U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID)
Mission and Vision
USAID partners to end extreme poverty and to promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing our security and prosperity. Poverty is multi-dimensional, requiring an approach to address hunger and food insecurity, illiteracy and innumeracy, ill-health, dis-empowerment, marginalization, and vulnerability. USAID's Feed the Future, Global Health, Global Climate Change, and Power Africa initiatives target symptoms of and pathways out of poverty. USAID's work on education is already reaching millions in extreme poverty. Similarly, the organization's cross-cutting efforts in promoting democracy, rights and good governance, empowering women and girls, advancing prosperity, building resilient societies, and mitigating climate change are all essential to ending poverty.
Grant Program Highlights
Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Faith-based and community organizations serve some of the most vulnerable populations in the world. They are often embedded in communities and uniquely qualified to identify and meet local needs. USAID's Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (FBNP) works to strengthen the Agency’s work with faith-based and community organizations.
American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) Grant Programs
USAID's American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) program provides assistance to schools, libraries, and medical centers outside the United States that serve as study and demonstration centers for American ideas and practices. ASHA's grants help these institutions train future leaders in a wide variety of disciplines, support local and regional infrastructure to foster development, and cultivate positive relationships and mutual understanding among citizens of the United States and other nations.
Denton Program
The Denton Program allows private U.S. citizens and organizations to use space available on U.S. military cargo planes to transport humanitarian goods to countries in need. The program is jointly administered by USAID, the Department of State (DOS), the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) and the Department of Defense (DoD). DSCA is the primary agency responsible for administering the program. The Denton Program provides transportation for approved humanitarian assistance commodities destined for approved countries. Approved countries include those that are supported by DoD transportation services, and where civil systems, local infrastructure and the supply chain will support immediate onward distribution of the commodities.
Development Innovation Ventures (DIV)
Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) is an open competition supporting breakthrough solutions to the world's most intractable development challenges—interventions that could change millions of lives at a fraction of the usual cost.
Food for Peace
USAID's food assistance efforts are an expression of the compassion and goodwill of the people of the United States. The lifesaving assistance helps to stabilize fragile situations. The emergency food assistance and multi-year development programs monitor food insecurity throughout the world; save lives in times of crisis; tackle chronic undernutrition; and help the most vulnerable break the cycle of poverty and hunger through agriculture and livelihoods support.
Grand Challenges for Development
The Grand Challenges for Development initiative is rooted in two fundamental beliefs about international development: Science and technology, when applied appropriately, can have transformational effects; and engaging the world in the quest for solutions is critical to instigating breakthrough progress. Under the Grand Challenges for Development initiative, USAID will focus on defining problems, identifying constraints, and providing evidence based analysis. Addressing these challenges will require the creation and support of self-perpetuating systems, rather than one-off inventions or interventions.
Limited Excess Property Program (LEPP)
The Limited Excess Property Program (LEPP) was established through sections 607 and 608 of the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) as amended in 1961. LEPP allows non-profit organizations registered as Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOs) with USAID to access government excess property through the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and the Defense Logistics Agency's (DLA) Disposition Services' excess property programs. LEPP program partners leverage excess property to build the capacity and further the efficiency of local in-country organizations. These local partners range from community hospitals seeking medical equipment and supplies to technical training facilities and schools in need of computer equipment and school furniture. These items allow our partners to provide a higher quality of service to a larger community which facilitates a higher level of education and human resources development. An average of 30 million dollars' worth of United States Government (USG) excess property is transferred annually.
Ocean Freight Reimbursement
The Ocean Freight Reimbursement (OFR) Program is the oldest ongoing Private Voluntary Organization (PVO) support program, allowing recipients to ship a wide variety of goods overseas for use in privately-funded development and humanitarian assistance programs. The Program provides small competitive grants to approximately 50 U.S. PVOs each year. Funds are used to reimburse the PVOs' costs to transport donated commodities, such as medical supplies, agricultural equipment, educational supplies, and building equipment, to developing countries.