Opportunity Information: Apply for 7200AA18B00002
The Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program grant opportunity is a USAID-funded effort designed to keep long-running U.S. volunteer technical assistance active in partner countries, with the goal of accelerating economic growth through stronger agriculture. Managed by USAID's Bureau for Food Security under the Office of Country Strategy and Implementation, the opportunity focuses on mobilizing skilled volunteers to provide hands-on support to farmers, agribusinesses, producer organizations, and other agricultural stakeholders. The central idea is practical, on-the-ground expertise: experienced professionals share specialized knowledge that can improve productivity, strengthen value chains, expand market access, and build the capacity of local institutions tied to agriculture.
This notice of funding opportunity (NFO) seeks applications from organizations capable of managing and operating F2F volunteer programs using a "Leader with Associate" Cooperative Agreement structure, commonly referred to as an LWA. Under this structure, USAID issues a Leader award to establish an overarching program framework and management platform. Then, USAID Missions and other USAID operating units can add "Associate" awards over time to fund additional activities in specific countries or regions. In plain terms, the LWA mechanism is built for expansion and flexibility: it lets USAID scale volunteer assistance to where it is needed, when it is needed, without having to rebuild the entire program each time.
The awards are cooperative agreements, meaning the relationship between USAID and awardees is collaborative and involves substantial agency engagement rather than a hands-off grant. The selected implementers are expected to recruit, prepare, deploy, and support volunteers; coordinate assignments with local partners; ensure technical quality; monitor results; and document outcomes aligned with USAID agricultural program objectives. Because this is a volunteer-based technical assistance model, strong operational systems are typically critical: volunteer screening and matching, logistical support, safety and duty-of-care practices, host organization coordination, and results tracking that credibly links volunteer inputs to measurable improvements.
Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as a continuation and falls under the Agriculture funding activity category, with CFDA number 98.009. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any type of qualified entity (subject to any additional eligibility language in the full announcement). The funding opportunity number is 7200AA18B00002. The notice was created on December 28, 2017, with an original closing date of February 12, 2018. USAID anticipated a high number of awards, listing an expected 50 awards, with an award ceiling of $64,000,000. That ceiling reflects the maximum potential amount and signals a sizable program footprint, particularly given the LWA structure that can bring in additional Mission-level funding through associate awards.
Overall, this opportunity is about maintaining and scaling a proven model of agricultural development assistance that relies on short-term, targeted volunteer expertise. By funding organizations to manage the F2F platform through LWAs, USAID aims to expand the reach and impact of volunteer-driven technical support across regions and countries, while keeping the program adaptable to Mission priorities and evolving agricultural development needs.Apply for 7200AA18B00002
- The Agency for International Development in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The Farmer-to-Farmer Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.009.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 28, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 12, 2018. (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 $64,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 50 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.
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Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program Grant Opportunity (USAID) - FAQs
1) What is the Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program grant opportunity?
The Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program grant opportunity is a USAID-funded effort that supports U.S. volunteer technical assistance in partner countries. Its purpose is to accelerate economic growth by strengthening agriculture through practical, on-the-ground expertise delivered by skilled volunteers.
2) What is the main goal of the F2F Program described in this notice?
The central goal is to accelerate economic growth through stronger agriculture by mobilizing experienced volunteers to provide hands-on technical support that improves productivity, strengthens value chains, expands market access, and builds the capacity of local agriculture-related institutions.
3) Who funds and manages this opportunity within USAID?
This opportunity is USAID-funded and is managed by USAID's Bureau for Food Security under the Office of Country Strategy and Implementation.
4) What kind of assistance does the program emphasize?
The program emphasizes practical, on-the-ground technical assistance delivered by experienced professionals. The model centers on short-term, targeted volunteer expertise aimed at real operational improvements for agricultural stakeholders.
5) Who are the intended beneficiaries or stakeholders supported by volunteer assignments?
Volunteer support is intended for farmers, agribusinesses, producer organizations, and other agricultural stakeholders in partner countries, including institutions connected to agriculture that may need capacity-building.
6) What types of outcomes does volunteer technical assistance aim to achieve?
Based on the notice, volunteer inputs are expected to contribute to measurable improvements such as increased productivity, stronger value chains, expanded market access, and improved institutional capacity aligned with USAID agricultural objectives.
7) What is the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) seeking from applicants?
The NFO seeks applications from organizations that can manage and operate F2F volunteer programs, including recruiting, preparing, deploying, and supporting volunteers, and running the operational and technical systems needed for effective volunteer-based technical assistance.
8) What type of award mechanism will be used?
The awards are cooperative agreements, meaning USAID will have substantial engagement in the program rather than providing purely hands-off funding.
9) What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement rather than a traditional grant?
In this opportunity, "cooperative agreement" indicates a collaborative relationship where USAID is substantially involved in the implementation, oversight, and direction of activities, compared to a more limited involvement often associated with standard grants.
10) What is a "Leader with Associate" (LWA) Cooperative Agreement?
An LWA is a cooperative agreement structure where USAID makes a "Leader" award to establish an overarching program framework and management platform. Later, USAID Missions and other operating units can add "Associate" awards to fund additional activities in specific countries or regions over time.
11) Why does USAID use the LWA structure for this opportunity?
The LWA mechanism is designed for expansion and flexibility. It allows USAID to scale volunteer assistance to where it is needed, when it is needed, without rebuilding the entire program for each new country or set of activities.
12) What is the "Leader" award expected to do?
The Leader award is intended to establish the overarching program framework and management platform that can support volunteer technical assistance activities and accommodate future associate awards.
13) What are "Associate" awards in this context?
Associate awards are additional funding actions that USAID Missions and other USAID operating units can add over time to support volunteer technical assistance activities in particular countries or regions, leveraging the Leader award platform.
14) What responsibilities are expected of the selected implementers?
Selected implementers are expected to recruit, prepare, deploy, and support volunteers; coordinate volunteer assignments with local partners; ensure technical quality; monitor results; and document outcomes in alignment with USAID agricultural program objectives.
15) What operational systems are important for implementing this volunteer-based model?
The notice highlights that strong operational systems are typically critical, including volunteer screening and matching, logistical support, safety and duty-of-care practices, coordination with host organizations, and results tracking that credibly links volunteer inputs to measurable improvements.
16) What is meant by "volunteer screening and matching" in the program context?
Within the program model described, implementers are expected to identify qualified volunteers, screen them appropriately, and match them to assignments where their specialized expertise aligns with the needs of local partners and agricultural stakeholders.
17) What does "technical quality" mean for this opportunity?
Based on the information provided, technical quality refers to ensuring that volunteer assistance is professionally sound, relevant to the assignment needs, and capable of producing meaningful improvements in agricultural practices, value chains, markets, or institutional capacity.
18) What does the opportunity say about monitoring and documenting results?
Implementers are expected to monitor results and document outcomes aligned with USAID agricultural objectives, including results tracking that links volunteer efforts to measurable improvements.
19) How does this opportunity relate to agriculture as a funding category?
The opportunity is categorized under the Agriculture funding activity category and is explicitly focused on strengthening agriculture as a pathway to broader economic growth.
20) What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 98.009.
21) What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is 7200AA18B00002.
22) When was this notice created?
The notice was created on December 28, 2017.
23) What was the original closing date for applications?
The original closing date listed is February 12, 2018.
24) How many awards were expected?
USAID anticipated a high number of awards and listed an expected 50 awards.
25) What is the award ceiling, and what does it indicate?
The award ceiling is $64,000,000. As described, this is the maximum potential amount and signals a sizable program footprint, particularly because the LWA structure can bring in additional Mission-level funding through associate awards.
26) Is eligibility restricted to certain organization types?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any type of qualified entity, subject to any additional eligibility language that may appear in the full announcement.
27) What does it mean that the opportunity is categorized as a "continuation"?
The opportunity is administratively categorized as a continuation, which indicates it is designed to keep long-running U.S. volunteer technical assistance active in partner countries rather than launching an entirely new concept from scratch.
28) What does USAID mean by "maintaining and scaling a proven model" in this context?
In this notice, USAID is describing the F2F approach as a long-running volunteer technical assistance model. The intent is to keep that model active while expanding its reach and impact through an adaptable platform supported by LWA awards.
29) How does this opportunity remain adaptable to country or regional needs?
The adaptability comes from the LWA structure: after the Leader award establishes a platform, USAID Missions and operating units can add associate awards over time to support activities in specific countries or regions as priorities and needs evolve.
30) What is the overarching theme of this grant opportunity?
The overarching theme is delivering targeted, volunteer-driven technical assistance to strengthen agriculture and related market systems in partner countries, using a scalable program structure that can expand through associate awards.
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