PROJECTS

The Partnerships Incubator brings transformational innovation that accelerates the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) toward a diversified partnership future in which new, local, and nontraditional partners are engaged and empowered. The team has worked alongside USAID colleagues to develop WorkwithUSAID.org, an online resource hub to assist partners in strengthening their capacity, raising their visibility, and making vital connections to collaborate on solving development challenges. 

On November 4, 2021, USAID Administrator Samantha Power launched the site, announcing: “To make it easier for America’s vibrant small businesses, NGOs, faith-based organizations, minority-serving institutions, diaspora groups, and foundations to partner with USAID, today we’re…launching WorkwithUSAID.org. That site is our new welcome mat—a one-stop shop that lets any organization know exactly how to pursue USAID partnerships, including offering, for example, online courses that will help you bid for our awards.” WorkwithUSAID.org is fast becoming the “go to” platform for all organizations everywhere interested in partnering with USAID. 

Other aspects of the Incubator’s work have far-reaching impacts across USAID and throughout the partner sphere. Incubator staff have reviewed 77 New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) Action Plans for Missions and issued a public report, identified more than 1,300 potential partners for three USAID Missions, helped build a 12,000-member “Work with USAID” LinkedIn Group, educated more than 25,000 viewers through the “How to Work with USAID” training series, created several Spanish-language webinars for USAID/Dominican Republic (1) (2) (3) and USAID/El Salvador (1) to connect with more than 2,200 local participants in support of USAID’s Locally Led Development Annual Program Statement, and provided robust one-on-one training and capacity-building assistance to Mission-identified partners. 

In a short time, the Incubator has enhanced the ability of USAID to match the full marketplace of development partners with the Agency’s programming needs; given partners in need of capacity building tools, resources, and access to networks; and ultimately supported the Agency’s efforts to meet NPI goals.