USAID/Ghana Accelerating Social and Behavior Change activity | 72064121RFA00001

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72064121RFA00001

The USAID/Ghana Accelerating Social and Behavior Change Activity is a USAID funding opportunity seeking a qualified organization (or consortium, if allowed under the full NOFO) to carry out a health-focused program in Ghana centered on social and behavior change. The award will be made through a cooperative agreement, which generally means USAID expects to have substantial involvement during implementation (for example, collaborating on technical direction, coordinating with government stakeholders, reviewing workplans, and monitoring results), rather than simply providing a grant with minimal agency engagement. The program details are contained in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), specifically in Section A labeled as the Program Description, and applicants are expected to use that section as the primary guide for what USAID wants implemented and how success will be measured.

This opportunity is posted on Grants.gov under Funding Opportunity Number 72064121RFA00001 and is categorized as an earmark within the health sector (CFDA/Assistance Listing 98.001). USAID/Ghana (USAID-Accra) is the issuing agency. The original posting date is April 21, 2021, with an original application closing date of June 21, 2021. USAID indicates an intention to fund one award, with an award ceiling of up to $29,500,000, making it a relatively large, single-implementer activity where competitiveness will likely depend on clearly demonstrating strong technical strategy, measurable results, implementation capacity, and robust financial and compliance systems.

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning the opportunity is open to a wide range of entity types (such as NGOs, universities, private firms, and potentially other organizations), subject to any clarifications or additional eligibility conditions contained in the NOFO itself, especially in Section C. USAID emphasizes that applicants must provide all required information and meet the eligibility standards described in the NOFO, and that award decisions will be based on the merit review criteria outlined in the notice, along with a risk assessment. In practice, this means an applicant not only needs a strong program design but also must demonstrate organizational responsibility, sound management, and acceptable risk levels as evaluated by USAID.

The notice also stresses several administrative and process requirements that can affect whether an application is even considered. Applicants are responsible for ensuring they have the complete, current version of the NOFO and any amendments, and USAID advises applicants to check Grants.gov regularly for updates. USAID notes it is not responsible for errors that occur during downloading, transmission, or file conversion, placing the burden on applicants to verify that all documents are intact and readable. For technical issues with Grants.gov registration or access, applicants are directed to the Grants.gov Helpdesk (phone and email provided in the notice).

A key compliance point is that USAID may not make an award unless the applicant has completed required registrations, including obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and maintaining an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), as described in Section D.6.f of the NOFO. The notice highlights that registration can take many weeks, so organizations are encouraged to start early to avoid being blocked close to the deadline. Questions about the opportunity must be submitted to the points of contact listed in Section D by the specified question deadline, and USAID plans to share responses to timely questions with all potential applicants through an amendment posted on Grants.gov, which is intended to keep the competition fair and ensure all applicants have the same clarifications.

Finally, the notice contains standard federal funding disclaimers: publishing the NOFO does not obligate the U.S. Government to make an award, and it does not commit the Government to reimburse any costs incurred in preparing or submitting an application. Applicants bear all proposal development costs and submit at their own risk. Overall, this is a large, competitive USAID/Ghana cooperative agreement opportunity focused on advancing health outcomes through social and behavior change approaches, with an emphasis on following the NOFO closely, meeting eligibility and compliance requirements, and submitting a complete, responsive application through Grants.gov.

• The Agency for International Development, Ghana USAID-Accra in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "USAID/Ghana Accelerating Social and Behavior Change activity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 21, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 21, 2021. (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 $29,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 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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