Bangladesh America Maitree Activity | 72038823RFA00004

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Bangladesh America Maitree Activity (USAID/Bangladesh)

1) What is the Bangladesh America Maitree Activity?

The Bangladesh America Maitree Activity is a USAID/Bangladesh cooperative agreement designed to shift more decision-making power, funding, and implementation responsibility to Bangladeshi organizations. It supports USAID's broader move toward locally led development by strengthening local institutions to set priorities, design interventions, and measure results.

2) What is the main purpose of this opportunity?

The activity aims to strengthen local capacity in Bangladesh by funding one prime local awardee to build and operate a grant-making platform. That platform will competitively award and manage multiple subgrants to Bangladeshi indigenous, locally formed, and registered organizations implementing activities aligned with USAID/Bangladesh's 2020-2025 Country Development and Cooperation Strategy (CDCS).

3) Who will receive the main (prime) award?

USAID/Bangladesh anticipates making one prime award (Expected Awards: 1). The prime awardee is expected to be a local organization capable of running a transparent subgrant mechanism and providing capacity building to local subrecipients and potential applicants.

4) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this program?

The Funding Opportunity Number listed for this opportunity is 72038823RFA00004.

5) Which USAID office is issuing this opportunity?

The opportunity is issued by USAID Bangladesh (USAID-Dhaka).

6) What type of award is this?

This is a discretionary cooperative agreement. The prime awardee will work under USAID rules and requirements while leading the solicitation, selection, and administration of local subgrants with limited USAID involvement.

7) What is the maximum funding amount available under the prime award?

The listing notes an award ceiling of USD 48,000,000 for the prime cooperative agreement.

8) How will funds reach local organizations in Bangladesh?

Funds will flow through the single prime awardee, which must establish and operate a competitive subgrant process and then award and manage multiple subawards to eligible Bangladeshi local organizations.

9) Who can apply for subgrants under this activity?

Subgrants are intended for Bangladeshi indigenous, locally formed, and registered organizations. The prime awardee will run the competition and manage the subaward process.

10) Can the prime awardee apply for the subgrants it manages?

No. To reduce conflicts of interest, the prime awardee and any subsidiaries are explicitly ineligible to apply for the subgrants awarded through this mechanism.

11) What size will the subgrants be?

Subgrants are expected to range widely, from about USD 25,000 up to USD 1,000,000. This range is intended to support a diverse mix of partners, including smaller or newer organizations that may not have previously managed USAID resources.

12) How often will subgrant calls for applications be released?

Calls for applications are planned quarterly or more frequently.

13) Are applications allowed in Bangla?

Yes. Submissions in Bangla are encouraged to reduce barriers to participation. The prime awardee is responsible for translating shortlisted materials into English for USAID review as needed.

14) What is the prime awardee required to build or operate?

The prime awardee must build and run a grant-making platform, establish a transparent and competitive subgrant process, award and manage multiple subawards, and provide capacity-building support to strengthen local organizational systems and performance.

15) Is this activity only about funding projects?

No. The activity is explicitly described as both a funding mechanism and a capacity-strengthening program. It emphasizes developing institutional strength and long-term sustainability for organizations receiving grants and for promising prospective applicants.

16) What kinds of capacity-building support are expected?

The prime awardee must develop and deliver a comprehensive capacity-building package covering: governance; proposal and application development; financial management and internal controls; human resources systems; procurement procedures; program performance management and reporting; and environmental compliance.

17) Will capacity-building support happen only after an organization receives a subgrant?

No. Capacity support is intended to occur both before and after awards. The goal is to help promising organizations that may be inexperienced with donor compliance still compete successfully and implement effectively.

18) How will the program tailor capacity building to different organizations?

The approach described includes assessing each organization's current capabilities, defining performance improvement priorities and targets with stakeholders, closing gaps through training and hands-on support (including mentoring and shadowing), and tracking progress through a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan.

19) What oversight responsibilities does the prime awardee have?

The prime awardee must administer subawards under USAID rules, ensure required U.S. Government analyses and safeguards are completed and followed, monitor subrecipient performance, ensure earmarks and funding conditions are met, and report results to USAID.

20) What analyses and safeguards are specifically mentioned?

The opportunity specifically references gender analysis and environmental and climate risk analysis, along with other USAID policy requirements when applicable (including ADS 225 and any required "Bumper" analyses).

21) How will applications be reviewed and selected for subgrants?

The prime awardee must create and run a Grants Evaluation Board. The Board will set technical focus areas and selection criteria and will review applications to support consistent and fair selection.

22) Will USAID be involved in selecting subgrant awardees?

USAID may participate to ensure alignment with funding requirements, but the solicitation, selection, and grant administration are intended to be led locally and with limited USAID involvement.

23) What kinds of projects are subgrants expected to support?

Subgrants are intended to support activities aligned with USAID/Bangladesh CDCS objectives across key sectors in the Mission's strategy, including public health; agriculture and food security; environment, energy, and climate resilience; democracy, human rights, and governance; education; and humanitarian assistance.

24) What public health issues are highlighted as priorities or challenges?

The opportunity notes Bangladesh's progress toward universal health coverage while emphasizing continued gaps, including very low public health spending, high out-of-pocket costs, governance and quality-of-care weaknesses, limited urban primary care coverage, and growing threats such as emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

25) What agriculture and food security challenges are noted?

The opportunity highlights population growth pressures and the resulting strain on Bangladesh's economic and environmental systems in the agriculture and food security context.

26) What environment, energy, and climate resilience issues are emphasized?

It emphasizes Bangladesh's extreme vulnerability to natural hazards, dependence on stressed natural resources, degraded ecosystems, and rising energy demand. USAID aims to strengthen resilience for communities, institutions, and the broader economy.

27) What democracy, human rights, and governance issues are mentioned?

The opportunity references corruption, barriers to justice, and concentrated authority as key issues, framed alongside Bangladesh's strategic regional position and economic growth trajectory.

28) What education context is provided?

The opportunity points to strong gains in enrollment and gender parity, while implying ongoing needs related to education quality and broader system strengthening.

29) What humanitarian challenges are referenced?

The opportunity notes chronic poverty and food insecurity, high exposure to floods and cyclones and other shocks that can push vulnerable households into crisis, and Bangladesh's unique pressures as a densely populated delta country. It also references major humanitarian support linked to the Rohingya refugee crisis.

30) How does this activity connect to USAID/Bangladesh's strategy and Bangladesh's long-term goals?

The activity is intended to align with USAID/Bangladesh's 2020-2025 CDCS and to support Bangladesh's longer-term ambition of reaching upper middle-income status by 2041, by building a practical pipeline of capable local implementers and strengthening local networks and systems.

31) What is the eligibility note included in the listing for the prime award?

Eligibility is listed for nonprofits that do not have 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education), reflecting the emphasis on supporting local Bangladeshi entities rather than U.S.-based organizations.

32) Why is the program encouraging smaller or newer organizations to participate?

The wide subgrant size range (approximately USD 25,000 to USD 1,000,000), the plan for frequent calls, the encouragement of Bangla submissions, and the built-in capacity-building support are all described as ways to reduce barriers and encourage participation by smaller or newer organizations that may not have previously managed USAID resources.