Homes and Communities Activity | 720 696 21 RFA 00005

Opportunity Information: Apply for 720 696 21 RFA 00005

USAID Rwanda is soliciting applications for a five-year cooperative agreement called the Homes and Communities Activity. The overall aim is to help ensure that children in Rwanda grow up in home and community settings that are safe, stimulating, and supportive of early literacy, so that literacy outcomes improve for all children by the end of Primary 3 (P3). Although the main literacy focus is on Kinyarwanda, the opportunity also emphasizes broader child development needs, including oral language development and social and emotional skills, recognizing these as foundational for later learning and long-term educational success.

The activity is structured around three main result areas. First, it will work to strengthen home literacy environments, which typically involves helping caregivers and families create routines and spaces that encourage reading, storytelling, print awareness, and positive caregiver-child interaction around language. Second, it seeks to increase community engagement in promoting children’s literacy, meaning the work goes beyond individual households to mobilize community structures and local actors to encourage early reading and learning, normalize literacy-supportive practices, and build shared responsibility for children’s learning. Third, it prioritizes improving literacy learning opportunities for children with disabilities, signaling an explicit inclusion objective so that early grade literacy efforts reach children who are often left out of standard programming and may require adapted materials, accessible activities, and targeted support.

A central theme running through the opportunity is sustainability and local ownership. USAID indicates the activity should foster self-reliance by emphasizing community-based solutions and strengthening relevant institutions and systems, rather than relying on short-term, externally driven interventions. In practice, this points to approaches that embed literacy promotion in local leadership and community mechanisms, coordinate with existing education and social structures, and build durable capacity so that progress continues after the award ends.

From a funding and administrative perspective, this is a discretionary education opportunity funded under CFDA 98.001 and implemented through a cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial involvement by USAID during implementation compared to a standard grant. The opportunity number is 720 696 21 RFA 00005. USAID anticipated making one award, with an award ceiling of $17,750,000, and the original posting and closing dates were June 29, 2021 and July 29, 2021, respectively. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of organizations could apply, though applicants are expected to follow any eligibility clarifications and all application instructions contained in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

Selection is expected to be competitive and based on the merit review criteria described in the NOFO, with a final decision also subject to a risk assessment. Applicants are directed to rely on the NOFO for the complete details on the required application contents, submission requirements, and the exact evaluation and selection process, since those specifics govern how proposals will be scored and what USAID will consider most important in choosing an implementer.

• The Agency for International Development, Rwanda USAID-Kigali in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Homes and 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 Jun 29, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 29, 2021. (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 $17,750,000.00 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.

Apply for 720 696 21 RFA 00005

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