Opportunity Information: Apply for USAID AFR APS LMA 09 001
Apply for USAID AFR APS LMA 09 001
- The Agency for International Development in the food and nutrition sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Global Food Security Response Africa Action Plan" and is now available to receive applicants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 26, 2009 and posted on Feb 12, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 31, 2009 Subject to the availability of funds, USAID intends to make up to 12 awards in the range of 2,000,000 to 5,000,000 with a length of activity period between two and five years. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, beginning in May. Proposals to be considered for the first round must be submitted by April 20, 2009. All applications must be submitted by October 31, 2009. USAID reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Global Food Security Response Africa Action Plan was a USAID Bureau for Africa funding opportunity released as an Annual Program Statement (APS) to support economic growth activities that improve food security in West Africa. The core idea behind the program was to strengthen staple food value chains by encouraging applicants to build alliances that bring together key actors in the market system. USAID signaled a particular interest in proposals that used public-private partnerships and/or private-private partnerships to make staple food systems more effective, more commercially viable, and ultimately more reliable in meeting local and regional food needs. In practice, this points to investments and coordinated interventions that help staple commodities move more efficiently from production to processing to storage, transport, and sale, while improving incentives and capacity across each step of the chain.
USAID planned to fund activities through cooperative agreements, meaning projects would be implemented with substantial involvement from the agency rather than as a hands-off grant. The opportunity fell under the Food and Nutrition activity category, but it was framed through an economic growth lens, emphasizing market development, private sector engagement, and value chain performance as pathways to improved food security outcomes. The APS served as both a strategic guide and a procedural roadmap, laying out USAID s intended approach, how applicants should submit proposals, how those proposals would be evaluated, and the basic administrative expectations for managing an award.
Funding was expected to support multiple awards rather than a single large project. Subject to available funds, USAID indicated an intention to make up to 12 awards, generally in the range of 2,000,000 to 5,000,000 per award. The expected period of performance for supported activities was between two and five years, allowing projects enough time to build partnerships, execute value chain improvements, and demonstrate measurable results. There was no stated cost sharing or matching requirement, which lowered the barrier to entry for organizations that might not have significant unrestricted funds to contribute, though applicants would still be expected to present credible, sustainable business and implementation models.
Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning the competition was open to a wide variety of applicant types, including nonprofits, for-profits, universities, and other entities, as long as they met any additional eligibility conditions described in the full announcement. The design of the opportunity strongly implied that competitive proposals would be those that could credibly convene or coordinate multiple partners, align incentives among stakeholders, and demonstrate a practical plan for improving staple food value chains at scale in West Africa.
The APS used a rolling review process rather than a single fixed review date, which gave applicants multiple chances to be considered during the open window. The notice reflects a first-round submission deadline of February 28, 2009, with at least two review rounds anticipated and the first review expected in March 2009. Later details in the announcement also note rolling reviews beginning in May and reference April 20, 2009 as a date tied to first-round consideration in that schedule, with the final deadline for all submissions set for October 31, 2009. In other words, proposals could be submitted and reviewed over time, but earlier submissions had a better chance of being considered while funds were still available. USAID also clearly reserved the right to fund any, all, or none of the applications received.
Administratively, the opportunity was posted on February 12, 2009, and remained open until the October 31, 2009 closing date, with an archive date of November 30, 2009. The award ceiling was 5,000,000, and the award floor was listed as 0, which is common in listings where award size may vary based on merit, scope, and available funding. For applicants who had trouble accessing the full announcement, the point of contact listed was Alfreda Thomas via email.
Overall, this grant opportunity was designed for organizations capable of working through partnership-driven, market-based solutions to improve West African staple food systems. USAID s intent was to finance practical value chain alliances that could strengthen production and market linkages, reduce bottlenecks, increase efficiency and competitiveness, and contribute to the broader Global Food Security Response objectives through sustainable economic growth approaches.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Global Food Security Response Africa Action Plan opportunity?
It is a USAID Bureau for Africa funding opportunity released as an Annual Program Statement (APS) focused on economic growth activities that improve food security in West Africa. The program emphasis is on strengthening staple food value chains through alliances that bring together key actors in the market system.
Which USAID office issued this funding opportunity?
The opportunity was issued by USAID's Bureau for Africa.
What is the main goal of the program?
The main goal is to improve food security in West Africa by making staple food systems more effective, commercially viable, and reliable. The approach centers on value chain improvements that help staple commodities move more efficiently from production to processing, storage, transport, and sale.
What types of activities does USAID want to support?
USAID signaled interest in coordinated investments and interventions that strengthen staple food value chains. This includes efforts that address bottlenecks and improve incentives and capacity across multiple steps of the chain (production, processing, storage, transport, and marketing/sales), with a strong focus on market development and private sector engagement.
What kinds of partnerships are especially encouraged?
USAID expressed particular interest in proposals that use public-private partnerships and/or private-private partnerships to improve how staple food systems function and to strengthen market linkages.
What is the award type for this opportunity?
USAID planned to fund activities through cooperative agreements, which typically involve substantial involvement from the agency in implementation rather than a hands-off grant relationship.
How is this opportunity categorized?
The activity category is Food and Nutrition, but it is framed through an economic growth lens emphasizing market development, private sector engagement, and value chain performance as pathways to better food security outcomes.
How many awards did USAID expect to make?
Subject to available funds, USAID indicated an intention to make up to 12 awards.
What is the expected award size?
Awards were generally expected to range from $2,000,000 to $5,000,000 per award, depending on merit, scope, and available funding.
What are the award ceiling and award floor listed for this opportunity?
The award ceiling was listed as $5,000,000. The award floor was listed as $0, which is sometimes used in postings to indicate that actual award sizes may vary and depend on the application and available funds.
What is the expected period of performance?
The expected period of performance was between two and five years, allowing time to build partnerships, implement value chain improvements, and demonstrate measurable results.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement was stated. While this lowers the barrier to entry, applicants were still expected to present credible and sustainable business and implementation models.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was listed as unrestricted. This means the competition was open to a wide range of applicant types (including nonprofits, for-profits, universities, and other entities), as long as they met any additional conditions described in the full announcement.
What kinds of proposals were implied to be most competitive?
The opportunity strongly implied that competitive proposals would credibly convene or coordinate multiple partners, align incentives among stakeholders, and present a practical plan to improve staple food value chains at scale in West Africa.
What is an Annual Program Statement (APS) in this context?
In this opportunity, the APS served as both a strategic guide and a procedural roadmap. It described USAID's intended approach, how to submit proposals, how proposals would be evaluated, and basic administrative expectations for managing an award.
How did the review process work?
The APS used a rolling review process rather than a single fixed review date. This allowed proposals to be submitted and reviewed over time during the open window, with earlier submissions generally having a better chance of being considered while funds were still available.
What were the key submission and review dates mentioned?
The notice reflects a first-round submission deadline of February 28, 2009, with at least two review rounds anticipated and the first review expected in March 2009. Other details also reference rolling reviews beginning in May and mention April 20, 2009 as a date tied to first-round consideration in that schedule. The final deadline for all submissions was October 31, 2009.
What was the final deadline to submit an application?
The final submission deadline for all proposals was October 31, 2009.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on February 12, 2009 and remained open until the October 31, 2009 closing date.
What was the archive date?
The archive date was November 30, 2009.
Could USAID decide not to fund any applications?
Yes. USAID reserved the right to fund any, all, or none of the applications received.
Who is the point of contact for applicants who could not access the full announcement?
The point of contact listed was Alfreda Thomas (via email).
What geographic focus does this opportunity target?
The opportunity targets West Africa, with activities intended to improve staple food systems and related market performance in the region.
Does the opportunity focus on food aid or on market-based solutions?
Based on the description, it is framed around market-based solutions and economic growth approaches. The emphasis is on alliances, private sector engagement, and value chain performance to achieve improved food security outcomes.
Why might submitting earlier have mattered under this APS?
Because proposals were reviewed on a rolling basis, earlier submissions could be considered sooner, potentially improving the chance of funding before available funds were committed.
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