The narrow streets and sky blue doors and windows of Morocco’s crumbling mellahs, or Jewish quarters, contain a treasure trove of history. But when this history was at risk of being lost, two new USAID partners—Rabat-based Association Mimouna and New York-based American Sephardi Federation (ASF)—co-created a project, supported under USAID’s New Partnerships Initiative (NPI), to train residents of the mellahs to share the history of their neighborhoods as tour guides and through the sale of Judaica-focused handicrafts and traditional food, giving residents an economic lifeline while preserving an important dimension of Morocco’s diverse past.&nbsp;The walled neighborhoods of the mellahs were home, for hundreds of years, to Morocco’s once-thriving Jewish population—the largest in the Arab or Islamic world at one time. The walls offered protection but not confinement: Jewish residents were actively involved throughout Moroccan society. But since 1948, when many Moroccan Jews emigrated to the newly formed state of Israel, buildings in the mellahs have fallen into disrepair, and the residents—now predominantly Muslim—struggle economically. Local knowledge about the neighborhoods' important past has been largely forgotten. Nevertheless, the mellahs of Fez, Essaouira, and Rabat remain popular tourist destinations, especially for foreign visitors interested in Jewish history.&nbsp;“We tell the people of the mellah, ‘You have a treasure in your hands. Your neighborhood is not poor. It's very rich, not with money, but with respect to its diversity and its history, which is unique,’” said Elmehdi Boudra, founder and president of Association Mimouna.&nbsp;To help expand this important work to preserve the Moroccan Jewish heritage in the mellahs, the two organizations—both new USAID partners—submitted a concept note through NPI, proposing to provide skills training for residents of the mellahs, to enable them to serve as tour guides, artisans, and cultural ambassadors in their neighborhoods. Association Mimouna was aiming to serve as the subawardee on the project, with the ASF as the prime.&nbsp;“A partner sent us a USAID call for proposals from the MENA [Middle East and North Africa] region. I emailed our colleagues at the American Sephardi Federation, and we had a meeting to discuss applying together. From the beginning, it was really a co-creation process with USAID. It was something we had the chance to build with the team,” said Boudra.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Agency began to engage with Association Mimouna and the ASF to co-create the project, but, as is often the case with new partners, the organizations ran into difficulty at almost the first step in the process: their registration in the federal systems for USAID awards.“It was a very difficult process. The most challenging part of the process for us at Mimouna was the DUNS and SAM.gov registration,”&nbsp; said Boudra. Their registration attempts kept getting rejected, and they had to repeatedly restart the process.“We were ready to do the work [of implementing the project], but we struggled with key steps early in the registration process,” said Boudra.&nbsp;That’s where the Partnerships Incubator was brought in. The Partnerships Incubator is a USAID-funded project implemented by Kaizen, a Tetra Tech company.&nbsp;“We knew that NPI wanted to get them up and running and implementing this important project,” said Giorgi Baghishvili, Director of Finance and Operations for the Incubator. “So the Agency asked us to support these partners, to get them the assistance they needed.”&nbsp;“As first-time recipients, the hurdles seemed insurmountable, but the co-creation process made everything possible, even with an accelerated schedule,” said Jason Guberman, the ASF’s Executive Director. “The USAID and Incubator staff were incredible, both in terms of their knowledge and dedication,” he added.&nbsp;Through multiple WhatsApp messages, emails, and video calls over the course of three months, Baghishvili was able to work alongside key staff from Association Mimouna and the ASF to walk them through the steps in the registration process and to get their information inputted correctly into the various systems.&nbsp;&nbsp;“It’s common for organizations to have trouble with SAM.gov registration,” said Baghishvili. “This is something we know is a frequent hurdle for new partners. The system is very unforgiving of any differences in spelling, punctuation, etc. But there are some ways for organizations to improve their chances.”Baghishvili recommends that organizations that are preparing to register in federal systems should keep a spreadsheet containing all of their basic information. That information can then be copied-and-pasted into each registration system to avoid issues related to inconsistent spelling, punctuation, and spacing. The “character count” feature can also help organizations ensure they have entered identical information in each system.&nbsp;&nbsp;Baghishvili provided further assistance to Association Mimouna and the ASF on the budget elements to support their proposal, and the Incubator’s Director of External Partnerships Lovesun Parent provided support for their gender and social inclusion plan. Together, this support helped the organizations get through some of the early hurdles they faced as they became new USAID partners.&nbsp;“Working with the Incubator was a very, very positive process,” stated Boudra.&nbsp;&nbsp;Now that these early registration and reporting challenges are behind them, the partners are beginning to implement the three-year Rebuilding Our Homes project.&nbsp;“Rebuilding Our Homes is dedicated to mobilizing a new generation to be knowledgeable, proud, and proactive with their Moroccan heritage by strengthening the sacred chords of memory that unite all Moroccans, from Muslim youth in the mellahs to Sephardic Jews in Manhattan,” stated Guberman.&nbsp;The partners hope that this effort will capture the legacy of the past by educating the current residents of the mellahs about Morocco’s multicultural legacy and providing them the tools to share this history with their fellow citizens and with tourists from around the globe.“I hope in three years the population of the mellahs will move this effort forward without us, with their own NGOs [nongovernmental organizations], promoting their own neighborhood and making their neighborhood a place where they are proud to live,” said Boudra.This article first appeared on USAID.gov.

Incubator Support Kick-Starts NPI Project to Preserve Historic Moroccan Jewish Neighborhoods

<h4>Equitable AI Challenge: Sourcing Approaches to Prevent and Respond to Gender Inequity in AI</h4>As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) proliferates, more instances of the inequitable&nbsp;design, use, and impact of AI-enabled tools in developing countries are coming to light. Many of these tools and approaches have the capacity for inequitable outcomes across genders due to humans unconsciously embedding bias in AI technology during data collection, model design, or end-use applications. As a result, these tools often pose the greatest risk of harm and missed opportunities to those already marginalized in low- and middle-income countries. To foster an equitable and inclusive digital ecosystem, more efforts are needed to identify innovative and creative approaches to help decision-makers address actual and potential gender biases and inequitable outcomes resulting from AI technology.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/strapi-media-dev/Revised_AI_Graphic_427d4f76b6/Revised_AI_Graphic_427d4f76b6.jpg"></figure>USAID, through Digital Frontiers, is launching a challenge leading to one or more grants for innovative approaches to help identify and address actual and potential gender biases in AI systems relevant in global development contexts. USAID seeks to support approaches to increase the prevention, identification, transparency, monitoring, and accountability of AI systems so that their outputs do not produce gender-inequitable results. Approaches may or may not be technology-based. Digital Frontiers anticipates disbursing up to five grants using a total of $375,000 USD in award funding. The challenge will take place over two phases:<ul><li>Phase One: This is an open call for short concept notes. Concepts will be accepted under two tracks -- one track called “Prevention,” for approaches to prevent AI systems from incorporating gender bias into their outputs and one called “Response,” for approaches to inspire transparency of and accountability in existing AI systems. Strong applications from Phase One will be designated semi-finalists and invited to attend a co-creation workshop in the first quarter of 2022 to discuss the context in which different instances of inequity arise, showcase different interventions, and encourage collaboration and partnership among semi-finalists within and across the tracks. &nbsp;</li><li>Phase Two: Semi-finalists will then be invited to submit revised concept notes that reflect updates to their original concept note as relevant. Winning submissions will be awarded grant funds to design, test, scale, and/or socialize the approach as appropriate over the course of one year.</li></ul>&nbsp;<h4>Digital Frontiers encourages proposals from:</h4><ul><li>All organizations regardless of size; technology firms, startups, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), civil society organizations, and researchers from around the world.</li><li>Diverse groups that have clear, strategic, collaborative approaches or frameworks to tackle the complexity of the gender bias and inequity occurring as a result of AI applications, including and especially, collaboration between developers, AI tool buyers, and civil society organizations.</li><li>Organizations that present a business case for why addressing gender inequitable outcomes from AI is both valuable to their organization and will be sustained following the grant.</li><li>Proposals that represent a good faith effort from developers to serve as an industry example on the steps needed to identify and eliminate instances of gender inequity in their AI tools.</li><li>Proposals that incorporate the diversity of AI-enabled bias or inequity women face according to intersectional identities (disability, sexual minority, language minority, caste status, etc.).</li></ul>&nbsp;<h4>Apply now!&nbsp;</h4><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14LbfykWkGhqX3jklP6FZ_vYXANWjgrCT/view?usp=sharing">See the Request for Expressions of Interest here.</a> The deadline for concept notes is January 6, 2022, by 5:00 PM ET.

USAID Challenge Seeks Solutions to Address Gender-Inequitable Outcomes from AI Technology 

<h4>Join Us!</h4>On Thursday, December 16, at 8:30 a.m. ET, USAID will host our FY 2022 First Quarter Business Forecast and Partner Update webinar. In these webinars, we provide updates on what’s happening at USAID and address some of the broader questions that are submitted. More specific questions are answered in writing and posted online after the event.<a href="https://usaid.webex.com/mw3300/mywebex/default.do?nomenu=true&amp;siteurl=usaid&amp;service=6&amp;rnd=0.45932528334207323&amp;main_url=https%3A%2F%2Fusaid.webex.com%2Fec3300%2Feventcenter%2Fevent%2FeventAction.do%3FtheAction%3Ddetail%26%26%26EMK%3D4832534b0000000441e5a308a1410fc576d80bf8f9069899f30ff4c44c73f366d83a4c2bc9371a4d%26siteurl%3Dusaid%26confViewID%3D208262721200742121%26encryptTicket%3DSDJTSwAAAAR-1U4yU_sauQBbwB7K5C-ChPktpThAcyK9lOeq4zuukw2%26">Click here to register.&nbsp;</a><h4>How to Submit Business Forecast Questions</h4>In advance of the event, we invite organizations to send questions specifically related to opportunities on the <a href="http://www.usaid.gov/business-forecast">Business Forecast</a>. Questions must be submitted by December 1, 2021. There are two ways you can submit questions:<ul><li>Submit using the following Google Form: <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdq5DXf7oyLmUxoAaT3fhQhR2bq1hKaYrd9m1UbYMcMbPvnLQ/viewform?usp=sf_link">USAID Business Forecast Submission Form</a> (You may submit more than one.) OR</li><li>Send questions by email using <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/strapi-media-dev/DOWNLOAD_USAID_Business_Forecast_Submission_Template_3a50c2f584/DOWNLOAD_USAID_Business_Forecast_Submission_Template_3a50c2f584.xlsx">this Excel template</a> to <a href="mailto:BusinessForecast@usaid.gov">BusinessForecast@usaid.gov</a>.</li></ul>Please be sure to label each question with the project name as indicated on the <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/business-forecast/search">Business Forecast</a>, as well as the Country/Mission/Bureau/Operating Unit, as applicable.Following the webinar, we will post responses to all of the Business Forecast-related questions on <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/get-grant-or-contract/business-forecast/business-forecast-archive">USAID.gov</a>, along with a transcript and recording of the event. If you have not participated in one of USAID's Business Forecast calls, you can access <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/get-grant-or-contract/business-forecast/business-forecast-archive">previous recordings and transcripts here</a>.NOTE: We are in the process of implementing USAID’s 2020 organizational transformation into our internal Acquisition and Assistance (A&amp;A) Plan, which feeds into our Business Forecast. We are expeditiously updating activities to ensure that they are labeled with the correct Bureau. Over the next few weeks, you will see activities added and/or moved on the Forecast. If you are interested in learning more about the <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/who-we-are/organization">Agency’s organizational structure, click here</a>.&nbsp;

Upcoming Webinar: First Quarter Business Forecast and Partner Update

The USAID Office of Acquisition and Assistance's Industry Liaison Team will be hosting a number of webinars to help guide you through all that the new <a href="https://www.workwithusaid.org/">WorkwithUSAID.org</a> platform has to offer as well as to share information on how to partner with USAID.&nbsp;The content of these sessions will be identical, so please join the one that is most convenient for you. You can register at the links below:<ul><li><a href="https://usaid.webex.com/usaid/onstage/g.php?MTID=e45f10dd45f90ac03ae4a4788a68484e0">November 18, 2021, at 9:00 pm ET</a></li><li><a href="https://usaid.webex.com/usaid/onstage/g.php?MTID=e8ed5fd1b37d8fc894e7482d7a8ea7d06">November 19, 2021, at 12:00 pm ET</a></li><li><a href="https://usaid.webex.com/usaid/onstage/g.php?MTID=e00f1c6658bb7fb5fa1c3eb29832b93a3">November 23, 2021, at 10:00 am ET</a></li><li><a href="https://usaid.webex.com/usaid/onstage/g.php?MTID=e82fd8bd3fe0187d35c258941025cb6fc">December 2, 2021, at 2:00 pm ET</a></li></ul>The sessions will walk you through how to:<ul><li><a href="https://www.workwithusaid.org/directory">Create a profile</a> in the Partner Directory for your organization;</li><li>Take the <a href="https://www.workwithusaid.org/pre-engagement">Pre-Engagement Assessment</a> to understand your organization’s capabilities and receive a customized report on how to address capacity gaps; and</li><li>Review resources in the <a href="https://www.workwithusaid.org/resource-library">library</a> that will help you better understand how to work with USAID.</li></ul>We hope you will join us for one of these upcoming webinars. If you have any questions, you may contact <a href="mailto:IndustryLiaison@usaid.gov">IndustryLiaison@usaid.gov</a>. To request a reasonable accommodation, please email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:ReasonableAccommodations@usaid.gov">ReasonableAccommodations@usaid.gov</a>.&nbsp;

Upcoming Webinars: Learn More about WorkwithUSAID.org

Want to learn more about working with USAID? Read this Q&amp;A with Matt Johnson, USAID Industry Liaison and Communications Director for the Office of Acquisition and Assistance. He provides insights and practical advice for partners and access to important links for more information.<h4>What is your best advice for new potential partners with the Agency?</h4>Too many people have no real idea of who we are and how we work—we are unique, and it is important to get a good understanding of us. We have long-term plans and objectives that we are trying to achieve, and we are looking for organizations that can help us do so. We do not just give out money or fund any project—no matter how good or valuable.&nbsp;Some practical advice: With any solicitation, make sure to read instructions carefully and provide all the information needed. We see incomplete responses time and again, and that means your good ideas and potential partnership get lost.&nbsp;If you are able to get a first award and demonstrate your effectiveness, there is a good chance that there will be more.<h4>How can potential partners get to know the Agency better?</h4>First, look at the strategies we want to implement with partners. We have a<a href="www.usaid.gov/results-and-data/planning/country-strategies-cdcs"> Country Development Cooperation Strategy</a> (CDCS) for every place we work. It outlines plans, goals, and objectives, and is a foundational document for you. We also offer country-specific webpages that will give you a sense of our work on the ground.&nbsp;You should also learn more about the activities that USAID is currently implementing in the sectors, regions, or countries where you are interested in operating. You can find this information easily on USAID’s country pages.&nbsp;I also recommend that you make connections with USAID staff or partner organizations in your area, find out what they are doing, and see if there are any connections to the work you do.Finally, you should review the resources in <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/how-to-work-with-usaid">How to Work with USAID</a> to ensure that you understand the process that USAID follows in making awards.<h4>What does USAID want to know from potential partners?</h4>Try and identify what you are very good at and what you can do better with a partner like USAID—then communicate that to us and show how your skills and resources fit within our goals. We do not want to guess if you can be successful, so prove your expertise and demonstrate your results. We want to know where you fit in to our efforts and how you can help USAID achieve its mission.<h4>How can I get feedback from USAID?</h4>Pre-solicitation, you can ask anyone at USAID any question you want, and we will answer the best we can. We encourage you to ask many questions, and that is also an opportunity to share information with us about you and your organization.During an active funding opportunity there are also opportunities to ask questions, but note that we cannot give any unfair advantages that might give one organization a competitive edge over another.&nbsp;Post-award, if you are not selected, you can ask us why. I encourage everyone to get feedback. The more you do that, the better you will do next time and the better you will work with the Agency going forward.I assure you that there are no dumb questions, and please do not be afraid to ruffle our feathers. We want new partners, and your questions, other ideas, and new ways of thinking.<h4>What do existing partners do to be successful?</h4>First of all, they know the Agency well, as I said before. Our existing partners<a href="https://www.usaid.gov/business-forecast"> check USAID's Business Forecast</a> regularly and use it to plan. They begin to identify proposal writing teams, identify sub-partners, and do research on what USAID is looking for. This all happens months in advance of a funding opportunity becoming available.Available funding opportunities are posted at <a href="https://sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/index.jsf">SAM.gov</a> and <a href="http://www.grants.gov/">Grants.gov.</a> To receive alerts on Business Forecast updates, conference calls, and resources, sign up for the <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=0010rFl70YEQLJnhR2o37BhQlgGoFgI9INa8MfrSAaR7QcmYO4MLpiY1YRbaR335q7O2A3aiLLPeTUv5zuQdTY02aab6HjrMtOrnWt9AYY85-pBm2TmfUmQh9HUJ9gGvgz6j1Cf7CEmV8LAffzHZUQcFmv7Y-iFMzkudI-0eYCPEjM%3D">USAID Acquisition and Assistance email list</a>.One of the best ways to get a foot in the door here is to partner with a larger partner that already works with us. That way you get to know us well, and we you. Demonstrating your past performance as a sub with an existing partner definitely counts. But we look for all relevant experience—not just USAID experience.<h4>Is the New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) sector-specific?</h4>Not at all. We want to connect with partners in all sectors, countries, and areas of the globe. As a part of NPI, USAID’s Missions around the globe have developed plans for how they will work with new and underutilized partners across all USAID programs.&nbsp;Our role is to get new and underutilized partners involved and invited, simplify the process, increase collaboration and co-creation, and make it easier for you to engage with USAID. We know we have a unique culture and lots of abbreviations, acronyms, terms, and forms. But now you can open doors with a short concept note.These first 18 months were a pilot phase, with 29 awards to date. We are working with 60 organizations, over which 30 of which are totally new to USAID. We are proud of that and want to keep this new momentum going forward.

How to Engage with USAID

What would development look like if solutions to persistent and complex problems were sourced and delivered from the ground up? To see the potential of this approach, just look to USAID’s Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation, where the Exploratory Programs and Innovation Competitions (EPIC) team casts a wide net to incentivize, find, nurture, and fund development innovations through Agency competitions, tapping into out-of-the-box solutions from a host of new, nontraditional, and local partners.Since 2008, the EPIC team has championed over 40 competitions, including prizes, challenges, hackathons, and grand challenges, and these Agency competitions often have some key differences from traditional USAID procurements—differences that can make them appealing and accessible to new partners.First, a trademark of the EPIC team’s approach is to provide opportunities for co-creation, or idea-sharing, throughout the process: from the problem definition phase to the application and evaluation stages, and ultimately during implementation of the project. This ongoing back-and-forth helps ensure that new, local, and nontraditional partners address and incorporate USAID requirements while still delivering innovative solutions.&nbsp;Second, the EPIC team incorporates high-touch assistance from their office to support new partners’ understanding of USAID rules and regulations, helping to guide them through some of the steps that can discourage new partners.“The reason why these competitions are accessible is because they are purposely designed to lower the bar to entry by streamlining application processes, utilizing user-friendly platforms, limiting the initial application to five pages, simplifying application language so it is accessible, and even using local languages in some instances,” said EPIC Acting Team Lead Lorin Kavanaugh-Ulku.&nbsp;This open, collaborative approach provides an on-ramp for potential partners who might have innovative ideas but may not otherwise engage with the Agency, such as startups, academia, and smaller local companies and civil society organizations. The EPIC office often begins its challenges by working with in-country media to publicize the challenge in the local language, alongside issuing a standard Agency solicitation in English. Local communications campaigns like these help to get the word out to organizations that might not track USAID solicitations.As a result of these tactics, EPIC’s prizes and challenges have been successful at funding local solutions and partners, a key Agency priority. For example, EPIC supported the design, development, and implementation of the BetterTogether/JuntosEsMejor Challenge, which supports Venezuelans and Venezuelan migrants in 10 countries across Latin America. Nearly 83 percent of the organizations that received BetterTogether/JuntosEsMejor Challenge awards were local awardees, and over half were considered new partners to USAID. The challenge was open from October 2019 to October 2020, and it led to 34 innovations in the region, with much of the implementation still ongoing.&nbsp;One example of a successful project under the BetterTogether/JuntosEsMejor Challenge is a gender-based violence (GBV) hotline run by the <a href="https://juntosesmejorve.org/en/rape-crisis-society-of-trinidad-and-tobago-rcstt/">Rape Crisis Society of Trinidad and Tobago</a> (RCSTT), a new USAID partner. RCSTT received support to build out its existing hotline to offer bilingual services in the crucial evening and nighttime hours, when GBV is most likely to occur. Recognizing the importance of this expanded service, a local mobile phone service provider, Digicel, chipped in with unsolicited co-financing of the hotline for its first year. This unanticipated local collaboration increases the likelihood of longer-term sustainability for the hotline service.Once new organizations begin to engage with USAID through these nontraditional channels, they become more plugged in to USAID’s processes, more capable of competing for traditional types of awards, and more connected with other Agency partners.&nbsp;“Even when they do not receive an award, organizations that compete for prizes and challenges raise their visibility, expand their networks, and increase their awareness of USAID opportunities and requirements, driving more success in the future,” noted Open Innovation Advisor Meredith Perry.For example, Gham Power in Nepal is a social enterprise that sells solar pumps, solar microgrids, and solar installations. They were selected as a finalist for Feed the Future’s 2017 <a href="https://datadrivenfarming.challenges.org/">Data-Driven Farming Prize</a>, for their software to help farmers manage their energy use, inputs, and sales. Although they did not receive that initial prize, that work became the foundation for their winning entry in a subsequent <a href="https://we4f.org/apply-ssea">2019–2020 Asia EDGE Prize</a>. In turn, technical assistance, winnings, and partnerships from that prize contributed to their success in becoming a 2021 <a href="https://we4f.org/apply-ssea">Water and Energy for Food Grand Challenge</a> grantee.These prizes and challenges are an often-overlooked way that the Agency is reaching out to new, nontraditional, and local organizations and advancing their capacity to partner with USAID on future projects. The competitions bring forward exciting new ideas, regardless of an organization’s experience with the Agency—and, in doing so, they are making a difference for development around the world and for the numerous nontraditional and local organizations that seek to contribute their innovative solutions to global development challenges.Interested in exploring whether a prize, challenge, or innovative sourcing method is right for your goals? Contact EPIC at <a href="mailto:epic@usaid.gov">epic@usaid.gov</a>.

Prizes and Challenges Open Agency’s Doors for New and Local Partners

Today, the world faces an enormous annual gap of $2.5 trillion to finance global development goals, and this gap cannot be made up by foreign assistance alone. In fact, an estimated 90 percent of global financial flows to emerging economies come from private, not public, investment. To achieve a greater development impact, it will be essential to engage and collaborate with the private sector to drive sustainable growth, create jobs, and advance opportunities that improve lives and build resilience worldwide.&nbsp;&nbsp;Given the shift in global financial flows, USAID is seeking new partners and private investment to move countries beyond the need for assistance. Globally, the Agency works with partner nations to advance development progress in sectors ranging from COVID-19 response and global health; climate change; democracy, human rights, and governance; economic growth and trade; food security; women’s economic empowerment; and humanitarian assistance.&nbsp;Opportunities for private sector partnerships are steadily growing. USAID works with companies where there is strong alignment between business interests and development objectives. This goes beyond issuing government contracts to hire companies, and extends to sharing knowledge, resources, and funds as partners that co-create development progress.&nbsp;Development and business leaders alike recognize that collaborating and leveraging each other's unique resources, assets, and skill sets can deliver both business success and inclusive growth.Indeed, business is good for development, and development is good for business. Partnering with USAID provides businesses with opportunities to achieve core business interests and advance corporate sustainability priorities. The obstacles that businesses face operating in emerging markets are often the development challenges that USAID is already working to address in developing countries – from <a href="https://usaid-pse.exposure.co/peru-investing-in-cooperatives-to-combat-supply-chain-shortages">supply chain stability</a> to <a href="https://usaid-pse.exposure.co/serbia-crowdinvesting-platform-yields-sweet-success-for-dessert-shop">community investment </a>and <a href="https://usaid-pse.exposure.co/dominican-republic-atrisk-youth-shine-in-partnership-with-jeweler-tiffany-co">workforce development</a>.&nbsp;By working as co-investor, convener, facilitator, and risk mitigator, USAID offers support to companies that in turn share their resources, assets, and expertise that spur sustainable results through market-based solutions. USAID also helps to level the playing field for U.S. and international businesses by reducing their barriers to entry in emerging markets and opening up business opportunities and investment abroad and in the United States.In pursuing market-based approaches, USAID seeks more sustainable development impact over time. USAID works with U.S. and global corporations, regional and local businesses in developing countries, and industry associations in a number of ways to solve some of the world’s toughest challenges.&nbsp;Learn more about tangible ways that USAID works with the private sector:<ul><li><a href="https://usaid-pse.exposure.co/">USAID PSE Exposure site</a> showcases compelling enterprise-driven stories from across USAID.</li><li><a href="https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/private-sector-engagement/market-based-approaches">Market-based Solutions with the Private Sector</a> page on usaid.gov shines a spotlight on co-creation best practices and lessons learned from Global Development Alliances (GDAs).</li></ul>&nbsp;<h4>Interested in Partnering with USAID?</h4>USAID actively seeks to engage companies and investors to explore opportunities to partner with USAID. To learn more about our work and identify areas of potential collaboration for your company, please visit <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/private-sector-engagement/partner-with-us">USAID’s Partner with Us page</a>. Please contact the <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/private-sector-engagement/poc">Private Sector Engagement Points of Contact</a> in the country where you would like to work. For specific solicitations across the Agency, visit <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/partnership-opportunities/search-for-opportunities">Search for Opportunities</a> or email globalpartnerships@usaid.gov.

Partnering with the Private Sector for Greater Development Impact, Scale, and Sustainability 

A primary goal of USAID's New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) is to capitalize on good ideas, and the NPI team is working to make it easier for partners to present them to the Agency and apply for funding. In order to streamline the process, under NPI awards, applicants submit a three- to five-page “concept note” detailing the scope of the proposed concept and responding to questions in the solicitation. USAID uses these responses and the evaluation criteria outlined in solicitations in the selection process.&nbsp;<h4>Lowering Barriers</h4>Lowering barriers to entry puts the burden on applicants to <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/get-grant-or-contract/trainings-how-work-usaid/how-work-usaid-effectively-responding">develop effective responses</a>. Here are three keys that apply to a two-page concept note, a 50-page proposal, and everything in between:<ol><li>Read the entire solicitation carefully. Solicitations—for a grant, a cooperative agreement, or a contract opportunity—give you not only the requirements but also the language and rhetoric you need to use in your response. Doing so will facilitate the evaluation process.&nbsp; “I feel bad that we tell partners that they have to speak our language, but that’s what it is. It’s a bias and behavior that we have internally,” said Arjun Tasker, NPI Portfolio Manager.&nbsp; “We are still working to make solicitations clearer and embed more links into solicitations to point potential partners to information that helps them learn what we are trying to achieve. It’s a work in progress.” Tasker advises to “sell the technical experts on what they will get out of working with you.” &nbsp;</li><li>Do the research and respond to the entire solicitation. “Please follow the directions,” Tasker said. “I cannot tell you how many concepts I’ve read that had a great idea but were missing a key component or requirement. If you don’t respond to everything the solicitation asks for, the technical review people won’t even get to read it. Your great idea will be out the window because we never even saw it.”&nbsp; Organizations that are new to USAID should take the time to understand Agency compliance requirements and guidance on such issues as gender, environment, and fraud prevention. USAID<a href="https://www.usaid.gov/results-and-data/planning/country-strategies-cdcs"> country development strategies</a>, policies, regulatory chapters, and internal regulations are all publicly available, Tasker said. “Research technical information, but also why we are doing the work at USAID. All that needs to go into your response—but be kept short and sweet, of course.”&nbsp; There are several places to learn about USAID solicitations. <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/get-grant-or-contract/trainings-how-work-usaid/how-work-usaid-effectively-responding">Start here.&nbsp;</a> &nbsp;</li><li>Talk about partnerships. Responses often omit positive factors, such as past performance and especially the organization’s approaches to learning and partnerships. NPI considers partnership an essential factor in deciding on awards—specifically because the team wants to support sub-partners and ensure that prime partners are treating their subs well and maintaining mutual transparency and accountability.&nbsp; Here’s the big picture: USAID wants to know what it will learn from doing this work with you that will improve future work: How do you interact with other organizations? What is your partnership philosophy, and do you hold yourself to that?</li></ol>If organizations take the time to follow these <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/partnership-opportunities/respond-solicitation">simple guidelines,</a> their chances for success will improve.&nbsp;<h4>USAID Solicitations</h4>Remember that USAID solicitations come in different forms—a request for proposal (RFP), a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), an Annual Program Statement (APS), and a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). Find all USAID solicitations at:&nbsp;<ul><li>USAID’s <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/business-forecast">Business Forecast</a> (for all USAID opportunities);</li><li><a href="https://sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/index.jsf">SAM.gov</a> (for contracts and consultant opportunities); and</li><li><a href="https://www.grants.gov/">Grants.gov</a> (for grants and cooperative agreements).&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul><a href="https://www.usaid.gov/npi/stories/concept-note-good-bad-and-utterly-ugly">More from Senior Contracting Officer Chuck Pope</a> <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/partnership-opportunities/respond-solicitation">Tips for Responding to a Solicitation</a> &nbsp;