USAID invites Concept Papers for New Alliance ICT Extension Challenge Fund

Deadline: 24 April 2014

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Food and Security (BFS), Office of Country Strategy and Implementation Support (CSI) is accepting Concept Papers for New Alliance ICT Extension Challenge Fund. Applications can be made for three-year grant to implement project in one to six New Alliance Countries Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal and Tanzania. It should contribute to the achievement of each country’s New Alliance yield targets through ICT-enabled agriculture extension promoting at-scale adoption of the priority agriculture technologies.

Applications that combine experience across types of ICT modes, such as mobile-phone-based-services, Internet-based information portals, television, content delivery services, video, radio and GPS, and those having experience in ICT-enabled agriculture extension services are  encouraged. The fund is for the projects that can forge sets of scaled ICT-enabled services and change them as needed depending on results and changing conditions to increase the adoption rates of new technologies by smallholder farmers.

Eligibility Criteria –

    The proposed project must be conducted in one of the six New Alliance Countries (NACs) – Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal or Tanzania.
    The applicant must be e an NGO (not-for-profit organization); a private business, services or consulting firm; or a college, university or foundation to submit proposal for the first five countries of NACs.
    Sub-grantees require to have the same eligibility as lead applicants but they can also be government entities such as public agriculture extension or advisory service units or entities owned by a government (at least 50% of ownership is held by government).
    Not-for-profit agencies such as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Universities, and government entities are eligible to apply for Tanzania.
    Applicants must also have within the past five (5) years a minimum of two (2) years’ experience in planning, managing, monitoring, or directly delivering ICT-enabled services
    For profit businesses must waive profits and/or fees to be eligible to submit a Concept Note or Application.
    For profit businesses must waive profits and/or fees to be eligible to submit a Concept Note or Application.
    Application can be submitted for one to six countries. Separate concept notes should be submitted for each country.
    Project implementation period must be limited to three years.

Selected Concept Notes will be invited to submit full applications.

For more information, pelase visit grants.gov and search for funding opportunity number RFA-OAA-14-000012; click Full Announcement and download relevant documents.