Rapid Response Fund | RFA OFDA 17 000001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA OFDA 17 000001

The Rapid Response Fund (RRF) opportunity is a USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) cooperative agreement designed to keep a standing, ready-to-deploy humanitarian funding mechanism active for 24 months. The core idea is to maintain a program that can move quickly when new emergencies flare up, so that short-term, high-impact activities can be launched without long delays. Rather than implementing every activity directly, the prime recipient is expected to manage a sub-award system that channels support to international and local organizations capable of delivering rapid interventions as acute needs emerge during the two-year period.

A second major objective is capacity building for national South Sudanese NGOs. Beyond simply passing through funds, the award is structured to strengthen local humanitarian responders through hands-on technical assistance. This support is meant to cover programmatic quality (how projects are designed and delivered), administrative execution (how awards are managed day-to-day), and financial management (budgeting, documentation, compliance, and reporting). In practice, the program aims to help local NGOs improve their ability to receive and manage sub-awards responsibly while meeting donor expectations and operating effectively in emergency contexts.

Eligibility for this RFA is deliberately broad. There are no special restrictions, and applications may be submitted by U.S. or non-U.S. entities, including non-profits and for-profit organizations. Faith-based and community organizations are also eligible as long as they meet the RFA requirements. USAID/OFDA explicitly welcomes potential new implementing partners, including organizations that have not previously received USAID financial assistance, as part of its effort to broaden and sustain the partner base.

At the same time, the opportunity places strong emphasis on organizational accountability and compliance. Applicants are expected to already have solid financial management systems, monitoring and evaluation processes, internal controls, and written policies and procedures that align with U.S. Government standards, laws, and regulations. Because the award involves managing funds and issuing sub-awards in a fast-moving emergency setting, USAID signals that it will closely examine whether an applicant can manage risk and comply with award requirements.

To manage that risk, USAID may conduct a Pre-award Risk Assessment, especially for applicants with limited or no prior USAID experience, but it can be applied more broadly as determined by the Agreement Officer. This assessment is intended to evaluate whether the prospective recipient is a responsible entity with the organizational experience, accounting systems, operational controls, and technical capabilities (or a credible plan to obtain them) necessary to meet program objectives and comply with the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement. For non-U.S. organizations, USAID references specific pre-award survey guidance to help applicants understand what will be reviewed.

Key funding and administrative details from the notice include that this is a discretionary opportunity issued by the Agency for International Development under CFDA 98.001 (disaster prevention and relief), using a cooperative agreement as the instrument type. The funding opportunity number is RFA OFDA 17 000001. The award ceiling listed is $12,000,000. The original closing date shown is 2017-04-03, and the posting creation date is 2017-02-16. Overall, the grant is set up to combine rapid humanitarian financing with intentional support to strengthen local South Sudanese NGO capacity, while holding applicants to strong financial, compliance, and operational standards suitable for managing emergency sub-awards.

• The Agency for International Development in the disaster prevention and relief sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rapid Response Fund" 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 2017-02-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-04-03. (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 $12,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for RFA OFDA 17 000001

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