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CCSG Mechanisms> leader with associate awards
Global Civil Society Strengthening Program

The AED Global Civil Society Strengthening (GCSS) mechanism, funded by USAID, provides a variety of services including program design, implementation, assessments and evaluations, and management of grants to USAID Missions, USAID/Washington and the State Department.

GCSS promotes seven objectives:

  • Establish Legal Frameworks to Protect and Promote Civil Society.

  • Increase Citizen Participation in Policy Processes and Oversight of Public Institutions.

  • Increase Institutional and Financial Viability of Civil Society Organizations.

  • Enhance Free Flow of Information.

  • Strengthen Democratic Culture and Gender Equity.

  • Support Anti-Sweatshop Initiatives.

  • Support Conflict Prevention and Resolution.
GCSS provides expertise in the following areas:

  • Strategic Planning
    to strengthen the nonprofit sector at the grassroots and the national levels.


  • Analysis
    for assessments, program design, and monitoring and evaluation.


  • Training
    in advocacy, fund raising, volunteer recruitment, project and financial management.


  • Institutional Strengthening
    to build capacity for nongovernmental organizations and networks.


  • Grant Management
    focused on results-based performance.


  • Rapid Response Capacity
    and ability to link rapid response to longer-term democracy promotion in conflict and post-conflict settings.


  • Conflict Resolution and Prevention
    through training, civic education, dialogue and media programming.
The Global Civil Society Strengthening Cooperative Agreement was created to enable USAID and the State Department to quickly implement short- and long-term civil society strengthening activities. Two types of awards – Leader and Associate – are available without
further competition.

Leader Awards

For short-term tasks, Leader Awards allow accelerated access to “working capital” already provided by USAID’s Global Bureau’s Center for Democracy and Governance (G/DG Center). USAID operating units and the State Department may access these revolving funds with the provision for transferring payment at a later date. Examples of tasks include NGO sector assessments, activity design, training, technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation, seminars and workshops.

Step 1. Contact the Cognizant Technical Officer to review the proposed activity and confirm accordance with the project’s objectives.

Step 2. Contact the AED Center for Civil Society and Governance regarding the proposed activity.

Associate Awards

For both short- and long-term activities, Associate Awards may be negotiated by USAID Missions or USAID/Washington and AED. GCSS awards may also be negotiated by the State Department. Each award has a separate activity description, budget and reporting requirements. Examples include implementation of an NGO capacity building program, a media strengthening activity, a civic education program, a series of anti-corruption activities or an exchange program for women. These awards may extend up to five years beyond the end date of the leader agreement.

Step 1. Notify your local Office of Procurement to confirm its participation.

Step 2. Contact the Cognizant Technical Officer and request concurrence to the issuance of additional cooperative agreements or grants under the leader award.

Step 3. Send the program description with a request for an implementation approach to AED’s Center for Civil Society and Governance.

Step 4. Your Agreement Officer will negotiate the cooperative agreement or grant directly with AED.

For more information, contact:

Michael Kott
Vice President and Director
AED Center for Civil Society
and Governance
1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Tel: 202.884.8241
Fax: 202.884.8442
E-mail: mkott@aed.org

Chanya Charles
Deputy Director
AED Center for Civil Society
and Governance
1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Tel: 202.884.8814
Fax: 202.884.8442
E-mail: ccharles@aed.org
Maria Barrón
Cognizant Technical Officer
Center for Democracy and
Governance
USAID/Washington
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20523
Tel: 202.712.0399
E-mail: mbarron@usaid.gov

The Partners

The AED Global Civil Society Strengthening Partnership is composed of ten of the foremost organizations involved in the work of building civil society around the world today. Each partner offers expertise in one of the seven core areas of civil society building: Strategic Planning, Analysis, Training, Institutional Strengthening, Grant Management, Rapid Response Capacity, and Conflict Resolution and Prevention.

AED is a private, nonprofit service organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with more than 1,900 employees working in over 150 countries and 45 years of experience in development assistance. The AED Center for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) promotes civil society development worldwide. CCSG manages and provides technical direction for the program.

Academy for Educational Development (AED)
www.aed.org

International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)
www.icnl.org

International Foundation For Election Systems (IFES)
www.ifes.org

International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF)
www.laborrights.org

International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX)
www.irex.org

Johns Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies (JHU-CCSS)
www.jhu.edu/~ccss

Kettering Foundation
www.kettering.org

Management SystemsInternational (MSI)
www.msiworldwide.com

Mercy Corps
www.mercycorps.org

Search for Common Ground (SFCG)
www.sfcg.org



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