LGHS Staff Resources

Resources for LGHS Staff

Localization

USAID has learned that local leadership is critical for greater program equity, effectiveness, and sustainability. The agency has adopted a set of internal reforms, actions, and behavior changes which put local actors in the lead of programs, strengthen local systems, and be responsive to local communities. This localization agenda intends to enable local actors to set their own agendas, develop solutions, and exercise leadership and resources to make those solutions a reality.  

 Four reform areas have a direct influence on the work of LGHS.  They are:

1. Adapting policies and programs that foster locally led development that is tied to each country’s unique political, social, cultural, economic, and environmental conditions, and include  local systems practice and local capacity strengthening;
2. Shifting power to local actors, embracing an inclusive development lens, those from marginalized and underrepresented groups with an inclusive development lens, thus promoting space for them to lead priority setting, activity design and implementation, and measurement and evaluation of results;
3. Channeling larger portions of funding directly to local partners while ensuring accountability for appropriate use of funds and achievement of development and humanitarian results; and,
4. Serving as a global advocate and thought leader to catalyze a broader shift toward locally led development.

Key USAID policy documents

• USAIDs_Localization_Vision (5 pgs):  Describes the reason and way forward for the new direction, including a measurement approach.  
• Locally Led Programs Indicator (? Pgs):  One of the key reforms is ensuring that USAID programs are ‘locally led’.  USAID has established a global indicator to measure how many of its programs meet this vision.  This document outlines the 14 practices that encompass local leadership. 
• What_is_locally_led_development? (2 pgs):  Introduces USAID’s spectrum of ‘locally led development’.  Additional tools  include the Locally Led Development Spectrum and Checklist Tool and the checklist facilitation_guide. 
• Advancing Equitable Partnerships: Subawards (8 pgs) – Guidance from USAID on ensuring Locally Led Development is incorporated into partner subawards.

 

Co-Creation

USAID has made co-creation an Agency-wide priority, aiming to increase the use of co-creation in all new awards by 5 percent.  Co-creation is a participatory approach that is less prescriptive and more collaborative to attract new partners and stimulate innovative solutions. The process brings together partners, potential implementers, and end-users to define a problem collaboratively, identify new and existing solutions, build consensus around action, and refine program and project plans.  

Co-creation is not a procurement mechanism but rather a collaborative design approach that can be used for both competitive and non-competitive activities.  It may result in procurement or be used outside of the procurement process altogether. 

 Key USAID policy documents

• Co-Creation Field Guide (18 pgs) – Describes what co-creation is (and isn’t), outlining a variety of options for how to use co-creation – from design and solicitation through award, administration, implementation, work planning, and closeout.

 

Measuring Performance vs Capacity

USAID is now distinguishing between performance (external results achieved through programming) and capacity (internal systems, structures, and skills that facilitate results), emphasizing that performance is the priority.  Two new global indicators have been incorporated into the LGHS MEL plan:

• CBLD-9: “Percent of USG assisted organizations with improved performance.” (outcome level)
• CBLD-11:  “Number of organizations pursuing their own performance improvement priorities with USG capacity strengthening support.” (output level)

Key USAID policy documents

• CBLD-9 Performance Indicator Reference Sheet (PIRS) 
• CBLD-9 Measurement Guide – an overview of common capacity assessment tools and their uses, high-level examples, and tips for measuring performance improvement
• A frequently asked questions (FAQs) document
• CBLD-9 Target Setting Guidance 
• A worksheet for implementing partners  to input CBLD-9 data  
• CBLD-11 Performance Indicator Reference Sheet (PIRS)

 

Capacity Strengthening

A significant piece of localization within USAID is their new vision for effective local capacity strengthening. Through this LCS Policy, USAID  commits to a unified, cohesive and systemic approach in which it collaborates with local partners to:

• Define their own vision of success; 
• Strengthen their ability to be effective and relevant actors in their local community and context;  
• Elevate local ownership in sustaining development results.

USAID has issued a new LCS policy to guide decisions about why and how to invest in the capacity of local partners to achieve inclusive and locally led development. The policy outlines 7 principles for effective local capacity strengthening programming and equitable partnerships:  

1. Start with the local system. 
2. Strengthen diverse capacities through diverse approaches. 
3. Plan for and measure performance improvement in collaboration with local partners. 
4. Align capacity strengthening with local priorities. 
5. Appreciate and build on existing capacities. 
6. Be mindful of and mitigate the unintended consequences of our support for local capacity strengthening. 
7. Practice mutuality with local partners.

Importantly, the policy clearly distinguishes between assessment tools that support organizational growth from those intended to assess compliance readiness.  The two interests, and the tools and processes related to each, should remain separate.  For LGHS, this refers to the grantee pre-award assessment (compliance and technical readiness), the Organizational Performance Index (OPI) performance assessment, and the Technical and Organizational Capacity Assessment (TOCA) currently under development by LGHS staff.  

Key USAID policy documents

• USAID Local Capacity Strengthening policy – Local Capacity Strengthening Policy (available in English, Arabic, Spanish, French, and Kiswahili)
• Global Health Bureau – Local Capacity Strengthening Policy
• Guide for Distinguishing Tools – offers guidance in selecting tools appropriate for performance measurement, capacity action planning, and risk mitigation.

Capacity and Performance Assessment Resources

1. Tools
   • USAID’s Revised 303sam Non-US Pre Award Survey (NUPAS) Guidelines – outlines the difference between risk management and capacity strengthening tools.
   • Pact Organizational Performance Index (OPI)  Adopted as LGHS’s measurement tool for LCBL-9.  
2. Online Courses (Aga Khan Foundation)
   • Organizational Capacity Assessment
   • Organizational Performance Measurement
3. Articles
   • Shifting the Power through Organisational Assessments : Reflections from the Ghanaian Civil Society Space – WACSI

 

Resources for LGHS Grantees

1. Local Engagement Assessment Framework (LEAF):  designed by Oxfam America, Save the Children, and the Overseas Development Institute as a tool for planning and assessing the level of local stakeholder engagement in development projects. This Practitioners’ Guide helps development professionals design, monitor, and evaluate projects to integrate strong local ownership principles.
2. USAID Local Capacity Strengthening (LCS) Policy:  USAID seeks a new vision for effective local capacity strengthening that builds upon a consensus across the development landscape, feedback from local actors and partners, and years of implementation experience and evidence. The policy guides USAID decisions on why and how to invest in the capacity of local partners to achieve inclusive and locally led development. USAID recognizes the central importance of partnerships which result in strengthened local communities—a longstanding practice across every sector, country and context in which the Agency works. Through this LCS Policy, USAID is committing to a unified, cohesive and systemic approach to collaboration with local partners to:

• • Define their own vision for success; 
  • Strengthen their ability to be effective and relevant actors within their local communities and contexts;  
  • Elevate local ownership in sustaining development results.

1. Policy Principles To Support Effective And Sustainable Local Leadership In Humanitarian Response And Development Assistance: Catholic Relief Service’s policy brief outlining six key policy principles to encourage, support and expand locally-led humanitarian and development efforts as a priority for the future of foreign assistance. 
2. WorkwithUSAID.gov: is a free resource hub to help organizations learn what USAID does and how they can partner with USAID to improve lives and livelihoods around the world. It includes resources to strengthen local organizations’ knowledge, networks, and opportunities to partner with USAID.
3. USAID Pre-Engagement Assessment: This self-assessment assists local organizations to learn if they are ready to work with USAID. The confidential questionnaire takes about 10 minutes and enables organizations to identify and address performance gaps. 
4. Prospective Offeror’s and Applicant’s Guide to the Non-US Pre-Award Survey (NUPAS): determines local organizations’ eligibility to partner with USAID. It assesses financial and managerial capacity, the most appropriate method of financing for a potential USAID award, and the degree of support and oversight necessary for proper accountability. This presentation describes the NUPAS process and the elements that will be assessed during the NUPAS. For more information about the NUPAS, refer to USAID’s NUPAS Guidelines.
5. FundsforNGOs – Website of grant opportunities and resources for NGO financial sustainability.
6. NGOConnect:  a platform that connects and strengthens civil society organizations (CSOs), networks, and support organizations worldwide. LGHS partners can access resources, tools, and a library which contains a collection of useful organizational capacity strengthening materials. 
7. Project Implementation Tips for USAID Partners: supports new partners, especially those who have little or no experience with USAID, manage activities effectively and follow all necessary compliance issues.   Eight topics are prioritized: governance, finance management, human resources, program management, compliance, monitoring and evaluation, external relations, and inclusive development. 
8. Aga Khan Foundation’s Learning Hub – free online courses on a variety of topics related to civil society strengthening.  Also Spark – Learn With Spark offers courses selected as most appropriate for the USAID context.  
9. Catholic Relief Services’ Institute for Capacity Strengthening:  a resource hub for local leadership, partnership & capacity strengthening.
10. NonprofitReady.org – free online courses for nonprofits
11. NetworkWeaver – Weaving System Shifting Networks
12. Humentum – online and in person trainings 
13. Pact Resource Library – source for manuals and toolkits for NGO effectiveness
14. FHI360 – NGO Connect resource portal
15. Intrac – Strengthening small organisations with Big Ambitions toolkits on Advocacy, Exiting and Transitioning from partnerships, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), Partner Capacity Strengthening (PCS), Strategic Planning.