Worldwide—Global Development Alliance (GDA) Strategic Support Program

Public-private partnerships leverage external funds from corporations, foundations, and other entities to achieve development objectives. They are an increasingly important component of global development assistance. Since 2006, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID)’s Office of Global Development Alliances—now known as the Global Partnerships Office—has forged more than 1,000 alliances with more than 3,000 partners. Since 2006, DAI has been called on by USAID to enhance, evaluate, and create public-private partnerships. Two of our projects—Global Development Alliance Strategic Support Program (2006–2011) and Evaluation of the Impact and Effectiveness of Development Alliances (2007–2008)—effectively set the bar for partnership policy and practice at USAID and its missions worldwide. For more information about the GDA’s work, click here.

Sample Activities

• Analyze the impact and effectiveness of partnership projects, partnership decision-making criteria, management procedures, monitoring, feedback mechanisms, and communications and support.
• Determine if partnerships met goals, analyze the sustainability of the outcomes, and outline motivations of private sector partners.
• Cultivate partners among the private sector, foundations, universities, other governments and donor organizations, and nongovernmental organizations.
• Help USAID missions integrate partnerships into appropriate programs.
• Develop effective communication and outreach materials for key audiences.
• Position USAID’s GDA program as the global thought leader on public-private partnerships.

Select Results

• Trained more than 1,000 of USAID personnel on partnership strategy and implementation during dozens of sessions in Washington, D.C., and at USAID missions worldwide.
• Delivered partnership strategies to 18 USAID missions and convened 26 private sector roundtables for the missions.
• Brokered and advanced partnership frameworks between USAID and companies and foundations such as Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Rockefeller Foundation, Walmart, and the World Bank Development Marketplace.
• Advanced partnerships with aggregators such as Business for Social Responsibility, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Clinton Global Initiative, Council on Foundations, and Global Philanthropy Forum.
• Designed and produced numerous outreach vehicles, including the 12-part Building Alliances Series, featuring USAID’s top public-private partnerships.
• Developed communications strategy for the GDA office, updating key materials and websites, streamlining internal communications, and increasing outreach.