USAID’s Global Development Alliance (GDA) Annual Program Statement (APS) helps the private sector and USAID work together to advance core business interests and achieve sustainable development impact. The GDA APS is an invitation to prospective partners to work side-by-side with USAID and other interested organizations to build transformational partnerships that foster and leverage market-based approaches to solve critical business and development challenges.

An Invitation to Co-Creation and Impact

The GDA APS invites the private sector—and organizations committed to engaging the private sector—to work with USAID to discuss our respective interests and objectives, determine how those interests align, and jointly identify and define problems, challenges, and opportunities we can most effectively address by working together.  

The GDA APS also provides a process through which USAID, the private sector, and other prospective partners can jointly examine and leverage our respective expertise, resources, and capabilities to scope, develop, and implement effective solutions to the problems and challenges identified.

Through this co-creation process, USAID and the private sector are able to develop transformational partnerships known as Global Development Alliances (GDAs). These partnerships help us achieve our core objectives in ways we could not do alone. By working with the private sector, USAID increases the reach, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainable impact of development assistance. By working with USAID, the private sector more effectively advances and achieves a wide variety of vital business interests.  

A Commitment to Private Sector Engagement

Under the GDA APS, private sector engagement is essential. While USAID actively encourages and seeks the participation of various types of organizations in the design, development, and implementation of high-impact GDAs, the robust participation of the private sector is a defining and core characteristic of a GDA.

Under the GDA APS, the private sector refers to the following organizations and actors:

• Private for-profit entities such as a business, corporation, or private firm;

• Private equity or private financial institutions, including private investment firms, mutual funds, or insurance companies;

• Private investors (individuals or groups);

• Private business or industry associations, including but not limited to chambers of commerce and related types of entities; and

• Private grant-making foundations or philanthropic entities.

In practice, most GDAs will also involve other types of organizations whose expertise and capabilities are critical to solving the problems and challenges that are motivating collaboration between USAID and the private sector. These organizations include non-governmental and civil society organizations, public international and regional organizations, bilateral and multilateral donors, host country governments, U.S. and non-U.S. colleges and universities, pension funds, civic groups, diaspora communities, and other U.S. government agencies.  

An Expectation of Shared Expertise and Investment

All prospective partners to a GDA are expected to identify the array of expertise, capabilities, and resources (cash and in-kind) they will mobilize and apply to a proposed alliance. In addition, GDAs require the value of contributions from private sector partner(s) to equal or exceed the level of funding requested of USAID.

Getting Started

The most promising alliances emerge from a rich understanding of private sector interests and USAID development objectives, as well as direct consultations between USAID and the private sector.

Private Sector Partners. The best way for private sector partners to get started is to contact gda@usaid.gov, reach out to the USAID office with which you want to partner, and read Sections I-III of the GDA APS, including “Value to the Private Sector.”

Non-Private Sector Partners. If your organization wants to work with USAID and the private sector to jointly solve development challenges, start with these steps:

• Follow the guidance in the GDA APS, with particular focus on Sections I-IV for further information on GDAs and the alliance development process;

• Investigate USAID development objectives and priorities in the country or countries where alliance activities might be conducted;

• Identify and begin to engage prospective private sector partners to understand their interests and priorities and explore potential alliance ideas; and

• Connect the private sector partners with USAID as soon as possible.  

If these steps identify one or more private sector partners committed to building an alliance with USAID, and lead to potentially promising alliance ideas, organizations can continue the co-creation process by submitting a concept paper under the GDA APS. Please see Sections V-VII of the GDA APS for further guidance.

Addendum

In partnership with the Feed the Future Initiative, USAID has issused an addendum under the GDA APS entitled "Partners in Food Solutions" aiming to strengthen the food processing sector in Africa by engaging and mobilizing the expertise, infrastructures and resources of PFS and others to transfer knowledge from the volunteer employees of PFS member companies to small and growing food processing businesses across Africa. The closing date is May 12, 2017. 

USAID's Parterning to Accelerate Entrepreneurship is pleased to announce the third call for the submission of Concept Papers focused on fostering entrepreneurship and catalyzing private investment into early-stage enterprises operating in developing countries through PACE. Visit www.usaid.gov/pace for more details. Tbe closing date is July 31, 2017.  

Additional Information

To learn more about the GDA APS, please see the Partner and Applicant Resources and contact gda@usaid.gov.