How to Work with USAID

Close up of three women smiling in a field

At USAID, we achieve our mission by partnering with individuals and organizations around the world. Working together, we find innovative and cost-effective solutions to pressing global challenges.

USAID has Missions in more than 80 countries and programs in more than 100. We work in a variety of technical areas: agriculture; economic growth; environment; education; democracy, human rights, and governance; women’s empowerment; water and sanitation; and global health. USAID also responds to humanitarian disasters. We accomplish this work while spending less than one percent of the total U.S. federal budget.

To achieve our mission, we partner with a variety of institutions, including faith-based and community organizations, private companies, colleges and universities, and non-governmental organizations. Learn more about the types of organizations that work with USAID and discover how you can work with us.

Agriculture, Economic Growth, Environment, Education, Democracy, Human Rights, Governance, Women's Empowerment, Water and Sanitation, Global Health

Understanding How to Work with USAID

Here are several resources that will help you understand how to work with USAID. They should answer some of the most frequently asked questions about partnering with us:

Explore WorkwithUSAID.gov, a free resource hub.
“How to Work with USAID” (our online training series)
How the grant and contract process works
How to respond to a solicitation

We also recommend reading about USAID’s strategies and planning process. The steps in this process are important tools in understanding how we make funding decisions.

If you are interested in working with USAID in a particular country, review the Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) for that country. It outlines the types of projects and activities that USAID supports.

In addition, USAID publishes a Business Forecast that provides a look at upcoming funding opportunities. Once a quarter, we hold a Business Forecast conference call, which you are welcome to join. Please email BusinessForecast@usaid.gov for the latest information about upcoming Business Forecast calls.

Follow along for the latest news and other information from the Office of Acquisition and Assistance at @WorkWithUSAID.

USAID Funding

As a U.S. Government agency, USAID receives its funding from Congress. We work with both Congress and the Executive Office of the President to determine budget priorities.

The majority of our funds are awarded competitively through contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements. All contracts that are available for bidding are at SAM.gov. Information about grants and cooperative agreements is at Grants.gov.

You can learn more about USAID's current and past program funding in a number of places:

The Foreign Assistance Dashboard offers a visual presentation of, and access to, key State Department and USAID foreign assistance data.
USASpending.gov is a searchable website that provides information about USAID’s most recent awards and implementing partners.
The annual U.S. Overseas Loans and Grants (the “Greenbook”) contains summarized data about U.S. foreign assistance since 1945.

How Funding Decisions Are Made and Where to Find Opportunities

USAID manages the majority of its programs in-country. This means that most opportunities for funding are made available locally at USAID Missions. These opportunities are also posted on SAM.gov and Grants.gov, but it is important to note that they are guided by a Mission’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS).

Programs that are not managed locally are often driven by Agency-wide policies. Funding opportunities that are related to Agency-wide policies are posted on SAM.gov and Grants.gov.

In 2014, USAID established the U.S. Global Development Lab, building on the belief that science, technology, innovation, and partnership can happen more quickly, less expensively, and more sustainably. There are a variety of exciting funding opportunities available within the Lab, such as the Grand Challenges for Development and the Development Innovation Ventures.

Information about other USAID grant programs and funding opportunities is available here.

USAID does accept unsolicited proposals and applications. You can find more information about unsolicited proposal and application process here. However, because resources are limited for even the best of such proposals and applications, we encourage you to look at other available avenues to work with USAID before submitting your idea through this process.