Locally Led Development Annual Program Statement
USAID's Locally Led Development Annual Program Statement (APS) provides USAID Missions with the opportunity to solicit, co-create, and fund flexible and innovative approaches to locally led development through assistance awards to local and nontraditional partners.
Throughout the year, addenda from specific countries may be posted. This page will be regularly updated with posted addenda to which interested applicants operating in those countries may apply. Find any current opportunities on this page, as well as eligibility requirements, locally led approaches, and key resources for prospective partners to USAID.
Current Opportunities for Local Partners
Please check back soon to see forthcoming opportunities.
Eligibility
Are you interested in applying to a Locally Led Development APS addendum? Consider the following to determine whether your organization is eligible to apply:
- Prospective applicants must be a local entity in the country calling for concept submissions and not a U.S.-based organization. Find the definition of a local entity here.
- Prospective applicants must have received less than $5M directly (as the prime awardee) from USAID within the previous five fiscal years.
Why these eligibility requirements? The Locally Led Development APS supports USAID Missions to expand USAID’s partner base and advance localization by engaging greater numbers of new, underutilized, and local partners.
When USAID empowers local actors… we expect that results are more likely to be sustained by local organizations and institutions."
– USAID localization vision
Because of this, USAID especially encourages local organizations that have not yet worked with USAID to apply to an addendum. Since USAID has certain requirements for partnership, it may be useful to complete the confidential Pre-Engagement Assessment to better understand your organization’s readiness to work with USAID.
Advancing Locally Led Development
Applications must show how they advance locally led development. Applicants may propose their own approaches, or take inspiration from the following approaches:
Improve the flow of information among the applicant and its own constituents, partners, and USAID to strengthen accountability to local constituents for achieving and sustaining results. Explore this guide on developing Feedback and Accountability Plans.
Better understanding the complex environments in which the program will operate is critical to effective programming. See one example.
Some of these approaches may include locally led priority-setting, collaborative design, and other means of shifting decision-making power and control to local actors, including people who have traditionally been marginalized, such as women, youth, religious and ethnic minorities, LGBTQI+, and gender diverse people, ensuring inclusive local leadership. USAID/Timor-Leste partnered with a local NGO to listen to over 1,250 youth, directly informing future programming.
Local philanthropy; partnerships that leverage resources from the local private sector, faith-based organizations, government, civil society, and academia; and other sources of local skills and finances are leveraged to replace those of international donors. See how USAID/Serbia and local partners worked to mobilize local resources.
Different approaches can help to understand and support existing and emerging networks of local actors, supporting the work of local organizations, market facilitation, collective action, collective impact, and other demand-driven approaches to connecting local needs with local resources. Check out this practical guide for facilitators looking to integrate collective action into programming.
Prioritize local and community definitions of success and enhance local actors’ role in managing and using data and learning related to development solutions, the development process, and the sustainability of results achieved.
Strengthening the role of local institutions and actors to sustain development outcomes with an eye toward ending the need for foreign assistance. Explore USAID’s Local Capacity Strengthening Policy, and familiarize yourself with its seven principles by taking these short, interactive micro-trainings.
Uncertainty, instability, inaccessibility, or insecurity can constrain the ability to operate safely and effectively. This may include environments such as those affected by natural disasters, inaccessible physical geographies, active conflict, corruption, closing political spaces, criminality, and pandemics, where local approaches are essential for long-term resilience and sustainability.
Resources for Prospective Partners
Submit a Strong Concept
Locally Led Development APS: Find the Locally Led Development APS as well as its current and past addenda here under “Related Documents.”
What is Locally Led Development?: Find out more about how USAID defines locally led development.
USAID Acronyms Defined: What is an APS, BAA, and CDCS?: Watch this video for an intro to acronyms you need to know for partnership success.
Responding to a USAID Solicitation: Learn more about the types of notifications and solicitations USAID uses and other essential terms you need to know to work with USAID.
Local Capacity Strengthening Policy: Applicants proposing capacity strengthening in their concepts are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with this Policy before submitting an application. This Policy is a mindset and culture shift towards embracing capacity strengthening that supports local actors' ability to deliver and sustain development results. Approaches to capacity strengthening will vary; they should be fit-for-purpose and co-created with local actors to meet their aspirations, goals, and needs.
Local Capacity Strengthening Micro-Trainings: Deepen your understanding of USAID’s Local Capacity Strengthening Policy by taking the interactive Policy overview and principles-based micro-trainings. Each module will take about five minutes.
Work with USAID
WorkWithUSAID.gov: Explore USAID’s resource hub for new, current, and potential future partners.
WorkWithUSAID Partner Directory: Register your organization on this listing of development organizations to expand your network and learn about other organizations in your region or sector.
Pre-Engagement Assessment: Is your organization ready to work with USAID? Check your organization’s readiness with this confidential assessment.
Training Series On How To Work With USAID: Learn about key aspects of USAID partnership through 12 modules drawing from advice straight from USAID staff.
USAID Sub-Opportunities: In addition to working directly with USAID, there are many opportunities to work with the contractors and recipients that are currently receiving USAID funding. We call these sub-opportunities. Explore this page to find sub-opportunities.
Find Other USAID Funding Opportunities
Find a Funding Opportunity: Learn how to find a funding opportunity to work with USAID.
Grants.gov: Explore current grant opportunities.
SAM.gov: View all solicitations over $25,000.
USAID Business Forecast: Stay up to date with potential funding and partnership opportunities at USAID and find opportunities to engage with USAID early in the procurement process. Information may change over time.
Grant and Partnership Programs: Find more opportunities through other programs that USAID manages.