Improving Public Education Outcomes (IPEO) Program | 72026818RFA00004

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72026818RFA00004

The Improving Public Education Outcomes (IPEO) Program is a USAID funding opportunity, managed by USAID Lebanon (USAID-Beirut), to support an education-focused program intended to improve outcomes in public education. USAID is soliciting applications to implement the program through a cooperative agreement, which generally means USAID expects to have substantial involvement during implementation (for example, collaboration on technical direction, oversight, or coordination) rather than simply issuing a grant with minimal engagement. The opportunity is listed as an earmark and is categorized under the Education funding activity area, with CFDA number 98.001.

Funding is substantial, with an award ceiling of up to $90,000,000, and USAID anticipates making one award. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) emphasizes that selection will be competitive and based on the merit review criteria laid out in the NOFO, along with a required risk assessment. In practical terms, applicants are expected to demonstrate a strong technical approach that aligns with USAID's objectives for improving public education outcomes, and also show that they have the organizational capacity, management systems, and controls needed to responsibly manage a large cooperative agreement.

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning the competition is open to any type of qualified entity unless additional limitations are specified elsewhere in the NOFO (particularly in the section titled "Additional Information on Eligibility" and the formal eligibility standards in Section C). USAID makes clear that an application will only be considered eligible if it contains all required information and meets the standards stated in the NOFO, so applicants need to follow the instructions closely rather than relying on general grant-writing conventions.

The announcement instructs applicants to use Grants.gov as the official source for the NOFO and any updates, and it notes that amendments may be issued. Applicants are responsible for regularly checking Grants.gov to ensure they are working from the most current version and that the full NOFO was downloaded correctly, since USAID will not be responsible for transmission or conversion errors. For technical problems accessing the opportunity or registering on Grants.gov, the Grants.gov Helpdesk is the designated support channel (phone 1-800-518-4726 or email support@grants.gov).

A key administrative requirement is compliance with the Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) registration rules referenced in Section D.6.g. USAID warns that registrations can take many weeks, so applicants are strongly encouraged to start those steps early. This is positioned as a gating issue: USAID may not make an award to an applicant that has not satisfied these requirements.

Questions about the opportunity must be sent to the points of contact identified in Section D of the NOFO, and questions must be submitted by the deadline listed in the announcement. USAID will share answers to timely questions with all prospective applicants by issuing an amendment on Grants.gov, which is meant to keep the competition fair and ensure all applicants receive the same clarifications.

Finally, the NOFO includes standard federal disclaimers: posting the opportunity does not obligate the US Government to make an award and does not commit it to reimbursing any costs related to preparing or submitting an application. Applicants bear all proposal preparation costs and submit at their own risk. Key dates from the listing indicate the opportunity was created July 17, 2018, with an original closing date of September 17, 2018, under Funding Opportunity Number 72026818RFA00004.

• The Agency for International Development, Lebanon USAID-Beirut in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Improving Public Education Outcomes (IPEO) Program" 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 Jul 17, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 17, 2018. (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 $90,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for 72026818RFA00004

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