Kumaliza Maphunziro a Sekondale “Completing Secondary Education” (The Kumaliza Project) | 72061224RFA00002

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72061224RFA00002

The Kumaliza Maphunziro a Sekondale "Completing Secondary Education" opportunity, commonly referred to as the Kumaliza Project, is a USAID/Malawi funding opportunity focused on improving secondary school completion through coordinated, community-level support. The project is designed to work across multiple sectors rather than treating education as a stand-alone issue. In practice, that means the awardee is expected to collaborate with service providers in areas like health, education, community development, and the private sector to identify what services already exist in each target community, determine where critical gaps remain, and then organize responses to close those gaps in ways that help students stay in school and finish secondary education.

A central feature of the opportunity is service mapping and referral coordination. The project will inventory available services and supports within communities, then use that information to build linkages and improve how young people access help that affects school persistence, such as health services, psychosocial supports, protection services, economic or livelihood-related assistance, and other community resources. By mapping what is available and where the system is weak, the program is positioned to target barriers that commonly push students out of school, including household economic stress, health challenges, gender-related risks, and limited access to supportive services.

USAID signals that Kumaliza is intended to integrate with broader cross-sectoral programming, including efforts related to gender equality and climate resilience. This suggests applicants should be prepared to align activities with existing or parallel initiatives and to design interventions that account for how climate shocks and environmental stressors can disrupt schooling through displacement, livelihood losses, or increased household burdens. The project is also expected to incorporate Positive Youth Development (PYD) principles, meaning activities should be youth-centered and strengths-based, promote youth agency and leadership, and intentionally build skills, supportive relationships, and enabling environments so that young people are not simply recipients of services but active partners in their own educational pathways.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this is a USAID cooperative agreement, which typically involves substantial USAID involvement during implementation compared to a standard grant. The opportunity is issued by USAID in Lilongwe, Malawi (AgencyName: Malawi USAID-Lilongwe) under Funding Opportunity Number 72061224RFA00002. The activity category is Education, listed under CFDA number 98.001. Eligibility is unrestricted, indicating the competition is open to a wide range of applicant types so long as they meet USAID requirements. USAID anticipates making one award, with an award ceiling of $12,000,000. The opportunity was created on 2024-09-12, and the original closing date for applications is 2024-10-22.

Overall, the Kumaliza Project can be read as a systems-oriented education completion initiative: it aims to improve secondary completion not only through school-focused interventions but by building functional connections among local service providers, addressing gaps that affect learners, and embedding gender responsiveness, climate resilience, and Positive Youth Development throughout implementation.

• The Malawi USAID-Lilongwe in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Kumaliza Maphunziro a Sekondale “Completing Secondary Education” (The Kumaliza Project)" 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 2024-09-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-22. (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 $12,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for 72061224RFA00002

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