The Foreign Assistance Program is dedicated to supporting long-term and equitable economic growth and advancing U.S.

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

Within the

credit: From Wikipedia

context of the U.S.

Foreign Assistance Program, the objectives of the PVC-ASHA program are to strengthen schools and hospitals that best demonstrate American ideas and practices, and are likely to survive over a long term.

None.

Uses and Use Restrictions

Funds are authorized through grant agreements with private and non-profit U. S. organizations to carry out activities in line with the Agency's objectives.

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

ASHA grants are awarded through a competitive process.

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Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

The applicant should be a non-profit U.S.

organization, which either founded or sponsors the institution for which assistance is sought.

Preferably, the applicant should be a tax-exempt organization under section 501C (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.

The applicant must demonstrate a continuing supportive relationship with the overseas institution.

Evidence of this support would be the provision of financial and management support for the institution.

Beneficiary Eligibility

Beneficiaries must be institutions located outside the U.S. and should not be under the control or management of a government or any other of its agencies. The majority of the users of these overseas institutions, e.g., students or patients, must be citizens of countries other than the U.S.

Credentials/Documentation

The overseas institutions must demonstrate competence in professional skills and exhibit sound management and financial practices. An applicant for a new overseas institution must present a strategy that demonstrates the ability to achieve professional competence, commitment to promote U.S. ideas and practices, and to operate in accordance with sound management and financial practices. Institutions must be open to all persons regardless of race, religion, sex, color, or national origin. All overseas institutions are expected to reflect favorably upon, and to increase the understanding as well as to enhance the image of the United States. An applicant requesting capital assistance for procurement of durable commodities and/or construction/renovation assistance must provide a firm estimate of the total cost (including cost share and U.S. contribution) for which assistance is requested. Such applicants must also provide information and assurances with respect to right to occupy the premises and/or the land upon which new construction is planned.

Aplication and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

No pre-application coordination is required.

This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.

12372.

Application Procedures

PVC-ASHA grant process is competitive and encompasses a number of well established steps. Specifically, 1. The grant criteria, as published in the Federal Register. 2. An annual independent review that ranks the applications and makes recommendations. 3. The PVC-ASHA program management determines funding priorities based on the external review, prior grantee performance, geographic balance, focus of other ASHA grants in the same country, USAID Mission recommendations, and USAID agency objectives. 4. PVC- ASHA forwards the final funding recommendations to the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) for approval, to the USAID Administrator for information, and to the U.S. Congress for notification.

Award Procedures

PVC-ASHA grant process is competitive and encompasses a number of well established steps described in the Application Procedure.

Deadlines

The deadline for submission of applications is June 30th of each year.

Authorization

Section 214, The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

The range is from 7 to 9 months.

Appeals

None.

Renewals

Extensions to the project period may be made if deemed appropriate by PVC-ASHA. Subsequent grant applications for complementary or auxiliary activities may be submitted yearly to fund a previously PVC-ASHA-assisted project.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

The ASHA program has no statutory formula or matching requirements. However, cost-sharing by the U.S. sponsoring organizations and their overseas institutions are requested in the grant application. Demonstrated cost-sharing reflects favorably on the applicants request for assistance.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Grants that include construction may be issued for up to a five-year period, whereas grants for commodities, only, are normally issued for a period of eighteen to twenty-four months.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Grantees must submit quarterly progress reports and annual organizational reports.

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

Expenditure reports are required 30 days after the end of each progress reporting period.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular A-133 (Revised June 24, 1997), Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations, nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Non-federal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. An amendment to the definition of oversight agency for audit, effective July 28, 2003 stipulates that after December 31, 2003 The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is issuing final revisions to Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations. The purpose of these revisions is to (1) increase the threshold for audit from $300,000 to $500,000, (2) increase the threshold for cognizant agency for audit from $25 million to $50 million, and (3) make related technical changes to facilitate the determination of cognizant agency for audit and provide for Federal agency reassignment of oversight agency for audit.

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.

Obigations

FY 07 $16,000,000; FY 08 est not available; and FY 09 est not reported.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Range from $15 million to $20 million per year with an average of approximately $17 million.

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

Not applicable.

Headquarters Office

Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad, Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

1. The applicant should be a nonprofit U.S. organization, which either founded or sponsors the institution for which assistance is sought. Preferably, the applicant should be tax-exempt under Section 501C(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. The applicant must demonstrate a continuing supportive relationship with the institution. Evidence of this would be the provision of financial and management support for the institution. 2. An instruction program must serve the secondary or higher level and must reflect American educational ideas and practices (education at the elementary school level will not be supported). A school offering a broad-based academic program must include instruction on the history, geography, political science, cultural institutions or economics of the United States. English should be used in instruction or taught as a second language. However, the foregoing subject matter and language requirements need not apply to a school offering a specialized course of study. 3. Institutions are expected to reflect favorably upon and to increase understanding of the United States. 4. A hospital center, in addition to being a treatment facility, must be involved in medical education and research. Programs for post graduate training of staff in the United States and programs for the exchange of personnel with American institutions will be regarded as evidence of ability to demonstrate American ideas and practices in medicine. 5. The faculty and staff of a school or a hospital center should include a significant number of U.S. citizens or other persons trained in U.S. institutions who are in residence and teaching at the school or hospital on either a full-time or part-time basis. 6. The majority of the users of any institution, e.g. students or patients, must be citizens of countries other than the U.S. 7. An existing institution must demonstrate competence in professional skills and must exhibit sound management and financial practices. An applicant for a new institution must demonstrate the ability to achieve professional competence and to operate in accordance with sound management and financial practices. 8. The institution must be open to all persons regardless of race, religion, sex, color or national origin. (The above shall not be construed to require enrollment of students of both sexes at an educational institution enrolling boys or girls only.) Assistance may not be used to train persons for religious pursuits or to construct buildings or other facilities intended for worship or religious instruction. 9. The institution must be located outside the U.S. and should not be under the control or management of a government or any of its agencies. The receipt of financial or other assistance from a government or government agency or the observance of national educational or medical standards required by the country where the institution is located does not in itself mean that the institution is under the control or management of such government. 10. An applicant requesting capital construction assistance must provide information sufficient to permit a firm estimate of the total cost to the U.S. Government of the construction for which assistance is requested. Such an application must also provide information and assurances with respect to rights to the land on which construction is planned. 11. To help achieve the objectives of the Foreign Assistance Act and ensure that the American schools and Hospitals Abroad program is as geographically balanced as possible, special consideration will be given to applications for institutions which increase the geographic distribution of the program and contribute to the economic and social progress of areas that are the focus of A.I.D.'s development efforts.