Opportunity Information: Apply for 72066323RFA00011
The Empowered Communities Activity is a USAID/Ethiopia health-sector funding opportunity designed to increase the use of quality health and nutrition services by strengthening community engagement, empowerment, and social accountability. It directly supports Development Objective 4 of USAID/Ethiopia's Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) 2019-2024, and is closely aligned with Ethiopia's own national priorities under the Health Sector Transformation Plan II (HSTP II 2020-2025) and the Health Extension Program (HEP) Roadmap (2020-2035). In practice, the grant is meant to help communities and local institutions play a stronger role in shaping health service quality and responsiveness, while also improving demand for key services by making systems more people-centered and accountable.
A central theme of the activity is social accountability: improving how service users, service providers, and government officials communicate and work together so that health services better match community needs and expectations. The opportunity emphasizes leadership development and capacity strengthening to make engagement more productive and consistent, rather than one-off consultations. It also reflects key HSTP II directions, particularly around equitable access to comprehensive, quality services, community ownership, and stronger governance and leadership across the health system. The intention is that communities are not only recipients of services, but active participants in monitoring, feedback, and local problem-solving to improve health outcomes.
The activity places special attention on non-state actors (NSAs) and existing community structures and platforms, such as idirs and community care coalitions. Rather than creating entirely new structures, it aims to build on local mechanisms that already organize people and influence behavior. Capacity building is a core component, focusing on improving organizational capability in practical terms: knowledge, technical skills, internal processes, and systems that allow local organizations and networks to operate effectively and sustainably. The underlying idea is that stronger local institutions can maintain results beyond the life of donor funding by being more efficient, better governed, and more capable of representing community priorities.
Geographically, the activity will be implemented in up to 30 selected woredas (districts) across four regions: Afar (pastoralist) and Amhara, Oromia, and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) (agrarian). This multi-region footprint suggests the program is expected to adapt approaches to different contexts, including pastoralist settings where service delivery and community engagement can look very different from agrarian areas. The activity is also positioned as a continuation and reinforcement of past USAID investments, specifically building on lessons and gains from USAID Transform Primary Health Care (TPHC) and USAID Transform Health in Developing Regions (THDR). At the same time, it is meant to connect tightly with USAID's New Partnership Initiative EXPAND (NPI EXPAND), which focuses on social accountability to improve family planning and maternal, newborn, and child health (FP/MNCH) services while strengthening the sustainability of newer and underutilized local entities.
From a funding and administrative perspective, this opportunity is a discretionary award using a Cooperative Agreement, which typically means USAID expects substantial involvement in program design, implementation oversight, and ongoing collaboration during the award period. The funding opportunity number is 72066323RFA00011 under CFDA 98.001. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility details in the full notice). USAID planned to make one award, with an award ceiling of up to USD 35,000,000. The opportunity was posted on May 3, 2023, with an original closing date of June 14, 2023, by the Agency for International Development, Ethiopia (USAID Addis Ababa).
Overall, the Empowered Communities Activity is framed as a systems-strengthening and community-accountability investment: improving service utilization by ensuring services are higher quality and more responsive, and by enabling communities and local organizations to actively engage with the health system. The expected results hinge on stronger local leadership, more capable civil society and community structures, and better collaboration among citizens, providers, and government to increase trust, demand, and sustained improvements in health and nutrition service delivery.Apply for 72066323RFA00011
- The Agency for International Development, Ethiopia USAID-Addis Ababa in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Empowered Communities Activity" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 03, 2023.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 14, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $35,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Empowered Communities Activity (USAID/Ethiopia)
1) What is the Empowered Communities Activity?
The Empowered Communities Activity is a USAID/Ethiopia health-sector funding opportunity focused on increasing the use of quality health and nutrition services. It does this by strengthening community engagement, empowerment, and social accountability so health services become more responsive to community needs and expectations.
2) What problem is this opportunity trying to address?
The opportunity targets the gap between community needs and how health services are delivered and experienced. It aims to improve service utilization by making health and nutrition services more people-centered, higher quality, and more accountable to the communities they serve.
3) What are the main goals of the activity?
The main goals described include improving demand for key health and nutrition services, strengthening community engagement and empowerment, and advancing social accountability so communities can help shape service quality and responsiveness.
4) What does "social accountability" mean in this activity?
In this activity, social accountability refers to improving how service users, service providers, and government officials communicate and work together so services better match community needs. It emphasizes ongoing feedback, monitoring, and local problem-solving rather than one-off consultations.
5) How does the activity expect communities to participate?
Communities are expected to play an active role, not just receive services. The activity emphasizes community participation in monitoring services, providing feedback, and supporting local problem-solving efforts aimed at improving health outcomes.
6) What kinds of organizations or groups are emphasized in this opportunity?
The activity places special attention on non-state actors (NSAs) and existing community structures and platforms, including examples such as idirs and community care coalitions. The approach is to strengthen and build on what already exists locally rather than create entirely new structures.
7) Why does the opportunity prioritize existing community structures instead of creating new ones?
Based on the description, the intent is to leverage local mechanisms that already organize people and influence behavior, and to strengthen them so results are more sustainable and can continue beyond the life of donor funding.
8) What does "capacity building" involve in this activity?
Capacity building is described as improving organizational capability in practical terms, including knowledge, technical skills, internal processes, and systems. The goal is to help local organizations and networks operate effectively, be better governed, and sustain results over time.
9) How does the activity align with USAID/Ethiopia strategy?
The activity directly supports Development Objective 4 of USAID/Ethiopia's Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) 2019-2024.
10) How does the activity align with Ethiopia's national health priorities?
It is closely aligned with Ethiopia's Health Sector Transformation Plan II (HSTP II 2020-2025) and the Health Extension Program (HEP) Roadmap (2020-2035), particularly priorities related to equitable access to comprehensive, quality services, community ownership, and stronger governance and leadership across the health system.
11) Where will the activity be implemented?
The activity is planned for implementation in up to 30 selected woredas (districts) across four regions: Afar, Amhara, Oromia, and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP).
12) What does it mean that Afar is described as pastoralist and the other regions as agrarian?
The opportunity notes that Afar is a pastoralist setting while Amhara, Oromia, and SNNP are agrarian. This signals that approaches may need to adapt across different contexts, since community engagement and service delivery can look different in pastoralist versus agrarian areas.
13) Is this activity connected to previous USAID investments?
Yes. It is positioned as a continuation and reinforcement of past USAID investments, building on lessons and gains from USAID Transform Primary Health Care (TPHC) and USAID Transform Health in Developing Regions (THDR).
14) How does this opportunity connect to USAID's New Partnership Initiative EXPAND (NPI EXPAND)?
The activity is meant to connect closely with NPI EXPAND, which focuses on social accountability to improve family planning and maternal, newborn, and child health (FP/MNCH) services and strengthen the sustainability of newer and underutilized local entities.
15) What kind of award instrument is being used?
The opportunity is a discretionary award using a Cooperative Agreement.
16) What does a Cooperative Agreement imply for how the program will be managed?
A Cooperative Agreement typically indicates substantial involvement by USAID during the award period, including collaboration on program design, implementation oversight, and ongoing engagement with the awardee.
17) How many awards did USAID plan to make?
USAID planned to make one award.
18) What is the maximum funding amount available under this opportunity?
The award ceiling is up to USD 35,000,000.
19) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility details that would be included in the full notice.
20) What is the funding opportunity number and CFDA listing?
The funding opportunity number is 72066323RFA00011, and the CFDA listing is 98.001.
21) When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on May 3, 2023, with an original closing date of June 14, 2023.
22) Which USAID office issued this opportunity?
The opportunity was issued by the Agency for International Development, Ethiopia (USAID Addis Ababa).
23) What outcomes does the activity expect to achieve?
Expected results are framed around systems strengthening and community accountability: stronger local leadership, more capable civil society and community structures, better collaboration among citizens, providers, and government, increased trust, stronger demand, and sustained improvements in health and nutrition service delivery.
24) Does the activity focus only on service delivery, or also on governance and leadership?
It includes a strong governance and leadership emphasis, highlighting leadership development and capacity strengthening to make engagement more productive and consistent and to strengthen accountability across the health system.
25) Is the activity primarily about creating new community groups?
No. The description emphasizes building on existing community structures and platforms rather than creating entirely new ones.
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