Request for Applications

USAID’s historic partnership and collaboration with the higher education community has repeatedly demonstrated that institutions of higher education are engines of development, economic growth, good governance, and healthy societies. The community’s contributions in the areas of training, applied research, program evaluation, policy analysis, and program implementation have been critical to USAID’s portfolio. USAID has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years. For more information on USAID, click here.

II. New IDEAS (Innovative Development and Engagement Across Sectors) Partnership Program 2006 Request for Applications (RFA)

HED, in cooperation with USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, Office of Education, is issuing this request for applications for U.S. colleges, universities and community colleges, together with their overseas higher education partners, to address compelling development issues in USAID presence countries. Applications may address issues in any USAID development sector.

The purpose of the RFA is to:

Allow U.S. colleges, universities and community colleges to propose their own partnership programs that strengthen the capacity of higher education institutions to address development issues in any USAID presence country.
Allow the higher education community to demonstrate to USAID unique or exceptionally innovative approaches and ideas.
Encourage broader participation by the higher education community in development activities.

Applicants must submit the USAID Mission Response Form (click here for the form), signed by an appropriate USAID Mission program officer, to indicate USAID Mission concurrence with proposed activities. Partners are required to consider and seek relevance with, but not be wholly constrained by, USAID country strategies. Click here for more information on USAID.

Eligibility for the New IDEAS Partnership Program

Applicants must be accredited, degree-granting U.S. institutions, groups, or consortia of higher education institutions, partnering with non-U.S. higher educational institutions in USAID presence countries. HED encourages collaboration across different sectors of higher education. (Clarification, 2/2/06: HED welcomes applications from the member institutions of ACE, AACC, AASCU, AAU, NAICU, and NASULGC, and from other regionally accredited, degree-granting, U.S. higher education institutions.)

Applicants for the New IDEAS Partnership Program may be individual institutions, groups of institutions, or consortia. The following specific eligibility requirements apply.

1. For applications from individual institutions:

The applicant may not have been a previous ALO/HED awardee. Click here to see a list of previous awardees.
Another campus of the same institution may have been a previous ALO/HED awardee.
International partners may have been previous participants in ALO/HED awards.

2. For groups of institutions:

The primary institution is one that:
Provides the Program Director, and is responsible for all financial, tax, and narrative reporting; disseminates information from HED; and coordinates with cooperating institutions.
The primary institution may not have been a previous ALO/HED awardee. Click here to see a list of previous awardees.
Another campus of the primary institution may have been a previous ALO/HED awardee.
Any secondary partner institution may have previously been the primary institution for a previous ALO/HED award.
International partners may have been previous participants in ALO/HED awards.

3. For consortia:

The primary consortium is one that:
Provides the Program Director, and is responsible for all financial, tax, and narrative reporting; disseminates information from HED; and coordinates with cooperating institutions.
The primary consortium may not have been a previous ALO/HED awardee. Click here to see a list of previous awardees.
Any secondary partner institution or consortium may have been the primary applicant for a previous ALO/HED award.
International partners may have been participants in previous ALO/HED awards.

HED encourages institutions that have had previous ALO/HED awards to partner with new applicants.

HED strongly encourages applications from or with the participation of minority-serving institutions and collaboration with other partners such as NGOs, corporate partners, foundations, government agencies, or international research centers.

III. Application Format, Submission and Review

Application Format
How to Submit and Application
Peer Review
Application Review Guidelines

Application Format

Use the Application Checklist to ensure you have included all necessary elements.

Please provide the contents of the application in the following order:

1. Title Page (Please complete HED form in full and obtain signatures of authorized officials.)

2. Table of Contents

3. Abstract (not to exceed 3 typed, double-spaced pages, 12-point font, 1-inch margins)

4. Narrative (not to exceed 20 typed, double-spaced pages, 12-point font, 1-inch margins) Address the criteria listed in Application Review Guidelines 1-5 (see below).

5. Appendices (Attachments beyond the stated appendices will not be read nor taken into consideration):

Annual workplan for the funding period (use HED form).
Summary and annual budgets (4 forms only, use HED form).
Budget detail (use HED form).
Résumés of each of the proposed U.S. and overseas institution director(s) and other expert personnel, not to exceed 2 one-sided pages per person.
USAID Mission Response Form (use HED Form).
Signed letters of support from the presidents, chancellors, or other chief executive officers of the cooperating institutions in the United States and overseas, in addition to a signed letter from the proposed U.S. partnership director, and letters of support from other participating organizations.
Signed letter from appropriate official at applicant institution verifying that all costs cited conform to established institutional policies and practices.

How to Submit an Application

Applications must be received at HED by 5:00PM, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), April 25, 2006. Faxed or electronically transmitted applications will not be accepted. All elements of the application must be received by the deadline. Faxed copies of the application title page and letters that include all necessary signatures may be used as a placeholder in the application, provided signed originals are received at HED within seven (7) calendar days of the deadline.

NOTE: HED has a new mailing address. Applications should be sent to:

2006 Request for Applications: New IDEAS

Higher Education for Development
1331 H Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005

Applicants should submit the original application plus seven (7) hard copies of the complete application package containing title page, abstract, table of contents, narrative, and appendices (all on loose-leaf paper, clipped together — no three-ring binders, staples, or plastic bindings), and a diskette or CD (with files saved as Microsoft Word/Excel for PC) containing the entire application, including all budget forms, budget narrative, and other appendices.

Once an application has been received, there is to be no contact with the HED program office until the completion of the peer review process in order to ensure fairness to all parties concerned.

Peer Review

Applications will be reviewed by a panel including higher education and international development experts. Awards will be made on the basis of reviewers’ recommendations of merit, and USAID concurrence. Peer review of applications is slated for May 2006.

Letters of communication from members of the U.S. Congress in support of an application are discouraged as these may be thought to prejudice the peer-review process. Such letters will not be forwarded to peer reviewers.

Notification about awards is expected following the completion of peer review. Upon final announcement of awards, the person named in the application as partnership director may submit a written request for copies of the peer reviewers’ scores for their application. No personal reviews will be granted, and no comparative score tabulations will be shared.

Application Review Guidelines

Peer reviewers will use the following criteria to evaluate the applications:

1. Innovation and Engagement (20 points)
Application demonstrates a unique or exceptionally innovative capacity or ideas.

2. Development Challenge, Alignment with USAID Objectives, and Potential Results (20 points)
Compelling and clearly defined development challenge(s); alignment with the development needs and demands of the host country and complementary to existing assistance programs and other donor initiatives where applicable; concurrence of the USAID Mission; potential to achieve visible results in the short term to build momentum for future efforts.

3. Partnership, Capacity-Building, and Sustainability (25 points)
Fit with existing strengths and mutual interests of the partnering institutions; strength of institutional commitment (engagement of faculty, students and administrators, quality and quantity of cost sharing) to the partnership including participation by the host country institution(s); plans for increasing in-country capacity to address development issues; strength of multiple partners to assure enduring relationships and continued impact of joint efforts (private sector firms and foundations, NGOs and community-based organizations, other higher education institutions, and the public sector); quality of plans for partnership sustainability.

4. Program Design (20 points)
Overall quality, cohesion and substance of the program design; applicability of experience and expertise of the partnership personnel; feasible implementation plan and timetable; realistic budget in relation to the breadth and scope of the proposed collaboration.

5. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (15 points)
Strength of monitoring and evaluation plan; effectiveness of methodology for collecting baseline data; clear and appropriate benchmarks of progress towards achievable objectives.

Total Points: 100 points

IV. Terms of the Solicitation

Eligibility
Cost Share Requirements
Execution of Awards
Annual HED Conference
TraiNet Requirements
Health and Accident Insurance
Reporting

Eligibility

This RFA has special eligibility requirements listed in Section II: New IDEAS Partnership Program 2006 RFA. Click here for more information.

HED welcomes applications from the member institutions of ACE, AACC, AASCU, AAU, NAICU, and NASULGC, and from other regionally accredited, degree-granting, U.S. higher education institutions. HED especially welcomes applications submitted by higher education consortia and minority-serving institutions. U.S. colleges and universities may apply in partnership with other institutions, including minority serving institutions, and private sector partners.

Cost Share Requirement

The minimum expected total cost share from all U.S. partners is 25 percent of the requested award amount. Reported cost share must be auditable. Non-auditable cost share may not be used to meet the minimum, but can be indicated separately, attached to the budget detail form.

Quality and quantity of cost sharing and other contributions proposed in the application will be taken into account by the peer reviewers. Applicants should itemize all cost sharing, including waivers of tuition and other academic costs, faculty release time, stipends, professional development funds, internship value, travel, supplies, equipment, other direct costs, indirect costs, etc.

Cash and in-kind contributions will be accepted as part of the applicant’s cost sharing when such contributions are: (a) verifiable from the applicant’s records; (b) not included as contributions for any other federally-assisted program; (c) reasonable for the accomplishment of partnership objectives; and (d) not paid by the federal government under another grant.

Execution of Awards

The awards will be executed as subagreements between the designated U.S. university, college, community college, or consortium, and the American Council on Education (ACE), through the Higher Education for Development (HED) office, under USAID Cooperative Agreement AEG-A-00-05-00007-00. Institutions recommended for awards will receive a draft version of the subagreements to review.

No HED award or any cost share funds may be expended prior to a fully executed (i.e., signed by both parties) subagreement between ACE/HED and the designated U.S. institution. Partnership activities are expected to commence immediately after the subagreement is executed.

Award funds for the partnership will be disbursed to the designated U.S. university, college, community college, or consortium, based on the applicant’s implementation of the work plan, stated budget, and submission to ACE/HED of financial, tax, and narrative progress reports. It is the designated U.S. institution’s responsibility to provide disbursements (reimbursements) for its collaborating partner(s) in accordance with the agreed-upon activity schedule and budget.

Annual HED Conference

Applicants must budget funds (travel and per diem) to cover the required participation of at least one representative each from the U.S. institution and the cooperating institution(s) in HED’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. during one year of the funded collaboration. (Additional partnership personnel may attend if they are funded by other sources.)

TraiNet Requirements

To comply with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Department of State regulations regarding tracking and monitoring of Exchange Visitors, foreign nationals whose costs are paid, fully or partially, directly or indirectly using USAID program funds for training, non-training, and invitational travel, must enter the U.S. on a J-1 visa (non-immigrant Exchange Visitor visa) processed under one of USAID’s two program numbers, unless otherwise waived according to the procedure in USAID's Automated Directives System (ADS) 252.3. J-2 visa applications for family members are not supported per USAID policy. All DS-2019 documents (paperwork needed for J visas) and in-country or third country training must be processed through the USAID Training, Results and Information Network (TraiNet) system. Institutions may not directly access the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to issue DS-2019 documents internally. Information regarding USAID’s J-1 visa requirements may be found on-line at the Participant Training website (click here). Administrators must adhere to the regulations detailed under TraiNet, Visa Compliance System (VCS), SEVIS, and ADS 253. U.S. institutions should allow at least 6-8 weeks for the processing of visas when planning activities in the United States for overseas partners.

USAID Health and Accident Coverage (HAC) Insurance Program

The U.S. institution is responsible for enrolling each participant traveling to the United States or a third country in the official USAID Health and Accident Coverage (HAC) insurance program. The cost of HAC for the overseas participants must be included in the budget.

Reporting

Partners must submit semi-annual progress reports via e-mail to HED to be forwarded to USAID. Financial expenditure and cost-sharing reports must be submitted at least quarterly. Within 30 days of completion of activities under the award, partners must submit to HED a final report to be forwarded to USAID and agree to its broad dissemination throughout USAID and the higher education community.

Send questions to HED.