Volunteers for International Security and Prosperity (VISP)

Description

Pursuant to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, the United States government as represented by the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI), Office of Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships (LFT), invites concept papers from a wide variety of non-governmental and voluntary service organizations for assistance awards that achieve development impact in USAID focus areas through the inclusion of volunteers. This Annual Program Statement (APS), entitled Volunteers for International Security and Prosperity (VISP), is a mechanism through which USAID will maximize development impact and efficient resource use by mobilizing the creative capacity of volunteers globally. Volunteers and the principle of volunteerism maximize USAID’s development programs through bringing in non-traditional partners and new solutions and ideas, increasing peer-to-peer learning, building community, advancing diplomacy, and leveraging resources. Under the APS, USAID intends to support a variety of creative approaches towards the design and implementation of activities addressing USAID Operating Units’ (OU) development objectives. This APS offers USAID OUs (Mission, Bureau, or Independent Office) an easy-to-use mechanism to facilitate access to volunteers across any sector while upholding U.S. foreign policy objectives of promoting national security, advancing American values, and supporting global prosperity and self-reliance. It is designed to support a process through which organizations can work with USAID to achieve development impact via: 1. Increasing the number of volunteer-sponsoring organizations collaborating with the Agency; 2. Increasing the number of development sectors using volunteers;3. Increasing the quality of services provided by volunteers supporting Agency objectives; and,4. Increasing the understanding within the Agency of the positive role volunteers play in supporting Agency objectives. The VISP APS is not a Request for Applications or a Request for Proposals. The VISP APS requests Concept Papers that substantively incorporate volunteers into context-appropriate activities that support the development objectives of a targeted USAID OU. USAID is looking to support activities that respond to an OU’s strategy - a mission’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy, a Bureau’s Regional Development Cooperation Strategy, or an Independent Office’s Strategy. Based on those Concept Papers, USAID OUs will determine whether to co-create an activity or set of activities with any applicant and then request a full application. This APS is not supported by specific funds. Any funding for activities proposed under this APS will be requested from the specific USAID OU with which the applicant seeks to collaborate and to which the Concept Paper will be submitted. USAID reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted under this APS.

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