USAID’s Women’s Economic and Social Empowerment (“Transform”) | 72039119RFA00001

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72039119RFA00001

USAID's Women's Economic and Social Empowerment activity, known as "Transform," is a competitive grant opportunity issued by USAID/Pakistan (USAID-Islamabad) focused on narrowing the gender gap between Pakistani men and women in both economic and social spheres. The central aim is to expand women's access to opportunities that translate into higher and more sustainable incomes, stronger participation in community and public life, and improved safety and dignity. The activity is designed not only to support individual women, but also to shift the wider environment around them so that women's political, social, and economic empowerment is more broadly accepted and practically supported.

Geographically, the project is intended to operate primarily in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a particular emphasis on the Newly Merged Districts (NMD/KP), formerly known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The opportunity also allows for work in other USAID-designated priority areas as needed. This regional focus reflects the reality that women in these settings often face layered barriers, including limited mobility, fewer market connections, restricted access to resources and services, and higher exposure to social exclusion and gender-based violence. By concentrating efforts in these areas, Transform is positioned as a targeted intervention where the potential impact on entrenched gender disparities is especially significant.

Programmatically, Transform seeks outcomes that are measurable and results-based. The stated priorities include helping women earn higher incomes, reducing inequality in economic and social participation, and reducing gender-based violence. Taken together, these goals suggest an integrated approach that can combine livelihood and market-oriented support with efforts to address the social constraints that limit women's agency. The opportunity description also highlights the end state USAID is aiming for: a more supportive environment for women's empowerment across political, social, and economic domains. That language signals that USAID is not only interested in direct service delivery, but also in strategies that influence norms, institutions, and systems that shape whether gains for women can be sustained.

In terms of applicants and partnerships, the opportunity is broadly open ("unrestricted"), meaning it is available to a wide range of entity types, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may appear in the full solicitation. USAID explicitly encourages proposals that bring "cost-effective and creative solutions" and welcomes engagement from both local and international development partners as well as the private sector. This emphasis implies a preference for approaches that are practical, scalable, and capable of leveraging market systems or business partnerships, rather than relying solely on traditional grant-funded programming. It also points to a likely interest in models that can demonstrate value for money and clear, trackable results.

The award is structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates a more hands-on relationship between the funder and the implementer than a standard grant, with substantial involvement by USAID during implementation. The funding opportunity number is 72039119RFA00001, and it falls under CFDA 98.001. USAID anticipated making one award, with an award ceiling of $19,800,000, making this a relatively large, single-partner activity intended to deliver significant, coordinated impact. The opportunity was originally posted on April 16, 2019, with an original closing date of May 27, 2019.

Overall, Transform can be summarized as a large-scale USAID/Pakistan initiative aimed at reducing gender disparities by improving women's economic outcomes, increasing their social and civic participation, and addressing gender-based violence, with a strong focus on KP and the Newly Merged Districts. It seeks implementers that can combine development expertise with innovation and cost-effectiveness, potentially including private-sector collaboration, to produce measurable improvements and contribute to a broader enabling environment for women's empowerment.

• The Agency for International Development, Pakistan USAID-Islamabad in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "USAID’s Women’s Economic and Social Empowerment (“Transform”)" 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 Apr 16, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 27, 2019. (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 $19,800,000.00 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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