The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) submits this report pursuant to Sec. 7019(e) of Public Law 117-328, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which incorporates by reference the requirements of the Joint Explanatory Statement.
"The agreement includes funds at not less than the prior fiscal year to support the New Partnerships Initiative and directs the USAID Administrator to report to the Committees on Appropriations not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the Act on funding provided to new, under-utilized, and local partners under such initiative in the prior fiscal year."
Introduction & Background on NPI
The focus of this report is the New Partnerships Initiative (NPI), which serves the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) by: diversifying and enhancing the quality of Agency partnerships; supporting Agency efforts to become a more equitable partner; assisting Missions and Operating Units across the globe and in Washington to increase partnerships with new, underutilized, and local partners ; improving external engagement with partners; and promoting innovative practices in pursuit of sustainable, locally led development. NPI is currently a team of seven people within the Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships (LFT) Hub of the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI). NPI seeks to lower the barriers faced by nontraditional partners—including local actors, U.S. small businesses, faith-based organizations, cooperatives, diaspora groups, and civil society organizations—so that the Agency can embrace the diverse potential of the partnering community in pursuit of our shared development and humanitarian goals.
NPI in 2022
In FY 2022, USAID obligated approximately $1 million of program funds to NPI. In addition to the team lead covered by operating expense funds, the program funds support staff to implement the Initiative and support the Bureaus, Missions, and other operating units that are seeking to diversify their partnerships.
Since its inception, NPI has made progress in embedding program and partnership approaches into the way USAID functions agency wide. Through the NPI annual program statements (APS) and multiple rounds of NPI Action Plans, USAID has increased opportunities for new partners to work with the Agency. NPI Action Plans were first developed for fiscal years FY 2019-2021 and collectively described planned activities aimed at new and local partners across 77 Missions. NPI Action Plans used a broad measure of how the Agency’s Missions planned for partnerships with new, underutilized, and local partners even if the activities did not involve NPI awards.
