Grants

 Our Grants Process

Our grants process is intentionally iterative, and we work collaboratively with you to ensure that at each step your grant application gets stronger. DAI will never ask you to submit payment to complete an application or proposal.  Moreover, we are committed to making sure your stories and impact are documented and shared with a larger audience. Because each grant contributes significantly to the Africa Trade and Investment activity’s overall impact and long-term success, and because we realize our partners continue to build and compound their results year after year, we commit to working with partners to ensure data is gathered beyond the grant and through the end of the program in 2026. 

    • ATI announces a funding opportunity through its grant intake platform.

    • The applicant submits a short, high-level concept note in response to the funding opportunity. Please see this concept note template for suggestions on content.

    • ATI conducts an initial review to determine whether the concept note is complete, and if it should move forward for technical review. ATI also performs due diligence on the organizations in order to eliminate organizations that may not be suitable to receive USAID funding.

    • ATI holds a Grants Evaluation Committee (GEC) monthly or as soon as the USAID office involved is ready for the evaluation of the latest concept notes.

    • If the application is recommended by the GEC to move forward, ATI will hold a Q&A session with the applicant to get more details about the concept note and the organization.

    • If the GEC recommends the applicant move forward after the Q&A session, ATI will issue a Request for Application (RFA) and work with the applicant to co-sign a broader Partnership Agreement before initiating Phase II of the application process. The Partnership Agreement confirms a mutual commitment between ATI and the grantee wherein the grantee provides relevant data on impact through the end of the Africa Trade and Investment activity (2026) in return for DAI’s commitment to validate the partner’s work through program reporting, outreach, and storytelling. The commitment to provide such data may, in many cases, be beyond the end date of the grant to ensure the grantee’s impact is documented. If there is sensitive grantee data to be shared, ATI will sign a non-disclosure agreement at the partner’s request.

    • ATI conducts a capacity assessment of the applicant. ATI will use the capacity assessment to identify any areas where the applicant can strengthen organizational processes to better manage USAID funding.

    • The applicant submits a full grant application in response to the RFA.

    • The GEC reviews the full application with a focus on budget, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge sharing, timelines/resourcing, investment readiness, and sustainability.

    • The applicant participates in a co-design process with ATI and USAID to refine and strengthen its grant application. The applicant also has the opportunity to schedule a meeting with the technical team to clarify any technical feedback and gain further direction on their application.

    • ATI helps prepare the final grant document package with all of the required provisions (conditions) and reviews it with the grantee.

    • The USAID Contracting Officer (CO) reviews and approves the final decision to award.

    • If the full application is approved by USAID, ATI moves forward with issuing a grant award agreement.

    • The grantee signs the agreement at a kick-off meeting between the grantee, ATI, and USAID.

    • Once the grant agreement is signed, implementation begins.

Please see this PowerPoint deck for suggestions on structuring a grants concept note.

Check out our tips for strengthening a funding application. Pour conseils en français, cliquez ici.