie for cross-border collaboration between Texas A&M, Lamar University and the Technological Institute of Saltillo on environmental sustainability of water resources.

The grant is part of a larger program designed to conserve critical biodiversity and natural resources in Mexico.

Under the LAC Regional program, a grant to the Inter-American Dialogue promotes economic links between the American diaspora and Guyana and explores ways that remittances could bring growth to the country's economy.

Activities focus on profiling Guyanese remittance senders and receivers (in the US and Guyana), identifying opportunities to work with Guyanese hometown associations on development programs, and partnering with financial institutions in the US and Guyana to reduce remittance transfer costs.

USAID's $300,000 grant to the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation in Angola helps children in Mexico province who are landmine victims through vocational training and activities such as Special Olympics.

In March 2003, USAID and a number of U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) formed the Consortium for Development Relief in Angola (CDRA).

The CDRA program provides a creative and flexible platform for humanitarian response to assist war-affected families to become food secure over an 18-month period.

The USAID-funded CDRA program is assisting more than 110,000 families in eight provinces in central Angola with variety of emergency and development interventions usingboth food aid and cash.

In Bimbe, CDRA partner World Vision responded to the emergency situation with a combination of interventions, including emergency food distributions and supplemental feedings.

In just six months, the USAID- CDRA program has had a major impact on the families of Bimbe, including the reduction of the malnutrition rate to below 2% and a child mortality rate of 2 to 3 per month.

USAID has provided grants to the National Democratic Institute (NDI) since 1995.

The NDI programs have resulted in stronger political parties (including opposition parties) in Lesotho, as well as a stronger National Assembly, all of which have contributed to increased political stability in that country.

Since February 1999, CARE has implemented the Central Region Livelihood Security Program (CRLSP) in three traditional authorities of Lilongwe District of Malawi.

The project is funded entirely by USAID and CARE.

The project's goal is to improve the food and livelihood security of 10,000 rural households.

Activities include developing and strengthening the organizational capacities and partnerships of small-holder farmers; a rising agricultural productivity; improving water availability and utilization; and increasing household earnings.

FY 2002 marked the first year in Mozambique's post-colonial history when commercial credit was extended to rural enterprises by a formal Mozambican financial institution.

Twenty-three groups of rural enterprises formed under a USAID grant managed by CLUSA received over $118,000 in marketing credit, allowing them to turn over the loan a number of times by buying maize, roundnuts, beans and sesame at different periods in the harvest cycle.

The Namibian Parliament, with assistance from the USAID-supported National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), designed a website that enables citizens and civil society to track legislation, communicate with Parliamentarians, and engage in that room dialogues on topics of current interest.

Microsoft was so impressed with the success of the activity that, in December 2002, it donated additional computers and software for distribution in several towns around the country.

USAID provided a $1 million grant to the U.S.-based Cheetah Conservation Fund to support the conservation of cheetahs in Namibia.

The program is implemented in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism, and a number of Namibian NGOs.

The cheetah conservation program one of USAID's clearest successes in Namibia' has reported results in natural resource protection, economic growth, democracy strengthening, women's empowerment, and safeguarding Africa's biodiversity.

USAID's Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade (EGAT) Bureau currently funds 17 grants to U.S.

universities to assist South Africa's historically disadvantaged institutions to transform their institutions, support basic education initiatives, and improve classroom teaching skills.

The International Executive Service Corps (IESC) is a U.S.

NGO that coordinates the volunteer work of retired executives with companies around the world.

A USAID-funded IESC program in Zambia currently provides hands-on technical assistance and training workshops to rural non-farm enterprises.

In collaboration with Population Services International (PSI) and local nongovernmental organizations, USAID has launched HIV/AIDS voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) centers at strategic locations throughout Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe program has achieved the highest client return rate of any VCT program, due in part to the high quality of counseling and the nominal client fees.

The newest independent VCT site, managed by PSI using business franchise techniques, is located in downtown Harare near a bus terminal, and serves 150 clients per day.

USAID's Regional Center for Southern Africa has provided grants to support the development of three cross-border natural resource management areas: 1) FourCrners comprising contiguous lands in Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia; 2) Greater Limpopo, comprising a game reserve in Mozambique, Kruger Park in South Africa, and Gonarezhou Park in Zimbabwe; and 3) Zimoza, which comprises the border regions of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia in the mid-Zambezi river basin.

Grants for this Program

• Family Planning and Reproductive Health Methods APS
• Advancing Accountability and Rights in Zimbabwe (AARZ)
• Annual Program Statement - Policy, Advocacy, and Communication Enhanced for Population and Reproductive Health (PACE)
• FY 2017 Conflict Mitigation and Reconciliation Programs and Activities (Global Reconciliation Fund)
• FY 2017 Conflict Mitigation and Reconciliation Programs and Activities (Global Reconciliation Fund)

More Grants for this Program...

USAID pursues multiple strategic objectives in more than 100 countries around the world. Individual country programs are tailored to local conditions. These objectives support the Agency's goals:

1. Broad-based Economic Growth and Agricultural Development Encouraged
2. Democracy and Good Governance Strengthened
3. Human Capacity Built through Education and Training
4. World Population Stabilized and Human Health Protected
5. The World's Environment Protected for Long-term Sustainability
6. Lives Saved, Suffering Associated with Natural or Man-made Disasters Reduced, and Conditions for Political and/or Economic Development Re-established.

Under its democracy goal USAID has accomplished significant results in promoting a politically active civil society. In Indonesia, the events of September 11 sparked an increased dialogue on democracy and the role of religion in Indonesia. USAID supported notable progress and a range of achievements by nearly 200 NGOs involved in transparent and participatory governance, conflict prevention and resolution, religious tolerance, human rights, media support and monitoring, and anticorruption activities. USAID expanded a program working with more than 20 major religious and secular organizations, including Indonesia's two largest Muslim organizations with a combined membership of 50 million, to help shape a more open and informed debate.

In Guinea, efforts to open political processes and emphasize dialogue are assisting national actors to bridge the gap between government and the governed and are helping to reduce social, ethnic, and political tensions that are potential sources of conflict. USAID/Guinea's key achievement was the sponsorship of a high-level conflict prevention activity in response to the destabilizing influence of the border war with Liberia and Sierra Leone.

USAID's civil society program in Albania continues to reflect the country's need for considerable assistance to complete the transition to an open and free democratic republic. USAID's efforts focus on improving the electoral process, promoting political party development, enhancing parliamentary operations, strengthening Albanian civil society organizations, and supporting an independent media. USAID played a leading role within the donor community in supporting the successful parliamentary elections held in June 2001, which were considered relatively open, fair, and free of abuse. These efforts strengthened NGOs, and the number of NGOs influencing policy formation and implementation has continued to increase. During the parliamentary elections, more than 25 local NGOs participated in elections monitoring throughout the country. USAID's accomplishments under its human capacity development goal are illustrated by girls education.

In Ethiopia, USAID efforts at the community level to help girls stay in and succeed at school have raised girls participation in the two USAID focus regions to 73.9% and 48.1%, respectively, in the 2000-2001 school year, up from 38% and 17%, respectively, in the baseline 1994-1995 school year. Both these levels exceed the national average of 47%.

Likewise in Guinea, the primary school gross enrollment rate (GER) reached 61.0% (up from 31.9% in 1991), while girls GER grew from 19.7% to 50.0% during the same period. In FY 2001 alone, the GER indicator increased by 4.3 percentage points, with a 5.7% increase for girls.

Similar on-target results were reported for Zambia, where the number of children enrolled in USAID-supported basic education institutions dramatically increased from 12,565 pupils in 63 basic education sites in 2000 to 37,140 pupils enrolled in 256 basic education sites in 2001.

The U.S. response to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic is an example of the significant accomplishments of the United States in the health area. The epidemic is causing widespread suffering in the developingworld,whereitispoisedtoprofoundly under mine socialandeconomicadvances in many countries. In much of Africa, the medical, social, and economic consequences of the epidemic are already severe, and many areas of Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean are at risk for equally severe epidemics.

The past two years have seen a dramatic escalation in USAID's involvement in addressing this urgent global issue. In FY 2002, USAID's HIV/AIDS funding increased to $510 million. A new Office of HIV/AIDS was created within the Bureau of Global Health. USAID is now providing assistance to more than 50 countries by strengthening prevention, treatment, and surveillance programs and by providing vital services to orphans and other children affected by AIDS. USAID has also contributed critical technical and management expertise to the formation of the new Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, which has already attracted more resources for combating AIDS worldwide. In the environment sector, for example, during FY 2001, USAID helped India reduce CO2 emissions by 4.4 million tons, exceeding the target of 4.19 million tons. In South Africa, USAID assisted municipal governments delivery of energy and other services as it exceeded its targets for services delivered to historically disadvantaged households. Almost 900,000 households benefited from programs supported by USAID, and more than $180 million was leveraged to support improved service delivery. The United States program in Afghanistan illustrates the significant accomplishments of the United States in providing humanitarian assistance. The United States provided $588 million to help the Afghans; USAID managed more than $350 million of this assistance. USAID responded to the humanitarian crisis by providing food, emergency supplies, health care, communications, and transport. USAID has built 142 schools, daycare centers and vocational education facilities and has trained 1,300 teachers who will return to village schools to train local teachers. The 7,000 tons of seed the Agency provided last spring resulted in a 82% increase in wheat production this summer.

Uses and Use Restrictions

Funds are authorized through grants and cooperative agreements, primarily with non-governmental U.

S.

organizations and educational institutions, to carry out activities in line with the Agency's objectives in Sub-Saharan Africa; Asia and the Near East; Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe and Eurasia.

Funds generally are limited for direct support of activities conducted outside the United States in furtherance of the Agency's strategic objectives.

The majority of funds for these programs is discretionary, and is generally awarded through a competitive process.

Examples of activities that may be funded may be found at http://www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/AID/postdate_1.html/.

People Building Stronger Communities

Save Home Health Raps on the Negative Impact of Medicare Cuts to Home Healthcare

Cayuga Economic Development Agency To Lead Economic Development

Tax Relief Provides Multiple Benefits Such As Long-Term Care Payments, Insurance to Reverse Mortgages

Social Enterprise Brings Fitness Oomph to Elderly

Social Enterprises Could Be Key to Improving Government Procurement Challenges

Commonwealth Fund Scorecard Presents State-by-State Survey of Healthcare Systems

Matchmaking for Economic Development

Herkimer Foods Receives Economic Development Grant

St. Cloud to Use $70,000 Community Development Block Grant

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

While an individual grant may include limitations on whom may apply, generally any type of applicant may apply.

Beneficiary Eligibility

Beneficiaries are foreign governments, foreign public or private institutions or organizations, or foreign individuals.

Credentials/Documentation

Applicants who have never received a grant from USAID may be required to provide the following with their application, where appropriate: (1) Copies of the applicant's audited financial statements for the previous three-year period, which have been audited by a certified public accountant or other auditor satisfactory to USAID; (2) Organization chart; and (3) Copies of applicable policies and procedures (e.g., accounting, purchasing, property management, personnel).

Aplication and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

No preapplication coordination is required.

This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.

12372.

Application Procedures

Applications are submitted in response to specific announcements (Requests for Applications or Annual Program Statements) synopsized and published on the Grants.gov FIND Web site (http://www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/AID/postdate_1.html ). All applications must be submitted using the Standard Form 424. Each announcement provides specific additional instructions regarding the contents of the narrative description of the activity, budget justification and other required information.

Award Procedures

Official notice of approved application is made by the Agreement Officer through the issuance of a Grant Award or a Cooperative Agreement.

Deadlines

None. Each announcement specifies the due dates applicable to that announcement.

Authorization

The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, Public Law 87-195, pt. III, Section 635, September 4, 1961, 75 Stat. 456, Public Law 87-565, pt. III, Section 302(g), August 1, 1962, 76 Stat. 262, Public Law 88-205, pt. III, Section 302(e), December 16, 1963, 77 Stat. 389, Public Law 89-171, pt. III, Section 302(g), September 6, 1965, 79 Stat. 660, Public Law 89-583, pt. III, Section 302(d), September 19, 1966, 80 Stat. 807, Public Law 90-137, pt. III, Section 302(i), November 14, 1967, 81 Stat. 461, Public Law 95-424, title I, Section 102(g)(2)(G), October 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 943, Public Law 96-53, title I, Section 121, August 14, 1979, 93 Stat. 366, Public Law 106-264, title III, Section 301, August 19, 2000, 114 Stat. 760, Public Law 106-309, title IV, Section 404, October 17, 2000, 114 Stat. 1098, 22 U.S.C. 2295.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

The range is from 60 to 90 days.

Appeals

None.

Renewals

Extensions to the project period may be made if deemed appropriate by the Agreement Officer.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Cost-sharing requirements are indicated in each grant announcement.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Grants and cooperative agreements may be issued for up to a five-year period, and are generally funded on a 12-month basis. Support beyond the first year is contingent upon the availability of funds.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Grantees must submit progress reports.

Reporting periods vary from quarterly to annually.

Comprehensive final reports are due no later than 90 days after the completion of projects.

Expenditure reports are required 90 days after the end of each reporting period.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular A-133 (Revised June 27, 2003), Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations, nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records

In accordance with 22 CFR Part 226.53, grantees are to maintain accounting records for a minimum of 3 years after the end of the date of submission of the final expenditure report. If any litigation, claim, negotiation, audit or other action involving the records has been started before the expiration of the 3-year period, the records shall be retained until completion of the action and resolution of all issues which arise from it, or until the end of the regular 3-year period, whichever is later.

Financial Information

Account Identification

72-1021-0-1-151 Development Assistance;
72-1095-0-1-151 Child Survival and Health Program Funds; 72-1037-0-1-151
Economic Support Fund; 72-1010-0-1-151 Assistance for Eastern Europe and
the Baltic States; 72-1093-0-1-151 Assistance for the Independent States
of the Former Soviet Union; 72-1035-0-1-151 International Disaster
Assistance.

Obigations

FY 07 $4,697,862; FY 08 est not available; and FY 09 est not reported.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

From 2003 to 2007 the appropriated amounts available for grant assistance ranged from $4.2 to $4.7 billion and averaged $4.3 billion per year.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature

Grant administration policies are in 22 CFR 226, and may be found at http://www.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/index.html. Internal USAID policy directives, including standard formats, may be found in Automated Directive Systems (ADS) Chapter 303. The ADS is available on the USAID website at http://www.usaid.gov/pubs/ads/. Other information regarding USAID's program may be found at www.usaid.gov.

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

Wade Warren Office of Development Planning Africa Bureau Larry Brady Office of Strategic Planning and Operations Asia Near East Bureau Susan Hill Strategy and Program Office Latin America and Caribbean Bureau Sherry Grossman Program Office Europe and Eurasia Bureau United States Agency for International Development Washington, DC 20523.

Headquarters Office

United States Agency for International Development, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20523. Telephone: (202) 712-4810. E-mail: pinquiries@usaid.gov.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

Criteria are defined specifically in the notifications of funding opportunities when they are issued. Generally the technical and organizational criteria are based on potential capacity to efficiently recruit and field volunteers overseas, identify host enterprises in the targeted countries and plan and organize volunteer assignments in to coherent programs that have significant measurable economic impact.