Dear Friends and Colleagues,
This month our office has been buzzing with plans for USAID's Evidence Summit on Strategic Religious Engagement, scheduled for October 5-8th. This event will convene development practitioners and researchers to examine the evidence around the role and impact of partnering with faith-based organizations and engaging with religious communities in global development and humanitarian assistance, and the implications for USAID policy and practice. Stay tuned for more information as we get closer to the date.
Highlighted in this newsletter are ways to engage USAID, including new and and exciting funding opportunities. We also have extended the deadline for submission of video footage illustrating the impact of USAID-funded projects implemented by faith-or community-based organizations. More information can be found below.
With best wishes for health and perseverance to you and your communities.
Best regards,
Kirsten Evans
Director
USAID Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives
|
|
|
|
On August 27th, USAID announced $1.17 million for five BetterTogether Challenge awards. One of the awardees, Caritas Brasileira, is a faith-based organization that will launch an online portal in both Portuguese and Spanish to provide thousands of Venezuelans in Brazil and Ecuador with access to a trusted network of legal, logistical, and humanitarian services available.
|
|
|
|
We have extended the deadline for our video contest to September 14th at 5:00PM ET.
We are collecting video footage illustrating the impact of USAID-funded projects implemented by faith-or community-based organizations. Winners will be included in a USAID video highlighting the key role these groups play in development and humanitarian aid. Learn more.
|
|
|
|
On June 24th, CFOI Director Kirsten Evans participated in the panel, Faith Engagement in Development Institutions, hosted by Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH). She joined Mercy Niwe, Lead for Global Faith Engagement at the World Bank Group, and Doug Fountain, CCIH's Executive Director, to discuss the role and impact of collaborating with faith-based organizations in development.
|
|
Request for Information: Open Spaces Zambia Activity
USAID’s Mission to Zambia seeks to grant a five-year cooperative agreement to implement the “Open Spaces Zambia” Activity designed to strengthen the democratic foundations of freedom of speech and assembly, independent and new media, and safeguarding a space for activists, human rights defenders, and oppositional voices to protect shrinking democratic space in Zambia. The grant amount would be $9 to $12 million. The Mission asks interested applicants to provide comments, opinions, and recommendations to the proposed activity.
Deadline: September 3rd, 2020
|
|
State Department and USAID COVID-19 Private Sector Engagement & Partnership Fund
The State Department and USAID have launched the COVID-19 Private Sector Engagement and Partnership Fund with an additional $10 million in new assistance. The Fund was established to strengthen private sector efforts and bolster ongoing programming designed to assist the world’s most vulnerable communities impacted by COVID-19.
Rolling Deadline through May 30th, 2021
|
|
USAID's New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) is designed to broaden and diversify our partner base by lowering the barriers to working with the agency. Check out NPI's funding opportunities below.
|
|
NPI Funding Opportunities |
|
Call for Partnership Concept Papers for Religious and Ethnic Freedom and Inclusion in the Middle East and North Africa |
|
USAID's Middle East Bureau is seeking concept papers that respond to the needs of religious and ethnic minorities in the region. This solicitation is intended to support grassroots, local initiatives that will have sustainable impact. We invite those with creative solutions to submit their ideas. Learn more here.
Deadline: November 4th, 2020
|
|
Youth Excel Addendum
As described in the YouthPower 2 Annual Program Statement (YP2 APS), USAID has a longstanding history of investing in youth development in multiple sectors, including education, agriculture, environment, economic growth, and democracy, human rights and governance. Yet there is still a need for increased effort to incorporate youth as valuable partners in development activities.
Previous USAID youth programming has supported small scale youth-led learning and implementation grants in low- and middle-income countries that have provided on-the-ground insights into Positive Youth Development programming. However, the local youth organizations involved had limited capacity in conducting research, analyzing data, and applying findings to programs.
Deadline: March 29th, 2021
|
|
Higher Education for Leadership, Innovation, and Exchange (HELIX) Annual Program Statement
Today’s youth are largely inspired by the chance to drive meaningful change, peace and prosperity, and eager to use their skills to better their communities. To harness the potential of the more than 1.5 billion young people worldwide, USAID has released the Higher Education for Leadership, Innovation, and Exchange (HELIX) Annual Program Statement.
This will support the Agency’s higher education programming across sectors by promoting solutions, including:
- scholarships, exchanges, and fellowships for individuals
- institutional capacity building and partnerships (i.e., policy reform)
Deadline: April 2nd, 2021
|
|
Women's Global Development and Prosperity
Deadline: April 15th, 2021
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
