Basic Education Recovery Activity | 72051723RFA00004

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72051723RFA00004

The Basic Education Recovery Activity is a five-year USAID cooperative agreement opportunity managed by USAID-Santo Domingo (Agency for International Development, Dominican Republic). It is a discretionary funding opportunity with a total funding availability and award ceiling of $24,000,000, and USAID anticipates making one award. The program is designed to support the Dominican Republics Ministry of Education (MINERD) in meeting goals set out in the ISP by improving the quality of early-grade primary education, with a strong emphasis on addressing persistent learning gaps that existed before and were made worse by COVID-19-related school closures.

At its core, the activity targets the early years of schooling, specifically pre-first through third grade, because these grades are foundational for long-term academic success. The intent is not only to raise overall learning outcomes, but also to reduce inequities in performance among students, particularly those who are most vulnerable to falling behind. The program is framed as a recovery effort, meaning it prioritizes practical interventions that can accelerate learning and rebuild key skills that may have been disrupted during periods of interrupted schooling.

The activity is organized around four main objectives. First, it aims to improve literacy instruction in pre-first and the early primary grades by strengthening how reading is taught and learned in the classroom. This objective typically implies better instructional methods, stronger alignment with early literacy development, and classroom-level supports that help teachers deliver effective reading instruction consistently. Second, it includes targeted remedial reading interventions for students in grades one through three who are most at risk of academic failure. This component focuses on identifying struggling readers and providing additional, structured support to help them catch up before gaps widen and become harder to remediate in later grades.

Third, the activity incorporates social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions for all students in pre-first through third grade. This reflects the understanding that early learning outcomes are closely linked to childrens well-being, ability to regulate emotions, classroom behavior, and relationships with peers and teachers. By embedding SEL broadly across these grades, the activity seeks to improve classroom climate and help children develop skills that support learning readiness and resilience, which became even more critical after the disruptions and stressors associated with the pandemic period.

Fourth, the activity emphasizes strengthening system-level inputs and processes to sustain improved reading and SEL outcomes for all children. This objective points beyond direct classroom interventions and toward the education system mechanisms that make improvements last, such as coordination with MINERD, strengthening implementation processes, improving the way programs are supported and monitored, and ensuring the conditions are in place for quality instruction and student support at scale. In practical terms, this system-strengthening focus is meant to make gains durable and replicable rather than limited to short-term pilots.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number 72051723RFA00004 and is associated with CFDA number 98.001. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any type of entity, although applicants are expected to review any additional eligibility details in the full announcement. The opportunity was created on July 21, 2023, with an original closing date of September 6, 2023. Overall, this grant opportunity concentrates on early-grade literacy recovery, targeted support for the most at-risk readers, universal early-grade SEL, and the system-level improvements needed to sustain better outcomes in reading and student well-being nationwide.

• The Agency for International Development, Dominican Republic USAID-Santo Domingo in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Basic Education Recovery 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 Jul 21, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 06, 2023. (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 $24,000,000.00 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.

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