Grants

USAID ERA shares what is expected from grantees’ applications and how they will be evaluated

Grants
24 May 2024

On May 24, the USAID Economic Resilience Activity (USAID ERA) held the second information session for potential applicants under the Annual Program Statement “Building the Future of Ukrainian Logistics and Export”, attended by more than 120 participants. 

Last year, USAID ERA joined the USAID AGRI-Ukraine Initiative to strengthen grain exports and improve global food security. As part of the initiative, USAID ERA supports agricultural companies, state authorities, phytosanitary laboratories, and it recently announced the Annual Program Request, a grant competition. The goal is to strengthen the logistics and export potential of the Ukrainian agricultural sector. 

Kirsten Pfeiffer, USAID ERA`s Deputy Chief of Party, spoke about the grant competition, happening March-August 31, including the goals and requirements. 

“Within the framework of this grant competition, we highlight two goals of applications that we are ready to support. The first goal is to improve knowledge and involve international experience in grain transportation, improve these processes by Ukrainian companies, strengthen market ties with companies in Europe, and improve marketing. Co-financing of logistics equipment for the agricultural sector, for which there is a great demand – USAID ERA helps with the purchase of the necessary equipment. We are looking for manufacturers of such equipment in Ukraine to help them enter world markets. We are also ready to purchase such equipment for agribusiness, but only if it is ready to show high indicators of grain export in metric tons. We also support training of personnel or upgrading of skills of private and public companies in the field of logistics and agriculture. We are ready to develop and implement programs for training and involving women in various processes, taking into account the new law on mobilization and the shortage of male labor in the labor market. Our next goal is the strategic development of border crossing points (BCPs), improvement or acceleration of processes at them, for this we are modernizing 42 BCPs, 9 of them are priority. Cooperation with Moldova and the EU is strategically important,” said Kirsten Pfeiffer. 

USAID ERA`s Grants Director, Valeriya Sorokina, notes the most important criteria by which USAID ERA evaluates applications is the potential of the applicant, and their compliance with the goals of the competition.  

Other factors include things like experience which is vital; no grant experience is necessary but rather USAID ERA is looking for experience in a certain field. Stability is key, despite the fact that Ukraine is going through difficult times. USAID ERA will assess the financial stability of the applicant and the anticipated contribution that the proposed activity can bring to the market as a whole. The last thing to keep in mind is inclusion, by which USAID ERA means employing and empowering women, young people, and people with disabilities. Overall, the aim is to develop the labor market, which will be beneficial to all market players and will contribute to economic growth. 

Other things to keep in mind: 

  • Applications are submitted in Ukrainian or English and applicants will be notified of an outcome by mail.  
  • The grant does not cover construction and building materials.  
  • The application can be up to 500,000 USD.  
  • The deadline for submitting applications is August 31, 2024, no exceptions.  
  • The grant duration is up to one year. 
  • A company or organization can submit multiple applications.  
  • The grantee must include co-investment contributions in monetary and non-monetary form (this can also be money from partners, customers, but not from sources funded by the US government). 
  • USAID ERA will work with selected applicants and provide detailed consultations to finalize the application. 

During USAID ERA’s last informational session, participants asked questions such as whether the educational platforms can apply, how to get a grant for a grain transporter in Ukraine, whether it is possible to use the grant to increase the number of jobs and pay wages to new employees, if a renovated premises can count as a company’s co-investment contribution, can a company apply for wagons if its own contribution is up to 15%, is it necessary to indicate value added tax (VAT) in the application budget, or finally, can an organization from the USA apply. USAID ERA will prepare and send answers to all questions not addressed during the session. 

Applications for the competition should be sent to Grants_ERA@dai.com 

Further details of the grant competition are here.

GRANTS

Building the Future of Ukraine Logistics and Export

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) announces Funding Opportunity “Building the Future of Ukraine Logistics and Export”. 

The purpose of this Annual Program Statement (APS) is to solicit applications for grants funding to support two critical objectives of Ukraine’s economic recovery: 1) agricultural export and logistics capacity, with a focus on grain trade; and 2) improving Ukraine’s export infrastructure, technology and processes along its western borders.  

USAID ERA is seeking partners among

  • agri-logistics firms and equipment manufacturers,
  • market analytic agencies,
  • business event organizers,
  • NGOs,
  • consulting firms,
  • training service providers,
  • government entities,
  • research and educational institutions.

  This partnership should lead to:  

  1. improved agri-logistics companies` knowledge of international best practices on grain trade, sales, and marketing, develop and improved export sales to new markets (e.g., EU, North Africa); 
  2. co-funding high-demand agri-logistics equipment; 
  3. upskilled and improved agri-logistics staff competency on use of equipment for grain export; 
  4. improved the process in BCPs, which leads to improving export capacity; 
  5. improved cross-border collaboration between Ukrainian customs and bordering customs officers in EU and Moldova. 

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis during the term of this APS (March 1 – August 31, 2024) for Grants_ERA@dai.com

USAID ERA will review eligible applications submitted through funding windows:  

  • Window 1: Applications received by: April 15, 2024 
  • Window 2: Applications received by: May 31, 2024 
  • Window 3: Applications received by: August 31, 2024  

 More information about USAID ERA grants funding, applicant requirements, types of potential grant activities USAID ERA is interested in, full application submission process, selection criteria, and other important information is reflected in the Annual Program Statement № APS – ERA-003.

Annexes for applying for a grant in English:

Annex 1_Application Form_APS-ERA-003

Annex 2_Excel Budget_APS-ERA-003

Annex 3_Certifications and Assurances_APS-ERA-003

Annex 4_Instructions for Obtaining an Unique Entity ID (SAM) Number_APS-ERA-003

Annexes for applying for a grant in Ukrainian:

Додаток 1_Форма заявки_APS-ERA-003

Додаток 2_Excel_Бюджет_APS-ERA-003

Додаток 3_Засвідчення та завірення_APS-ERA-003

Додаток 4_Інструкція щодо отримання унікального ідентифікатора організації (SAM)_APS-ERA-003

We encourage all interested parties to read the documents carefully. Please note that the application and budget should be submitted either in English or Ukrainian (English is preferable).

We also invite you to participate in one of the online conferences where potential applicants may ask questions and obtain detailed information about the application process. 

USAID ERA staff will hold two online conferences:

  • March 13, 2024, at 15 pm. To participate, please register using this link. Please ensure you are registered by March 12, at 15:00 as the registration will be closed afterward.
  • May 24, 2024, at 11 am. To participate, please register using this link. Please ensure you are registered by May 21, at 23:59, as the registration will be closed afterward.

All registered participants will receive a link to the event via the email provided during registration. 

About USAID Economic Resilience Activity 

USAID’s Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) is one of USAID’s core partners implementing the $350 million Agriculture Resilience Initiative – Ukraine (AGRI-Ukraine) that was established in 2022 to bolster Ukrainian agricultural exports and alleviate the global food security crisis exacerbated by the war. Under AGRI-Ukraine, ERA partners with public and private companies to complement and leverage urgently-needed grain export transportation and transshipment investments. 

ERA also directly supports the Government of Ukraine, including the State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine (SARDI), the State Customs Service, and Ukrainian Railways, to upgrade 42 of Ukraine’s border crossing points (BCPs). Modern and more efficient border infrastructure and customs procedures will reduce export costs and increase export capacity, enabling Ukraine to scale trade and advance its path to EU integration.