Award Solidifies Counterpart's Reputation for Excellence in Civil Society Programming

In May 2009, Counterpart International (Counterpart) was granted a five-year Cooperative Agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Through this Leader with Associates (LWA) agreement, USAID has expressed its confidence in Counterpart to implement the "Global Civil Society Strengthening" (GCSS) program that simplifies designing and delivering civil society programs overseas.

A vibrant civil society, which is comprised of individuals, formal and informal organizations, plays an essential role in creating a resilient community that is responsive to people's needs. Counterpart works with civil society groups to ensure that they have the skills and expertise to effectively advocate on behalf of their constituents as well as serve as intermediaries between government and its citizens.

Funding mechanisms like the LWA agreement are used by USAID to more easily access the expertise of organizations like Counterpart, ensuring they will still receive the highest quality services. Ordinarily, organizations must undergo an intense screening process for each grant application. But after an especially rigorous evaluation of its work, USAID has "pre-approved" Counterpart and a group of partners to carry-out the GCSS program for the next five years. With this award, the process for implementing new civil society programs has been streamlined for Counterpart. This allows for the seamless and rapid transition from idea formation to project implementation, which means that people and communities can be efficiently served more.

Since its founding, Counterpart has worked to create vibrant and sustainable civil society around the world and has long been seen as a leader in civil society. The programs implemented through the LWA agreement will focus on enhancing civic participation and empowering independent media while enriching the design, implementation and evaluation of civil society programming worldwide—all keys to improving the lives of countless people.

"Counterpart International is tremendously proud to be the recipient of USAID's award. We believe that building the capacity of people and institutions is the single greatest way to achieve lasting development results," says Stephanie Meeks, Counterpart's president and CEO. "This award will allow us to extend our approach to sustainable development through civil society strengthening to more places and people around the world."

Counterpart, with the help of a team of well-regarded partners (called Associates), will work to provide technical assistance, research, services and support in any of the 100 countries where USAID currently administers aid. During the five-year partnership, Counterpart and its Associates have the opportunity to implement approximately $200 million in civil society, media and program learning and design activities globally. With the possibility of expanding its presence in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa, Counterpart now has a great opportunity to leverage nearly two decades of civil society experience in even more places around the world.

"This award is a wonderful opportunity for Counterpart and our associates to extend what we have learned from decades of experience in civil society and media strengthening into new cultures and geographies around the world," says Arlene Lear, Counterpart's senior vice president.

Over the last 15 years, Counterpart has implemented $171 million in civil society programming in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Burundi, Egypt, all five Central Asian Republics, Georgia, Iraq, Russia, Sudan, Ukraine and Vietnam. The organization's activities range from running a civic and voter education program in Afghanistan for the 2009 presidential and 2010 parliamentary elections, to improving engagement between municipal governments and their citizens in Azerbaijan, to fostering a national dialogue for policy reform in Kazakhstan and training citizens to use internet tools to communicate with local leaders in Armenia.

Each Associate in Counterpart's Consortium has been specially chosen to address specific programmatic areas. The Consortium includes the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative, Casals and Associates, Inc., development Training Services, Freedom House, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, the International Labor and Rights Forum, the International Research & Exchanges Board, and Management Systems International. The Consortium will also work with American University's Center for Global Peace, the Carter Center; the International Youth Foundation, the Wilson Center and YouthBuild International as resource partners.