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 open until March 31, 2027. Partnership opportunity statements are added periodically. MCC is currently seeking prospective partners for the following partnership opportunities:
MCC Urbanization and Growth Constraints Partnership
MCC seeks to partner with organizations that share our goal of achieving poverty reduction through economic growth. MCC’s Partnership Annual Program Statement (APS) is the agency’s primary mechanism to co-create, co-fund, and co-implement partnerships that support MCC’s ability to achieve our mission and programmatic goals. MCC seeks concept papers that bring new ideas, technologies, or practices to partner with us in addressing specific challenges or opportunities as outlined in the APS. MCC invites organizations to submit concept papers for this new partnership opportunity by February 19, 2025.
Primary Goal
This partnership seeks to enhance the capacity of development agencies to analyze and address constraints to economic growth in urban and subnational settings in low- and middle-income countries. Using MCC’s established growth diagnostics framework, the project will explore urbanization’s role in economic development, focusing on whether unproductive urban growth acts as a constraint and identifying solutions to foster productive, growth-enhancing cities.
Context
Urbanization in developing countries is accelerating, particularly in Africa, where urban populations are expected to triple by 2050. While urban areas can drive economic growth through agglomeration benefits and productivity gains, many cities in these regions fail to deliver expected outcomes, remaining "consumption cities" rather than "production cities." This gap necessitates tools and data to assess urbanization’s impact on growth and identify key constraints.
Opportunity
MCC seeks partners to refine its diagnostic framework by integrating urban-focused methodologies. The collaboration will:
- Develop analytical approaches aligned with MCC’s growth diagnostic framework to evaluate urbanization-related constraints.
- Collect and compile city-level data in two or three selected MCC partner countries.
- Create economic dashboards for urban analysis to support diagnostics and future evaluations.
- Publish findings and tools to benefit global development practitioners.
Benefits of Partnership
MCC brings two decades of expertise in targeted investments and growth diagnostics. By collaborating, partners will contribute to a global public good, producing scalable tools and data that enhance understanding of urbanization’s role in economic growth. Findings will be shared widely, influencing policy and improving urban development strategies.
Funding & Cost Share
MCC will provide up to $200,000 over two years. Non-profit partners must contribute at least 25% ($50,000) in cost-share, while for-profit partners are expected to match funds 1:1. Collaborative efforts may involve organizations specializing in data and analytics.
Concept Paper Due Date: February 19, 2025 at 12:00pm ET
Estimated Federal Budget: $200,000 USD over two years
Pre-Application Teleconference: January 17, 2025 from 2:00pm-3:30pm Eastern Time
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 (look for the December 13 update, “Full Announcement - Amendment 17 Conformed Copy” under “Related Documents”).
Partner with MCC to Advance Trade Facilitation in Tanzania
MCC seeks to partner with organizations that share our goal of achieving poverty reduction through economic growth. MCC’s Partnership Annual Program Statement (APS) is the agency’s primary mechanism to co-create, co-fund, and co-implement partnerships that support MCC’s ability to achieve our mission and programmatic goals. MCC seeks concept papers that bring new ideas, technologies, or practices to partner with us in addressing specific challenges or opportunities as outlined in the APS. MCC invites organizations to submit concept papers for this new partnership opportunity by February 3, 2025.
Overview
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Government of Tanzania (GoT) are collaborating to design a 4-year Trade Facilitation Project under the MCC Threshold Program. The initiative aims to address the high cost of international trade in Tanzania, a critical barrier to economic growth and poverty reduction. The project seeks a partner to co-create and implement interventions that target key challenges: inefficient trade facilitation, persistent non-tariff barriers (NTBs), and weak trade governance institutions.Primary Goal
The partnership will work to lower trade costs, improve policy coherence, and enhance trade facilitation mechanisms. This includes digitizing regulatory processes, improving standards for agricultural exports, strengthening inter-governmental coordination, and increasing public-private dialogue. Special attention will also be given to engaging women, youth, and underrepresented groups in trade policy development.Scope of Activities
- Strengthening Inter-Governmental Coordination: Support action plans for the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) and the National Monitoring Committee for Non-Tariff Barriers (NMC-NTBs).
- Digitizing Regulatory Approvals: Assist the Tanzania Revenue Authority in streamlining certificates, licenses, and permits processes to create a unified electronic single window system.
- Improving Conformity Assessments: Enhance capacities of the Tanzania and Zanzibar Bureaus of Standards to meet international market requirements.
- Strengthening Public-Private Dialogue: Empower business and civil society organizations to influence trade policies.
- Increasing Inclusion: Amplify the voices of women and youth in trade policy discussions.
- Implementing Trade Agreements: Build a national trade negotiation team to ensure compliance with international agreements.
Why Partner?
This is a unique opportunity to collaborate with MCC, leveraging its two decades of development experience to achieve transformative impacts in Tanzania. By reducing trade barriers, the project can significantly boost exports, income, and GDP growth. Tanzania’s new trade policy and openness to private sector-led growth create a conducive environment for impactful reforms.Ideal Partner Profile & Cost Share
The ideal partner will have a proven track record of reducing trade barriers in Tanzania, strong connections with key stakeholders, and the ability to sustain the project’s impacts beyond MCC’s involvement. Partners must also contribute a minimum leverage of 20% of MCC’s funding, aligning with project goals and ensuring sustainability.Concept Paper Due Date: February 3, 2025 at 12:00pm ET Estimated Federal Budget: Approximately $16,000,000 USD over four years Pre-Application Teleconference: January 8, 2025 at 2:00pm-3:30pm Eastern Time.
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 (look for the December 13 update, “Full Announcement - Amendment 17 Conformed Copy” under “Related Documents”).
Learn More About the APS
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.