International development and humanitarian projects are often specialized and complex. Even the most diverse prime organizations, or “primes,” can't do everything. That’s why primes work with subawardees and subcontractors, known as “subs''—to get access to unique skills, expertise, and local knowledge they may lack.

“If you want to know the end, look at the beginning.” This African proverb applies to the importance of setting up a solid framework for success at the beginning of a project.

An organizational capability statement can be a vital tool for business development, networking, and partnership formation among international development organizations. Especially if you are seeking subcontracts, you will want to have a polished capability statement on hand to share with potential prime partners (i.e., those directly receiving funding from USAID).

What does localization mean to local partners, and how can large prime organizations best support local organizations? That's what CARE wanted to know when they surveyed their partners about what could be done better.

The West Bank and Gaza Mission is providing tools to empower local partners to work with USAID as influential changemakers—while also listening to and learning from them to enhance development practices.

WorkwithUSAID.org offers tactics new partners can use to demonstrate past performance when competing for USAID awards.

Through a partner support activity, the Incubator identified these tips to help organizations manage social media accounts and successfully market innovative development solutions.

USAID's local partner, PASMO, shares information about their path to partnership, challenges they faced along the way, and tips for new local entities interested in pursuing USAID funding.

The cost proposal is a critical component of your application for any USAID funding opportunity. USAID needs to know how you would plan to spend the award funds to ensure that the cost approach is reasonable and realistic to achieve the desired development outcome. Creating a cost proposal might sound intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be!

Once USAID has released its solicitation, it’s time to put pen to paper—at least in a digital sense! The previous article in our series helped you prepare and put your proposal team and schedule in place to be ready for an expected opportunity. Once the solicitation has been issued, the writing begins—and the clock starts ticking! Solicitations are typically open for just 30–45 days, so it is important to plan ahead and be ready to start your response on Day 1 when the funding opportunity is issued.