Volunteers for International Security and Prosperity (VISP) | APS OAA 17 000001

Opportunity Information: Apply for APS OAA 17 000001

Volunteers for International Security and Prosperity (VISP) is an Annual Program Statement (APS) run by USAID through the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI), Office of Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships (LFT). Rather than functioning like a traditional grant competition with a single pot of money and a standard application package, VISP is designed as an on-ramp for organizations that can meaningfully integrate volunteers into development work aligned with USAID priorities. The program sits under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as amended) and is meant to help USAID increase development impact and stretch resources by tapping into volunteer networks, skills, and community relationships.

At its core, VISP is a mechanism USAID Missions, Bureaus, and Independent Offices (collectively called Operating Units, or OUs) can use to access volunteer support across virtually any sector. USAID frames volunteerism as a practical way to bring in non-traditional partners, introduce new ideas and solutions, strengthen peer-to-peer learning, build community ownership, advance diplomacy, and leverage additional resources beyond USAID funding. The emphasis is not simply on adding volunteers as extra labor, but on designing context-appropriate activities where volunteers are central to how results are achieved and sustained.

VISP is organized around four broad aims: expanding the number of volunteer-sponsoring organizations that collaborate with USAID, increasing the number of development sectors that effectively use volunteers, improving the quality and effectiveness of volunteer-provided services that support USAID objectives, and building stronger understanding within USAID of how volunteerism can advance Agency goals. In practice, this means USAID is looking for well-thought-out concepts where volunteer roles, supervision, training, safeguards, and integration with local systems are credible and tied directly to measurable development outcomes.

A key point is that VISP is not a Request for Applications (RFA) or a Request for Proposals (RFP). Instead, USAID is inviting concept papers. Organizations submit concept papers that propose activities incorporating volunteers in ways that support the development objectives of a specific USAID Operating Unit. USAID expects proposals to align with the OU strategy that governs its work, such as a Mission’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS), a Bureau’s Regional Development Cooperation Strategy, or an Independent Office strategy. After reviewing a concept paper, the relevant USAID OU may decide to co-create an activity (or set of activities) with the applicant, and only then invite a full application.

Funding under VISP is not pre-set or centrally reserved. The APS itself is not backed by dedicated funds, and there is no guaranteed award amount listed (the opportunity data shows no award ceiling and does not specify expected awards). If an activity moves forward, the actual funding would be requested and provided by the specific USAID Mission, Bureau, or Independent Office that chooses to partner on the concept. Because of that structure, VISP functions more like a standing doorway into collaboration: it allows USAID OUs to identify promising volunteer-based approaches and, when priorities and resources align, develop them into fundable activities.

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide variety of applicants can participate, especially non-governmental organizations and voluntary service organizations capable of sponsoring and managing volunteers. The opportunity is cataloged under Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA) 98.001, with the funding opportunity number APS OAA 17 000001. The original closing date in the posted record is 2022-08-29 (with a creation date of 2017-08-30), and USAID explicitly notes it can choose to fund any, all, or none of the submissions received.

In summary, VISP is best understood as a flexible USAID partnership vehicle focused on volunteer-driven development. It invites organizations to propose targeted, strategy-aligned concepts where volunteers are a deliberate part of the solution, then relies on individual USAID Operating Units to decide whether to co-design and finance those ideas based on their priorities and available resources.

• The Agency for International Development in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Volunteers for International Security and Prosperity (VISP)" 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 2017-08-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-08-29. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for APS OAA 17 000001

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