February 2021
We are excited to share that the New Partnerships Initiative has been formalized within USAID as a part of the Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships Hub (the LFT Hub) in the Development, Democracy, and Innovation Bureau (DDI). The LFT Hub was created to strengthen the Agency's ability to partner with nontraditional and diverse actors, including local organizations. NPI will continue to work across the Agency, including with the Bureau for Management's Office of Acquisition and Assistance (M/OAA), to promote opportunities for new, underutilized, and local partners to work with USAID.
USAID’s Partnerships Incubator continues to build our partnerships platform, WorkwithUSAID.org, which will launch in the next few months. This site will enable potential partners to learn, engage, and connect with resources that explain and facilitate the process of working with the Agency.
In the next few weeks, there are a number of great opportunities to learn more about working with USAID. We encourage you to participate in one of the events featured below.
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Mondays with Matt
We know you have questions about working with USAID, and we are here to help. Join us on the first Monday of each month for “Mondays with Matt,” when USAID’s Industry Liaison, Matt Johnson, will be live on Twitter to answer your questions.
The next session is Monday, March 1, from noon to 2:00 p.m. ET. Post your question in a tweet and tag @USAIDBizOpps, or send a DM to @USAIDBizOpps. We will connect with you then!
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Business Forecast and Partner Update Webinar
Mark your calendars for the next Business Forecast webinar on Wednesday, March 10, at 8:00 a.m. ET. During the webinar, M/OAA along with other Agency staff will share trends happening in the partner community and with Agency programs. Learn more about our Business Forecast here.
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How to Work with USAID Webinar
Join the Industry Liaison team on Tuesday, March 16, at 9:00 a.m. ET for a free webinar explaining how to work with USAID. You will learn about the Agency’s operations, key terms you need to know, tips for submitting proposals and finding funding opportunities, and more! You will also be able to ask questions of USAID staff. Register today!
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Work with USAID LinkedIn Group
Join our “Work with USAID” group on LinkedIn! This group connects organizations in the development community with information and resources about working with USAID. Through this platform, you can engage with USAID’s Industry Liaison, and with USAID Headquarter and Mission staff. Check it out!
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M/OAA FY 2020 Progress Report
The M/OAA FY 2020 Progress Report is now available! The Progress Report is issued each fiscal year, and provides an overview of USAID’s Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) spending patterns, including grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. You can also learn more about NPI's progress over the last year in the report.
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Spotlight on NPI Approaches |
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Three Ways Co-Creation Can Be More Than a Meeting: Learning and Building Together in Morocco
Co-creation is a central approach of the New Partnerships Initiative, and USAID is increasing the use of co-creation in all new awards—after all, the benefits of co-creation reach far beyond co-designing USAID projects. As we see in Morocco, co-creation facilitates new relationships, fosters new skills, and inspires both a renewed commitment to shared goals and pride in collective accomplishments.
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Private Sector Partnership Advantage: the Cacao Effect
Leveraging expertise and investments of the private sector is a central approach of USAID’s New Partnerships Initiative (NPI). Private companies can drive economic growth and improve the well-being of the communities where they operate. Learn how USAID teamed up with Luker Chocolate, a leading chocolate company in Colombia, to increase productivity and boost incomes for cacao farmers.
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USAID Project Brings New Life to Morocco's Historic Urban Neighborhoods
Rebuilding Our Homes is a new USAID program in partnership with the American Sephardi Federation and the Association Mimouna. This project will take place over the next three years, and will revive the legacy of the mellahs of Fez, Essaouira, and Rabat by teaching skills, creating tools, and organizing grassroots events to educate Moroccan youth, as well as train young local residents to be professional tour guides, artisans, and cultural ambassadors.
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What to Expect: WorkwithUSAID.org
In the next few months, the Partnerships Incubator will launch WorkwithUSAID.org, a free, USAID-funded resource hub that offers organizations around the world a variety of innovative services and curated tools.
These resources are designed to improve organizational readiness, connect partners to peers and experts, and prepare them to receive USAID funding. Exactly what kind of resources can you expect? Here is a preview:
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Preparing Progress Reports Module
Our newest module in the “How to Work with USAID” training series is “Preparing Progress Reports.” This self-paced presentation explains the following:
- How reporting supports good activity management.
- What should be included in a progress report.
- Best practices for preparing reports.
- How reporting is key to your relationship with USAID.
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Acronym Soup with Spanish Subtitles
We’re excited to present to you another serving of Acronym Soup. This time, we’ve added subtitles to the recipe for our Spanish-speaking partners. Enjoy!
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NPI Funding Opportunities |
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Improving and Expanding Early Warning Response Systems to Mitigate Conflict in Nigeria
USAID/Nigeria is requesting concept papers from organizations with expertise in early warning early response (EWER) structures to swiftly mitigate conflict incidents in Nigeria. The security situation in Nigeria continues to deteriorate. Hundreds of thousands have lost their livelihood or have been displaced or sheltered in internally displaced people’s camps. In addition, the impact of COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy has resulted in job losses, with serious implications to the country’s peace and stability. USAID is looking for partners who can promote platforms for conversation and negotiation while mobilizing and empowering communities.
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Improving Bicycle Availability and Uptake for Mobility in Sub-Saharan Africa
USAID’s Small Business Applied Research Program (SBAR) is requesting concept papers to improve sustainable access to bicycles in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Bicycles can be a powerful low-technology solution to challenges related to transportation and access to basic services. Improving access to affordable bicycles creates a number of benefits, including gender equity, greater access to education, and increased productivity, income, and time savings.
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Youth Development Activity
USAID Central Asia is requesting concept papers as part of the YouthPower2 (YP2) Annual Program Statement (APS) with regards to inclusive workforce development for Turkmen youth ages 15-25. The YP2 APS seeks to provide flexibility to collaborate with youth and their communities, institutions, sectors and systems to build sustainable partnerships around key development challenges and opportunities. Additionally, the program aims to enable Turkmen youth with the relevant knowledge, skills, and attitudes to obtain gainful employment in the public and private sector or start their own business.
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New Mission Support Activity for Water Security, Sanitation, and Hygiene Programming
USAID seeks concept papers for innovative and evidence-based approaches that address persistent challenges in the safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and water resources management (WRM) sectors through the Diversifying Partnerships in WASH (DiP-WASH) Annual Program Statement (APS). Successful concept papers should address the need to increase the equitable availability and sustainable management of safe water and sanitation for the underserved and most vulnerable.
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Through NPI, we've simplified the process of working with USAID. Applicants can submit a five-page concept note. From there, the Agency works hand in hand with the applicant. |
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What's a "new" partner or "underutilized" partner? Read how USAID's New Partnerships Initiative defines the terms that guide funding decisions. |
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USAID offers a host of resources available online for businesses and organizations that are new to working with the Agency. Click on the link above to access those resources.
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