Round 3 Call for Concept Papers on “PROPEL Youth and Gender”

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of Population and Reproductive Health (PRH) is pleased to issue Round 3 under Promoting Results and Outcomes through Policy and Economic Levers (PROPEL) Annual Program Statement (APS).

Round 3, PROPEL Youth and Gender, is focused on strengthening the enabling environment for family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) and FP/RH integration with HIV/AIDS and maternal and child health (MCH) with a specific focus on policy, advocacy, financing, and governance (PAFG) related to youth and adolescents as well as gender equity.

The purpose of Round 3, PROPEL Youth and Gender, is to strengthen the enabling environment for a more equitable and sustainable health system to increase access to health services, supplies, and information, including voluntary FP/RH and FP/RH integration with HIV/AIDS and MCH. PROPEL Youth and Gender will use policy, advocacy, financing, and governance (PAFG) approaches that are particularly related to youth and adolescents and that promote gender equity.

PROPEL Youth and Gender will include:

• activities focused specifically on youth and adolescents, including meaningful engagement and partnership with youth,

• activities that address gender-equitable youth programming, and

• activities addressing gender equity and equality across all populations.

Funding Information

• Under Round 3, USAID anticipates awarding one five-year cooperative agreement with a ceiling not to exceed $20 million (approximately $4 million in core funds and $16 million in field support). Please note that a significant portion of the ceiling is anticipated to be funded by field support, which is unpredictable.

• For Round 3, the anticipated period of performance for the award is five (5) years, commencing on or about May 2023 through May 2028.

Expected Results

• Sustainable, resilient, and context-responsive policies are developed, adopted, implemented and monitored that improve accessibility, accountability, affordability and reliability of quality FP/RH and integrated services, supplies, and information, especially related to gender equity and the needs of youth populations.

• Adequate, predictable, and sustainable financing for health services, supplies, and information, with a focus on FP/RH and FP/RH integration with MCH and HIV/AIDS, is optimized to meet program needs at all levels and promote equity and quality throughout the health system, especially related to gender equity and the needs of youth populations.

• The environment for government stewardship, accountability, and transparency is improved, adaptable, and resilient, with a focus on FP/RH and FP/RH integration with MCH and HIV/AIDS, especially related to gender equity and the needs of youth populations.

• Evidence-based advocacy approaches at the global, national, and sub-national level are used to promote and implement best practices in health policy, financing, and governance, with a focus on FP/RH and FP/RH integration with MCH and HIV/AIDS, especially related to gender equity and the needs of youth populations.

Eligible Countries

The benefitting geographic areas of PROPEL Youth and Gender, Round 3, mirror the language in the APS and is restated here for clarity. USAID funds health activities in almost 60 countries. PRH prioritizes 24 high-need countries as well as the additional Ouagadougou Partnership countries. Current MCH and FP/RH priority countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma (MCH priority only), DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Indonesia (MCH priority only), Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines (FP/RH priority only), Rwanda, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, and Zambia. The additional seven Ouagadougou Partnership countries that are FP/RH priorities are Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mauritania, Niger, and Togo.