USAID/South Sudan Integrated Youth Engagement Activity | IYEA

Opportunity Information: Apply for IYEA

The USAID/South Sudan Integrated Youth Engagement Activity (IYEA) notice is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the USAID Mission in South Sudan to gather ideas, recommendations, and market feedback for a potential future youth-focused program. It was posted on November 19, 2021, and responses were due by December 9, 2021, no later than 16:30 Juba local time. The purpose is to inform USAID design planning over an anticipated five-year period by collecting practical input on how to better address the needs of young people in South Sudan, with a strong emphasis on vulnerable and at-risk youth. USAID specifically highlights the importance of recognizing that youth are not a single, uniform group and that different youth profiles face different needs, risks, and challenges depending on location and context.

The RFI is grounded in USAID/South Sudan strategic priorities and refers respondents to the USAID/South Sudan Strategic Framework for the geographic locations and broader development context the activity would align with. In practical terms, USAID is looking for innovative, evidence-informed approaches that can work under South Sudan conditions, including conflict dynamics, limited services, protection risks, and unequal access to education and livelihoods. While the funding record lists the activity category as Education and includes a high-level reference to a grant instrument, the document itself makes clear that this specific posting is not asking for applications or bids. Instead, USAID is conducting market research under FAR 52.215-3, meaning submissions are treated strictly as informational and will not be evaluated as proposals or used to make an award decision.

USAID’s request has two main components. First, respondents are asked to provide feedback by answering questions contained in an Attachment 1 (not included in the text you provided, but referenced as the structured questionnaire for the RFI). Second, USAID wants to gauge the interest and capabilities of potential partners who could carry out work described in a Draft Design Concept Paper (Attachment 2), which suggests USAID had an early program concept and wanted external input to refine it. The overall intent is to shape a future solicitation, potentially an RFA, RFP, or NOFO, that could be released later on official U.S. government platforms such as beta.SAM.gov (noting the notice references fbo.gov, which has since been integrated into SAM) and Grants.gov.

Several important administrative conditions are emphasized throughout the notice. USAID states it does not intend to pay for information submitted in response to the RFI, and respondents must cover their own preparation and submission costs. Any submission that looks like a funding proposal will not be considered because the RFI is not a funding competition. USAID also notes it will not provide feedback, replies, or individualized responses to submissions, including questions embedded in responses. All submissions must be in English, and respondents are warned not to include proprietary or sensitive information. Materials submitted become USAID property and will not be returned, and USAID reserves the right to use the information for its own planning purposes.

From an eligibility and audience standpoint, the RFI is open broadly to all interested public and private entities, meaning NGOs, local organizations, private sector actors, academic institutions, and others with relevant youth programming experience could respond. The listing metadata associated with the opportunity includes an award ceiling of $30,000,000 and a CFDA number of 98.001, but because this posting is explicitly an RFI rather than a solicitation, those figures should be understood as indicative planning information rather than a guaranteed or currently available grant amount. The bottom line is that USAID was signaling strong interest in designing a major, integrated youth engagement activity in South Sudan, and used this RFI to collect field-informed ideas, test assumptions in its draft concept, and identify organizations with the capacity to implement a future activity once a formal funding opportunity is released.

• The South Sudan (USAID)-Juba in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "USAID/South Sudan Integrated Youth Engagement 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 2021-11-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-12-09. (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 $30,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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