Foreign Assistance To American Schools And Hospitals Abroad (98.006)
Program
98.006 Foreign Assistance To American Schools And Hospitals Abroad
Federal Agency
UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Authorization
Section 214, The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.
Program Number
98.006
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
The Foreign Assistance Program is dedicated to supporting long-term and equitable economic growth and advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting economic growth, agriculture and trade; global health; and democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance. Within the context of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Program, the objectives of the PVC-ASHA program are to strengthen schools and hospitals that best demonstrate American ideas and practices, and are likely to survive over a long term.
Types of Assistance
Project Grants.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Funds are authorized through grant agreements with private and non-profit U.S. organizations to carry out activities in line with the Agency's objectives. Funds are limited for direct support of activities conducted outside the United States in furtherance of the Agency's strategic objectives. ASHA grants are awarded through a competitive process.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
The applicant should be a non-profit U.S. organization, which either founded or sponsors the institution for which assistance is sought. Preferably, the applicant should be a tax-exempt organization under section 501C (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. The applicant must demonstrate a continuing supportive relationship with the overseas institution. Evidence of this support would be the provision of financial and management support for the institution.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Beneficiaries must be institutions located outside the U.S. and should not be under the control or management of a government or any other of its agencies. The majority of the users of these overseas institutions, e.g. students or patients, must be citizens of countries other than the U.S.
Credentials/Documentation
The overseas institutions must demonstrate competence in professional skills and exhibit sound management and financial practices. An applicant for a new overseas institution must present a strategy that demonstrates the ability to achieve professional competence, commitment to promote U.S. ideas and practices, and to operate in accordance with sound management and financial practices. Institutions must be open to all persons regardless of race, religion, sex, color, or national origin. All overseas institutions are expected to reflect favorably upon, and to increase the understanding as well as to enhance the image of the United States. An applicant requesting capital assistance for procurement of durable commodities and/or construction/renovation assistance must provide a firm estimate of the total cost (including cost share and U.S. contribution) for which assistance is requested. Such applicants must also provide information and assurances with respect to right to occupy the premises and/or the land upon which new construction is planned.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
No pre-application coordination is required. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure
PVC-ASHA grant process is competitive and encompasses a number of well established steps. Specifically, 1. The grant criteria, as published in the Federal Register. 2. An annual independent review that ranks the applications and makes recommendations. 3. The PVC-ASHA program management determines funding priorities based on the external review, prior grantee performance, geographic balance, focus of other ASHA grants in the same country, USAID Mission recommendations, and USAID agency objectives. 4. PVC- ASHA forwards the final funding recommendations to the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) for approval, to the USAID Administrator for information, and to the U.S. Congress for notification.
Award Procedure
PVC-ASHA grant process is competitive and encompasses a number of well established steps described in the Application Procedure.
Deadlines
The deadline for submission of applications is June 30th of each year.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
None.
Renewals
Extensions to the project period may be made if deemed appropriate by PVC-ASHA. Subsequent grant applications for complementary or auxiliary activities may be submitted yearly to fund a previously PVC-ASHA-assisted project.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
The ASHA program has no statutory formula or matching requirements. However, cost-sharing by the U.S. sponsoring organizations and their overseas institutions are requested in the grant application. Demonstrated cost-sharing reflects favorably on the applicants request for assistance.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Grants that include construction may be issued for up to a five-year period, whereas grants for commodities, only, are normally issued for a period of eighteen to twenty-four months.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Grantees must submit quarterly progress reports and annual organizational reports. Comprehensive final Project Reports are due no later than 90 days after the completion of projects. Expenditure reports are required 30 days after the end of each progress reporting period.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular A-133 (Revised June 27, 2003), Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations, nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Non-federal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. An amendment to the definition of oversight agency for audit, effective July 28, 2003 stipulates that after December 31, 2003 The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is issuing final revisions to Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations. The purpose of these revisions is to (1) increase the threshold for audit from $500,000 to $500,000, (2) increase the threshold for cognizant agency for audit from $25 million to $50 million, and (3) make related technical changes to facilitate the determination of cognizant agency for audit and provide for Federal agency reassignment of oversight agency for audit.
Records
In accordance with 22 CFR Part 226.53, grantees are to maintain accounting records for a minimum of 3 years after the end of the date of submission of the final expenditure report. If any litigation, claim, negotiation, audit or other action involving the records has been started before the expiration of the 3-year period, the records shall be retained until completion of the action and resolution of all issues which arise from it, or until the end of the regular 3-year period, whichever is later.
Program Accomplishments
None. This is a new program.
Financial Information
Account Identification
72-1021-0-1-151.
Obligations
FY 01 $16,951,462; FY 03 $17,101,612; and FY 04 est $19,283,119.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Range from $15 million to $20 million per year with an average of approximately $17 million.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
Grant administration policies are in 22 CFR 226, and may be found at http://www.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/index.html. Internal USAID policy directives, including standard formats, may be found in Automated Directive Systems (ADS) Chapter 303. The ADS is available on the USAID website at http://www.usaid.gov/pubs/ads/. Other information regarding USAID's program may be found at www.usaid.gov.
Related Programs
None.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
Not applicable.
Headquarters Office
Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad, Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
African Medical & Research School (Kenya) Procure commodities to upgrade a training facility; Mulanje Mission Hospital (Malawi) Construct private healthcare ward, procure furniture, medical and computer equipment; Wilberforce Institute (South Africa) Construct, equip and furnish a multi-purpose community development center; Nancy Fulwood Hospital (Pakistan) procure medical diagnostic equipment, heart monitoring equipment and furniture; American Farm School (Greece) renovate existing dormitories; University of the Valley (Guatemala) construct telecommunications laboratory, renovate math and science laboratories, procure file servers, desktop computers and scanners.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
1. The applicant should be a nonprofit U.S. organization, which either founded or sponsors the institution for which assistance is sought. Preferably, the applicant should be tax-exempt under Section 501C(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. The applicant must demonstrate a continuing supportive relationship with the institution. Evidence of this would be the provision of financial and management support for the institution. 2. An instruction program must serve the secondary or higher level and must reflect American educational ideas and practices (education at the elementary school level will not be supported). A school offering a broad-based academic program must include instruction on the history, geography, political science, cultural institutions or economics of the United States. English should be used in instruction or taught as a second language. However, the foregoing subject matter and language requirements need not apply to a school offering a specialized course of study. 3. Institutions are expected to reflect favorably upon and to increase understanding of the United States. 4. A hospital center, in addition to being a treatment facility, must be involved in medical education and research. Programs for post graduate training of staff in the United States and programs for the exchange of personnel with American institutions will be regarded as evidence of ability to demonstrate American ideas and practices in medicine. 5. The faculty and staff of a school or a hospital center should include a significant number of U.S. citizens or other persons trained in U.S. institutions who are in residence and teaching at the school or hospital on either a full-time or part-time basis. 6. The majority of the users of any institution, e.g. students or patients, must be citi
