Bridge to Middle School Activity | 72060822RFA00001

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72060822RFA00001

The Bridge to Middle School Activity is a USAID/Morocco education funding opportunity designed to support implementation of a program focused on helping students successfully transition into and through the middle school level. USAID is requesting concept papers (not full proposals at the outset) from eligible applicants and expects to make a single cooperative agreement award to the applicant that best aligns with the opportunity objectives and performs strongest against the published merit review criteria, with the final decision also subject to a USAID risk assessment. Although USAID anticipates one award, it explicitly reserves the right to fund one, multiple, or none of the submissions depending on results and funding considerations, and the final authority to make an award rests with the USAID/Morocco Agreement Officer.

The anticipated total funding level is up to $25,000,000 over a five-year period, contingent on funds availability. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates that USAID expects substantial involvement during implementation (for example, through collaboration, technical direction, or shared planning), compared with a more hands-off grant structure. The program is categorized under Education, with CFDA number 98.001, and it is administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development, Morocco (USAID-Rabat). The opportunity was posted to Grants.gov under Funding Opportunity Number 72060822RFA00001, with an original closing date of November 15, 2021.

A central feature of this solicitation is its three-phase merit review process, which is designed to narrow the competition in stages and develop the final project design collaboratively. Phase 1 consists of submitting a written concept paper that USAID reviews and evaluates. Based on that initial review, USAID will identify an Apparently Successful Applicant (ASA). Only that ASA moves forward, while all other applicants are notified that they were not selected. Phase 2 is a co-creation step in which USAID convenes an event with the ASA and other stakeholders to jointly refine the approach. If that co-creation process is considered successful, the ASA is then invited to Phase 3, where it must submit a full application package, including a detailed cost application, for USAID to evaluate before making a final award decision. The solicitation notes that the detailed instructions for Phases 2 and 3 are not provided up front and will only be shared with the ASA after Phase 1 concludes.

The notice emphasizes several compliance and administrative requirements. Applicants must meet the eligibility standards in the NOFO (specifically referenced as Section C) and provide all required information in the format and manner described. The opportunity is hosted on Grants.gov and may be amended, so applicants are expected to monitor the posting to ensure they are using the most current version and have received the entire NOFO correctly. Applicants also need to be registered and compliant with unique entity identifier requirements and the System for Award Management (SAM), and USAID highlights that registration can take weeks, so organizations should start early. Questions must be submitted to the point(s) of contact listed in Section D by the stated question deadline; USAID will share responses to timely questions via an amendment on Grants.gov so all potential applicants receive the same information.

Finally, the notice includes standard federal disclaimers that are important for planning purposes. Posting the NOFO does not obligate the U.S. Government to make an award, and it does not commit the Government to reimburse any costs associated with preparing or submitting a concept paper or related materials. In practical terms, organizations considering applying should treat Phase 1 as a competitive gate and budget their bid and design effort accordingly, since only one applicant is expected to be invited into co-creation and ultimately into the full application stage.

• The Agency for International Development, Morocco USAID-Rabat in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bridge to Middle School 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 Oct 15, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 15, 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 $25,000,000.00 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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