Deadline: 14-Oct-22
The United States Agency for International Development Mission in Liberia (USAID/Liberia) is seeking applications for a Cooperative Agreement from qualified entities to implement an Activity temporarily entitled “The Incentivize Learning Activity”.
Purposes
- This Activity aims at ensuring access to education to vulnerable and underserved school-age children in order to incentivize enrollment, attendance, and learning and addressing food insecurity needs that have become more acute as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the primary purpose of the Activity is to create a foundation for improved learning outcomes by incentivizing school enrollment and reducing absenteeism, particularly for underserved and vulnerable children via the provision of school meals, targeted financial incentives, community and parental engagement, and social and behavior change communication.
- Through a timely provision of meals, school feeding can reduce short-term hunger among students and improve their ability to concentrate and increase attendance. The Activity complements other investments in education by fostering the right conditions for improved
Objectives
- School enrollment and attendance increased
- Provision of daily nutritious meals to children and youth attending target pre-primary and primary schools increased.
- Financial barriers to accessing education reduced.
- Enabling environment for sustainability of access to education and learning outcomes improved
- Coordination and leveraging of resources to access safe, diverse, and nutritious food for school feeding programs through local production improved
- MOE, parent teacher associations (PTAs) and community participation in the oversight management, and implementation of school feeding strengthened.
- Parent, community, and private support for early grade reading and safe learning environments increased.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding:$20,000,000
- Award Ceiling: $20,000,000
- Award Floor: $19,500,000
Geographic and Population Targeting
Research shows that school feeding programs have larger impacts in areas with low school participation and on children with greater initial malnutrition. In alignment with USAID/Liberia’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS), the Activity will focus implementation on communities within the six central counties of Liberia that represent the majority of the population: Montserrado, Margibi, Lofa, Nimba, Bong, and Grand Bassa. This geographic focus allows USAID to target itsdevelopment efforts to affect the greatest number of people in Liberia and facilitates donor coordination to reduce overlap and duplication. Specifically, the Activity must include communities where USAID’s School Feeding II Program and Read Liberia activities are currently being implemented. The Applicant must also coordinate and collaborate with other school feeding service providers through MOE-led coordination efforts to avoid duplication of effort, ensure wider coverage, and share lessons learned. The Activity should build in flexibility for expansion should the geographic focus shifts after the Mission’s midcourse CDCS review, or in response to potential shocks often associated with the Liberian country context.
The context of school feeding, food security, and access to education vary within the six target counties. For example, while five of the counties have established school feeding programming, there is no school feeding programming in Lofa County. The Activity is expected to build on the successes of past and current school feeding programming to reach additional students and communities and to contribute to learning in support of Activity implementation and MOE oversight and eventual take-over of school feeding in Liberia.
Target beneficiaries: The Activity will increase school enrollment and attendance for at least 50,000 children and youth of all ages enrolled in target schools, especially the most vulnerable and underserved. This includes children and youth enrolled in select formal public and non-public preprimary and primary schools, including those with disabilities and teenage mothers. In rural or underserved communities where schools may combine pre-primary and primary with secondary education, participating schools must provide education for primary grade students.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligibility for this NOFO is not restricted. These eligibility requirements apply to both the principal applicant and to any sub-awardees. USAID is committed to expanding its outreach to new partners, including minority serving institutions. Therefore, USAID encourages organizations new to working with USAID to apply for this opportunity. Teaming arrangements, especially those that include U.S. small business and local Liberian partners are encouraged.
- While for-profit firms may participate, pursuant to 2 CFR 200.400(g), it is USAID policy not to award profit to prime recipients and subrecipients under assistance instruments. However, while profit is not allowed for sub-awards, the prohibition does not apply when the recipient acquires goods and services in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 -32 6, “Procurement Standards.”
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=343214