1.   What is an APS? 

answer:  An Annual Program Statement (APS) notifies the public of an opportunity for funding, by the United States Government, as represented by USAID in the case of the Africa Trade and Investment (ATI) program, for one or multiple awards to address a particular set of challenges or USAID objectives within a certain project or geographic area. The submission needed to respond to an APS is a brief Concept Note, summarizing the high-level concept, funding needs, and impact.  

2.    What is an RFA? How do the APS and RFA differ? 

answer:  Request for Application (RFA) is when an organization is asked to submit a full application including an in-depth technical proposal, activity timeline, and a detailed budget outlining all costs associated with the funding request. An organization may receive an RFA only after they have submitted a concept note in response to the APS. Details for the requirements of the concept note can be found within the APS.  

3.    There is no addendum for my specific region of Africa. Can I still apply? 

answer:  The ATI program is currently accepting concept notes that benefit all regions/all countries of Africa, however immediate funding for every intervention or region may not be available at the time your concept note is received. If this is the case, ATI will still review your concept note and keep it in our database for when funding becomes available for your specific intervention and/or region within Africa. 

4.    Can you please further define organization types mentioned in the APS? 

answer: 

Foreign organization. Foreign organization means an entity that is: (a) A public or private organization located in a country other than the United States and its territories that is subject to the laws of the country in which it is located, irrespective of the citizenship of project staff or place of performance; (b) A private nongovernmental organization located in a country other than the United States that solicits and receives cash contributions from the general public; (c) A charitable organization located in a country other than the United States that is nonprofit and tax exempt under the laws of its country of domicile and operation, and is not a university, college, accredited degree-granting institution of education, private foundation, hospital, organization engaged exclusively in research or scientific activities, church, synagogue, mosque or other similar entities organized primarily for religious purposes; or (d) An organization located in a country other than the United States not recognized as a Foreign Public Entity.  

Nonprofit organization. Nonprofit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization, not including institutions of higher education, that: (a) Is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest; (b) Is not organized primarily for profit; and (c) Uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operations of the organization. 

5.    I'm a for-profit organization - can I still submit a concept/be awarded for a grant? 

answer:  Yes, for-profit organizations are eligible to apply for grant-funding under the ATI project, however it is important to note that profit/fee may not be included in part of the funding that would potentially be provided by USAID. 

6.    Please clarify the stipulation that no profit/fee is allowed to be in the cost. 

answer:  Grant agreements do not allow the grant recipient to charge a profit or fee within their grant budget. Funding for grants is limited to covering an organization’s COSTS only. For example, if a for-profit organization has been hired as a subcontractor under a USAID project before, they may have charged a percentage fee on the contract. Grant agreements differ from subcontracts in this way, that fees are not allowed to be included in the grantee budget or billed to USAID. This should not be misunderstood as meaning that the resulting activity or investment being funded by the grant is not allowed to generate income or profit for your organization – quite the contrary. We want businesses to be sustainable via a profitable and commercially viable business model. It simply means that grant funds are limited to the costs needed to increase trade, investment or enable the business environment. 

7.    How will I know the status of my application? Will I receive feedback about my application if it is rejected? 

answer:  You should receive an automated notification that your concept has been submitted once you’ve completed the online submission. If you do not, please email ATI_Grants@atiprogram.com to confirm ATI received it. Once it has been reviewed, you will receive an email that your concept is either moving forward to the RFA stage or is being rejected. Note that with the volume of applications, it may not always be possible to provide direct feedback on your concept, but ATI will strive to provide explicit feedback when possible. Should you want to respond to feedback and resubmit your concept, that is acceptable. Rejections can happen if it’s determined upon review that your organization may not be eligible. 

8.    How quickly should I receive a response on whether my concept has been reviewed/accepted? 

answer:  ATI strives to provide a response within two months, although it may be sooner or later depending on the volume of submissions and number of funding streams, outlined in addenda. 

9.    Can I submit more than one concept? 

answer:  Yes, an entity can submit more than one concept, but each should be distinct.  

10.   How is the project defining results that are “significant”, “notable”, etc? 

answer:  Specific metrics to define “significant” vary across the different market contexts in which USAID works across the continent. Therefore, the metrics outlining what is considered significant results will be defined during the co-creation process if your concept is invited to the second stage of submitting a detailed application via RFA. 

11. The fund provision range is quite wide - from $250k - $7M, with a grant range recommended between $250,000-$1,000,000. Could more insight be provided to use as we cost out the requested budget within the grant?

answer:   Applicants should propose a cost in line with the scope of their activity and what is critically needed as grant funding, while keeping in mind reasonability. For example, in certain contexts, ATI will want to see a cost-share element and will not be interested in funding 100% of an activity. If a concept makes it to the full application phase, there will also be further discussions and negotiations around the budget components, so the top-line figures submitted during the concept stage may shift.

12. The sectors viable for funding are numerous and varied, however, could you provide us with more specific details of the “Proposed Activities” that will be acceptable for funding?

answer:   ATI has the ability to work across a variety of sectors and has structured the APS to be able to take in a wide range of opportunities that speak to the objectives of increasing trade and/or investment, or improving the business environment. In non-traditional sectors typically not focused on by donors (e.g. logistics, infrastructure, mining etc.), applicants should be sure to note how the intervention would still speak to ATI’s objectives and as a result, development impact. The same guidance applies to cost components that are not immediately associated with development (e.g. building materials, vehicles, etc) – these are acceptable (with the exception of restricted goods) as long as it is linked to the program’s objectives and development impact.