HANOI -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today met with 140 representatives of primarily Vietnamese nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Hanoi to expand partnerships through a new grant program.

The meeting brought together local NGOs interested in directly partnering with USAID through USAID’s Development Grants Program (DGP), which fosters sustainable grassroots development by supporting development initiatives driven by local organizations.

The program is part of USAID’s effort to provide more opportunities for organizations of different sizes to partner <http://www.usaid.gov/partnerships/> with USAID, whether through traditional grants, private sector alliances, or innovative science partnerships. USAID will hold a similar meeting with many NGOs in Ho Chi Minh City next week.

“We are thrilled to see this high level of interest among local NGOs in working directly with USAID to promote development in Vietnam through their own innovative projects,” said USAID Mission Director Joakim Parker. “We look forward to engaging with these groups in the coming weeks as we select the best ideas for possible funding.”

USAID will select applications from Vietnam and award grants to new partner organizations in as many as five areas: sustainable economic development of Ha Long Bay; climate change adaptation and youth; land tenure and property rights awareness, with an emphasis on gender; local capacity in support of women farmers; and services for persons with disabilities.

The closing date for concept papers is August 15, 2013. Read more about the specific program opportunities in Vietnam <http://vietnam.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/dgp_vietnam_instructions.pdf [88kb]>

For more comprehensive information and application requirements for this opportunity to support local non-governmental organizations and their development initiatives, visit:

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=TYGQRpBhbHhqdlWCmbqYPnVnn3h28L7fJn0CJvXD02LsLPyrTKmS!1051734549?oppId=237329&mode=VIEW