On the recordJuly 28, 2021
The United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) was formed to help small and local nonprofit organizations partner with the agency on humanitarian work, and was inspired in part by requests from Congress for USAID to cooperate more closely with these organizations. The program was founded on the principle that greater diversity and competition among the USAID partner base would lead to better and more effective development work. Since its creation, NPI has helped USAID expand its collaboration with local nonprofits to undertake critical work overseas, but this vital program needs a clearly defined foundation in statute and long- term authorization of funding to sustain its progress well beyond 2021. Today, I am pleased to introduce the New Partnerships Initiative Authorization Act with Senator Rubio. This legislation would cement USAID's commitment to diversifying its nonprofit partner base by authorizing the program and necessary funding through Fiscal Year 2026. Additionally, the New Partnerships Initiative Authorization Act would improve outcomes at the NPI program by outlining in statute core elements of the program, and requiring the USAID Administrator to adhere to certain criteria regarding program management and nonprofit recruitment.…
