MCC’s Partnership Annual Program Statement (APS) is the agency’s primary mechanism by which we co-create, co-fund, and co-implement partnerships that support MCC’s ability to design programs, utilize new approaches for due diligence, and monitor and evaluate programs. Partnerships through the APS result in Cooperative Agreements with cost-sharing by partners, which may be individual organizations or a combination of organizations teaming together.
| Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCC issues opportunity statement | Applicant submits concept note | MCC reviews concept note | Invited applicant engages in co-creation with MCC | Invited applicant submits full application | MCC reviews full application | Selected applicant and MCC partner |
Current Opportunities
The current APS announcement period is March 26, 2019 to March 31, 2025. Partnership opportunity statements are added periodically. MCC is currently seeking prospective partners for the following partnership opportunity:
Nature-based Solutions Manual of Practice Partnership
This partnership aims to enhance infrastructure resilience and sustainability by integrating engineered and natural solutions, with a focus on nature-based solutions (NbS) in developing countries. The main objective is to create a comprehensive manual of practice (MoP) for NbS in civil engineering, fostering standardized, science-based approaches. Current challenges include the lack of standardized metrics and the difficulty in integrating NbS into diverse environmental contexts. Through collaboration with strategic partners, the initiative seeks to promote widespread adoption of NbS, offering decision-making frameworks, educational resources, and improved business processes. This effort aims to enhance infrastructure resilience, environmental sustainability, and cost-effectiveness while facilitating knowledge sharing and capacity building among stakeholders.
Potential scope
The partnership will be funded by MCC up to $250,000 per year up to three years, with partner(s) contributing 25% cost share through expertise, authorship, and committee co-chairing in developing the MoP for NbS in civil engineering. The work will include:
- Comprehensive Manual: Develop a MoP consolidating science-based methodologies and best practices for integrating NbS into civil engineering projects.
- Technical Guidance: Provide expertise in performance-driven engineering methods, risk analysis, and sustainability metrics to create standardized approaches embedded in the MoP.
- Capacity Building: Facilitate knowledge sharing among stakeholders through digital dissemination and publishing, aiming to enhance awareness and adoption of NbS.
- Real-world Case Studies: Incorporate practical examples from MCC programs, including those in Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Zambia, to illustrate successful NbS implementation.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Engage engineers, policymakers, and practitioners to ensure the manual's relevance and advocate for NbS adoption through global networks and digital platforms.
Concept Paper Due Date: March 22, 2024, 12:00 pm ET
Estimated Federal Budget: $250,000 USD per year up to three years
To learn more about this partnership opportunity and how to submit a concept paper or submit questions, please see the detailed Partnership Opportunity Statement on grants.gov (see Full Announcement - APS NOFO No. 95332419N0001 v14).
Additional partnership opportunities may be added over the course of the APS announcement period.
To learn more about the APS, please see the Partnerships with MCC Program APS on grants.gov, the definitive source for information and guidance related to opportunities and how to apply. Please send any questions or general correspondence about the APS to MCC by email.
Learn more about previous APS opportunity statements, applicants and awardees.
Example Partnerships
MCC and Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) are partnering to increase rural communities’ access to infrastructure and education through the construction of last-mile trail bridges. The MCC-B2P partnership will complement compact investments in rural communities in the San Pedro and Gbêkê regions of Côte d’Ivoire, where many MCC-supported secondary schools are difficult to access by students, especially during the rainy season.
MCC is partnering with NASA (satellite technology), RTI International (drone technology), and Mathematica (independent evaluator) to use high-resolution drone imagery to identify crops, whose locations are then used to train satellite models. Together with crop yield data, this enables models to predict and test accuracy of crop identification and agricultural yield in other locations. NASA will then work to develop approaches and tools to use satellite data to continuously monitor and evaluate the impacts of irrigation infrastructure and land restoration investments on pastureland quality, crop density, and yield. Ultimately, these innovative approaches and tools will be added to Mathematica’s data collection and analysis toolkit for delivering detailed results and learning about MCC’s Irrigation and Market Access Project in Niger.