The United States African Development Foundation is an independent United States government agency that provides grants of up to $250,000 for operational assistance, enterprise expansion and market linkage to early stage agriculture, energy, and youth-led enterprises that benefit underserved communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The U.S. African Development Foundation measures grant success in terms of jobs created and sustained, increased income and food security levels, and improved social conditions. In 2016 The U.S. African Development Foundation was given $30 million for new project grants in 20 countries, with an active portfolio of $53 million invested in 500 enterprises. In 2016, U.S. African Development Foundation grants benefited 1,200,000 livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa, 54% of which are women.
The U.S. African Development Foundation operates in Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe and has reach in over 30 countries with its grants program to youth-led enterprises. In 2005, the United States Office of Management and Budget rated the U.S. African Development Foundation's programs fully effective under its Performance Assessment Rating Tool program, an efficiency recognition that has been accorded to less than ten percent of United States Government grant-making programs. The U.S. African Development Foundation receives most of its programming resources from the United States government, but the U.S. African Development Foundation has a unique co-funding platform with host African governments, private U.S. corporations, and donors. In 2011, the U.S. African Development Foundation launched a food security and resilience program for pastoralist communities in the Turkana region of northern Kenya and a special food security project in the Sahel region of West Africa in 2012. In 2016, U.S. African Development Foundation launched a program aimed at improving food security and economic livelihoods in the Bukavu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Somalia, U.S. African Development Foundation began operations, through a local technical partner, in 2011 to provide vocational and job skills training to unemployed youth, since impacting over 5,000 Somali youth.
Programs
The U.S. African Development Foundation’s foreign assistance in Africa is an investment in local economic development for peace and security today and prosperous U.S. trading partners tomorrow. The U.S. African Development Foundation invests directly, providing seed capital and local technical support to early stage agriculture, energy and youth-led enterprises in Africa. U.S. African Development Foundation programs are designed to reach poor and vulnerable populations such as post-conflict communities, smallholder farmers, women and girls, youth, and persons with disabilities. Local African staff and technical partners provide on the ground oversight and technical expertise, growing and expanding community enterprise which ensures security, stability and prosperity.
Enterprise Expansion Grants
Enterprise expansion grants provide assistance for cooperatives, farmer associations, community groups, enterprises, or businesses that have developed a plan for expansion and linkages to new markets or follow-on financing. The grants can amount to up to $250,000 and can last for up to five years. Applications for grants are reviewed by the U.S. African Development Foundation Country Program Coordinator of that country. If a business or organization receives funding from the U.S. African Development Foundation, it is eligible to work with technical partner organizations that will help them turn their plan into a reality by providing technical, governance and financial support or assistance.
Operational Assistance Grants
Operational assistance grants offer funding for preexisting cooperatives, farmer associations, community groups, enterprises, or businesses who plan to engage in technical, managerial, organizational improvements. The grants can be up to $100,000 over two years.
Capacity Building
The U.S. African Development Foundation apportions significant amounts of money for organizations that deliver technical, organizational, managerial services to businesses and organizations that receive funding from the U.S. African Development Foundation. The U.S. African Development Foundation believes that grant recipients will better utilize funding if they have the best technical, organizational, managerial, leadership skills possible. Organizations that help build capacity in local communities, or other local organizations are also eligible for grants from the U.S. African Development Foundation. The U.S. African Development Foundation believes these organizations help ensure the success of the initiatives that the U.S. African Development Foundation sponsors.
