Deadline: 11-Jul-22
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications for a Cooperative Agreement from qualified entities to implement USAID/Ghana’s Low Cost Private Schools (LCPS) Activity (the Activity).
Purpose
- The purpose of the Low-Cost Private School (LCPS) activity is to enable owners, teachers, communities, financial organizations, professional networks, and the Government of Ghana (GoG) to improve student learning outcomes and financing options for LCPSs. The activity is focused on select LCPSs in the USAID Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS) Zone of Influence (ZOI) in northern Ghana.
Objectives
The recipient must pilot interventions that target LCPSs to achieve the following:
- Objective 1: Select LCPSs delivered quality services.
- This activity will improve teaching and learning by increasing teacher certification, providing access to in-service training, adhering to the GoG or other quality curriculum in LCPSs, or implementing other service-delivery improvements.
- Objective 2: Select LCPSs sustained as business enterprises.
- This activity will build the business skills of LCPSs to better manage resources and will promote their long-term business sustainability. This activity will expand LCPSs’ access to affordable financing. It will also explore blended finance to expand affordable financing at a scale needed to increase LCPS capacity to admit and serve more children.
- Objective 3: Capacity of GoG and professional networks to gather, disseminate, and implement
- evidence-based best practices that strengthen linkages between LCPSs and supportive bodies
- improved.
- This activity will strengthen the linkages between LCPSs, the Ministry of Education (MoE) (including NaSIA and the National Teachers Council (NTC) among others), and existing professional networks (possibly including the Ghana National Council of Private Schools).
- Strengthen the capacity of select agencies of the MoE to successfully implement policies and monitor and oversee LCPSs.
- Strengthen the capacity of private school associations, business associations, academic actors, and/or other groups to gather and disseminate LCPS best practices beyond target LCPSs—as gleaned from Objectives 1 and 2—to their members to promote scalability and sustainability.
Themes
Programming themes include:
- increasing Ghana’s Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) institutional capacity and raising awareness among key stakeholders;
- addressing destabilizing dynamics such as farmer-herder conflicts;
- addressing the vulnerability of youth to help reduce the possibility of their exploitation by Violent Extremist Organizations (VEOs);
- strengthening women’s role in PVE and conflict mitigation; and
- addressing the exclusion of marginalized populations, such as the Fulbe, in targeted northern Ghana vacation.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $15,000,000
- Award Ceiling: $15,000,000
Target Areas
- There are an estimated 213 LCPSs in the 17 districts that comprise the Zone of Influence (ZOI) in northern Ghana. The recipient will work in a minimum of 25 schools. Schools must be GoG-registered primary education LCPSs that have been in business for approximately 3-10 years. For the purposes of this activity, USAID has adapted the definition of LCPSs from the Innovation, Development and Progress (IDP) Foundation.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligibility for this NOFO is not restricted. US and non-US organizations may participate under this NOFO. Public International Organizations (PIOs), as defined by ADS 308, are eligible to submit an application. Any PIO that submits an application to this NOFO is agreeing to have all substantial involvement clauses included as special conditions in their final PIO cost-type agreement or is otherwise ineligible for award.
- Applicants must have established financial management, monitoring and evaluation processes, internal control systems, and policies and procedures that comply with established US Government standards, laws, and regulations. The successful applicant will be subject to a responsibility determination assessment (pre-award survey) by the Agreement Officer (AO).
- The Recipient must be a responsible entity. The AO may determine a pre-award survey is required to conduct an examination that will determine whether the prospective recipient has the necessary organization, experience, accounting and operational controls, and technical skills – or ability to obtain them – in order to achieve the objectives of the program and comply with the terms and conditions of the award.
- For-profit applicants must note that USAID policy prohibits the payment of fee/profit for recipients under assistance instruments. Forgone profit does not qualify as cost-share or leverage. USAID welcomes applications from organizations that have not previously received financial assistance from USAID.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=340743