The Innovation Fund for Ethiopia Agriculture (IFEA) | Apply Online

Innovation Fund for Ethiopia Agriculture (IFEA) - FAQs

1) What is the Innovation Fund for Ethiopia Agriculture (IFEA)?

The Innovation Fund for Ethiopia Agriculture (IFEA) is a USAID/Ethiopia Annual Program Statement (APS) run through the Office of Economic Growth and Transformation (EGT) under the Feed the Future Strategy. It is designed to fund innovative, locally led concept papers that connect agriculture and health interventions in practical ways to reduce chronic food insecurity and malnutrition in Ethiopia.

2) What is the main goal of this grant opportunity?

The main goal is to generate and test new approaches that improve household food security and nutrition security, with a strong focus on reducing chronic food insecurity and malnutrition through practical linkages between agriculture and health interventions.

3) What types of approaches is IFEA looking to fund?

IFEA is looking to fund innovative, locally led approaches that integrate agriculture, nutrition, and health. The emphasis is on concept papers that propose practical agriculture-health linkages and explain how those linkages can produce measurable improvements in food security and nutritional outcomes.

4) How does the APS define “household food security”?

Household food security is described as reliable access to enough safe, nutritious food for all household members.

5) How does the APS define “nutrition security”?

Nutrition security is described as food access combined with sanitation, health services, and informed caregiving.

6) Which groups are prioritized for nutrition outcomes?

The opportunity places strong emphasis on outcomes for nutritionally vulnerable groups, especially pregnant and lactating women and children up to two years of age.

7) Why does the APS highlight the “first 1,000 days”?

The APS reflects the critical importance of the first 1,000 days for growth and long-term development, and therefore emphasizes interventions and measurable outcomes that benefit pregnant and lactating women and children up to age two.

8) Is this primarily a service-delivery grant?

No. A central feature is that it is not only a service-delivery grant. It is also a learning and evidence-building mechanism that expects funded projects to test ideas and document what works.

9) What does “learning and evidence-building” mean in this APS?

Funded projects are expected to present a clear, testable hypothesis about an agriculture-nutrition linkage and then test that hypothesis through implementation, supported by rigorous monitoring and evaluation and thorough documentation of results.

10) What is meant by a “testable hypothesis” in this context?

Applicants are expected to go beyond listing activities and instead state what they believe will change, why it will change, and how they will measure and validate those changes. This framing is described as a clear, testable hypothesis linking agriculture and nutrition outcomes.

11) What kind of monitoring and evaluation expectations are described?

The APS emphasizes rigorous monitoring and evaluation and thorough documentation of results to validate whether the proposed agriculture-nutrition linkage leads to measurable improvements in food security and nutritional status.

12) What broader purpose does the evidence focus serve?

The learning focus is intended to strengthen the broader knowledge base in Ethiopia about what actually works when integrating agriculture, nutrition, and health efforts.

13) Is resilience an objective of IFEA?

Yes. The APS highlights resilience as a major objective, signaling that proposed innovations should help households withstand shocks and stresses as well as improve day-to-day nutrition and food access.

14) How is “resilience” defined in the APS?

Resilience is defined as the ability of people, households, communities, and systems to anticipate, mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses in ways that reduce chronic vulnerability and support inclusive growth.

15) What kinds of shocks and stresses are referenced?

The APS references common disruptions such as drought, price volatility, disease burdens, and livelihood shocks.

16) Are projects expected to address chronic vulnerability?

Yes. The APS indicates that projects incorporating strategies to reduce vulnerability and strengthen coping capacity, particularly for chronically food insecure households, align with the intent of the fund.

17) How many awards were anticipated under this APS?

USAID anticipated making three cooperative agreement awards under this APS.

18) What was the total estimated funding amount?

The total estimated funding for the opportunity was USD 6,000,000.

19) What was the award floor?

The award floor was USD 1,500,000.

20) What was the award ceiling?

The award ceiling was up to USD 6,000,000.

21) Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. Cost sharing or matching was not required.

22) What type of award mechanism was anticipated?

The APS anticipated cooperative agreement awards.

23) Was there any geographic or livelihood-area emphasis mentioned?

Yes. At least one award was specifically expected to support activities in pastoralist areas, indicating interest in approaches suited to mobile or semi-mobile livelihoods and the distinct nutrition and service-delivery constraints in those regions.

24) Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was focused on Ethiopian entities, specifically Ethiopian non-governmental organizations and Ethiopian national or private research institutes (as referenced in the APS annex).

25) Are partnerships with international organizations allowed?

Yes. Partnerships with US or other international NGOs were allowed, but the international partner share was capped at 25 percent of the total agreement.

26) What does “local-organization leadership” mean for partnerships?

The APS cap on the international partner share (25 percent) is described as reinforcing the local-organization leadership requirement, meaning the Ethiopian entity is expected to lead the effort.

27) What was the application approach: concept paper or full proposal?

The application process began with the submission of concept papers rather than full proposals, consistent with an innovation fund approach that screens ideas first and advances the most promising concepts.

28) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this APS?

The Funding Opportunity Number is APS 663-14-000002.

29) How was the opportunity categorized?

It was categorized as a discretionary opportunity in the food and nutrition activity area.

30) What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?

The CFDA number is 98.001 (USAID Foreign Assistance for Programs Overseas).

31) When was the opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on November 15, 2013.

32) What was the closing date?

The closing date was May 15, 2014.

33) When was the opportunity archived?

The opportunity was archived on June 14, 2014.

34) Where were applicants directed to find the full announcement?

The listing directed applicants to Grants.gov for the full announcement.

35) Who was the listed USAID/Ethiopia contact for access issues?

The contact listed for access issues was William Ndinya, Senior A and A Specialist.

36) What office within USAID/Ethiopia ran the APS?

The APS was run through the Office of Economic Growth and Transformation (EGT) under the Feed the Future Strategy.