The USAID/Lebanon Broad Agency Announcement for Initiative to Deliver Essential Assistance and Services (IDEAS) | 720268BAA2000001

Opportunity Information: Apply for 720268BAA2000001

The USAID/Lebanon Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for the Initiative to Deliver Essential Assistance and Services (IDEAS), Funding Opportunity Number 720268BAA2000001, was a USAID competitive solicitation designed to collect and evaluate innovative ideas for improving the delivery of essential services in Lebanon. Structured as a Broad Agency Announcement rather than a single, one-time deadline grant, IDEAS was set up as an open call over a defined period (March 18, 2020 through March 17, 2021) with multiple submission "Rounds" tied to specific Areas of Interest (AOIs). Applicants were asked to submit short concept-level submissions called Expressions of Interest (EOIs), which USAID would screen and potentially advance for further consideration using an internal review process (including mention of a Peer and Scientific Review Board, or PSRB, in the New Partnership Initiative materials).

The opportunity sat under USAID (Agency for International Development) and was categorized under discretionary funding using an "Other" funding instrument type, with an activity category centered on science, technology, and other research and development. Eligibility was listed as unrestricted for the main BAA, meaning a broad range of organizations could potentially submit, although specific addenda introduced additional eligibility constraints for certain tracks. The notice did not specify an award ceiling (listed as 0) or a defined number of expected awards, which is common in BAAs where the agency may make multiple awards depending on funding, merit, and program priorities.

IDEAS was organized into sequential rounds with distinct focus areas. Round 1 had a due date of April 24, 2020 (and is noted as closed in the posting). Later rounds included at least two clearly identified technical areas: Solid Waste Management (labeled as AOI 2) and Renewable Electricity Supply (labeled as AOI 3). Rounds 3 and 4 were originally planned with due dates of January 3, 2021 and March 17, 2021 respectively, with the Areas of Interest for those later rounds described as "TBD" (to be determined), signaling USAID intended to define future challenge topics as the BAA progressed.

A significant feature of the IDEAS BAA was the series of amendments that adjusted timelines and clarified instructions, which is typical for rolling, multi-round solicitations. Amendment No. 3 extended the Round 2 EOI deadline from October 1, 2020 at 1700 EST to December 1, 2020 at 1700 EST, and explicitly allowed applicants who had already submitted EOIs under the renewable energy-related area to revise and resubmit by the new deadline, while clarifying that resubmission was optional if they did not wish to revise. Amendment No. 4 extended the Round 2 deadline again, from December 1, 2020 to January 11, 2021 at 1700 EST, with the same practical guidance: submissions needed to follow the BAA instructions to remain eligible, prior submitters could revise and resubmit if they chose, and those satisfied with earlier submissions did not need to resubmit.

Alongside the main BAA, USAID issued a New Partnership Initiative (NPI) Addendum (Addendum #01) on May 15, 2020, focused on "game changing solutions" to advance USAID's New Partnerships Initiative in Lebanon. This NPI track operated with its own question deadline (May 30, 2020 at 1700 Beirut time) and EOI submission deadline (June 30, 2020 at 1700 Beirut time), later extended. Importantly, the NPI Addendum was not open to everyone; it was restricted to organizations fitting NPI partnership approaches, with emphasis on "local" partners as defined by USAID. The definition highlighted that a local entity must be legally organized in the assisted country, have its principal place of business/operations there, be majority owned by citizens or lawful permanent residents of that country, and be governed/managed by a majority of such citizens or lawful permanent residents. This signaled USAID's intent to attract locally led solutions and expand the pipeline of local implementers.

The NPI Addendum also went through clarifying amendments. Amendment No. 1 (June 4, 2020) made several technical but important edits: it corrected a section title (changing "AREAS OF INTEREST" to "AREA OF INTEREST"), revised language to encourage applicants to consult the EOI review criteria and to clearly address the listed challenge area, and clarified that applicants could submit more than one EOI. It also inserted the PSRB acronym into the review description, corrected an attachment reference for the Eligibility Certification Form, and provided a compiled list of Q&As to help applicants interpret the addendum requirements. Amendment No. 2 (July 1, 2020) extended the NPI EOI deadline from June 30 to July 6, 2020 at 1700 Beirut time, and similarly allowed those who submitted by the earlier deadline to revise and resubmit by the extended date.

The most consequential update came with Amendment No. 5, which effectively narrowed the opportunity due to funding constraints. USAID/Lebanon announced that, because funding was not available at that time, it was cancelling Rounds 3 and 4 of the BAA. The amendment left open a possibility that if additional funding became available before the BAA end date (March 17, 2021), USAID could amend the BAA again to announce a new round and provide details, but applicants were instructed to monitor beta.gov and grants.gov for any updates. Aside from the cancellation of the later rounds and the earlier deadline extensions, the notice emphasized that all other terms and conditions remained unchanged, meaning the underlying submission rules, evaluation approach, and administrative requirements continued to govern any active round still being considered.

In practical terms, IDEAS functioned as a rolling innovation pipeline for Lebanon-focused essential services challenges, using EOIs as an initial filter and periodically refining deadlines and guidance through amendments. Over time, the main operational changes reflected in the public notice were (1) multiple extensions to the Round 2 submission deadline, (2) a parallel NPI pathway targeted at qualifying local or new partner organizations with its own deadline extensions and clarifications, and (3) the cancellation of the planned later rounds because funding was not available, with a conditional note that future rounds might be reintroduced if funds emerged before the final closing date.

• The Agency for International Development in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The USAID/Lebanon Broad Agency Announcement for Initiative to Deliver Essential Assistance and Services (IDEAS)" 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 2020-03-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-03-17. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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