Report on the Plan to Assess Effective Innovations Brought to Scale through USAID
Overview
This report is submitted pursuant to Section 7019(e) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-47) and Senate Report 118-71, which states:
“Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of the act, the USAID Administrator shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations on the following: (1) a plan to assess the percentage of projects supported by the Development Innovation Ventures program and other USAID incubators that prove capable of increasing the effectiveness of foreign assistance, whether such projects are subsequently brought to scale by USAID missions and bureaus, and how to increase such outcomes; (2) the design and implementation timeline of an aid delivery pilot program in which payments are made directly to logistics, technology, and healthcare providers only after verification of successful delivery targets; and (3) enhanced performance metrics to measure contractor and subcontractor performance, including on direct delivery of aid and bid partner participation, and a projected implementation plan and timeline for improving associated award data transparency.”
USAID submits this report on the requirements outlined above.
Section #1: (1) a plan to assess the percentage of projects supported by the Development Innovation Ventures program and other USAID incubators that prove capable of increasing the effectiveness of foreign assistance, whether such projects are subsequently brought to scale by USAID missions and bureaus, and how to increase such outcomes;
Background
Innovation within United States foreign assistance can generate high social returns when it is centered on the creation of and reliance on rigorous evidence of impact on global development outcomes, emphasis on cost-effectiveness, and prioritization of financially sustainable solutions that can achieve large scale.
Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) is USAID’s evidence-driven, open innovation grantmaking program that invests in identifying, rigorously testing, and scaling cost-effective solutions that address development challenges across every sector and country in which USAID operates. DIV’s tiered-evidence strategy is designed to take greater risk at early stages and mitigate risk at later stages, ensuring that funding is targeted to impactful and cost-effective solutions.
DIV is joined by other incubators and innovation programs across USAID, including:
- Exploratory Programs and Innovation Competitions (EPIC)/Bureau for Inclusive Growth, Partnerships, and Innovation
- Research Division/Bureau for Inclusive Growth, Partnerships, and Innovation
- Center for Innovation and Impact (CII)/Global Health Bureau
- Innovation Team/Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance
- Experimentation, Innovation, and Learning (EIL)/Democracy, Rights and Governance Bureau
Through DIV and other innovation incubators, USAID tests new ideas, builds evidence of what works, and positions proven solutions to scale. The Agency is able to now easily leverage DIV and other innovation programs’ models and highly effective investments to drive results into broader programming. USAID’s innovation funds and programs focus on catalyzing internal uptake and scale through broader Agency programming, with a particular focus on highly cost-effective solutions that can maximize the impact of foreign assistance.
