Small businesses are vital to the U.S. economy and provide critical resources that contribute to the mission of USAID. By expanding opportunities for U.S. small businesses, we energize the U.S. economy and leverage a greater diversity of experience and expertise in our development objectives.

U.S. small businesses employ half of all private sector employees, create more than half of the non-farm private gross domestic product, and make up 97.5 percent of all identifiable exporters. USAID partners with these businesses to increase innovation and provide new approaches to our programs. Small businesses can bring diversity of thought and a strong technical focus to program components. They provide high quality services and products that contribute to our goals.

The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) is responsible for monitoring USAID's implementation and execution of the small business programs and advising the Administrator and senior leadership in this regard. In addition, OSDBU can help to provide guidance and information to small businesses looking to work with USAID. Collaboration with small businesses can take a variety of forms. For example:

  • A U.S. small business is helping to provide short-term assistance to priority countries that are in transition and crisis. These projects have supported local organizations and communities in election administration, political party development and citizen participation in democracy.
  • A small business partnered with international NGOs to provide expert technical assistance to countries in scaling up life-saving interventions for newborns and children that included the integration of nutrition programs.
  • A small business is experimenting with innovative solutions to bring affordable and efficient fertilizers to small holder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. These solutions are aimed at addressing the declining per capita food production caused by depleted soil fertility for farmers throughout the developing world.

Please access the OSDBU contact information web page if you have any questions about USAID's small business participation programs.